Alex Wyman

Blue Eye Samurai is an extraordinary piece of art. The complex plot, the oh-so-compelling characters, the clearly-researched historical and cultural backdrop (with JUST the right amount of artistic license...) the breathtaking animation and music... You feel as if you're seeing something in live-action (except certain... anatomical details), yet the background has an otherworldly quality about it that you just can't combine with flesh-and-blood actors/sets, even when using CGI. It would be unkind, unfair and inaccurate of me to refer to "Blue Eye Samurai" as a Japanese "Game of Thrones" even if it conjures a similar, morally gray atmosphere around our titular Ronin. For one thing, while the show's just as bloody, cruel and carnal, it barely touches the more fantastical elements compared to GoT. And yet, there's far more poetry and spiritualism to balance the epic feel of "Blue Eye Samurai" (not unlike the Edo Period it's set in) in all its' most tranquil, touching AND brutal moments. The voice acting features a fantastic veteran cast, and all bring emotional complexity and depth to their characters; you feel what they are feeling, every second. Well, that's the best I can articulate for now, though I could probably keep singing the show's praise for days. My only token criticism would be a certain loss of pace in the last three episodes, and that some of the antagonists were a bit overdone. But this barely dampened my enjoyment of this series; I was still electrified as I binge-watched to the final episode for the SECOND time. As frustrating as it may be to wait sometime for a potential second season of this masterpiece, it was well worth it, and I eagerly look forward to what may follow.

Easily my favorite show. I started watching RWBY midway through 2020, and immediately became hooked. The premise is intriguing and original, and the imagination that went into its' plot is boundless. At the same time, the characters are built upon stories and themes that have been around for centuries, so there's a sense of familiarity. It's heartbreaking that Monty Oum wasn't able to see the continued success of his masterpiece, but I'm sure he would be pleased. If your main purpose is following the plot, I would recommend starting with Season 2 or 3. Season 1 establishes the protagonists somewhat and has some entertaining moments, but the animation in the first two seasons is a bit choppy, and the first season's plot, script, and very short episodes leaves a bit to be desired. However, this begins to change with Season 2, and even more dramatically with Season 3. The fight sequences are phenomenal from the pilot episode, and the plot, voice acting, world-building and character development continue to build with each season. The music by Jeff and Casey Lee Williams is superb throughout. Considering RWBY's lighthearted tone at the start, I initially thought of it as more of a comedy, despite the foreshadowing. Thus, I was astonished with how dark the story became from Season 3 onward- which make Team RWBY's struggles, victories, defeats and emotional bonds all the more enjoyable to watch. The antagonists are appropriately formidable, yet equally complex, particularly in their origins; both heroes and villains come from a wide range of backgrounds, are made relatable, and often have to suffer, learn and/or recover from the fallout of serious mistakes. The characters' allusions to classic fairy tales, literature or myths- drawn from a variety of sources- is particularly original and clever, and shows how much the writers have done their research. This is a show not afraid to explore in breadth, not just depth, and I don't think I've ever found a TV series- animated or otherwise- that appeals to me more. Fair warning, there are certain moments that can get topical, and/or fall into certain negative tropes- paticularly in Seasons 1, 5 and 8 (*cough cough IRONWOOD); 5, 8 and especially 9 also have some pacing and characterization issues. No work of art is perfect, and RWBY has points where the writers make mistakes or fall short. In addition, it could benefit from a few more non-white characters. But while worth acknowledging, they do not detract from its' strengths and continued potential, or my enjoyment of it. I would however, advise avoiding the fandom; while I appreciate how devoted people can be to art forms, the online fandom of RWBY can be polarizing and toxic- as many online things are. If you enjoy drama, fantasy and superb action sequences, this is one of the best animated shows you can find- and the fact that it centers around four strong female protagonists, is a refreshing change. Looking forward to Season 10! My ranking of the seasons, in descending order: 7, 6, 3, 8, 9, 2, 4, 5, 1. 9 and 8 would have been higher on the list, but the pacing issue was just too distracting.

