We Were Wrong About The Dragon Prince: Why Shows Should Get Better

[@AvoRabo]

We have seen a ton of comments asking who “we” is. We are not speaking on behalf of the whole animation community when we say “we” lol. We are just referring to ourselves (avo and rabo)

[@Garfieldcfc]

Ah, understood. Thank you for clarifying this!

[@clipso9061]

Do season 3

[@Phat_Gamer]

yes season 3

[@AtenaHena]

But you start with “dragon prince disappointed us all”

[@isaacschneller7504]

Honestly most of the things you are complaining about, I didn't even notice, and I watch a fuckton of anime and animation.

[@hadiyahkhan76]

the king died after being a good dad for like one line. is that- is that Mufasa I see

[@JesusPerez-pe8vk]

Or..DID HE

[@sol503]

HES THE BIRD I SWEAR

[@JesusPerez-pe8vk]

@@sol503 it does seem like they've shown it so much it has 2 be

[@issabellamerie7139]

@@sol503 The creators confirmed that hes dead, he'll only be back in flashbacks.

[@ipathskater4]

@@JesusPerez-pe8vk He's 100000% the bird lol. They literally foreshadow it with the spider, then beat it over your head with shot of the bird over and over. His "death" was way too lame for him not to come back somehow. Also the show is too kid friendly the actually kill anyone.

[@Monkey___]

Idk I kinda liked it right from the start.

[@ethanchoi7036]

I started to like it at the moment Callum's and Ezran's father made a Game of Thrones reference in episode 1.

[@sol503]

i liked it as soon as aaravo's voice kicked in during the opening

[@sethshaffer681]

The animation was a bit jarring for me in the first few episodes, by the end of S1 I was totally in though.

[@Nefariousaa]

pretty much the second I recognized Sokka's VA as Callum, I was sold lol. Went into this show completely blind and came out of it a mega fan.

[@gabrielp9646]

I think 90% of people did...

[@yonatanhoresh2695]

9:30 He's morally grey. The fact that you couldn't quite tell "to what extent he should be perceived as a villain" is a GOOD THING.

[@SeniorTucan551]

Jony FiftyFour I agree with you on that. It builds up a suspense of what may happen and how it’s all gonna go down. So I liked that we couldn’t tell.

[@georgemckenzie6155]

I'm going to be honest, I took his side on a lot until he kidnapped the soldier. But he didn't kill him, just hold him to not stop his plans. I think his ignorance to the selfishness of his goals really helps in setting a pace of grey to black. Honestly seemed like a good guy up till he shoved the king into a bird. Caught me off guard

[@yonatanhoresh2695]

@@georgemckenzie6155 That's just a fan theory, there's no confirmation that that's actually what happened

[@androkguz]

@@georgemckenzie6155 to me, he is the king of rationalization. He is so smart he outsmarted his own moral compass. And he also overestimates his own value to humanity. But I do think he wants to help humanity above all else and will probably get a nice redemption Arc that would make Suko proud

[@hulmhochberg8129]

@@androkguz first yes, but second I think he will go the Greek hero route of hybris

[@noahviolaguard9781]

I disagree about the characterization. It was implicit. Right away, I got that Callum was an introverted dreamer and Rayla was skilled enough to be trusted to go after Marcos but too empathetic to take his life. Ezran did take a bit more time but the first episode set him up to be curious and patient. Unlike Callum who spent time developing art skills, Ezran explored the hidden parts of the castle. More could have been done to define the characters, sure, but the focus of S1 was to get the story started, introduce the world as well as the conflict, and get the plot going. They have much less time to build up to anything. S2 was great with character development but it also didn't have to spend time on the setup, which gave the freedom to explore character motivations and conflicts. S1 is worldbuilding and plot-heavy while s2 is character development heavy. Because of that and the actual events, both seasons feel more like half seasons. The limited episodes can also throw off pacing and reduce the emotional impact of particular moments. I'm hoping the introduction of Callum and Ezran is foreshadowing, especially after the events of season 2. It could have been a transition from backstory into the introduction of the main characters or symbolism since the dragons we're introduced to are directly associated with lightning but I hope that it's also repeated later on in one way or another.

[@mythman30]

yeah i really think the part about not knowing the characters motivations off the bat is out of place. ezran is clearly a curious and adventurous kid shown by him going to explore all the secrets the castle has, so it makes perfect sense he would want to go on this adventure to save this baby animal especially considering he has a pet hes clearly close to, not even mentioning the importance of him being a prince and stopping the war. and callum is very clearly out of place as the step prince, losing his sparring match with soren and needing to be the responsible older brother but still feeling inadequate because he was never good at anything he was "supposed" to be good at, he sees the adventure as a way to prove himself and learn more about magic by visiting xadia.

[@mythman30]

plus Viren has admittedly less clear motivations but they're still there. he was a close friend to the king for so long and when the king suddenly told him to fuck off and stop pretending they were equals. he just snapped and took control of the situation himself.

[@meanncat3050]

@@mythman30 In season 3 it becomes Viren doesn't even clearly know what he wants until an evil elf he found in a mirror in season 2 forces him to make up his mind....so not knowing where Viren stands in season 1 makes even more sense. Can't know where a character stands when even he doesn't know.

[@androkguz]

@@meanncat3050 he kind of knows. He just doesn't know how to get to that brighter future for humanity and he overvalued his methods and his own self waaaay too much.

[@ExperimenturalVideos]

@@mythman30 A lot of this video feels like "We're sorry for being cynical about it and jumping the gun but we're going to double down on making an excuse why on most of it" because a lot of it seems like--I'm gonna guess the vid creator is VERY YOUNG by the sound of their voice, and I don't know what they expected to do with an ensemble cast in 9 episodes depth wise.

[@SwordTune]

I liked the first season and it's characters. Fight me.

[@ashleyb7332]

SwordTune 👏👏👏🤗

[@Chronicpatchkids]

SwordTune I loved it

[@lonelylittledot]

I LOVED the first season!

[@Appalachiosaurus22]

"It's not that great" and "I like it" aren't mutually exclusive. You can enjoy something while understanding that it isn't high art.

[@nickd5158]

I was happy throughout.

[@sacredwatermage3086]

In there defence, there was only 9 episodes in Season 1. Avatar had 20 to work with for it's first season. I think people forget that. Honestly, both shows are amazing at making every episode count. But Dragon prince making a season work in 9 episodes honestly baffles me with this kind of adventure story. I kind of consider season 1 and season 2 of dragon prince, part 1 and 2 of season 1. (Similar to ChAOS)

[@7Seraphem7]

Exactly! We didn't really get into the background, motivations, and core self of either Aang or Zuko till 'The Storm' and that was episode 12.

[@Nefariousaa]

Book 1-2 (Moon and Sky) are a part of the first saga, (Moon, Sky and Sun) So they technically do all go together. At comic con they released how far this series goes. It looks like it has Three sagas, the first has three books, the 2nd has two books, and the 3rd has two more; totaling 7 books in three sagas.

