Fangirl Moment: Voltron Legendary Defender

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers and Wandering NPCs! I know it’s not Friday… well, maybe it is somewhere in the world… maybe? *awkward laugh* I’ve been kind of AWOL with this old blog for the past few months, forgive me, I’ve been trying to get my life together, but I’m back… kind of. It’s gonna take me a bit to get everything back up and running (I’m a bit rusty), but I recently watched an animated show that I just had to write about! So, while the blogging spirit is flowing through me, I figured I’d best get this post out, before I get distracted again… This week’s Fangirl Moment post will be about… *Drumroll* Voltron: Legendary Defender!

Yeah, I got sucked into the Voltron fandom…. I mean, I’d seen a few reruns of the 80’s series when I was a kid, but I never really got into it. Giant robots and explosions weren’t my thing… okay, Power Rangers aside… So, when the reboot was announced I just didn’t pay it much mind. But, after seeing tons of fan art and hearing countless people praise the series, I figured why not give it a try… I’m lying, I finished watching Stranger Things 2 and I needed something to watch while I crocheted and Voltron seemed like the perfect background noise. I never dreamed I’d make it through the first episode, let alone binge all four seasons in the span of a week, but here we are and I NEED MORE!!! So, you guys get to listen to my rampant fangirl ramblings about Voltron! Yay!

So, I suppose a bit of background is needed for this one, since Voltron: Legendary Defender is a reboot of both the Japanese anime, Beast King GoLion and the American animated franchise Voltron, which in and of itself is an adaptation of the original anime series, but with some fundamental differences… In fact you could argue that the Voltron franchise is it’s own separate entity at this point, what with all the changes made to the original source material… I could go on at length about the differences between  GoLion and Voltron, but that is best left in the hands of the hardcore fans, for now…

Synopsis

Five teenagers become the last line of defense for the galaxy in an intergalactic battle against the evil alien force led by King Zarkon.

-IMDb

While I find the above synopsis rather lacking, it covers the basics: Shiro (Black Lion), Lance (Blue Lion), Keith (Red Lion), Pidge (Green Lion), and Hunk (Yellow Lion) become the pilots (paladins) *side note: yeah, I know the line up changed, but for now, lets keep it simple with the season one roster* of five giant mechanical lions that when combined form the super powered fighting robot Voltron, they kick ass and protect the galaxy from the forces of evil. Sounds like every other action-adventure animated series, right? WRONG! I mean, yes, it is just like every other animated series targeted at the male demographic; the show doesn’t shy away from the traditional tropes and cliches (and there are many), but despite that, there’s something special about the series that kept me on the edge of my seat through all four seasons… and don’t get me started on that season 4 cliffhanger!! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH IWANTTHENEXTSEASONNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! *ahem* Sorry about that, I’m still recovering from a weeks worth of long nights… As I was saying, the series takes the story from the GoLion anime and upon it making something that while different, still retains the spirit of the original. Plus it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch!

The world building is done well. The series explores the cultures of several extraterrestrial species, some of which appear regularly throughout the series. Unlike other sci-fi series that tend to humanize their alien characters, Voltron showcases a wide variety of alien lifeforms and planets with few if any similarities, they really go all out with the character designs!

While fans of the 80’s adaptation and subsequent series will recognize quite a few names, this reboot switches some things up here and there so that the characters of Legendary Defender are for the most part “new” characters. This is most notable with the paladins, some folks got some serious personality makeovers and others were given an elevated role within the overall narrative.

While I love all of the paladins, I do have my favorite… my boy, Lance! I usually hate the flirty, comic relief characters, but there is something about Lance that spoke to me on a spiritual level. Hell, Lance is my spirit animal right now, there is never a dull moment when Lance is around and I love him to bits. Though, I have a soft spot for Shiro, but that’s because I have a thing for stoic leader types… But, honestly, I don’t hate any of the paladins, they are all well written characters and their individual character arcs were handled really well. Special nods to Keith’s and Pidge’s story arcs, since they seemed to be the most developed, spanning several seasons.

Hell, the whole thing was just great, I usually have one or two complaints, but for once, I can’t think of any. The show has a fantastic balance of comedy, action, adventure, romance; all around it’s a lot of fun! I was hooked from start to finish, and I can’t wait for the next season to come out… soon, I hope… for now, I guess I could do a quick run through of the 80’s series, which is also on Netflix, to tide me over while I wait.

Welp, that’s all I have to say about Voltron: Legendary Defender. Have you seen the show? What do you think about it? Who is your favorite paladin? Let me know what you think in the comments section. If you like what you see, like this post or follow Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! As always THANK YOU FOR READING!!