When A Nerd's Dream Comes True

[@tonymwangi7632]

Honestly Vox machina is clearly above most adult animations. The gore, the humour and the characters are perfect...

[@piotrwisniewski70]

That's because it was made with actual adult audience in mind/DND players rather than edgy teenagers like most adult shows

[@chaitnyamahale7512]

You should watch mighty nahin it's wholesome

[@dutch24]

@@piotrwisniewski70 Dude, edgy teenagers gobble this up as well, I have no clue who it is they're keeping in mind but they must be invisible or a really small and loud group... Hmm

[@angryvaultguy]

@@piotrwisniewski70 I mean aren't DnD players mostly edgy teens tho?

[@piotrwisniewski70]

@@angryvaultguy well, yeah But they're usually not satisfied by person saying "fucj" and murdering brutally everyone

[@manuelmoya4487]

Still believe that Liam O’brian’s birthday present is by far the best ever recorded.

[@TheJerbol]

Most profitable birthday of all time probably

[@jetvulcan2020]

as someone who is a fan of critical role the reason the characters fit the basic standard tropes is because for most of the players these are there first D&D characters made for what was originally a one shot and they flushed them out as they played. it started as a oneshot played for someone birthday everyone had fun it became a campaign they ran at home. then felicia day asked if they would consider do it as a streamed game on geek and sundry and it just kept growing.

[@orderofscribes]

Look out for their second campaign animated show, the Mighty Nein. Having watched the campaign I can confidently say, its only uphill from here. The storyline is really good but the characters really make it shine, and honestly a few of the characters are some of my favorite in fiction.

[@FilmJunk1e]

After seeing how well they did vox machina, i'm for sure gonna keep my eyes on it 👀 Thanks for the heads up!

[@suezcontours6653]

​@@FilmJunk1e Rename to Virgin nerds wet dream

[@MrSpartan993]

I saw that campaign! I so excited too!

[@Kadel___]

Mighty Nein is my favorite campaign so far. Compared with Vox Machina, it's also major fan favorite with the majority of Critters.

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

A few elements that need more highlight: The Score. Not just that the Bard's songs are original bangers, but every element of the music is perfect for this form. The Voice Casting. Not just that the main cast are extremely experienced voice actors that are voicing characters they've created themselves and inhabited for years, but also that every choice they made for the supporting cast was a bullseye. Did they ever land some real talent or what? (Plus, two hobbits and counting) The Voice Directing. There was once an anime dub that changed the fate of a small series, and with it, the whole dub v sub culture. The voice director of the Cowboy Bebop english dub was Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. She still is one of the best in the business, and did a stellar job on this one. The balance of humor, action, and emotion in this series is hard to pull off, and she nailed it. It helps that she's had a long running, godmother/director relationship with the cast and creators. She's also a damn fine voice actress herself, and gets to play her own CR PC in season 2 and beyond. Lucky her, she also got to marry Steve Blum, Spike Spiegel himself. Love❤ Mary, and thanks for this one.❤

[@blindmanai6957]

oh my yes the voice casting. rip lance reddick. gonna be tough to fill that guys shoes in the upcoming season without coming off as just an impression. currently my favorite was the voice actor for Earthbreaker Groon, Ike Amadi. I can still hear his voice bellowing "where does your strength come from?". as i'm unfamiliar with the source material I am hoping that he did justice to that character for the OG fans, because he really nailed the strong old man vibe for me.

[@undeathghost5627]

@@blindmanai6957 For what it's worth, He did indeed fill the shoes perfectly. Matt (DM aka voice of all NPCs including Groon in the game / voice of Sylas and Umbraysl in the show) has said himself he wouldn't have picked anyone else for the role as it only elevated the character.

[@TheJerbol]

Omfg how did I not know that?? CB dub is basically the best dub of all time :O AND she married Spike?!? HOW AM I JUST LEARNING THIS

[@danielkover7157]

I've only seen the first two episodes so far, and that show is great. I love how dysfunctional they all are. The gnome bard and the giant dude are hilarious.

[@neonom1024]

"half-elf droid" ...

