Needless to say, yesterday was not that great on the home front so, I have opted to give my wife time alone and simply send her a few messages letting her know that I am not giving up on "Us" and that "We" will work our way through this.
This situation and my not feeling well on Sunday has allowed me some time to binge watch the new series of Voltron on Netflix. Being a child of the 80s, I had a front row seat to the original series and greatly enjoyed it back as a wide-eyed ten year old. I later rewatched the entire original series on DVD as an adult in my early 30s. It was a little cheesier with some plotholes, but still enjoyable due mostly to the nostalgia.and the legendary characters of Prince Lotor and the witch Haggar.
Now, I am a bit older and have recently acquired Netflix. After some browsing, I remembered that Voltron had been rebooted. I reluctantly searched for it and began to watch the hour long introductory episode. Although some of the character voices have changed, the animation of the main characters is easily recognizable. Sven, has been replaced by Shiro (original character in the Japanese version) and is an older space explorer who was recently captured by Zarkon. He escapes and makes his way back to Earth where he is rescued by four young space academy cadets. These four are really wet behind the ears with little experience. This is a different take than the original series, but they at least gave us a little bit of a backstory here.
The team of four eventually discovers the Blue Lion on Earth which bonds to Lance ( movie-star want-a-be). He's a little annoying and a bit of a womanizer, but he grows on you. Keith is a rebel, but we are given little reason why, Hunk has severe motion sickness and likes to eat (go figure), and Pidge... well is still Pidge, the character that you were never really sure of his/her identity. There is chemistry between the group and it is oddly reminiscent of the original team despite the differences.
Eventually, the team ends up on a foreign planet due to the Blue lion's homing abilities and this leads to the discovery and reawakening of Princess Allura and Coran after a 10,000 year slumber in a cryogenic chamber. The Princess in this series, is much more mature and exudes confidence and leadership. Coran on the other hand is a bit of a buffoon and has an annoying voice. I prefer the more fatherly and stately Coran from the original series. Without giving away too much, they have to eventually find, awaken and bond with the other four hidden robot lions in order to bring back Voltron to defeat the now Emperor Zarkon and the Galra Empire (previously the Drule).
There are some great updates to the story, the members of the Voltron force are called Paladins (mythical good knights), they carry bayards instead of lasers that create a unique weapon for each bearer. The Castle of Lions is a spaceship that is not on Planet Arus. The space mice are used minimally, and Zarkon is a much darker villain with a past linked to Voltron and King Alfor. My problem with Zarkon is he really doesn't resemble the original closely, and "how is he still alive after 10,000 years?" Prince Lotor is true to character and appearance, although I am not a huge fan of his voice characterization, but at least he's not as emo as he was in the original series.
All in all, I am enjoying the series and have a season and a half left to view. i can already see how some things will play out in order to align more with the original and for that I am even more impressed. It has been a pleasant surprise and a outstanding update to the original without straying too far from its roots. A great mix of old and new, with some quirky humor, oddball characters, classic anime facial expressions, and some serious plot and character development.
Awesome job Dreamworks at remaking a classic!!! Now, how about a live action movie? Please??
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