[@sacredwatermage3086]

@@Nefariousaa Ah, I see. Thx for the info

[@antianti328]

@@Nefariousaa That's so cool, I can't wait for the journey

[@justicefool3942]

On top of that, the episode of ATLA that is widely regarded as the episode that really kicked off character development and motivations is "The Storm" which was the 12th episode of the first season. Before that, the story was being set up, but we didn't really know why these characters, especially Aang and Zuko, were the way they were. We didn't really understand why Zuko wanted to hunt down Aang, other than a vague sense of honor, nor do we fully grasp why Aang was so apprehensive about being the Avatar. Even though it took over half of the first season to actually get some character development for the main characters, ATLA is still considered one of the greatest shows ever created. The point is, these things take time to setup. We are entering a new, unique world, with new characters, races, histories, etc. It's going to take a little while to organically build up the world in a meaningful way.

[@pogpogpog7507]

have y'all seen the tdp twitter page? it's basically a meme account and I love it.

[@lemonasticlaifu1505]

I see you're a person of culture as well.

[@shukezi3619]

the dragon prince has the best social media accounts out of any tv shows don’t @ me

[@pogpogpog7507]

@@shukezi3619 facts and facts only

[@whiteTrash34]

Omg i never check out the official accounts cause they are always so boring but this one is full of shitpost.... I love it!

[@DezhdaBear]

The tdp ig account too has a great admin

[@TennelleFlowers]

"We were wrong" *Spends the whole video saying they were right* I'm really glad you guys came around to the show, but it really feels like you just made this video to sink your heels in and complain about season 1, and a lot of your complaints about season 1 feel hollow. Season 2 didn't make massive improvements, it's just more of what season 1 built up. I hope more people check out Dragon Prince cause it's a really great show! All these comparisons to Avatar are really unfair as the first 9 episodes of Avatar weren't much to write home about either and Avatar had a very slow raise to fame. Just give Dragon Prince time to do it's thing and encourage people to check it out.

[@theunknownartist9776]

TennelleFlowers Hey!!! It’s so cool to see you here in the TDP fandom😃 but ya I also agree, season 1 had like 9 episodes to introduce the characters and their personalities, make a compelling story, figure out how to get from point A to point B, and have interesting conflicts... So, I’m impressed that they managed to do that in just 9 episodes!

[@strawbellia5945]

I agree I love both seasons

[@brucevu7917]

Agreed

[@bryncannon794]

TENNELLE!

[@robertbeste]

Pretty much all this.

[@Pippin2luv]

One thing I love about TDP is that it doesn’t really sugar coat the harsh realities of a fantasy world and the characters are faced with actual, serious problems and conflicts.

[@vapingfury4460]

Oh yeah? Well poo poo pee diarrhoea shit fart, that's all I gotta say....

[@rafotrarran6888]

What parts of TDP were dark? It's depiction of institutional racism?

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

@@rafotrarran6888 I'd say the obsession with getting back at people for the mistakes of previous generations. To me it is the main theme of the show, to tell people how ludicrous that is. What is dark about it, is that our real world is also plagued by that thinking. How many conflicts in the world go on because of that kind of thinking? The entire middle-east is a clusterfuck for exactly that reason.

[@allensullera1565]

Pippin2luv if you want dark fantasy read Berserk :)

[@celestinebuendia]

I like how you somehow still trash season 1 and say that season 2 was only good because the creators noticed how bad the first season is, even though it seems to have just progressed and developed normally like any other show.

[@frankenstein6677]

Doesn't make season 1 any better.

[@Zekiran]

"We were disappointed" - that's on you, this show was brilliant from the start.

[@strawbellia5945]

Agreed

[@itzwolfikun7883]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@DanasGoneCrazy]

Lmao, they're not wrong tho. Other than them, I know a few people who were also disappointed, including myself. It's a great show, for sure, but there's a reason why season 2 is considered to be so much better than season 1. Season 1 had a lot of issues, but it was enough to get me invested and I'm glad because season 2 took those issues and improved upon them vastly

[@TheDeluche]

she's probably comparing this to ATLA from the perspective after the series finished. I started ATLA from the very first seasons and had to wait for season 2 and so on. ATLA season 1 started real slow but because it had 20 or so episodes we finally got some real development and story as the first season concluded. Dragon Prince is starting to do the same around the same number of episodes so it's expected. This series is expected to have about the same number of episodes as ATLA with seven seasons so it'll hopefully be just as good if not better.

[@kileyslone2762]

Zekiran I know season one definitely had some amazing shots, sure the frame rate was too low for what they were going for but the story was amazing from the start

[@lemonasticlaifu1505]

Well, 3D animation aside, the story is actually good since season 1. The characters had emotional arcs and the dialogue was charming, in contrast with Voltron, which only hinted development in characters and never actually did anything with it in the end, and TDP actually did something with its characters since S1. But I agree that the King dies without us getting to know him properly and that was a big problem.

[@tigerhunt0350]

Lemonastic Laifu I agree about the king and viren throughout until like the last episodes of season 2 was on the fence about being evil or not

[@jonsnor4313]

I hope they let the spirit of the king around in some fashion to explore him more, he isnt dead dead yet. Season 1 did with reyla and callum and viren and harrow and the rest a good job showing what the characters are like, before you get more in depth in season 2 of their characters. A good setup is good to begin to care about characters. But season 2 with the dark elven mage is even better.

[@ariesmel1281]

Ah yes, the arc of: Elves bad for exiling our species, Elves attack (and kill) us and our dad, Elf says she not bad, Elves not bad i guess, go help Elf to strengthen the nation that banished the human race for a really bad reason by stabilizing their monarchy. That's fucking art right there.

[@eddiezo9441]

The parrot?

[@wisewillowgames]

they didn't like it bc of the 3d animation plain and simple. made excuses as to why, said that they fixed it in s2 but they didn't really, they just added to the story, and said that " the werent devloped in s1" but they were, they just missed its bc of the bias.

[@manofTao]

I find the commentary unfair toward this show. Sure the Japanese are better at animation due to their prolific output and high standards but good animation doesnt equate a good show. Have you seen Waking life? Personally I enjoy not being spoon-fed a story and would rather be challenged to try figure out the plot/situation. I feel the show makers aimed it at a mixed viewership, but kept it fairly aerated and uncluttered for the younger people. As an adult I really enjoyed it and found it refreshing.. It was a welcome experience after all the dark stuff that almost exclusively populates netflix these days.. This was a fresh production from newly formed multimedia studio Wonderstorm, courtesy of writer Aaron Ehasz and video game maker Justin Richmond.

[@pyromania2280]

Y E S 👏👏

[@pretendtheresaname9213]

Good animation doesn't equal good show... and they said so, in the video. They clarified that, if your writing is good, other aspects can be overlooked. There's no excuse for bad 3D animation, look at Trollhunters, the animation on that monstrous mess is good. But they wanted to go with this unnecessary and awful mix between 2D and 3D and, well, the results were seen. I'm a teenager and I find it such a mediocre first season that I couldn't brother myself to watch the 2° when it came out. From animation and writing to worldbuilding and character personalities, everything just felt flat. The only good thing was the room they left so the second season could go deeper.

