Teen SuperHero who struggles to maintain his Secret Identity while living a normal life. Yeah, yeah, pretty standard since the 1960's. But look past the cliche format and you're left with an engrossing series.

Danny Phantom surprised me. Despite its childish appearance, the show is deeply rooted with complex plots and Character Development. Watch and marvel as young Danny turns from a naive and shy boy into a fully competent, mature, and responsible hero. Or witness uptight Jazz who learns to embrace her family heritage and realize the brother she's been overprotecting can stand on his own two feet. Then there's Big Bad Vlad struggling to find love, only to constantly get rejected that leads to a tragic Villainous Breakdown. Or how Rich Bitch Valerie turns from a shallow, popular jerk to an Action Girl who realizes there's a world beyond her own myopic view. Anyone else who doesn't get a character boost usually has their own idiosyncrasies and personalities to charm you. I dare you to not feel sorry for The Box Ghost who tries.

Mimicking the best of Teen Hero series, Danny undergoes and struggles through an Untrusting Community, Rogues Gallery, And Triple Shifter. The beauty lies in how the series does a fantastic job acknowledging said continuities, with items and story elements that play key roles later in the show. Most importantly, Danny's growth in the story also extends to the series; early plots dealt with Danny trying to obtain popularity or babysit a flour sack for his school. By the end, Danny is fighting his evil future self, protecting his town while admired by the general public, and fighting God-like ghosts.

Season Three is the problematic one; Executive Meddling caused the series to rush. The old writers left, leaving new ones to fill in resulting in Character Derailment and Aborted Arc, even if the last few episodes improved a bit (still not up to Season One/Two standards). It also has a bad habit of putting in humorous jokes during dramatic moments; not good. Despite it, Danny Phantom is a worthy cartoon, complex in plot and character despite its kiddy feel.