[@FilmJunk1e]

Yes, there's a secret invasion happening right now where automatons are kidnapping and turning people into robots. Be warned... the next time you see a brothel offer "FREE FAT ELF BOOTIES", it's likely a trap... Not speaking from experience of course i'd never fall for such lousy tactics

[@pippastrelle]

I'd watch that show

[@ffreed]

@@pippastrelleAnd that character could be made with D&D or a similar system.

[@MrSpartan993]

So it’s an elf-war forged. Got it!

[@TheJerbol]

@@FilmJunk1e I believed it was intentional just roll with it :P

[@enderfire3379]

fun fact: the belt that gave Grog his beard is a belt of dwarvenkind. It dosent always give you a beard and you have to roll everyday to see i you have grown a beard (though once you got one, it stays). Grog was trying for several days to get a beard since goliaths (Grog's race) cant have facial hair. And when he finnaly got it, Vax shaved off half of it in a bet

[@alexandralim3381]

I love how "tragic past" comes up so many times LOL

[@simulatedstring9029]

That's how you know it's based of a dnd campaign lol

[@pippastrelle]

When I first saw the trailers, I expected something "subversive". Upending fantasy tropes to make a laugh out of them. Watching TLOVM, it fit to the fantasy archetypes a lot more than I expected but the real subversion was... how sincere it was. The characters feel like people, no matter the tropes they conform to. When they joke about their world, it feels like how we'd make fun of our own. It all gets you so invested in what they're doing together and it's certainly made me a fan of the original Critical Role too!

[@pippastrelle]

Oh! Almost forgot to talk about HOW THE WOMEN ARE PEOPLE TOO! That's SO rare in fantasy and even rarer in adult fantasy. They've got distinct personalities and don't get extended shots of leering at them like trophies. Delilah gets stabbed through the fricking throat by Cassandra because they get to be as important and flawed as any other character. Massive W.

[@TheJerbol]

As a day 1 CR viewer, it brings tears to my eyes seeing how their story has transformed and evolved to this point for new fans :D

[@PristineTX]

Prime Video…we NEED Season 3, ASAP. But I’m glad they are taking their time. I know Amazon realizes this is one of the better shows on the entire service. (I think it’s right up there with Reacher for an action/adventure show on the platform)

[@houndgirl7365]

VM season 3 has been greenest along with Mighty Nein S1 and there is talk about animating Bells Hells as well, but frankly M9 is my favorite campaign thus far, so a lit of people are stoked for life being breathed into that campaign via animation o.o

[@kasiamleczarska9078]

I have some good news for you. October 3rd

[@Ren-jh3xb]

I feel like the main reason vox machina is amazing is the fact that it was initially created by people who just wanted to have a roleplay amongst themselves and were passionate about establishing and portraying their characters well. A single lead writer and a team of smaller writers who adhere to the guidelines the lead lays out and work on so many characters at once, can't compare compare to a group of people who each got to make and flesh out their own character as passionately as they want + a great DM who is a god at establishing the greater world and story where the characters will get to show their personalities and growth. And from there on out the players get to do whatever they want with their characters; start a romance or don't, be an idiot for the sake of comedy or don't.. No external pressure of "character A _has_ to fall for character B at some point, so keep that in mind as you write their arcs" Vex is, for example, a character I think a bigger group of professional show writers would fail, and dumb down to the sly seductress of the group who's a decent sharpshooter. But since she was written and roleplayed as by Laura, who was determined to make her only character a good one, that just ended up being one of the many facets of her complex character. (Matter of fact I think the way this show handles fan service is its strongest suit. It's there either for visual storytelling (vex) and/or comedy (scanlan) as opposed to needless eye candy. Which is again mostly credited to those two being created by two people who really wanted them to be good, complex characters)

[@Nikto10k]

Honestly this is definitely in my top 5 fav shows ever.

[@an8strengthkobold360]

The kinda pseudo plot armor is a really funny result of the adaptation. Like the shaodws kill the guards instantly but takes ages to finish off members of Vox Machina. But that's because in the game, the party have like 60+ (and probaly around d double that in the case of Grog) hit points each but the guard only have 11.

[@acetrigger1337]

The wonderful balance of Dark and Light that Matt created with his campaigns really leaks right through into the show.

