... I hate it when cartoons go for the stereotypical buff guy and curvy girls - even when the girls are like twelve
You bring up a valid point here,
Uza-chan.
On the topic, with superheroes, I find this kind of depiction to be fitting. The protagonists HAVE to look interesting and dynamic in one way or another to make them likeable to the viewer/reader. Even if the characters are in their teens.
But the thing with the Animorphs is that WE KNOW they are meant to be AVERAGE 13 year old American teenagers.
And this is where I, too, struggle to depict them. In a nutshell, my characters NEVER end up looking like they're 13. Nghaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr
gh!