Voltron: El defensor legendario

Do you remember Saturday morning cartoons? If above a certain age, you do. They were fun, poppy, and enjoyable, although as we got older, we came to realize that they weren't very good.

This is like a Saturday morning cartoon, except it's good.

Aired on Netflix and made by basically the entire Korra team minus Bryke, this is based off the classic 80's show Voltron. That show was all right. This show is great. It's not Avatar-great or Korra-great, but it's great. The animation is top-notch, the writing is solid, the characters are interesting, the pacing is excellent and it's an all-around blast to watch.

This a series that is made for binge-watching. The episodes flow into each other so well that it's like a mix between a TV series and a movie. It's almost a new medium, or at least a new format. This is a very interesting development. It'll be interesting to see where it goes, both in this series and in television in general.

Thankfully, this is a series you will want to binge-watch. It starts you off in that direction by combining the first three episodes into one epic hour-long season premier, but it is the quality and addictiveness of the show that carry you the rest of the way. Honestly, I'd be surprised if anyone didn't binge-watch this. It's not like some of the great adult-skewing TV dramas like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones, or even shows like Avatar and Korra, which can tire you out and force you to take a break. These episodes leave you with enough energy that you want to springboard into the next one.

This choice extends to the series as a whole. Without giving too much away, the entire season ends abruptly, leaving us on a cliffhanger. Now, if they were focused on one season at a time, this would not be a good choice for the ending. It's unsatisfying. But when the entire series is completed, it's a brilliant idea. People would finish season 1 and jump immediately into season 2. Despite what you may have heard, it's very possible for later seasons to retroactively improve earlier seasons. This takes that to a whole new level.

None of these characters were particularly interesting in the old 80's show, but under the deft hand of Team Korra, they all have specific and well-defined hopes and fears and desires.

In a lot of shows where a team of heroes must save the day, one member of the team (or that member and his rival) get all the spotlight, while the other heroes are swept to the background. Sure, they may get episodes in the sun, but even then, it's obvious and contrived that they were just trying to get those characters more screen time. Often, those characters don't even have any bearing on the finally. But here, it's different. The team really feels like a team: all five members matter. There is a leader, but he doesn't overshadow the rest of the team, and it feels like he's the leader not because some marketing department declared him to be so, but because he's the most mature and knowledgeable out of all the characters, and would naturally be the leader.

I also love this series' ability to take typical TV-episode plots and make them emotionally and thematically resonant. In the third-to-last episode, the characters' ship gets corrupted. It's funny, yes, but by the end of the episode, an important sacrifice has to be made, and you'll be crying your eyes out. It takes a deft grip on storytelling to be able to pull something like this off.

Now I'm not saying the show's perfect. It can occasionally get bogged down in things we don't care about, and while a significant amount of suspension-of-disbelief is needed for a show like this, it sometimes pushes you too far and feels too contrived. But the weakest part of the show is its villains, none of which are all that interesting. When the villains are on screen, I kind of bide my time and wait for them to switch back to the heroes. But when they do switch back to the heroes, my eyes lock on to the screen. I was not expecting to become so invested in the characters and environment and plot, but Team Korra got me. Great show, guys. I will be waiting for season 2.

(P.S. I love the chemistry between the characters. It's funny and heartfelt. They really do make a good team.) By: Joshua A. Fagan http://jfmillenniumreviews.blogspot.com

For anybody who has seen the previous series that debuted in the late 90's early 2000's, this is series is a major improvement over what we were given last time. The pilot episode starts out a bit sluggish, but considering what they need to establish in it that is to be expected. I think the biggest problem with the series is that to many people are looking at the series from the 80's that we got direct from Japan and are comparing it to that instead of letting it be a series unto itself.