[@lanceeeee1]

Honest to god the quality of these videos rival that of much bigger channels. I also love how you present the plot of these shows/movies. Keep it up man I'm sure this channel is gonna blow up in the near future!

[@jjunbecoming2523]

Well said! I very much agree with you👏🏼💯

[@lProN00bl]

Is anyone else kind of surprised at the lack of discussion about this show? If anything you'd expect something like this to be obnoxiously all over the internet. Kind of glad it it is not but glad it's successful.

[@hhylobates4098]

There was a fair but of chatter when they first broke the kickstarter record and then when season 1 came out, its been a while since there was new material to discuss though

[@beccazach]

Same here! I really wish there were more videos like this from people unfamiliar with Vox Machina. Especially bc it gets compared to Invincible all the time, which only happens to be more mainstream due to its superhero genre but is very similar in terms of quality. I think marketing TLOVM as a D&D show scares off a lot of people into thinking they wouldn't like/understand it, but hopefully this show gets more love when S3 comes out since things like Baldur's Gate 3 have popularized D&D even more.

[@dhirengoseco4087]

I love this show, glad it's finally getting some recognition

[@charlychokoneko-chama2768]

I loved this series and just wanted to point as a french the voice adaptation is just AMAZING wich is very rare for that kind of animated fictions. That a bonus point

[@benhorst5829]

alright, off to watch vox machina now lol (and great vid btw!)

[@traviscue2099]

Matt is such an impressive writer. While he has certain things written down, most of what happens is fully up to the players.. So he has to write scenes off the top off his head right then and there.. From characters/locations/dialogue, all while finding balance in the game while guiding the players. And you see it both in the campaigns and the show.

[@sontungnguyen5631]

It's rare to witness the beginning of a youtube channel. Keep it coming dude this is some good stuffs.

[@ardinhelme687]

I feel like I gotta point out that Percy isn't just "smart dude with a gun" but is actually "smart dude who INVENTED guns (via revenge demon fueled epiphany)" and the consequences of introducing firearm technology to the world is something that continues to weigh on him for the rest of his life. It's a little detail, but it puts his arc in perspective and, with the Mighty Nein, you can see how his invention of firearms ripples out and affects the world going forward.

[@emooproductions3394]

Percy's name having to be so small is so funny.

[@blindmanai6957]

loved this show. thank you for sharing your thoughts on this one. looking forward to season 3. cheers!

[@dragonflybug1577]

I never knew this was based on a DnD campaign, let alone the fact the same people voice acting the characters are the ones they played as in their game

[@callmev3531]

2:03, On the subject of magic and power scaling, the show does enough with its D&D influences to make them mostly accessible for audiences, notably having each character’s magic look distinct or specialize in different effects. For example, Scanlan’s constant use of projected illusions, his use of music and general passionate expression to fuel his power and the purple smoke of his magic making it almost resemble stage magic give his abilities specificity and are in line with his character being a performer. 4:27, And on Pike’s side, they tie her magic with the strength of her faith (religious faith and personal confidence being a major aspect of her character), not only in her patron deity, the source of her power, but in herself and when her faith is tested, her power wanes. 5:39, Interestingly, the show also somewhat adapts the limited magic and spell slot mechanics when showing Pike become exhausted when significantly using her power, but tied it in with her character arc of needing to renew her faith in herself for her waning power to strengthen again.

[@FilmJunk1e]

Thanks for the extra info, it's always nice to hear more about the characters/lore behind interesting shows :D

[@callmev3531]

@@FilmJunk1e My pleasure. My knowledge of the original D&D campaign’s and the game’s mechanics is a bit limited, but thankfully, the show still managed to make all sorts of references to its source material and capture the essence of the campaign (and the tabletop D&D experience) while also being complete enough to function independently of it, which is, perhaps it’s biggest strength. And with the world of Exandria that Matt Mercer created, should the team behind the show get enough support, there are two other campaigns worth of story for them to adapt.

[@JustSomeDudee]

My favourite moment has to be the awakening of the Deathwalker’s Ward. Also I loved the tragic past joke from honest trailers.