[@robertbeste]

Of course asian animation is better. The west actually has to pay their animators a living wage and acceptable work conditions.

[@wisewillowgames]

i was alwys taught when it comes to comics, manga, shows, it doesnt matter how good your art and animation is. its about how the story is and how it reaches the readers.

[@wolfstormwizard424]

Bruh I know right Japanese only push themselves further because they improve during the world war more so than the American how do you expect animator to master this technique fluently it hard to master because it in perspective

[@robertbeste]

This video seems to be more aimed at justifying your skepticism rather than actually attempting to re-examine your skepticism.

[@mayaplance1517]

Tldr: Season two was actually better the season one believe it or not

[@pogpogpog7507]

@Yas Noelle it was still shit, though

[@theblueone6848]

What is Tldr again?

[@pogpogpog7507]

@Yas Noelle facts. for starters, sea of monsters actually had clarisse and annabeth as separate people.

[@thecrash987654321]

@@theblueone6848 too long; didn't read

[@theblueone6848]

Oh, thanks

[@yonatanhoresh2695]

To be fair, the sword fighting lesson with Soren is one of the most efficient and smooth pieces of characterisation I've ever seen.

[@doha4258]

RIGHT!! "art! finally something im good at!" ALONE tells us what callum's passions and weaknesses lie, and his general approach to his insecurities. the characters in this show were what made me want to keep watching, and imo they were wonderful from the very beginning.

[@boyskindles2872]

The first season was amzing👏👏👏

[@tamas9554]

Of course, that is why the show only tells us about why is Soren behaving with Callum the way he does in the last episode of the 3rd season, when everyone already forgot about it, and its not relevant anymore.

[@shukezi3619]

the dragon prince is honestly one of my favorite shows running right now. the first season made me super excited, but i didn’t really look at it with a critical eye like i normally do with shows and movies, so i neglected to appreciate the care and development the people working on the show went through to improve the second season. this video was able to highlight that and only like the dragon prince more than i would have otherwise! great video!!!

[@7Seraphem7]

Same, I had no issue at all with the writing in Season 1, sure there was a lot left unexplained, but that's the way a story works, you don't give everything in the first chapter. The framerate thing was noticeable and a bit odd, but not enough to counter how amazing the art looked otherwise.

[@sergiom3988]

8:10 "We don't know" Exactly! We don't know, therefore we get curious about all those things. When a movie/series starts by telling you Just everything about the past, the background story and so on... There is nothing left to say. Everything that follows is... Happenings, most times predictable. I prefer programs that don't just tell you everything right away.

[@amaanigreen5368]

I disagree with you about the whole season one bit, like yeah the animation was a bit off, but i don't think it made the facial expressions off and the plot was great, I will have to agree to disagree with most of your points

[@_spooky_mars_]

other shows: IT'S A CARTOOOOOOOON ARTISTIC FREEDOOOOOM the dragon prince: we hear your concerns and we'll take those into account later one!! :D I love how this show remembers little things from season one and added them in season two (the sandwich conversation, should claudia choose soren over the egg, etc) it made me very happy to see that I wasn't the only one who remembered those things

[@MiMiLock58]

are you talking about rwby lol

[@kaiserband6412]

Spooky Mars SU Crew: take notes

[@darao.4907]

Lmao you didn’t have to call out barb like that

[@shadowcat97fyi]

Well here's the thing, it is a cartoon and they do have artistic liberties. They have a story to tell. Thinking that the fans should control how the plot unfolds is a bad idea and can go off the rails pretty quickly.

[@StarVFoe]

@@shadowcat97fyi that's pretty much what happened to rwby and MLP they listened to the fans.

[@alyadraws108]

I feel like the first half of the video was a rant about how you thought he animation was bad and that “It’s not Avatar ” No shit, and I’m not a elf

[@tpete202]

I disagree that it’s a flaw to keep the lore and world-building unstated at the beginning. One of the best things about Star Wars (ep IV, of course) is that you’re thrown into a world with no explanation. A princess, a tall dark villain, some guys in robes. The conflict is evident, but the backstory is all behind the curtain. It’s compelling. Perhaps it’s a generational thing? No wikis in the 70s to flesh out everything, little concern for “canon.” Neither is wrong. It’s just a different approach.

[@tulip5210]

I agree with you too!

[@tulip5210]

Show no tell :)

[@jbcatz5]

Sapphire and Steel is a show that deliberately keeps the lore vague. We never learn exactly what Sapphire, Steel and their colleagues are, and that’s what makes each storyline so approachable. The lack of a solid mythos means it’s hard to be locked out.

[@Renigade16]

Yes this!! Why I love about SW is that it answers your questions as the story goes on. Just watch and enjoy and you'll learn.

[@tamas9554]

Star Wars IV is a film that focuses around characters, and that is why in that film the little information given about the world is acceptable. However, The Dragon Prince didn't really make up with anything for the little exposition about the world in the first season. Even worse than that, the first season sets a rule for the world, and then completely throws that out of the window in the second season, this being human's capability for magic.

[@artynightfury]

I came in watching the Dragon Prince very clueless of what was going to happen and expected very little after watching She-ra, Voltron, and other DreamWorks shows. But oh my goodness, I was not disappointed. I didn't mind the animation at all, I actually loved it for its uniqueness and the fact that they were trying something new. I fell in love with the characters even after not knowing much about them. But even going into the show it was kind of obvious that Callum and Ezran were brothers in the beginning.( Just my opinion) So I only disagree with a few of your opinions about season 1. Other than that I agree with the improvements in Season 2 and deeply hope that season 3 will be even better.

[@marlaneperkins8175]

Fun fact!: The Dragon Prince is not by DreamWorks but by a startup animation studio called Wonderstorm .

[@itsisabel420]

What’s wrong with She Ra? The characters and writing was actually pretty good.

[@atsuvii]

anyone here after season 3? yeah i’m suffering too

[@DiboraBinebeb]

Real shit

[@jenn4368]

Happy Clouds - Lizzie still in pain and shock from everything :’)

[@euph3y512]

I'm going through withdrawal of having nothing to watch from this show until like April. Please send help

[@unlimitedrabbit]

@@euph3y512 I'll help. Don't watch She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Do watch Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated.

[@euph3y512]

@@unlimitedrabbit Excellent 😂 yeah I took a look at She Ra and it did not seem that good

[@cameronriddle4520]

I've always liked the lower framerates in these type of shows, I know alot of people dont but I love it.

[@shukezi3619]

yea it’s very similar to into the spiderverse! even though i’m pretty sure it was to lower costs, i personally think the action sequences and the whole comic-book like vibe they were going for only benefitted from the low frame rates 🤷‍♀️

[@7Seraphem7]

@@shukezi3619 Except Spoder-Verse stepped it back up to a 'normal' frame rate during the more high energy action sequences, to help them stand out from the rest of the movie. But yes, it's something that CAN be used well, but Season 1 was not doing so, it made it look a bit too stiff and jerky. They made it work for season 2 though.

