"HAHHAHAHAH HEY KEITH YOU LITTLE EMO BITCH DID YOUR DAD DIE, YOUR MOM ABANDON YOU AND YOUR ONLY FRIEND GET KIDNAPPED BY TYRANNICAL ALIENS? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA GET OWNED LOL" -the paladins apparently?
dar Because they had the least amount to screw up. I don’t mean this in any sort of mean, way, but that’s really what it probably was. He didn’t have much screen time, therefore, it was harder to go wrong.
@@brandonontama2415 they tried to an arc with Hunk in season 7 where his newfound courage led him to REALLY want to save his family, even if that meant breaking the military code. But they didn't GO ANYWHERE WITH IT.
I feel like thats because hunks arc didnt clash with the other characters. Like keiths, lances, alluras, pidges thus lotors arcs etc. Were affected by the decision to keep shiro in the show, like a domino effect when they copy and pasted shiro over the top of keith, which affected lances and alluras arc, and pidges and lotors arcs as well. Hunks arc was based solely just him finding and working on his own passion and confidence. Idk if i explained this well enough, sorry if i didnt!!
What makes me cringe about the show is there blatant use of telling and not showing. God, them saying "we're a family." Makes it empty and disingenious.
Especially when they show Keith being mean to the team several times and the rest of the team being mean to Lance. That's never addressed but we're supposed to believe they grew as a team despite spending more time apart than together
@Brandon Ontama: I get really tired of shows and the like doing that too. IMHO, the comic relief characters honestly tend to have a lot of potential to be really interesting.
Insecurity. Comic reliefs are needed but hated for the writers. Beyond the fact they trying to catter a wide audience, they still writing a kids' show. Most TV screen guides push for less violence, or the violence to be more cartoonish, and to avoid mature themes. Humor deflates tension. It adds also laughs for kids. But most writers seems annoyed with the prospect of comics relief.
You know, I never realized why people were so defensive over Lance. After watching this video, I can definitely understand why people were disgruntled and annoyed by how much of a buttmonkey he became.
Exactly. I HATED, with a burning passion, Lance and Allura 'together' in season 8 because it made Lance uglier as a character and stagnated his character development. Lance never earned him place as the Red paladin (Keith's right hand) and pretty much became Allura's kickstand. Allura became needy and lost her strength. Lance never got his time to resolve his one-side rivalry with Keith, a person who he should have learned to become best friends with. It's frustrating.
His character could have been so much more but they really failed doing his character justice. In fact, they actually REGRESSED his character several times in season 8. It's gross. His story is so depressing and sends out the message that he's not good enough. he was never good enough. So upsetting.
The “the Lance whose always got my back” line always struck me as odd because Lance had never been shown having Keith’s back in a significant way, you know, beyond not letting him die or taking orders from him when he was in charge. I wondered why it seemed like at the end of the series the story went out of its way to make sure the viewers all knew how much all the paladins liked each other.
I think their relationship before Keith left was pretty friendly--if all you watched was seasons 1 and 2, that line makes more sense. They just werent able to pay off all that buildup
Fif Gallag Yeah, true. After about season one it was relatively clear that they didn’t truly hate each other, they just had conflicting personalities. The writing team just kind of wasted seasons 3 and 4, I think it was, as potential time to build camaraderie between them when Keith left for BoM. I do wonder if that had to do with actor availability though....
They never really had a scene where its showed they had earned each other's trust. It's so weird to see them unequal rivals on the first season then bam best friends in the final with nothing in the middle to justify it.
Another thing I would like to add is that Coran, Allura’s father figure, didn’t get to have a goodbye. I know throughout the show he’s mostly used as a comic relief but there were those parts where he really did have an impact, parts that made him feel like more of a person. He was approached by Alfor and told to take care of her and now she’s gone. I could only imagine what he could’ve have felt what he may have suffered through. What we couldn’t see. In the end I felt he really wasn’t given that good ending either. Just faded into the background. And I would like to thank you for making this. It is well written and helped me address things that I felt when I had watched the final season. Although the show left me off sore, aching for some sort of closure and relief, this video helped and made me learn to just keep moving forward. So thanks again I’m glad to have found this video and you. (Also the podcast you suggested I’m hooked)
OH GOD, CORAN! This poor, poor man. You're so right; I didn't even process the fact that he didn't get the chance to say goodbye!! That's so, so harsh. (AND THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm so glad you liked the video T___T and mrehehehe, you're hooked on Penumbra?! VICTORY!)