[@TheMusicalBoy93]

Ahh yes. Keyleth, the droid. Druid? I've never even kissed a girl

[@jaxxed6955]

i Love that you woke up and started making bangers

[@losingbow77d47]

When the barbarian got a beard i was just waiting for him to say ,,BOY"

[@Rinz-Aide]

AHAAAHAAA I'VE GOT A BEARD!!!

[@barti560]

Me, seeing the big guy: wait, Kratos? Tf are you doing here 😂

[@stateofhibernation]

It was great to see the d&d show come even more to life with animation ❤

[@AstroSully]

Such a fun and amazing show. It has everything from comedy to pure gore.

[@xxxxRouvenxxxx]

Vox machina is soo good.

[@Cauthon]

They always said that they'd be keeping the tone of the Stream. If you love the show, then checking out the stream is always recommended.

[@brandonnandlal1257]

This channel looks very promising I already subscribed and I'm look forward to more great videos.. 👀

[@theagent315]

Watched an episode of this like a year ago, didnt really get into it. Maybe ill try again

[@TheRealMichaelH]

Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2 are not great. They're written to be a self-contained introduction to the world and characters. If you can get through them to Episode 3, it gets MUCH better.

[@wrath7646]

Why every character have a tragic backstory

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

Because it's a D&D trope. The whole point is to have this familiar, almost cliché setting, and then bring the complexity and fun storytelling we add at all our tables. It's the reason Critical Role is so popular, they do it so well, and this adaptation is bringing that spirit in a big way.

[@ghurcbghurcb]

Because happy people don't leave their homes and families to risk their lives fighting dragons.

[@espion2KX]

Why not?😂

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

​@@ghurcbghurcbI mean, y'know, unless they just like that sorta thing

[@kjj26k]

​@@whensomethingcriesagain That dichotomy of someone who has no emotional business adventuring is explored in Campaign 2, along with two other characters that don't really have any tragedy in their backstory, so much as mild sadness about something.

[@TheRealMichaelH]

Film Junkie: "…with a tragic past." Marisha Ray, player of / voice actor for Keyleth: "[C]ontent happy people don't feel the need to go out and HUNT DRAGONS."

[@unicyclist97]

lol, Keyleth as a "droid"? Nah, that's Fresh Cut Grass 😄

[@Superdummy803]

While this show is an adaptation of the stream not a retelling, it is amazing how close they got to what actually happened during the stream. Example, How grog landed the killing blow to Kevdak was taken almost exactly how it happened in the stream. This show is so personally loved by most Critters because in a lot of way the show wasn't written, it was lived. Anxiously waiting the release of Season 3 and Season 1 of The Mighty Nein. :)

[@flyinglobster9552]

Critical roll one of the best dnd channels

[@ArthurTorrias]

This show is what got me into Critical Role, and after seeing both the show and campaign 1, I'll say that each did some things better and worse than the other. I'm so excited for season 3 of Vox Machina and season 1 of The Mighty Nein! 5:06 Also, is that a snowdrop? *Proceeds to go cry in a corner* If you know, you know.

[@viper2010ize]

Half Elf "Droid" fuck i wish she was a droid lol

[@ibelievegodexists4198]

Best show I’ve seen since invincible

[@Basicph33r]

Wait till you find out they're adapting the second campaign of critical roll, the mighty nein.

[@ibrahimdogonyaro1732]

I love me some keyleth, she cracks me up.

[@TheJerbol]

5:50 pairing with Nujabes is a smart choice with this series

[@MrSpartan993]

“Elevator Pitch go!” “DnD if it was more realistic with actual consequences!” “…I’m listening.”

[@TheJerbol]

OG DnD you considered yourself lucky to escape the first 2 dungeons

[@Freddieology]

3:15 “how crazy is it this was based on a dnd game and had the same voice actors!?” Critical role fans “……………….😅”

[@markusbrunolsen6461]

Half elf droid? X D

[@FilmJunk1e]

oh pronounced it wrong lmao my bad brain fart moment

[@adampiech7143]

it's based on a D7D campaign by Critical Role and it's bloody amazing :)

[@Fearfulocean]

Technically I feel like Percy is a warlock and his gun is symbolizing his Eldridge blasting ability. But in more technical way, so he's not some squitty, loser

[@Akeche]

He dipped into Warlock, but he most definitely is using a gun. Creating new inventions and firearms is kind of core to his character, and how he ends up viewing the world. Hating that he brought the "evil" of black powder and firearms into the world.