[@FabschOblivion669]

It's hard to get used to it at first, but I got used to it after 2 episodes in. I know it is an artistic decision when they did that, but I think it turned out okay. Season 2 did it better.

[@nixthelapin9869]

Yeah I liked it too. It felt unique and fun

[@LordEsel88]

It can look good, but in this instance the frame-rate was too low. It's meant to simulate the frame-rate of 2D animation, but when it's too low it just look like low quality.

[@Nikolaistanford]

I like how almost everyone respectfully disagrees about season 1

[@AshSmashReacts]

9:31 I actually liked that about Viren in season 1.

[@hibernatingchibi]

Yesss!

[@jasmintea8825]

Yeah, like this is a something positive and not negative lmao

[@giuliacf4180]

He's probably one of the best and most realistic villains I've seen in a while, because in his eyes he's doing a good thing for humanity

[@Qadow]

Most on shows go like this: Season 1: Wow nice this is great cant wait for another one Season 2: Yeas this was awesome Season 3: Oh okay, that not bad, looking forward to next one Season 4: Ok now, this is getting borring, but I will keep watching The Dragon Prince: Season 1: Holy shit this is great ! Season 2: Oh my fucking god what even is this masterpiece ! Season 3: My mind is too small to process how great this thing is !!! Season 4: .... Well, there is not yet season 4, but I am afraid my head will explode ... You clearly want this to be a mainstream series, but in fact, its just excellent, whole story progression, characters development, the world ... Get Over it, you were and are wrong ! This shit is masterpiece !

[@KAI_MAISTER]

YOU DIDN'T SAY THANKS FOR WATCHING AND DON'T FORGET TO SMASH THAT SUBSC

[@thecatsaysmoo2893]

*Surprised pikachu face*

[@seldomstudios6351]

thats a sin right there

[@Tigernoneother]

If you only got simple things from the characters, in season 1, you weren’t actually watching it nor cared about it.

[@sarahbaiocchi]

In real life, the people you meet don't present you with an immediate interaction that tells you every high point about who they are and what their motivations might be. This may be why I disagree with you regarding character introductions. I thought the Dragon Prince did an excellent job of giving us minor, but memorable and relatable, opening information regarding each of the characters. We learned in the first episode that Ezran is compassionate, mischievous, and curious, and in the first scene we see that he looks to Callum for emotional support (he calls for Callum during the storm, rather than a parent), indicating that he spends more time with Callum than with a mother or father. We see in the first episode that Callum is uncertain about his place in the world and his relationships to others. He feels insignificant because he doesn't have any talents or skills he considers useful, and emotionally isolates himself to some extent, keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself much of the time. Though it's clear he'd like to be close to some of the characters we meet, he seems to be unsure about how welcome he is in their lives. In the first scene, we see that he's not only artistic but also has a whimsical streak, and that he responds to Ezran's reliance on him by being dependable, as if he himself is accustomed to caring for the younger boy in lieu of parents. Though we were offered a fair amount of information in the first episode, I found the most interesting part of the whole thing to be the information that WASN'T there. As you seem to have understood, though not necessarily consciously, there were huge gaps in the information we were given that, in any other story, WOULD HAVE BEEN FILLED IN IMMEDIATELY. This was fascinating to me because it indicated strongly that there was a bigger picture the audience wasn't able to see yet, and this lent the whole thing an air of mystery that propelled me forward through the series as a viewer. There was vast room for expansion, making learning about the characters as you get to know them a very natural, very true-to-life process, which I appreciated. By contrast, I always found Avatar: the Last Airbender's opening introductions pretty stilted and forced. The way the characters are introduced in that scene felt awkward to me from the get-go, and I think it was also unnecessary, given that the show was likely going to be more than one episode long and there would be plenty of time to fill in all the information we didn't pick up immediately. I didn't hate the scene, of course. I thought it was cute. But I came out of it expecting less from the show than it eventually delivered, and if it hadn't been highly-recommended to me by a friend, I might not have watched to the next episode.

[@SirZelean]

I'll just disagree about your first point. This is a show, not real life. Much like show dialogues aren't NEARLY as realistic as in real life, character introductions aren't meant to be as well. The purpose of character introductions is setting up their personalities and what the viewer should expect of them, and not look realistic. Every word in writing needs to have a purpose, as time is limit and so is the viewers' attention, and that confronts directly the idea of realism.

[@sarahbaiocchi]

@@SirZelean That's fair. I'm not speaking from an educated perspective, really, and rather than looking at things from a practical, writerly angle, I'm just stating my preferences. Well, I guess I'm also saying I hope the Dragon Prince gets its props for being so out-of-the-norm in this way. That's assuming the creators were taking a deliberate chance on the atypical presentation, rather than just being sloppy or inexperienced, which I guess is also a possibility.

[@SirZelean]

Yeah, sure, I won't say that slowly showing a character's traits is WRONG, it's just often a bad choice. As an example, in game design (yeah, I'm a game design student :3) we have the "15 minute rule", which basically means that we have 15 minutes to show the best the game has to offer before the player gets bored and quits. Which is why games such as God of War start with Kratos having all of his amazing powers, giving the player the ultimate feel of the game, and then he loses it all, making the player pursue that power through the rest of the game. But then again, there are examples of games that chose to not follow this, especially those with more complex systems. Point is... there are too many games (or in this case, shows) out there. If you don't deliver a satisfying 1st episode, chances are that your audience will quit before they get to watch the 2nd, in place of another show that better catches their attention. And no one wants to risk losing most of their audience :P unless, of course, doing it this way somehow hurts your story during the long run, such as giving the player all the systems in a real-time strategy game would feel more confusing and messy than satisfying. The 1st episode of a show, or the introduction of a game, are probably the most important part of the piece. Which is why, at least in game design, the intro and tutorial are often left to be made much later in development. Anyway, I hope I was clear. I often end up dishing out too many information when I'm talking about things I like xD ahaha

[@sarahbaiocchi]

@@SirZelean Nope, you were totally clear. It was a really good video, and well-thought-out replies. It's interesting to me, seeing the whole thing from a creator perspective, rather than as just an audience member.

