Written by: Kevin Berge
It must be tough for Queen Allura to be the smartest and most capable of the crew and not being allowed to ride the lions. (Image Courtesy of: denofgeek.com)
Quick Take: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 finds a way to heavily improve upon the first season by fully committing to the characters. It is engaging, funny, and emotional where each episode has a memorable, unique focus.
Voltron Reviews: Season 1
***This review will contain spoilers for the entire first two seasons of Voltron: Legendary Defender. If you plan to watch the series and have not, do not read past this point yet.***
Rebooting old franchises can grow tiresome, but the success stories always thrive. The backing of old school ideas with a fresh focus really do make for an enticing franchise reborn.
Voltron: Legendary Defender is an absolute success story. It feels like it has the weight of a classic franchise but is built on new foundations through modern animation storytelling.
Season 2 outshines Season 1 by splitting the party. The first season was about everyone coming to work together as a team. Everyone needed time to learn to trust each other.
At the end of that season, the group was broken apart, and the show uses that idea multiple times. When the group is broken into at least pairs/trios, it allows each character to shine individually.
Shiro continues to become the hero everyone expects him to be, but he runs into hurdles of self-doubt. Keith faces an uncertain past that includes a surprise reveal of his Galra ancestry.
Lance works to find what allows him to matter to the group. Pidge reveals her true focus and adds an important perspective to the crew. Hunk is constantly the loyal ally and always looks out for his friends. Queen Allura comes to terms with her role and pre-conceived notions in order to begin creating a future for the galaxy.
***This review will contain spoilers for the entire first two seasons of Voltron: Legendary Defender. If you plan to watch the series and have not, do not read past this point yet.***
Rebooting old franchises can grow tiresome, but the success stories always thrive. The backing of old school ideas with a fresh focus really do make for an enticing franchise reborn.
Voltron: Legendary Defender is an absolute success story. It feels like it has the weight of a classic franchise but is built on new foundations through modern animation storytelling.
Season 2 outshines Season 1 by splitting the party. The first season was about everyone coming to work together as a team. Everyone needed time to learn to trust each other.
At the end of that season, the group was broken apart, and the show uses that idea multiple times. When the group is broken into at least pairs/trios, it allows each character to shine individually.
Shiro continues to become the hero everyone expects him to be, but he runs into hurdles of self-doubt. Keith faces an uncertain past that includes a surprise reveal of his Galra ancestry.
Lance works to find what allows him to matter to the group. Pidge reveals her true focus and adds an important perspective to the crew. Hunk is constantly the loyal ally and always looks out for his friends. Queen Allura comes to terms with her role and pre-conceived notions in order to begin creating a future for the galaxy.
Lance may be useless, but at least he makes things more fun. (Image Courtesy of: geekdad.com)
This series just feels at home now when it was still finding its way in season one. The dramatic moments land hard. The comedic moments and episodes are great and often even more memorable than the drama.
The show has a complete arc that builds to an epic conclusion that makes it feel like the story could reach its ultimate conclusion. Each ally the group makes the galaxy feel so much bigger.
The villains even get more development. In particular, the dangerous Emperor Zarkon is made into an even more frightening foe. His past as a former Black Paladin weighs on the story, creating a dark shadow that makes it hard to trust that anyone couldn't be twisted with time.
The animation is great and leads to so many impressive action scenes. Every single episode is engaging no matter what is threatening the group. The voice acting is not as strong or consistent, but most of the key voice actors are well cast and sell the drama and comedy well.
The journey of Keith is the climax of this season including Keith taking on what feels like a suicide mission. He becomes the heart of the story, showing that being Galra does not make him lesser. With the surprise disappearance of Shiro at the end of the season, he will likely take on the lead role for Voltron as deserved.
This series has caught my attention quickly, and now I am wholly invested. It is an impressively orchestrated series that builds upon its own foundations well. Like with most Netflix animated series, my only disappointment right now is that it isn't longer. This series would be great even in funny filler episodes.
The show has a complete arc that builds to an epic conclusion that makes it feel like the story could reach its ultimate conclusion. Each ally the group makes the galaxy feel so much bigger.
The villains even get more development. In particular, the dangerous Emperor Zarkon is made into an even more frightening foe. His past as a former Black Paladin weighs on the story, creating a dark shadow that makes it hard to trust that anyone couldn't be twisted with time.
The animation is great and leads to so many impressive action scenes. Every single episode is engaging no matter what is threatening the group. The voice acting is not as strong or consistent, but most of the key voice actors are well cast and sell the drama and comedy well.
The journey of Keith is the climax of this season including Keith taking on what feels like a suicide mission. He becomes the heart of the story, showing that being Galra does not make him lesser. With the surprise disappearance of Shiro at the end of the season, he will likely take on the lead role for Voltron as deserved.
This series has caught my attention quickly, and now I am wholly invested. It is an impressively orchestrated series that builds upon its own foundations well. Like with most Netflix animated series, my only disappointment right now is that it isn't longer. This series would be great even in funny filler episodes.