[@WoeUponThee]

​@Akeche More specifically, he is a fighter that took the Magic Initiate: Warlock feat for the hex spell.

[@hhylobates4098]

Great video! But with over 400 hours in the og show, you picked the shot at 3:13 with two guests and not one including Ashley/Pike??

[@catandrobbyflores]

Half elf siblings!

[@danragamentu]

U should do also The Dragon Prince: Legends of Aaravos

[@tunedude19]

Where is season 3?

[@guyJonesy]

hey can you do a review with the Cyberpunk Edge Runners or ARCANE thnx!

[@MidgardF]

Droid?

[@QuixoticCowboy]

Based on this and your take on Invincible, I assume we will get a Castlevania video soon?

[@FilmJunk1e]

I haven't watched castlevania yet, got a lot on my plate at the moment but some of my friends have been telling me I should watch it as well. I'll probably watch it but don't expect a video too soon lol :)

[@SonOfLaughter07]

what studio made this show? prime should have hired them for invincible honestly.

[@mydude8731]

Animation looks the same

[@elbruces]

I'm sorry, but did you call Keyleth a "droid?"

[@Civilian_gamers]

Where can I watch it ?

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

Amazon Prime

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

Are the names being mispronounced on purpose for comedic effect?

[@seaborgium919]

I fully disagree with the "violence for the plot" because the dragon attack was like. 80% unnecessary. One or two brutalities, then we get the picture that the dragon is bad.

[@seaborgium919]

the horses were also unnecessary to highlight. You could very easily have put them elsewhere and showed the dogs standing up without the horses. Like. there's a bit of the gore that is unnecessary.

[@FilmJunk1e]

But then that would be unrealistic. If a dragon were to attack a camp full of soldiers, it would probably wipe them out with only a few survivors left, which is what we consistently see with the other places it has attacked like the village.

[@hhylobates4098]

Yes they somtimes go overboard with the gore to the point of it being just silly, which then makes deaths seem trivial and done for shock value instead of serious. Like the opener with the knock-off fellowship having eyes balls float by and a perfectly carved skull cap. Just ridiculous. If death is so comedic and common why should we care about the unfortunate fishermans family or any other bit of background fodder?

[@drakedarkstar5422]

All characters are likable? Speak for yourself.

[@an8strengthkobold360]

The furst season is kinda over hyped ngl. It reall takes off in the second season though.

[@angryvaultguy]

honestly when I first heard about vox machina I thought it was gonna be an over sexualised, gore porn, cringe show and decided not to bother with it at all, not that I'm prude or anything but when you are born and raised and Australia you've heard it all and frankly sex jokes become boring. I can already tell I'm not gonna like scanland the gnome bard and grog needing to have medicine shoved in his behind is a bland cheap joke but the others seem interesting at least and your video has me convinced that this could be a decent show to watch

[@unicyclist97]

Scanlan has depth. The actor who created him is a master of the Long Con.

[@ffreed]

@@unicyclist97Definitely. Scanlan is responsible for one of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the campaign, and I can’t wait to see how it’s depicted in the animated series.

[@ibelievegodexists4198]

Scanlan is one of the best characters in the show wym lol trippin

[@hhylobates4098]

The first two episodes are the weakest being an introduction which doesnt quite fit, so give it until at least episode 3. I do think they wente a bit heavy handed with the "comedy" which can be a hit or miss depending on the viewer, but the heart of the show is still there.

[@angryvaultguy]

@@ibelievegodexists4198 like I said sex joke fall flat with me so that's why I won't like scanlan with him being oversexulised

[@Headhunter5509]

The fact that this animated seriers came off of the back of some really talented players of DND and their community, and shows how well it has been recieved by fans of Critical role or non fans. Just proves good content comes from Passion and love for it not Bussiness greed or big budgets or woke producers. I highly recommend anyone who enjoys the animated Seriers to check out the Real life DND game it was made from on Critical role channel. huge love, and great review of the show ^^

[@johnnolan4061]

But has there been any word for season 3? It's a few months late. inb4: wRiTeRs StRiKe. (They were exempt) also Lance Reddick recorded all of his lines. They literally have no excuse for no news.