[@hibernatingchibi]

I completely agree!! For me, a great story doesn't have the characters and plot spelled out for the audience. Keep the audience guessing and engaged with dialogue and subtle actions, let them discover lore and secrets with the protag. I was surprised people found the characters lacking in season 1, I thought their relations, insecurities(?), and motives were clear enough in the first few episodes ^^;

[@rayvanurwrongagain]

this whole video comes off as you being extremely defensive and throwing out any argument you can to prove you where right. its obvious you jumped to conclusions and where wrong, just say that and move on lol

[@wisewillowgames]

right, they assumed stuff based on a bias of already thinking the show was crap and now that its more popular there coming in with the " we didnt hate on it"

[@luluack4798]

So true though :(

[@unknow11712]

mhh... i didn't see theyr first judgement , but i would get that the 3d animation with slow FR was painfull for the first 3 episode . my gf is asperger and she can't see it because she can't adapt to it so she can't even see the show for how painfull it is for her . and the story , if not watched carefully , may seems on the easy side . not evryone get the message of " there are no villains , only ppl that want things " be it revenge or the possibility to use something that they can't use . and i see even in this video that they didn't realy understood who the "villain" is ,since that is actualy the guy in the mirror :D i found it a good show from season 1 , but it doesn't mean it is perfect ... now , i should see the video they made to judge it , but i don't think there is anything in this world that is outside criticism from someone, if they are actual fact ofc, and i find that at least the part of the FR is a good criticism .

[@fernandaaguiar7807]

The thing I liked the most about The Dragon Prince was that it's not exactly white and black. For example, Claudia. She uses dark magic, which is supposed to be bad, but she's not evil herself. And Soren is also a character that we can't tell for sure in which side he is. That makes me feel like the show, even being in another universe, is also close to our reality.

[@elijahproto]

Well we know which side Soren is on now.

[@what3685]

ElijahProto But we still got to see how Claudia was conflicted

[@reimiller1226]

*unacheesable* thank you for the new catchphrase

[@jonsnor4313]

Season 1 wasnt perfect, but the pacing was good or a season that set up characters and plots without overwhelming viewers. And i could easily buy the relationship of the brothers and the cast even in episode one. Saying avatar was better must be regarding the animation, because season one was also basically a setup season for later seasons to build on, common concept in media, with inriguin mysteris lurking behind the worlsbuilding. ATLA is in that sense overrated because of the nostalgia goggles, it wasnt perfect, nor drastic different to the dragon prince in storytelling, other than the animation.

[@almm9486]

Right now and then

[@jakecrawford9787]

It’s definitely getting better. You’re being too critical.

[@DanasGoneCrazy]

That's what they're saying though, they're acknowledging that it's getting better as a show

[@brandonmeng6138]

I found Ezran waking up to the lightning interesting. To me it showed a bit of how deep the fear of the dragon king was deep rooted into him. At least that is what i got from that scene.

[@samham8596]

THE STORY, PLOT AND CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS ARE JUST SO FREAKING POWERFUL AND ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!! I cannot wait for what Season 3 has in store for us. #TheDragonPrince #GiveUsTheSaga #TDP

[@karp652]

Hey dude, know I’m like a year late and I don’t know if you know this and if your even still into the show, but Incase you don’t know the saga got picked up, the whole next 4 seasons was picked by Netflix! Season four is confirmed and there hasn’t been a release but I think it might come around Christmas based on how they release

[@samham8596]

@@karp652 I know!! I'm thankful for the good news, especially right now, and I will definitely follow the saga as it progresses. Hope you're just excited as I am!

[@cristinaflanagan5323]

*OH YEAH 4 MORE SEASONS B A B Y*

[@normanicole4714]

The objections to season one seem to come down to not being spoon fed all the motivations and plot up front. I think a lot of the advice here would have made the season much worse. Not every story needs to fit the story circle they taught you in creative writing class. I think it was a purposeful choice to make the world feel like there is a lot going on we don't know and let us share in these kids gradual discovery of the world and each other. It both more realistic for not being the same old formulaic story and more fantastic by leaveing the depths of the world and characters open. I think this channel would enjoy another sitcom.. 🙄

[@arkuos8361]

7:00 now this is just an unfair comparison to Avatar. We know next to nothing about Sokka and Katara, other than what you describe. Sokka's nuance comes in later seasons, and Anng is pretty much a mystery in the context of the show (as of then). Then you go on to point out the Rayla cant kill people (A pretty important part of wetwork), Ezren looks to Callum for support and has some emotional connection with him, and we know Callum is a masterful artist (important later). Sokka and Katara pretty much do the same thing as Ezren and Callum, leaving on a potentially suicidal mission to a far off land.

[@tennyoAMV]

Can't get through the video. Just seems like a lot of elitist snobbery to me. The animation in season 1 did not bother me one bit.

[@BionikleFG]

Season 1 anims triggered me a bit but I didn’t get what they were talking about when they referred to shallow characters

[@sophiekatchick7356]

I thought season one was fab. I wasn't bored. But I agree with the lagging. Season two was even more epic!! So excited for season 3 xx

[@mandragonna]

We were wrong all along, the series wasn't good, it was awesome!

[@jae4ze]

I would like to say, none of the "negative" points said here occurred to me at all, and I still don't mind them.

[@Rothbourne]

Nobody: Absolutely nobody: This channel: We were disappointed by season 1

[@hannabayer4392]

I hated season 1. Still hate this show.

[@Rothbourne]

@@hannabayer4392 Why?

[@hannabayer4392]

@@Rothbourne I could literally write an essay about why I hate this show so much. I don't connect with any of the characters. There are some really weird audio choices that throw me out of the scene. There's little to no logic for a lot of the characters actions. Ezra is just obnoxious. I can't seem to like him no matter how hard I try. The "adult" characters are either genius levels of smart or ignoramuses making butt and fart jokes. Season 2 introduces a romance I am NOT here for and I honestly barely remember anything about the show. It's that unmemorable. Avatar the last airbender is my all time favorite show ever ever ever. I was so hopeful for this show due to the showrunners being from avatar. This was just such a massive let down. Avatar was so good. SO GOOD. Yet this show is, in my opinion, nothing special. There are college level film classes using avatar as an example for good writing. Dragon Prince is an example of bad writing, pacing, characterization, and world building. Such a shame.

[@Steamlazer]

Season 3 of this has to be better than season 1 of Avatar, despite the same no. of episodes

[@alopex7430]

@@hannabayer4392 can you explain why you think all that? Why do you think it has bad writing, characterization, world building, etc.

[@woonyur7056]

The dragon prince was good since day one. And that’s that 😗

[@aquaswept404]

This was kind of a rough one, tbh. You didn't offer a lot of evidence or compelling arguments, you just threw a bunch of surface-level observations onto a script and saw how those observations changed while passively experiencing the show, never actually synthesizing and commenting on the reason those writing choices might have been made and what they were going for. The fact that you brushed off Viren's intentional ambiguity as like... an abject flaw instead of the intentional attempt as genre subversion is pretty telling in and of itself. Woof.

[@watakashe6072]

I remember when this show was first announced last year, and how I literally only wanted to watch it so I could feel better about the Voltron seasons being terrible. The first season didn't do much for me, I didn't really care about the plot and I wasn't very connected to the characters. Then season 2 came out and oh my god, I genuinely started loving the show right then and there. I mean I'd seriously die for Claudia and Soren, and the whole trio has my heart. I had genuine fun watching season 2, and I'm still dying to see season 3. If only Voltron under went this kind of development.