The premise and the main characters' designs are promising, but within two episodes, the entire series of "Yashahime" falls flat, and doesn't improve. This series lacks any significant emotional, character or plot depth. Several episodes are ridiculously repetitive and completely fail to advance the main plot, get the characters closer to their objective OR build bonds between them, even late in the season. Towa, Setsuna and Moroha have never met, are all related by blood, but never explore this. Occasionally Towa will express interest in their familial or "emotional" connection, but her wording comes across as naive and ignorant (this may be the dub but I doubt it) and she is treated as such by the other two, who barely get any development; this sequence is frustratingly repetitive. The characters even use the exact same fighting techniques every time, rather than learning from their previous mistakes or developing new ones. The supposed 'main antagonist', Kirinmaru, is also given no character development; for that matter, he hardly ever appears or is mentioned. Many of the supporting characters' motives and actions are left ambiguous or inconsistent. Admittedly, these are a lot of issues to cover, but I don't think it's impossible to pull at least SOME of them off in a single season of 20+ episodes- and if the writers' excuse is that they're only planning for one season, at least half of "Yashahime's" episodes are disposable. Rumiko Takahashi managed to develop her characters enormously in the FIRST season of "Inuyasha" alone. I was delighted to hear that she had designed the main characters for "Yashahime", but I wish she had also contributed to the writing; it would have made the series actually worth watching. There are one or two episodes later in the season that have some good character development, but they are typically stand-alone and have nothing to do with both the episodes around them; therefore, they fail to advance the plot. The artwork (except for the main characters) is also clumsier than even the earliest season of "Inuyasha"; the fact that the animation is just slightly better, does not compensate for this. Another major issue I have with "Yashahime" is that it ties many of the original "Inuyasha" characters to the plot, but barely explores their fate after the events of "Inuyasha", despite the fact that the protagonists of "Yashahime" are their descendants. Given that most of the "Inuyasha" characters are still alive, this is a major oversight. Again, many of the episodes' plots are disposable, and could have been used to shed some light on this. The few flashbacks are only presented to the audience, not the characters- the classic mistake of telling and not showing. Finally, notwithstanding how much the changes in Sesshomaru's relationship with Rin in "Yashahime" disgust me, do your research, writers. This is NOT the direction Rumiko Takahashi was going with those characters, and you're disrespecting her work and erasing character development. It's a pity, really. Barring its' occasional sexism, "Inuyasha" was a fabulous series, driven by its' emotionally powered characters and complex plot; it remains well worth watching or reading. "Yashahime" had a strong premise, especially given that it features three powerful female protagonists without romantic entanglements. It could've been great, if the writers hadn't squandered half their plot on repetitive filler, and put effort into their characters. As it is, the first season has been a terrible disappointment. Therefore, I cannot recommend this series to anyone.

A fairly good show! A few issues I have, are consistency (especially for the 'antagonist' characters' development) and the tendency to tell rather than show; this makes much of the dialogue redundant, weakens the humor by constantly explaining it, and interrupts the flow of the episodes. I also get a bit frustrated with many main characters' seeming stupidity, in terms of making the same mistakes constantly. Admittedly, some of them are inexperienced, but given how quickly the plot takes off, it feels like the writers were using character development as an excuse whenever they ran out of good ideas, particularly the first 1.5 seasons. That said, apart from the redundant dialogue, most of my issues with Dragon Prince fade towards the end of Season Two. The animation is a bit stiff compared to a few of my other favorite 3D shows (such as Arcane and the later seasons of RWBY), but the action sequences are excellent and the settings are gorgeous. The characters (particularly the protagonists) are complex and engaging, the plot is well-developed, and the world-building is fantastic. I appreciated its' representation of a wide spectrum of characters and relationships based on gender, sexuality and ethnicity, without making that an issue of the plot; a lot of other shows have done that, only to distract or detract from the story itself. If the show keeps the pace it established toward the end of Season Three, it will only continue to improve. Dragon Prince is not my absolute favorite, but it's still quite an epic and enjoyable watch, and I'm looking forward to Season 4.