The voice acting is excellent, and Rhys Darby is critically underused in seasons 1. Hopefully he will get more screen time in season 2! Some characters were given more screen time than others, but again that tends to happen early in a series when you are attempting to establish these characters. Season 2 should help even out the screen time and give other characters more time to develop as fan favorites

I've never been able to defend the original Voltron as a good show. I loved a lot about it, and I've re-watched the first four episodes strung together as the VHS movie 'Castle of Lions' so many times I have the entire thing memorized. The Japanese version was better, or at least more coherent for not being so heavily edited, but there always just something that didn't gel. Other reboot attempts that tried to either continue that original, or reboot it only cleaning up some of the nonsense, always fell a bit flat. This, though. This finally lets the concept sing. Netflix/Dreamworks and everyone have created a fresh version that doesn't stick too tightly to the original. It fixes a lot of incoherencies for it, and gives the series a stronger story with deeper characterization. But, it also takes elements from both the original Voltron and the Japanese GoLion, and even some of the mechanical mysticism of the comics, so it never feels like its abandoned the core of Voltron either. To the opposite, the 11 episodes are practically littered with smart references and allusions to scenes from the original that ring pretty true despite being in the middle of new circumstances. The isn't the Voltron from my childhood. Heck, it's not even Voltron as I remembered it being as a kid. This is a better Voltron entirely. All the delight of a Saturday morning cartoon, all the quirky style of an anime, and all the writing quality I'd hoped having Avatar/Korra alum on board would (and did) bring. If I have one complaint, it's that I still prefer the music and sound effects from the original, but that's neither here nor there and almost entirely nostalgia speaking. This is the better cartoon in every way that matters.

Overall, I would say that I enjoy this show. It has great animation, excellent voice acting, and characters with potential. Unfortunately, my attachment to this show seems to be relying solely on potential I see that has yet to be met, even after 2 seasons.

The main issue with this show is that it has no idea what its strengths and weaknesses are. It tries to do a TON of different things, just trying to see what sticks. Another big issue is the conveniences. Many characters are capable of or learn special abilities in the show, yet they seem to only work once and NOT when they're most needed.

The series has arguably 7 main characters. While I didn't enjoy Keith or Shiro in the first season, they were virtually the only characters that had any sort of...well, CHARACTER in Season 2. Everyone else is abruptly shoved to the sideline and shoehorned into a single defining trait, making them dull and repetitive. Hunk is the food-obsessed fat guy. Pidge is the tech geek. Lance is the comedy guy. That's all they are, nothing more. The villains are also about as compelling as a cardboard box, as we are given nearly no backstory or decent motivation for them at all.

It's overall pretty disappointing to see people who worked on such great shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Justice League Unlimited, and The Legend of Korra write such a sloppy show with so much unused potential. What could be episodes focused on developing characters and working towards the plot are spent on pointless side quests with more-miss-than-hit comedy, most of which having to do with fueling their ship. None of the character balance, consistent pacing, compelling story, atmosphere, or depth from the staff's prior work seems to be fully realized in this project.

That being said, the show is not completely doomed. It still has a lot of potential. If the next season(s) spend more time making the characters interesting and creating a more compelling story, it could definitely live up to the hype. I don't want this show to be bad, and I'm going to continue watching it in hopes that it realizes exactly how great it could be.

My friend grew up with the old Voltron series and when this one came out he was so thrilled! Kept going on and on how amazing it looks and how great the setup was. Just hearing the fact that part of Avatar production team was on it should be enough for anyone loving that series to give this one a go. I watched it at first based on my friends enthusiasm, but I stayed because Voltron delivers so much! The characters grow and change, the plot is ever expanding and wraps up on in a grand manner every season. It might be over the top sometimes, but never too much. It takes the silly idea of a space lion robot and gives it just enough serious spin to keep it amazing through the whole show. Animation is superb and shots are truly grand. There are so many still shots in the series that could be framed as an art piece. Along with it, voice cast and sound production do an amazing job as well. Nothing felt like it was out of place. If you liked the Avatar series or if you have a thing for space magic, I would definitely recommend this show. It is dark at times but it always reminds you that there is good in everyone and that one should always fight for what is right. Appropriate for all ages.