Wakfu

I really love this show i can't wait for season 4 my school is filled with kids that like wakfu but when you finish watching the whole series it feels like you have lost a friend you are just hungry for more episodes

When one talks to animation fans about what they think the best animated TV series made outside of Japan is, he or she will probably encounter the same answers repeated several times: "Batman: The Animated Series", "Avatar: The Last Airbender", and "Samurai Jack", being perfect examples. The reasons these series are so beloved are that they have likable characters, excellent writing that doesn't talk down to children, comedic scenes that don't feel out of place but still provide levity to series moments, and superb animation, particularly during fight scenes. However, there is another series that not many people know about, but is just as good as, if not better than, these aforementioned cartoons: "Wakfu: The Animated Series" To give some background, "Wakfu" is a French cartoon released in 2008 based on a French free-to-play MMORPG (Massively-Multiplayer Online RolePlaying Game, similarly to World of Warcraft) of the same name, which itself is a sequel to another MMORPG known as "Dofus". Unlike most animated series based on video games, "Wakfu" doesn't follow the story (or lack thereof) of its source material or even feature any of the game's characters, and instead features original characters and story that take place in the same universe as the game.

Giving an overview of "Wakfu"'s plot without giving any spoilers would require talking exclusively about the first season and overlooking the second season and its six TV specials, since events in the first season form the backbone of everything else. The general premise is that a young boy named Yugo, who is the adopted son of a restaurant chef, discovers one day that he has the ability to form wormhole-like portals with his hands (if you've played the video game "Portal", you'll get the idea), and then sets out on a quest to discover his heritage, alongside a group of other adventurers that aid him in his journey. As is expected of adventure shows, they constantly have to put their journey on pause in order to help people in need that they encounter along the way. While most would brush off these instances as nothing more than filler episodes, the main characters show growth and little bits of their personality, although not as much as during the main story. At the same time, these character developments and personality traits never feel forced and the characters always feel like themselves from start to finish.

Speaking of the characters, each of the main ones are all very likable. Unlike "Avatar: The Last Airbender", which has characters that only exhibit one or two personality traits each, each of the main characters of "Wakfu" have several different aspects to their personalities, including the villains. These multitudes of personality traits not only make the characters more believable, but they also make them more likable and more memorable.

Of course, a major ingredient in any animated work is the animation, and "Wakfu" has this category well tackled. While it's very obvious that the show is animated using Adobe Flash and involves motion-tweening sets of shapes (telling a shape to go from point A to point B and having the computer fill in the gaps) instead of animating one frame at a time, the movement still manages to be fluid enough that this flaw is hardly noticeable, especially during action scenes. Also to note is that the backgrounds, character models, and special effects are full of vast, beautiful details, and almost any single frame of the series is worthy of being hung up and framed on a wall.

"Wakfu" is one series that is sadly underrated, and more people should give it the attention it deserves. Currently the first two seasons can be streamed from Netflix, although I would recommend watching the original French audio with English subtitles, as the English dub leaves much to be desired.

Wakfu is one of the best animated shows that a cartoon/anime lover could watch. It is a cross-media show, building off of a world established in an isometric MMORPG made earlier called Dofus, the world of Wakfu has a very deep and expansive lore behind it, and the show creates a wonderful, diverse, well written and presented world that keeps the viewer interested constantly.

The show has a large array of characters, each with their own motivation, story, personality, and development. The main cast of characters that the viewer tags along with are each well developed and complex characters in their own right and they have a wonderful group chemistry with each other. The villains of the show are some of the best I have ever seen. There are two main villains throughout the main two seasons, and they are both tragic and complex with their own motivations and back-stories that make every moment they are in highlights of the show.

The story is also just as good as the characters, with complex but relatively easily understandable stories in which each element of the plot is important and relevant. The show knows when to sit back, relax, and have a good time, yet it also knows when things need to get serious. The jokes are pretty funny, and the writers poke fun at plenty of western culture here and there, and they are clever bastards, fitting in plenty of adult jokes and innuendos if that floats your boat. My only complaint would be the more lackluster filler in the first 12 - 13 episodes of the first season.

The animations, in particular, is one of my favorite aspects of the show. The entire show, and coincidentally the MMORPG(s) it is based on, are animated in Adobe Flash. But do NOT let that discourage you. The animation in this show is not top notch, but the animators work hard to keep things consistently pleasing and smoothly animated. The show has a good standard, and it never drops below it. The show also makes expert use of its color, using a bright and colorful color scheme for the majority of the time, but using darker colors when things get serious.

Lastly, the entire show is french-made. The original dub is in french, and it might be off-putting at first, but I highly recommend the original french version over the English dub if you can handle the quicker dialogue in french. The English dub has good voices, but the acting is plain bad at times, especially during action scenes, where characters needlessly grunt in weird and almost unenthusiastic ways that detract from the actual action going on. The french dub, in comparison, has awesome voices for the characters as well as good acting. The french dialogue can seem emotionless at times, but it is never bad in any way, only getting better as the show progresses.

This show is absolutely wonderful. It's one of the best shows that any cartoon lover can watch, and with a small spin-off series focusing on some of the secondary characters, three extra long special episodes expanding the characters, story, and world even more, and a variety of comics that tell the stories of plenty of the characters in the show, and two movies coming out in 2016-2017, there's plenty to watch and enjoy. This is by far my most highly recommended show for anyone and everyone who's interested.

I've watched the entire season one and two (and I heard there's going to be a season 3) and they were both amazing.

Great anime, couldn't believe how smooth the transitions and camera panning were. The artwork was exceptional (though is different from most Japanese art styles, considering this was done in France), voice acting was great, and the storyline moved on steadily without too many fillers.

This has everything a good show needs: some adventure, action, romance, and a few nicely placed puns every now and then.

The fight scenes were awesome and season finales completely epic.

A must-watch for any anime fan.

This show is simply amazing. I've seen every episode of both seasons and was blown away. When I heard about Wakfu I thought it'd be underwhelming. I mean, a french anime based off of a game? Pffftttt. Boy was I wrong lol. The animation in this series is absolutely gorgeous and fresh. To my knowledge it was animated in flash which earns it points in my book because flash is quite hard to work with sometimes. Especially for large projects like this one. The voice acting is incredible and portrayed the emotions of the characters better than I'm sure an English dub or even Japanese dub could. The pacing, could be better, which is the only reason this series is getting a 9 from me instead of a 10. There are a fair amount of filler episodes that, frankly, despite my love for the show, could have been done away with. That's really the only bad thing I can think of when this show comes to mind. If you're bored and looking for an interesting anime to watch I'd HIGHLY recommend this series. Although, be warned. By the end you'll find yourself begging for more and at a loss as to what to do next. It's just that good in my honest opinion. I hear that there is supposed to be a third season at some point. I would love nothing more than for that to be true.