NETFLIX’S THE DRAGON PRINCE: SEASON 1: Review – A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS!

When I first heard about this new series that was coming to Netflix, I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until I heard that some of the people that had worked on one of my all-time favorite animation series, Avatar: The Legend of Aang, was working on NETFLIX’S THE DRAGON PRINCE, did I begin to show interest. And after watching it, I will admit, it has its charms.

Avatar: The Last Airbender writer Aaron Ehasz created Netflix’s newest animated series, The Dragon Prince, alongside co-creator Justin Richmond. The Dragon Prince tells the story of “two human princes who forge an unlikely bond with the elfin assassin sent to kill them, embarking on an epic quest to bring peace to their warring lands.”

First off, let me say that I wasn’t the biggest of fan when it came to the animation style. I know a lot of people are fond of it but I wasn’t one of them. Aside from that nitpick, everything else was actually pretty awesome. I liked literally every character in this series, which is rare for me as I tend to gravitate towards liking one or four characters at most. However, that wasn’t the case with Dragon Prince. From Callum, Rayla, Ezran to Lord Viren and his two children, Claudia and Soren, who quite frankly are the heart of the show. Every character introduced didn’t feel out of place and you could tell that the voice actors all enjoyed playing as these characters. It was a thrill seeing each one of them on-screen and interacting with each other. The humor in this show is why I kept coming back episode after episode. That and I was promised a dragon. Still waiting for that.

This show is also the perfect example of diversity done right. I’ve always felt like, if you’re gonna add diversity ( which is highly encouraged by the way), you should write it with the story in mind first, as opposed to pleasing or trying to force diversity. Dragon Prince, did this perfectly! There wasn’t a single character that was introduced just to fill a certain quota and then take a side seat. Every character that was in this show and in the world felt like they belonged in that world. It’s refreshing to see this in a show.

Like I mentioned before, aside from the animation, which I got used to eventually, the world was bursting with colour. The visual aspect was pretty enjoyable to watch and the world looked lush and filled with history to learn as the story progresses. Speaking of stories.

The story was pretty straight forward to a degree. The series is set in a fantasy world where humans and elves are in conflict. Long ago, humans used dark magic and were driven off by the dragons and elves to one end of the continent.

Petty as hell, the humans killed the dragon king and his egg, which causes a massive war. As forces gather, the elves attempt to assassinate the human king Harrow and his heir, the young prince Ezran. One among the elves, the young Rayla, discovers that the dragon king’s egg wasn’t in fact destroyed, but stolen. Together with Ezran and his step-brother Callum, she undertakes to return the egg to the dragons to prevent war. But the mage Viren, King Harrow’s advisor, is intent on war. He seizes power after the king dies in the assassination attempt, and sends his children Claudia and Soren after the fugitives.

Overall, it’s well worth the watch. If you can get past the animation, then I can see this being something special.