[@hhylobates4098]

Its not late, there was never an official release estimate. Just because people guessed it would be out January again dosent mean it isnt running on schedule. Its Amazons show to promote and manage now, they decide when anything is said about it.

[@P1nheadlarry.]

I prefer critical role

[@TaxEvader420]

It's cool for the Critical Roll people, but I just can't get past the juvenile humor and overall writing

[@britishpilgrim4412]

Didn’t one of the main cast get done for kiddy fiddling or something ?

[@orangejoey1459]

Didn’t watch the original DND play through, but one of the players got canned midway and his character doesn’t appear on the show because of that. That might be it?

[@hhylobates4098]

It wasnt anything like that, but one of the original cast was dropped from the dnd show at episode 27 and hasn't been associated with them for years now.

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

No.

[@nunobraga3217]

why the spoiler man???? with no warning

[@achronos178]

My only problem with this show is Adult animations think "Cursing or gore" means adult. I hope they tone down the dialogue next season.

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Sorry, but that's not gonna happen. What makes this show different is the creator control. They're dedicated to making this as faithful an adaptation as possible. The gore and vulgarity will always be a part of it, because that's what happens when you get a bunch of adults together for game night. It not only reflects the tones of their table, but most of ours as well. I assure you, it's not some cynical injection of a marketing dept. It's a major element of how it got popular, and why it got made.

[@hhylobates4098]

No I agree, a casual game around a table is one thing compared to actually living a life of battle and death, they should be able to take things a little more seriously. If other characters in the world dont find a joke funny then its so clearly forced in for 'the audience' and feels out of place. And while its a violent world with death around every corner, sometimes the gore looks so exaggerated its silly

[@The-xp4xj]

this show was boring and poorly written

[@blackfrostfior4483]

Sure man,sure

[@The-xp4xj]

@@blackfrostfior4483 it is though

[@d4s0n282]

@@The-xp4xj yet you dont give any reasons or anything, you just saying the show was boring and poorly written, makes your comment boring and poorly written lol

[@The-xp4xj]

@@d4s0n282 that's reason enough though; i'm not gonna write an essay in a comment section, especially to a bunch of biased nerds.

[@TheRealMichaelH]

@@The-xp4xj If you can't be bothered to explain yourself - what you like, what you dislike, what your basis for comparison is, how you reach your conclusions, why anyone else should listen to you - then your opinion has no worth. EDIT: Rewrote a certain phrase that gets you shadowbanned, apparently. Same thing, different words. Clever readers should be able to figure it out.

[@gaselstrakaty4921]

That looks like the pinnacle of cringe.

[@dannyd4339]

Nerds have some trash taste

[@laurentguyot3362]

there is lot of cringe, woke cringe but its not all bad, its on the same page as the last D&D movie

[@blindmanai6957]

what is woke cringe in the context of vox machina? is it cause the bard is bisexual? is that considered woke in 2020+?

[@laurentguyot3362]

@anai6957 most of the humor is woke AND cringe, sooo 2020+ and feels patheticly forced, Vox machina is by no way standing out for this mind you its everywhere even in the Halo serie...

[@blindmanai6957]

@@laurentguyot3362 most of the humor? Really? If it's most of the humor could you cite at least three examples of this? Cause I can't think of one, but I will rewatch it with this in mind.

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

@@laurentguyot3362 joke's on you. Every element you think is "woke" was baked in long before 2020, either by the cast, or the nature of the game. Yes it's wonderfully woke. Nearly everyone is pansexual, the world is multicultural, there are themes about found family, the power of friendship, diversity, underdogs, women in positions of power. It's as woke as every other table I've been at for decades. It was made by nerds, by anime fans, by millenials with a diverse and supportive fan community. It ain't Dirty Harry, that's for sure. I suspect the real problem you have though, is that one of the bad guys is an incel.

[@laurentguyot3362]

@@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude nothing made woke on purpose is "wonderfull", its like making a cake with every possible ingredients because, you know, absolutly NEED to be "inclusive", at the end its just a repuslive blob that taste awfull.