The Dragon Prince |OT| The Last Frameratebender (Update: Renewed through season 7)

Sirpopopop · Sep 16, 2018

I enjoyed this show. It felt good to be back in a world very similar to that of A:TLA. I'm in for the nostalgia.

Also: Is there any confirmation anywhere that this is one season split into two?

WrenchNinja · Sep 16, 2018

ObbyDent said:
did she really get the binding off that quickly from the dragon? that cop out pisses me off to no end

What's the issue? She had the binding the whole season and has suffered for it the whole season. She also came to terms with losing her hand and thinking it was worth it to save Ezran. A being that surpasses elven magic breaking it like that seems pretty fitting. How else did you think she was going to lose the binding? Or did you want her to lose the hand?

Crossing Eden · Sep 16, 2018

ObbyDent said:
did she really get the binding off that quickly from the dragon? that cop out pisses me off to no end

It is more than heavily implied that Dragons are the most powerful creatures in the world. The baby instinctually removing the seal and even knowing his own name is more evidence.

KrigareN- · Sep 16, 2018

Finished the season last night, and overall I thought it was okay.

My biggest fear before the release was that the framerate would be distracting, but it wasn't an issue at all outside of a few scenes with King Harrow. The characters are really likable and well designed and I love any lore founded on elemental powers. However, I think the writing was disappointingly dull at times and is clearly its weakest point. Nevermind it not being on par to TLA, but it is also comparatively weaker than Voltron.

I'm still looking forward to Season 2, but I might give Voltron a second chance now that this show highlights Voltron's strengths (mecha stuff just don't excite me though).

FF Seraphim · Sep 16, 2018

Finished it last night, do we know when the next set of episodes come out?

Deleted member 15227 · Sep 16, 2018

Crossing Eden said:
They knew what they were doing.

If this show took itself way more seriously than it does it would be much more boring and standard fantasy.

I think the show has yet to find that balance between too much and just about right. But again as another poster mentioned, it's really for the kids and I'm not the target audience :)

My fav character I'd have to say is Claudia ... wish she got more screen time.

krioto · Sep 16, 2018

Powered through this in one sitting on Friday night - rating from 8 year old son: better than Voltron, equal with Troll Hunters, and maybe almost as good as Avatar.

KrigareN- · Sep 16, 2018

How frequent is Voltron's release schedule? Maybe it'd be a good reference.

matrix-cat · Sep 17, 2018

I just finished it last night and I really enjoyed it. Gorgeous art style, great characters (#TeamClaudia), and I enjoyed the writing and the shenanigans. I didn't realise it was going to be so short, though. It kind of felt like we got through the pilot, and now the real show can start, but... then it just ended. I mean, don't get me wrong, I much prefer they leave it open like this than try to wrap up every last thread in the last two episodes and ruin it like Korra Book 1 (I'm never going to get over Amon), but... well, I just want more. Do we know when Book 2 is coming? Or if it even is coming?

I do hope they'll consider rendering a few more frames next time around, but to be honest it only really stuck out to me in slower dialogue scenes. The action looked pretty good, but more frames would obviously make it look even better.

Ocarina_117 · Sep 17, 2018

KrigareN- said:
How frequent is Voltron's release schedule? Maybe it'd be a good reference.

I don't think it is as I recall reading Voltrol was ordered as a 70 (i think) episode series from the off.

For Dragon Prince, only the first season was signed for.

I really do hope we get new episode's relatively quickly. 9 really wasn't enough

Waggles · Sep 17, 2018

This was a solid show. Animation is still jank, but it becomes more consistent as it goes on. Becomes charming by the end, imo.

This and voltron are some damn entertaining animation. There any other recomendations in the same vein as these? Barring the more adult cartoons, that is.

SugarNoodles · Sep 17, 2018

Just finished episode 7. It's doing a lot of great things. Main things I notice are that the animation is really noticeably bad, and 9 episodes just isnt a very long time to set things up.

Thinking back on ATLA, it took a solid 6 episodes before things actually got interesting.

I'm starting to like the characters quite a bit, but I could definitely use some more world building.

Adree · Sep 17, 2018

Really enjoyed it even with the usual animation gripes. At times it looked like a Telltale game that had the ui hidden.

Crossing Eden · Sep 17, 2018

Lord Panda said:
I think the show has yet to find that balance between too much and just about right. But again as another poster mentioned, it's really for the kids and I'm not the target audience :)

My fav character I'd have to say is Claudia ... wish she got more screen time.

The Dagger & The Wolf showed that if the writers wanted to, they could tell a story so sad that the audience sobs. But, they're aiming for more light fantasy atm, i'm sure that as time goes on, they could aim for more serious material. The humor in general appeals to all ages imho. Like that entire 9pm dungeon exchange was amazing.

