Dota: Dragon's Blood

I have never heard of Dota or knew about this video game in any shape and form previous to binging this series - to say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. Even as someone who doesn't tend to like anime, the execution of this series was extremely well done. Plot was well paced and thickened quite nicely. I was worried that the plot would be confusing for someone who's never played the game, but everything unraveled in a way that was easy to understand. The characters are intriguing, although not a whole lot of development yet. I assume this will be touched on more in season 2 (which I am desperately waiting for!)

I was aprehensive about this series because of all the previous movies/series based on games that have ended in disaster. But I must say I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of this show. They've clearly taken their inspiration from the game, but the storyline is all new, and pretty exciting. At times it can be very dense in storylines, and I'm hoping the next season will take its time a little more to flesh some of them out a little more.

.. but who loves fantasy, elves, dragons, magic and 2D animated action sequences of the highest possible caliber, I applaud this show. I knew absolutely nothing about this world or characters going in, but binged the entire season and can't wait for more. Of course it's a glorified commercial for the game, but when commercials are this good I couldn't care less. To produce this kind of anime with this amount of hand drawn animations isn't cheap though. So I really hope Valve/Netflix, or who ever is paying the bill, keeps doing it for many more seasons. Cause this is really good television. And to whoever designed the dragons: hat off to you.

DOTA is very fast-paced and covers a lot of content quickly. It requires paying attention and some thought, but even as someone who hasn't played the game and knows nothing of the lore, it's possible to keep up with and greatly enjoy the series. That said, the show would benefit greatly from a longer more paced run time. DOTA exhibits good animation, an intriguing world, and adventure focused on characters that don't fit into the standard binary of hero or villain. They're layered and each has their own story and complexity for what and why they do what they do, be it "good" or "evil". Give it a modicum of focus and the reward will be an evocative and wild journey.

When goosebumps appear on the skin from every use of the abilities of your favorite characters! When the game comes to life, it's amazing! It's a pity for those who will not be able to fully experience this, because they have not played Dota) But without a doubt, a great plot, I look forward to the sequel.