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With the release of season eight, Voltron: Legendary Defenders has officially come to an end. Netflix’s adaptation of the original Voltron was raising eyebrows since its release in 2016. Now, at the show’s end, there are a lot of things to talk about.
The Ending
I’ll be completely honest, Voltron’s ending was not what I was expecting. Ever since season one, the show has always had a more jovial bent even despite its darker moments. The Voltron team faced many trials, but they always came out stronger together. Because of that, the ending hit me a lot harder than I would have ever expected. I will try to avoid saying too much as not to give away spoilers for those who have not seen it yet, but for anyone who was invested enough in the show to make it to season eight, there will probably be tears, as I can personally attest.
The Beginning
Voltron is a show that I started completely on a whim. I had never heard anything about it other than seeing people dress up as the characters at cons. Eventually, bored on a Sunday morning, I decided to watch it. Admittedly, one of the things this show has going against it is that, while the plot is fairly dynamic over the course of its eight-season run, the first season is a fairly standard monster of the week mecha romp. There is not a whole lot of incentive to stick around in the first season for those who become bored. But, passed the first season, the show becomes incredibly entertaining, with each subsequent season raising the stakes at a pace that feels reasonable and earned within the story itself.
The Animation
I would be remiss to not mention one of the show’s best qualities: its animation. Often times anime will get criticized for having extremely low frame count animation, except during its actions scenes, as a way for the animation studio to save money. However, Studio Mir, who animated Voltron, did not get lazy. Not only are the action scenes great, both when it comes to the characters and the CGI mechs, but the animation remains fluid and interesting even when characters are not trying to kill each other.
The CGI especially looks fantastic against the 2D animation of Voltron. There are a lot of shows where the CGI looks absolutely horrendous and makes the show almost unwatchable, but Studio Mir absolutely knows what they are doing.
Overall, Voltron was an extremely positive experience for me, to say the least. Its message of family and staying together even through hard times is something that, especially recently, has resonated with me.
Animated Observations 