Gotham Knight is, for lack of other words, a Batman version of the Animatrix. This basically means that through a number of animated shorts, the histories, origins, and story of Batman is portrayed in a way that is either impossible throughout the movies, or otherwise. Just as in the Animatrix, there are some really, really solid shorts surrounded by some lesser stories. Gotham Knight has just a little more trouble however.
While the correct thing to do would be to go through each individual short story and try and review it, let's just settle half way. Throughout all the stories, much to my joy, (forgive me for not looking up their actual names) the same voice actors who took the helm for Batman: The Animated Series return to lend their talent to Bruce and his alter ego. All around, many of the animators who worked on this title sometimes step a little outside of the norm and stretch for some daring attempts in animation style usually resulting in an added dimension to DC universe that is Gotham.
With the exception of the first few stories, not that they are weak, but just not as well done. The first short, a retelling of a Batman: TAS episode where three kids brag about how they saw Batman, and how he's interpreted by each draws on, and is of a particular stretched feeling of anime style that I'm not exactly partial to. The rest however continue to add layer and layer to the world Bruce inhabits. There are several very real stories that really nail this. I remember watching this for the first time and was completely amazed by how rich the art was and how it meshed with the feeble attempts of one man to save his city, as well as the amount of training he had to undergo in order to become the Batman.
Gotham Knight, while not quite as amazing as Animatrix is still an amazing experience when the episodes decide to go that way. Definitely a must for anyone who loves Batman
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