Voltron: Legendary Defender
Netflix brought this gem into my life years ago and I'm currently watching this series a second time, it's that good. It's like some of the great animes or The Last Airbender, it's just so amazing and worth a second viewing to consume all the goodness that the show delivers on that its almost necessary to binge watch a second time.
From the humble beginnings of a handful of characters from the beginning episode to the development of those people who we care about at the end, to those who stand in the way of those young people, everything is just top notch storytelling. From episode one to the finale, everything is connected in an action pact, emotional, Rollercoaster of a ride that I never thought possible for a Voltron series.
Nostalgia quickly evaporated as this show surpasses its predecessor, showing that when you have great writing and amazing voice actors mixed in with superb animation, you'll get epicness. That's what you get with this show, a long eight season storyline that hooks you in and makes you fall in love with the world that was created.
You would think this show would get repetitive quickly, that it would almost take the Power Rangers road where almost every episode ended up the same. Where the Power Rangers would end up morphing into their armor then calling for their zords which would then turn into Megazord to destroy the monster in front of them. The Paladins are much more complex than that and yes Voltron is called upon to fight the evil Empire of the Galra led by Zarkon and his evil witch Haggar, but it's not the end all be all of this show.
The Paladins, five human characters who were all born on Earth have their weaknesses, strengths, and issues they need to overcome. They go through a lot from start to finish as they're pretty much only kids that managed to be picked in a sense to fly the lions of Voltron. They need to learn to not only fly the lions, but work as a team, which takes a very long time to master.
The show brings about multiple villains to the forefront including one of the main baddies Zarkon, but others remain throughout the series as mainstays, some even become allies, that's the fun part of the show, the fact that even enemies have backstories and wants, they aren't just generic fodder that are fed to Voltron. I also love the politics involved within the series that Princess Allura needs to deal with as not only the daughter of the king who created Voltron 10,000 years ago, but an eventual Paladin, and leader of the Voltron galactic alliance that is trying to rid the universe of the evil that Zarkon represents.
The main characters themselves go through ups and downs within seasons and even break up as a team, sure they reconfigure the lineup a little bit, but it's not the same and teamwork needs to be focused on at that point.
The characters themselves are just fun to watch grow as they reach their full potential physically, emotionally, and as pilots, it's fun to watch and doesn't feel forced and definitely doesn't get old.
Enemies like Lothar, Zarkans son and prince are amazing to watch as well, he's not a cookie cut villain, he has motivations and emotional turmoil, he reminds me somewhat of Zuko from the Last Airbender for a time anyway. He's cunning, manipulative, and on the borderline of insanity and redeemed as a broken hero. He's probably one of my favorite characters other than Kieth. Even Zarkon has a story that kinda makes you feel for him in a way.
The sound quality is top notch as well. You can feel the battles come through the television, I highly recommend using surround sound or headphones, but watching it normal won't hinder the experience.
The directing and writing is also amazing. As I stated before it never gets boring or repetitive, things are always happening or changing. Even when things seem to be going well and the team of Voltron seem to be overpowering all enemies they always seem to get knocked down a peg which I appreciate.
All in all the series as a whole which lasts eight seasons gets a 92 out of 100, a 9.2 out of 10 from me. This show far surpasses the 80s original in all phases.
#Netflix #Voltron #Lions #Galra