Chaos2Frozen · Sep 17, 2018

I can't decide who is cuter, Claudia or Rayla

Triggerhappytel · Sep 17, 2018

Crossing Eden said:
What's horrible about them from a design standpoint?

I can't quite put my finger on it. I think there's something about 3D animation, but it's like the faces look a little bit dead and not expressive enough compared to hand-drawn animation.

janusff · Sep 17, 2018

I think it's pretty great that claudia

farts

:D

Jarmel · Sep 17, 2018

Nisaba said:
I'm thoughtful about Claudia. Surely she must be a little aware of the things her father has been up to, dark magic wise? She's okay with it? Her and Soren don't feel like villains but they've been placed into a questionable string of actions, I enjoy when things like that happen in stories.

I expect Claudia to be the one of the two that ends up being fine with killing everybody. Soren feels like he's going to have a moment and balk while Claudia is off-kilter enough that she'll just say "fuck it" and go ahead.

WrenchNinja said:
What's the issue? She had the binding the whole season and has suffered for it the whole season. She also came to terms with losing her hand and thinking it was worth it to save Ezran. A being that surpasses elven magic breaking it like that seems pretty fitting. How else did you think she was going to lose the binding? Or did you want her to lose the hand?

I wanted her to lose the hand. Would be more interesting to see how she handles some future fights with one hand and the whole disability aspect as well.

Crossing Eden · Sep 17, 2018

Triggerhappytel said:
I can't quite put my finger on it. I think there's something about 3D animation, but it's like the faces look a little bit dead and not expressive enough compared to hand-drawn animation.

From a rigging standpoint they're quite good. Like, with the variety of expressions the characters make it very rarely looks like the model itself is becoming janky. Some characters aren't very expressive due to their personality, namely King Harrow and Viren are both stoics compared to the teenagers. It's not as expressive as say Avatar which has these comically exxagerrated expressions:

But it works quite well for a 3D cartoon. Like it just all looks so clean:

Andrin · Sep 17, 2018

Chaos2Frozen said:
I can't decide who is cuter, Claudia or Rayla

It's Gren

Aexact · Sep 17, 2018

Ocarina_117 said:
For Dragon Prince, only the first season was signed for.

I really do hope we get new episode's relatively quickly. 9 really wasn't enough

Aw man.

Enjoyed Dragon Prince and look forward to the various subplots teased. The villain was appropriately flawed but understandable. Like, I guess I'm used to the benevolent nice guy king or the tyrannical mad king but Harrow's takedown was surprisingly brutal (but reasonable) given that I thought he was being snidely jokey earlier. Made all the harsher given how Viren misread their relationship earlier. Guess that's kingly authority for you.

But if they only ordered season one, this means it's gonna be a while given the abrupt last episode. Bummer.

PSqueak · Sep 17, 2018

I didn't mind the framerate and loved the setting, can't complain much about the plot, but it feels a bit derivative of Avatar that as of right now the show is doing the same "have to travel cautiously with a plot centering character while being pursued" schtick as the first few seasons of TLA.

RE: About Rayla's binding

She explicitly stated they were out to kill Ezran as retribution from destroying the Dragon Prince Egg, it makes total sense that the actual birth of the dragon prince would lead to the binding being removed, since there no longer is a real reason for Ezran to die with the egg doing the literal opposite of dying.

Chopin the Third · Sep 17, 2018

Watched the first two episodes. I really like it. While the animation can be choppy at times, it's nowhere near as bad as I expected. It's ok for the most part. Great art, though!

Kongroo · Sep 17, 2018

I'm adoring it so far. I've been pacing it and watching a few episodes a night with the girlfriend. But I'm beyond thrilled with how it turned out.

I really hope it ends up being 6 seasons long. I love the characters, animation and music. It's reminding me of why I missed Avatar and Korra so much.

Revali · Sep 17, 2018

The animation itself isn't great but I really like the style overall. Really hoping we get a second season.

Wafflinson · Sep 17, 2018

Man, only on the first episode, but having only 9 episodes pretty destines the ending to be disappointing.

daveo42 · Sep 17, 2018

First episode was pretty good, tho the framiness/jumpyness of the animation is super distracting. It's almost too hard to watch. Tbh, the 3d models would look far better if the animation was smoother. Right now it looks like shit.

Einbroch · Sep 17, 2018

Everyone knows there's only room for one small animal creature.

How long until DP turns into Appa.

Pilgrimzero · Sep 17, 2018

4 episodes on. Amaya is great. Needs more Claudia.

Show is amazing so far.