[@thefrogman2691]

I know right

[@conner8319]

I thought season 1 was great just from how it could potentially evolve. I was not bothered by the animation, sure it was a little questionable on occasion but the reason it evolved so well was because most of the elements to expand upon were already there which is good writing. And your season 1 example was the single dullest light wise scene in the season. Compared to a bright and colorful anime. There is another level of analysis here, the further you get into the series the more you realize the lies in the episode 1 intro. Yes season could be improved upon, but you never really seemed to showcase what season 1 did right. Instead choosing to compare it to Avatar the last air bender. We are almost never going to get overly too much depth in a season 1. Additionally these are all children main characters, besides the biased adults. Do you know how SHALLOW children can be at times? The last air bender didn’t dive deep into personal pasts in season 1 either. And if you want to argue personal stakes, Ezran and Callum left home to end a war that has and continues to threaten the state of peace they know of. This peace aka absence of absolute war turns more into a Cold War of movements and guessed at intentions taken at face value between the elves and the humans. Overall The Dragon Prince is a land separated in two in physical landscape, knowledge and what is believed about magic. And a note: be careful how you use ‘we’ because assuming everyone shares that view(even if you didn’t mean for it to) instantly alienates anyone who disagrees

[@sandrols7]

I'm just gonna say it: The first season of Avatar really wasn't that good either.

[@chrismalinowski654]

Ehhh idk man. After the blue spirit nearly every episode was of s2 or s3 quality to me. I agree its by far the lesser of the 3 seasons tho

[@sandrols7]

@@chrismalinowski654 Yeah, that's actually pretty fair. It was a really rocky start, but it got it down at some point.

[@imapotato2349]

I gotta say, until the moon spirit it was boring as hell

[@flames1752]

Chris Malinowski true! But dragon prince season 1 was only 9 episodes, the first half of season one of avatar were also kinda lack luster

[@thebegleyshow3320]

Yeah but things really started picking up in The Storm.

[@jakelevinson7802]

You have to met even in the first season The antagonists were amazing. Clear motives and believable characters Who weren’t just one-sided but three-dimensional. Side note Love the video

[@StacyNotStacey]

Tbh I quite liked season 1, sure it wasn’t the best of the best, but I loved the character building and world building and the pacing of the story, I’m glad you started to like season 2 but you mostly talked about how you were write and that season 1 wasn’t very good. But that’s just my opinion

[@ayeshahussain3629]

Season 1 was little slow. Season 2 was good and I was hooked when they introduced Aaravos. I loved season 3 and cant wait for 4. I have read that they have planned for 9 seasons.

[@biggtk]

One can only hope! I want to see Ezran as a teenager and then a young adult King. I hate when cartoons keep child characters as children forever.

[@ramble4395]

@@biggtk yes I want a birthday episode. I want my characters designs to change.

[@AndorRadnai]

I also hope that they gradually increase the amount of episodes..! Doing only a few is fine for testing the waters, but I think we can all agree that, for exploring Xadia, a bit more volume would not be harmful. I just really like world building! ^^

[@esejsnake1503]

I loved the first season! Because: characters and story!

[@Writermist]

I loved this show since season 1. It's about damn time people started realizing it's awesome.

[@maritasmith5966]

I didn’t even notice the facial animation, I couldn’t even see it when you mentioned it. I also disagree, they did do showing and not telling. I admit it wasn’t done well, but it was there. I also understood the motives of the characters and connected with them right from the start.

[@someromaboo]

This whole video feels like a " I was wrong buuuut..." type of argument especially when it is very clear to anyone who watched the show without bias that you are either ignoring the many hints and seeds for season 2 or just could not be bothered to e truly try to understand it. Especially towards the characters it's like you expected an instant classic out of what was obviously the introduction to a long journey and just labelled it as bad either by fear of disappointment or elitism. It all sounds like the rant of those supposed experienced watchers who refuses to truly admit that they were wrong about a show that they immediately writed off as bad or mediocre. It's never more clear to me that when you bring up Avatar and praises its character introduction while not recognising that season 1 has that same quality. Ezran's introduction informs us that he often hides his fears with a façade of carefreeness in that same scene we are also informed of his love of animals through Bait. Callum's introduction through his training shows his inadequacy and insecurities and his eagerness to be useful. Harrow is characterised in his introduction by his cheerfulness and gentle nature but mostly his guilt towards past actions and subsequent stubborn sense of honour and justice which subsequently translates to an awkward relationship with his step-son by fear of being disrespectful despite the two loving each other. Viren's introduction informs us about his pragmatisme and arrogance but also his deep care for king Harrow and humanity but his arrogance tendency to look down on others and always searching for easy way outs are his downfall and what leads him to a dark path. The animation in season 1 is very clunky and awkward but the writing is on point. It does what every season 1 of a really good show does it lays the groundwork and basis for the development in future seasons all the while wrapping that with a very enjoyable show, and season 2 was that development. I still haven't watched season 3 yet but I'm pretty sure that it will do to season 2 what season 2 did to season 1 improving and expanding upon what was already there.

[@Nathan-ti9pm]

The first season animation was very jarring but the characters and story kept me invested to keep watching and I’m glad I did

[@Golden910]

Alright I tried to watch this whole video but I don't really agree I remember watching season one the fell in love with it it's a show you really have to just be open to. Avatar the last air Bender Had parts where it was shrouded in mystery as well. The entire opening of the show explains the dragon Prince and how powerful dragons are explains the war and everything else It sounds like you're expecting a lot from a first episode

[@darko-man8549]

Still disappointed about how short Soran's paralysis was

[@lieaparisss08]

Yeah

[@jbcatz5]

There are consequences though, as Soren’s contemplation has long term ramifications and Claudia’s corruption takes a toll on her own morality as we see in season three. Soren ends up betraying his father and sister, while Claudia eagerly gulps at the darkness infused koolaid.

[@anormalguy8407]

I mean, i dont think it needed to be any longer. He took that shit like CHAMP

[@darko-man8549]

@@anormalguy8407 nah, but that's the problem, it didn't really set in.

[@anormalguy8407]

@@darko-man8549 idk he seemed to be genuinely ok with it, like a big weight got lifted of him. You just have certain people that can take a bad situation and live with it

[@killjoy76au]

For me the character development honestly felt right.

[@Moonstar79]

Me: **watches the first episode** Me: THE ANIMATION IS SO-- Avo Rabo: --UGLY! Me: Uh, um, yeah! That's what I was gonna say... totally...

[@AndorRadnai]

I quite like the animation too..! It’s quirky!

[@marlonbryanmunoznunez3179]

I think the low frame rate issue bothered the most viewers that are also gamers, because it would look like a game with a lot of lag. I'm not a gamer and barely even notice it. I was too busy looking at designs and backgrounds, that I think ended looking fantastic in this series.

