Weston Hodge

As an avid Last Airbender fan, I was super excited when I discovered the next big thing from Aaron Ehasz. The Dragon Prince once again captures his wonderful talent for meaningful storytelling that doesn’t hold anything back from younger audiences. The complex plot is enough to keep me, a 25 year-old engaged, albeit one of the only things keeping me engaged. Hearing Jack DeSena’s voice again as the adorable Prince Callum brings me so much joy and nostalgia. This series, however, is no Last Airbender, and yes, I think I’m fair to judge this show’s merits by the standard its predecessor set. After finishing Season 2, there are several things that were left to be desired. First, I don’t believe the characters’ development is up to par with Airbender. The four that stand out the most to me are Callum, Ezran, Soren, and Claudia. They all feel cookie-cutter; I can’t tell what really drives them and their purposes and what makes them each unique. The events of upcoming seasons may help this, but I shouldn’t still be feeling that way after two seasons. I’m mostly drawn to Rayla and Viren - they’re the two strongest characters by far. Second, the humor style throughout the series unfortunately crosses the line of too cheesy. I even had a couple cringe moments of, “What? That was supposed to be a joke/funny?” I can’t think of a single humorous moment from Airbender that made me cringe. Third, they’re continuing the nonsense from Legend of Korra and trying to pass their LGBTQ agenda yet again at the expense of believable characters and relationships, and even that community once again agrees they’re not being represented well. Despite these setbacks, I still think the fun and adventure of The Dragon Prince is worth your binging time. I can’t wait for Season 3.