Admiral Woofington · Sep 17, 2018

Two of Kotaku's writers/editors discuss their thoughts on the series.

https://kotaku.com/what-we-liked-and-didnt-like-about-the-dragon-prince-1829120485

Glad to see my overall negativity with season 1 isn't just me.

Grimminski · Sep 17, 2018

So the giant eel thing that attacked the group in Episode 5 is definitely a call back to the Unagi in The Warrior's of Kyoshi, right?

Mr Paptimus · Sep 17, 2018

Grimminski said:
So the giant eel thing that attacked the group in Episode 5 is definitely a call back to the Unagi in The Warrior's of Kyoshi, right?

Considering we run into a giant leech and giant spider, it could just be they like making giant monsters.

Rackham · Sep 17, 2018

9 episodes? Crazy.

Crossing Eden · Sep 17, 2018

Mr Paptimus said:
Considering we run into a giant leech and giant spider, it could just be they like making giant monsters.

Speaking of Avatar:

Chasing · Sep 17, 2018

Astral said:
"Winter is coming."

"They will find you and they will kill you."

"Say hello to my little friend."

Are they doing this on purpose?

They're totally doing it on purpose.

The humor in the show is kind of a mixed bag (the fart joke is such a low, loooooow point) although there are some really good stuff in there.

kambaybolongo · Sep 17, 2018

Crossing Eden said:
Speaking of Avatar:

despite the low quality screenshot this really showcases how much better Avatar looks

Admiral Woofington · Sep 17, 2018

What are the chances their CG tech improves with each season? Similar to how the Berserk films got a bit better with each film and it culminated with the CG working damn well in the third film.

Kalentan · Sep 18, 2018

Admiral Woofington said:
What are the chances their CG tech improves with each season? Similar to how the Berserk films got a bit better with each film and it culminated with the CG working damn well in the third film.

Depending on how far they're into Season 2, I could see Season 2 taking the criticisms of the animation of S1 into account. By the time we saw S1's trailer it was far too late.

SolVanderlyn · Sep 18, 2018

Only saw one episode. Was afraid it would seem very Saturday morning cartoonish, but it's more like an animated YA novel so far. Not a bad one, either. I like the different magics and the moon elves. Lead cast seems likable too (not a fan of the younger kid though)

Mortemis · Sep 18, 2018

Watched this over the weekend, and overall it's okay. I find it charming and a little fun, but with a lot of issues dragging it down. I think we mentioned the frame rate enough, but it didn't feel too bad outside of some specific scenes, and action scenes were smooth.

The pacing of the show felt off. They jump right in with a lot of exposition that felt a bit too much, then slow it down a whole lot with the intro taking up 3 episodes, then kinda sprints through the rest of it without a satisfying ending.

I found it endearing though, the banter was okay, and I wish this was a 15 to 20 episode season to really get to know the cast and have more antics than we got. If they have a second season, I hope it's a longer one with better frame rates.

Crossing Eden · Sep 18, 2018

kambaybolongo said:
despite the low quality screenshot this really showcases how much better Avatar looks

2D vs. 3D comparison isn't exactly fair, when it comes to 3D shows the direct comparison is always other 3D shows due to the shortcuts the latter has to take to cut down on rendering time.

Admiral Woofington said:
What are the chances their CG tech improves with each season? Similar to how the Berserk films got a bit better with each film and it culminated with the CG working damn well in the third film.

Honestly depends on what they attempt in later seasons. For example, later seasons of Clone Wars had substantial rendering improvements right down to the complexity of the models because of the plotlines, scenes, and locations they were dealing with. That said, from a rendering standpoint aside from some shaky VFX this show already looks incredibly good, from the incredibly detailed backgrounds to the super clean looking models:

There's a tendency for shows with toon shading to have lighting that makes the characters look off in a lot of shots, ex SW:Resistance:

Or that Iron man show from Nickelodeon:

I'd gladly take more shows that look as good as TDP.

Sign My Guestbook! · Sep 18, 2018

I'd certainly love to see how this show improves visually. I think they have some really good ideas, and it could all be pulled off. They just need more time to develop their techniques.

And yeah, Clone Wars is exactly where my mind went, too. It wasn't an awful looking show in season 1, but it was a bit bare bones. By the last quarter of the series it was actually kind of fucking gorgeous.

Crossing Eden · Sep 18, 2018

Sign My Guestbook! said:
I'd certainly love to see how this show improves visually. I think they have some really good ideas, and it could all be pulled off. They just need more time to develop their techniques.

And yeah, Clone Wars is exactly where my mind went, too. It wasn't an awful looking show in season 1, but it was a bit bare bones. By the last quarter of the series it was actually kind of fucking gorgeous.

Clone Wars is the most expensive CG cartoon ever made and it absolutely shows. Like damn the ambition of that show was insane.