[@Starfloof]

I absolutely adore everything the show has shown us so far. I miss the lower framerate of s1, whether it was intentional or not. To me it greatly portrayed an animated storybook. I think s1 is intentionally vague as not only a heres what we have pilot season; but to also show how little the characters know about their own path in life. Ez doesn't know anything about being a king yet, only how to be a good person. Cal thinks he's an adult that understands how serious this task is, but by the end of s1 he's a little less racist and more openly a magic weeb. Rayla was "coward" because she would rather protect than kill, but she's still convinced that's "wrong". So on and so on. Me romanticizing aside, I agree with a lot of your points; great video!

[@waterfox2110]

It has Sokka as a main character, I knew it'd be amazing.

[@biggtk]

Haha and there's a reference to Sokka's character in season 3. You'll see what I mean ;)

[@PK-xc3qr]

“We could write a whole video-“ DO IT PLEASE

[@jordinagel1184]

I feel like the two of you weren’t really paying attention when watching The Dragon Prince (I’ll shorten it to TDP) during the first season. In regards to the animation, yes, it wasn’t good. No issues there. In terms of lore establishment, I’m not sure I entirely agree but I can see what you mean. No big issues there either. It’s with your take on the characters that I have my biggest issue. It’s why I said earlier that you must not have been paying attention, because they’re nowhere near as one-dimensional as you make them out to be. Ezrin is shown to be an inquisitive boy who can show strength and wit, whether it be saving Callum from Reyla or putting his differences with her aside once the egg was revealed. Even his obsession with jelly tarts, which you paint as his main characterization, is mentioned (in passing, but still there) to also have been a trait of his late mother, so we at least know where that came from. His connection to animals is also smg you completely neglected to mention. Callum is also more than someone who draws pretty pictures and can do magic. In case you didn’t catch it - they said it several times - magic has become Callum’s raison d’être, his path, smg he was finally proficient in. That’s why him sacrificing his newfound powers to hatch the dragon egg is such a powerful moment; he didn’t know if he would ever be able to perform magic like that again, but he did it regardless. Couple that with his feelings of inadequacy as a “step prince” and you’ve got a good character already, but it doesn’t stop there. His reason to get the egg to Xadia, smg you mentioned he had no real motivation for, is shown in his dialogue with king Harrow, where Callum expresses a desire to see humans and elves make peace to end the endless bloodshed and cycle of vengeance. Harrow said it couldn’t be done, but when Callum saw the egg he saw a way to realize his goal. King Harrow... Where do I even begin. Granted, he got more screen time in flashbacks, but he had more development than you’re giving him credit for. The awkward relationship with Callum, the long, tough now straining bond with Varin, his acceptance that it might be his last day on earth... The scene in episode 2 or 3 (I don’t remember exactly) where night is falling, and King Harrow finishes putting on his armor to climb the tower to his personal chambers, feels very somber, and is given proper time to play out. It’s still one of my favorite moments from the first season, probably because it has that thing you argued that it’s lacking: show, don’t tell. And Varin, oh boy, did you miss the mark on that one. You thought he seemed ambiguous? GOOD! That’s SUPPOSED to happen! Complex characters can often be found to vacillate on certain issues, and the fact that you couldn’t tell whether he was good or evil is credit to his writing. As for his motivations, they became clearer in season 2 but are still fairly visible in season 1: strength for humanity, whatever it takes, so long as it’s done his way (which he sees as the best and only way). Harrow was his friend, and it clearly pained Varin that he would choose to accept his fate rather than cry out against it in whatever way he could. Eventually, his priorities were set when he chose (his version of) the good of humanity over the safety of or orders from his king. Harrow would not do things his way, so he had to go. Did season 2 make marked improvements on the characters? Yes, any good show progresses its characters as time goes on. Did it turn one-dimensional cardboard cutouts into deep characters? Hell no, because they weren’t one dimensional to begin with! Seriously, you two seem to have been too distracted by your original impressions of the show to pay much attention until season 2...

[@nemesis6015]

“rayla can’t kill people”, exactly

[@GalluZ]

TDP in a nutshell (in my opinion): Season 1: Character introduction Season 2: Storyline development Season 3: *_R A Y L L U M_*

[@pv1612]

NarendraAIM we also got development for Soren and Claudia, they went from team rocket to being torn apart by their father’s favoritism and because Soren stops ignoring his conscience in favor of impressing Vyren I liked that But seriously they keep trying to make that one kid look badass but she’s just not

[@GalluZ]

@@pv1612 yup, and deep down she's just an innocent little girl, though I wonder what would happen if she finds out about Rayllum.

[@ramonbarrera3744]

2:54 lol what is that clip from?

[@Makys111]

I think from a rwby panel. It sounds like Barbara and the girl's shirt kinda gives it away

[@InquiryInc]

What'sThat Thing?? It’s a RWBY panel where Barbra brushes off a question about a plot hole, basically claiming it doesn’t matter because “it’s a cartoon.”

[@Makys111]

@@InquiryInc Yeah I looked it up and saw a clip. Also, it's funny cause I just realized that you're Miles

[@lordsinister707]

A RWBY panel. Where Barbara dunkelman a voice actress for the show gives us a very good example of her non-existent professionalism.

[@ultraprincesskenny6790]

I think you guys are being kinda harsh on season 1. A lot of this seems like you remembered you were disappointed in 2018 so you're just remembering the disappointment without considering anything done right. Edit: it doesn't seem like you watched the season before making this video, or were too distracted by the animation framerate and angles. This video just seems to bash on season 1.

[@lordsinister707]

The first season of the Dragon Prince to me was more or less just the introduction. I realize that they took chances but in terms of plot and characters they were just basically trying to introduce you to them and their current problem. Season 2 feels like it's such a big change and much more Improvement because they're actually giving you the answers to questions they establish in season 1. To me too many people, wanted questions and answers too quickly. As for the animation I have to concede that point. The animation did feel clunky but honestly I attribute that more or less to the fact that the dragon Prince was released before animation and quality assurance was actually finished. I gave it a chance and frankly I have not been disappointed. After season 1 oh, it made me want more to the transition of season 2. I have a lot of questions that I was very satisfied with the answers instead of it's a cartoon. Which leads me to the second part of my statement. This whole video is great. In fact it reminds me of another show by rooster teeth called RWBY which seems to do nothing that the creators of the Dragon Prince do in terms of criticism or actually making the story better. I mean I know this home videos more about the dragon Prince but honestly I just wish Studios like Rooster Teeth would take a page from these creators book and actually sit down and work on the show. I mean at this stage in the game oh, I really hope that Netflix buys the rights from RoosterTeeth, scraps everything, and starts anew

[@nixtheundead8876]

Okay maybe I'm just blind but I see no difference in season 1 and 2 Note:I liked to show straight out had no problems with it.

[@mercedesmarquis6598]

I feel like this is going way to hard on TDP, having a “mediocre season one” and Ezran having “no personality” is not true. The reason I got hooked into this series was because of that first episode.

[@Paego_]

Now I might just give this show a try.

[@VenhedisKaffas]

Do it. It's great and I think it will only get better.

