Ninjago: Aufstieg der Drachen

I was blown away by the first season of Ninjago: Dragons Rising. After multiple, what I think are failed seasons produced in Ninjago from 2019-2022, the show is BACK, and PACKS A PUNCH! The 22 minute episode format is back again, which I think is great, and fits the show really well. The graphics and details are exceptional and top notch, in what I think are the best graphics in all of the previous seasons of Ninjago. The new main characters of Arin, Sora, and Wyldfyre, and the antagonists of Lord Ras and Emperor Beatrix are exceptionally well written, giving me great hope for future seasons of this show. The soundtrack is awesome and carries the show greatly, as always. The plot does not seem rushed as in the other episodes in the Wildbrain era, and the plot builds and stacks up in a great way. The lore of Ninjago is deepened by a great extent by the events of the Merge, which opens up a lot of new opportunities. Overall, this might be the best season behind those in the Oni trilogy (Sons of Garmadon, Hunted, March of the Oni). Definitely 10/10 stars from me, can't wait to what new stuff this show has to offer.

The story was absolutely amazing, I have never seen anything quite so unique in ninjago before especially with dragons, they changed the story in so many ways but kept the core values that makes ninjago, ninjago. It does a good job at keeping the viewer engaged wether they are an adult like myself or a child, unlike before where they story and fight sequences were completely predictable even for me when I was a child. The show has also introduced a completely new concept to the show that was completely unknown previously but still fits the main story line, I won't go into spoilers but it's a great time investment for both kids and adults.

Ninjago: Dragons Rising is a great show with lots of character, charm, depth and epic action scenes. If you have never watched Ninjago before this would be a great place to start since S1 is very good and S2 so far has improved on that and continues to be awesome.

Arin and Sora who bounce off each other very well, also represent different views of the people who watch the show. Arin is a super ninja fan who looks up to the legendary ninja and knows every little thing about them (the people who have watched ninjago since the start). Sora is the tech genius who has never seen them before or know who they are (represents people whos only exposure to ninjago is DR). It is very clever of the writers to do that, since they reintroduce the ninja later on in S1 which causes Sora to like them due to how cool they are. It also helps that they are very likeable protagonists.

The merging of the 16 realms was also such a good idea since it allows for more stories that couldn't have been possible before. S2 continues to prove that since it dives into the consequences of the realms merging with Lord Ras trying to unleash evil through a blood moon ritual.

This show is so good and more people should be watching it! The animation is also stellar, it looks like moving concept art at times. The fight scenes in S2 are SO EPIC. If you are a fan of cartoons, or animation in general, don't let the fact that its LEGO put you off watching it, because S2 gets very dark at times and they also touch on the topic of mental health in it too. Such a good show.

Title says it all. I love what the writers are cooking with this sequel series of a beloved childhood show of mine. And knowing that Dragons Rising is just one series that is far near from ending, I cannot wait and see what other adventures after Dragons Rising the Ninja have left in store for us! Obviously some character have yet to shine and the series like Zane, Cole, Jay (Rouge now), etc but getting confirmation from the head writer Chris "Doc" Wyatt about what's to come before AND after the new episodes makes me think that the series is in good hands. But the main highlight of the show for me was Kai. He is my favourite Ninja but seeing how he was treated by writers in most recent seasons compared to the older seasons makes me a bit sad that he's sidelined most of the time. But now he actually plays an important role in the series and fully showcases how much he's developed with his student Wlydfire who is a bit of a reflection on who he was back then. Once again I can't for what's store for the future of Dragons Rising and Ninjago itself and I will be there no matter what. NINJAGO FOREVER! 🔥

A review from a 10 year fan of Ninjago.

I know that Ninjago has sort of faded into obscurity since 2018 or so and it all stems from the fact that people can't get over a simple redesign. They chose to just not watch the season or watch the season with the intent to hate on it even thought it has given us some of the best Ninjago content in so long.

Ninjago hadn't taken a severe hit to quality until 2020 and that was when the show struggled to come up with new ideas, and didn't know how to write meaningful character arcs for the Ninja.

Bring in Dragons rising which genuinely has the potential to become the best addition to the Ninjago franchise. They introduce a plethora of New main characters while also still writing the original ninja so so well. The worldbuilding and character writing is probably the best we've ever seen in Ninjago, and the shows visuals look stunning. I am urging original fans of Ninjago to give this a shot because this has been outstanding so far, and has strengthend my love for the series which has been slowly dying out since 2020 or so.

If your worried that the show seems childish, just wait until you get to late season 2-early season 3 where the show finally tackles more mature themes and is as dark as it has ever been.