Sign My Guestbook! · Sep 18, 2018

Crossing Eden said:
Clone Wars is the most expensive CG cartoon ever made and it absolutely shows. Like damn the ambition of that show was insane.

And by its peak it was looking amazing and dripping with atmosphere pretty much every single episode.

Crossing Eden · Sep 18, 2018

Sign My Guestbook! said:
And by its peak it was looking amazing and dripping with atmosphere pretty much every single episode.

And we're finally getting the ending we always deserved.

Specific Power Ranger · Sep 18, 2018

I really liked the show ! But I was still noticing times where the framerate took me out of it on the 8th episode. So I hope they'll consider upping the framerate a bit. Tbh I never think it really works with cutting a 3d show down to a low framerate. Not even in spiderman. 24fps in 2D is considered a rare premium, so why when you get the frames for free (except rendertime and possible post), not use a full 24fps.

end spoilers:

the end did feel more like a midseason finale than a full season one. I hope it wont be THAT long before the next part

Sign My Guestbook! · Sep 18, 2018

Specific Power Ranger said:
I really liked the show ! But I was still noticing times where the framerate took me out of it on the 8th episode. So I hope they'll consider upping the framerate a bit. Tbh I never think it really works with cutting a 3d show down to a low framerate. Not even in spiderman. 24fps in 2D is considered a rare premium, so why when you get the frames for free (except rendertime and possible post), not use a full 24fps.

end spoilers:

the end did feel more like a midseason finale than a full season one. I hope it wont be THAT long before the next part

Yup, agree with spoilers.

Gimme more please!

xyla · Sep 18, 2018

Broke it off by episode 4. I loved Avatar and this show has some of it's qualities - but god damn is the beat to beat story here weak!

I love the world building. I love the visuals (aside from the sometimes choppy animation) - it's very well directed. I really like the characters! Having a mute lady general who's super badass with a shield is fantastic!

I pretty much hate how they move in the story though. And how they try to have gags about modern stuff in there (the wink to the audience is often audible). Distance doesn't seem to matter in a show about travel. Everyone is just conveniently where they have to be. Moving to the lodge without something to eat - snip. Army at the lodge - snip. Back at the castle in a convenient moment - snip. The group is bonding way too fast. They are moving around without any sense of suspense or danger. Characters are acting out of need for the story and not because it makes sense for the character.
The interesting dynamic that could have arisen between the children of the dark magician and the princes is completely wasted and they are degraded to jokes to lighten the story (so far) without any emotion.

No idea if they have started too big from the get go and have already set up too many moving parts they have bring into motion... I feel like it would have been better to start smaller and give a smaller set of characters a little more room to breathe before shit goes down.

I can see children having fun with this show, but it's nowhere near the all ages appeal from Avatar. They would really have to change a lot for season 2 to get me back.

Crossing Eden · Sep 18, 2018

xyla said:
Broke it off by episode 4. I loved Avatar and this show has some of it's qualities - but god damn is the beat to beat story here weak!

I love the world building. I love the visuals (aside from the sometimes choppy animation) - it's very well directed. I really like the characters! Having a mute lady general who's super badass with a shield is fantastic!

I pretty much hate how they move in the story though. And how they try to have gags about modern stuff in there (the wink to the audience is often audible). Distance doesn't seem to matter in a show about travel. Everyone is just conveniently where they have to be. Moving to the lodge without something to eat - snip. Army at the lodge - snip. Back at the castle in a convenient moment - snip. The group is bonding way too fast. They are moving around without any sense of suspense or danger. Characters are acting out of need for the story and not because it makes sense for the character.
The interesting dynamic that could have arisen between the children of the dark magician and the princes is completely wasted and they are degraded to jokes to lighten the story (so far) without any emotion.

No idea if they have started too big from the get go and have already set up too many moving parts they have bring into motion... I feel like it would have been better to start smaller and give a smaller set of characters a little more room to breathe before shit goes down.

I can see children having fun with this show, but it's nowhere near the all ages appeal from Avatar. They would really have to change a lot for season 2 to get me back.

On the rewatch I noticed something, feel like it's incredibly important to note that, not every event is happening at the same exact moment. So when various characters are traveling they're being traveling at different times of the day. When one party slows down another is unimpeded etc., this results in characters lining up when they need to. For example

Claudia arriving in the dungeon right after the trio finds the egg.

Admiral Woofington · Sep 18, 2018

Season 1 of avatar as a whole was fairly weak compared to the rest so I'm hoping they find their stride and make it work in later seasons. Problem is that avatar had a really interesting lore, universe and magic/fighting system. This on the other hand is generic as fuck.

The Dragon Prince |OT| The Last Frameratebender (Update: Renewed through season 7)

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