[@lizlengyel6409]

im stan and i was wrong, im singing the stan wrong song

[@lolxcyte1311]

It's not that the first season was bad, it's that it was much more kid friendly. The second season got WAY more dark, bloody, and controversial. Honestly, they could of just started throwing language in there too, because by that point, it was NOT a kids show anymore. But even with that, that doesn't automatically make the first season bad. Hell, RWBY did the same thing, but I don't see anybody hating on the first couple seasons/volumes of that show, aside from just the animation.

[@StarlightDragon]

Edit: the following are my rambling thoughts as I watched through the review. I think the low framerate was intentional to make the 3D series look more like traditional animation. It was jarring, but I thought it was also pleasant as I got used to it. It wasn't too serious of a divergence from Avatar, visually (outside of the general western aesthetic). Watching the seasons back to back for the first time, it seems on par with what they have made in the past, and I am legitimately enjoying the show. My biggest criticism is the purely serial element of the show that makes the shortness of the seasons even more frustrating. Given that it is a serialized show, you run into the same situation you always do with serialized shows, in that it cliff hanger's till the end baby. And since it's 9 episodes of 25 minute length show, even both seasons back to back barely add up to a mini series. It'll be a long time until we finally can see some sort of conclusion to the series. I much prefer the DS9 approach, in that it is a serial show, but every episode is also self contained to some extent. But, short of that, I was at least hoping avatar length seasons, as opposed to these extra small half seasons. Although, watching your video, I agree with your major points about the less than spectacular action. Especially, coming off of something like avatar. In regards to the writing, I thought it was about equivalent to the first 9 episodes of avatar. And I agree, it's a little wack, but the setting's potential carried it for me, as did avatar's in the beginning of its show. Again, I view this more of an issue with the fact that it's only 9 episodes per seasons, rather than anything else. The seasons don't even feel like complete seasons, they feel like arbitrary end points in the middle of an episode. To me, I would rather compare the two shows by episode numbers, rather than seasons. The beginning of avatar wasn't phenomenal either. In fact, I'd say it wasn't until the end of season 1 that the show starting picking up steam. I also think, in comparing avatar and dragon prince, it should be pointed out that avatar was a network telvision show, and dragon prince isn't, meaning they had different responsibilities and rules they had to work with for an episode. Dragon prince was released all at once (9 episodes worth), which allowed them to progress the story (and even the introduction of characters) at a completely different pace, than Avatar. Meanwhile, Avatar was an episodic television show, where people might watch any random episode out of order. This means the pilot episode had a higher responsibility of introducing all the elements straight off the bat, even if it was in a clumsy or obvious way. This is also why some people feel that the characters of avatar were sort of "archetypal" in the beginning. Avatar *needed* to establish characters immediately, whereas Dragon Prince had an entire season to establish anything. However, I do agree that Dragon Prince has it's own fair share of writing issues and cliches. But, I felt similarly about early avatar. Also, who is we? Is this channel, like a group of people? We, as in the different people that contributed to the review? (EDIT: I just realized it was two people talking throughout the review the whole time. Wow)

[@ece9108]

I mean have you seen this shows ig account, its- Its unexpectedly beautiful and full of memes So of course they will improve, they have a meme cultured person/people in their group, and they even added memes in the second season

[@Brobore]

I had absolutely no problem with the animation, in fact, I enjoyed it from the beginning... am I the only one?

[@dwaynechapman3090]

The moment you compare the two shows, not realizing they kept a lot secret about all the characters in Avatar as well until the later seasons is a bit crazy. TDP was going to be a saga from the get go, there's no need to put every bit of the story up front. I found the way they did it actually added a bit of suspense to why the characters felt that way.

[@cesarsain3731]

I disagree with most of that you are saying. It seems to me you wanted the characters painted out for you. I saw the context clues in the characters and left a little room to keep wondering what motivates the characters with out explaining it to me like am a child

[@BlazerManiacNumber96]

I still have no idea what people were complaining about with the animation. Granted, I'm no artist. But the shows visuals didn't distract me at all.

[@RealMuperSan]

How old are you? You seem overly confident in your criticisms.

[@ladybuggames8162]

One thing I really liked about the worldbuilding that stuck out for me was that they finally broke the rule of ''The world is made of four elements: fire, water, earth air'' and invented their own sources of power!!! It was really creative and it blew me away.

[@musikitty6665]

Have you ever thought that the producers might have made the characters "distant" on purpose? Idk if I'm the only one but I can tell that they actually had some great character in season one

[@GoverGames]

My theory: (I am unsure whether I believe this or not, just wanted to share it) It is possible that Callum is the Avatar... Think about it, he is the only human that can do "magic". And the magic he does is air magic, like Aang. You may be wondering, what about the lightning? Fire benders can use lightning. And maybe the reason he recognized the staff as a boomerang, is because he could see his past/future self. And this could be in the past, maybe The Moon, The Sun, The Stars, Water, Earth, and Stars were the original elements. And there are animals with these abilities, just like how the animals taught people from Avatar: The Last Airbender to use the elements. Let me know what you think.

[@GoverGames]

Sky *

[@Scalesthelizardwizard]

season one had a low frame rate because of a low budget

[@SirZelean]

I'm not sure about that. I mean, I might be wrong since I'm a complete noob to animation, but as far as I know, that stuttering was on purpose, since in 3D animation you can set two frames and the software will seamlessly link them together.

[@ivegivenup4026]

I don’t know what version of season 1 you were watching but it was amazing

[@geekygecko1849]

I feel like season 1 was just meh, like it wasn't bad but I just didn't care that much. Season 2 was sooooooo good. I feel like they took the setup from season 2 and build some amazing chacters into the story. Like Amaya, and Claudia, and Soren got so interesting and good in season 2 where before they we're kinda boring. I love this show so much and can't wait for season three

[@samsowden]

but but but... the fact that you can't tell if viren is a villain or not is exactly why he's great as a villain. He's not a pure evil psycho like so many villains, he has non evil motivations.

[@wasteitonme544]

I really liked it. Can't wait for the third season.

[@connordavis1094]

What are you guys taking about season 1 is probably one the best season and is one of the best shows in animation history.

[@mirage7487]

None of the seasons disappointed me

[@thingsareabouttogetgrusome5092]

Honestly I didn’t realise Callum had sokkas voice actor until like half way through season 1

[@darko-man8549]

Just finished season 3.....yeah, this series got amazing

[@xyzda2484]

9:30 that is something that makes Viren interesting and the whole show here everybody is right in their provided circumstances so it's not about good guy or bad guy this makes stories fun to explore

[@Perciville107]

should point out all seasons were made back to back, season 2 animation was done before season 1 was released

[@admiraldesto2170]

I didn’t even know that someone from the avatar team worked on this when I watched. I was just bored one night, knew nothing about, said “fuck it” and binged The Whole thing. I can understand some of your criticism when it comes to the animation, but personally I don’t care about animation. Unless it’s so egregiously bad that it makes the show unwatchable, I don’t care. It’s like graphic in video games. I care about the story in these shows, not what they look like. This was pretty good funnily enough.