Yeah Coran was really done a disservice he deserved better like Allura and Lance say what you will about the others endings but at least they got happy endings
Indeed, it really made me feel bad for him as he didnt got the chance to say goodbye, i had binge watched the series again, and in season 2 Allura calls Coran a second father to her, it broke my heart that they had come to care so much for the other yet in the end he didnt have the chance to say goodbye
I was upset that Coran didn't even get to say goodbye to Allura! she was like his family, his daughter, he swore to her father that he'd keep her safe and protect her, yet he didn't even get a goodbye??
The thing is, I can't buy the fact that they "ran out of time." Avatar The Last Airbender completed their show in 61 episodes, and every single one went into developing the characters and storylines, whether it was a comedic episode or one more dedicated to heavier themes, and now it is an iconic staple of recent animation media. Voltron had 78 episodes to accomplish this. They didn't "run out of time," they wasted their time. They had the opportunity to produce a show that is as beloved as ATLA is; they had the world-building, the characters, the themes, and they just didn't take it. Sure if they had been given more funding and more time to keep producing the show, they could have patched up a few spots in the character arcs and repaired the storyline a bit, but that doesn't discount the mistakes that were made early on. I think that at some point, the production's genuine care for the show waned, and even with all the time in the world, they wouldn't have been able to fix it.
Yes and no. I agree they didn't use there time up well in this series at all. But I think that's only part of the problem. Thing is the biggest choice that made the show fall apart is simply going with a story arc format. You see there are different type of story structures a series can take. ATLA is serialized, but has episodes that break off from the main plot. There's one main villain, who they must defeat at the end of the story. VLD went with a story arc format, which is while similar, is different. Since you seem like an anime fan, a lot of long shonen action series use that plot structure like BNHA, Naruto and One Piece. The idea is that there are a bunch of mini stories leading up to the final boss. A villain is introduced, they face obsticals and the villain is defeat. Lather, rise repeat. However, the glaring issue with using the story arc format for this series is that there aren't enough episodes to pull that off effectively. Shows that use the story arc format always go well over the 100 episode mark. While some of these series are still paced rather poorly, being shoved to the brim with filler for the series to catch up with the manga, they are still paced out enough to let each story arc breathe. VLD only had 26 episodes to do the same, which is far too little, and it shows. Character beats are skimmed over, some characters are tossed aside to focus on other elements and has some of the wonkiest pacing I’ve seen in a western cartoon. If VLD had the same set up as ATLA, it would fix the pacing issues, allow more time to focus on character, focus on defeating a couple villains instead of multiple, be able to show important character moments and would’ve also got rid of need to turn Lotor into a tragic villain, allowing him to be more of a Zuko type figure or a more of an anti villain figure. (Despite what the EPs say, I think part of the motivation for Lotor be a villain the whole time is because the story arc needed a villain and he was the most logical choice from a historical standpoint.)
They tried to hard to get away from the monster-of-the-week format of most 80s action cartoons and didn't think through an overall plot for the series. Killing the main villain practically mid series leaves you with a lot of time and only vague plots to work. The war with Sendak was the only thing that made sense post-Zarkon.
@@sorcerersapprentice I agree, as much as cartoons fans looked down on the episodic structure, it actually would benefited Voltron. While having an over arching plot. Also I think the Lotor should of been the warrior in sith expansion for Star Wars the Old Republic, that would of been way more interesting.
O.o " Since you seem like an anime fan, a lot of long shonen action series use that plot structure like BNHA, Naruto and One Piece. " DAMN YOU GOT ME Magicians apprentice and....nice touch Name + Avatar = Perfect combo
I really appreciate how you explored the flaws with this show without going into ships. If you're a shipper, it's like your opinion is suddenly invalid, so I really love how you articulated your points. Thank you!
@@kaitlnwhite6809 Haha yessss and I'm loving it. (I also have a reaction vid to the first three episodes lol). Animation took some getting used to, and I miss the old team, but I'm already in love with the new characters and can't wait to see where they take the season...
@@Soprie I mean the whole writing fiasco is definitely responsible for a lot of the heat in the shipping wars, and I think it's super interesting. What I meant here is that as a Klance shipper, people think my negative opinions about the season stem from shipping prejudices alone. So I love seeing these non-biased reviews and metas on the show that don't even touch the pairings. Then I can point to them and say, actually, no, here's why it sucks, lol :)
Which is particularly funny considering the sheer amount of fanwork that has placed them everywhere on the friendship spectrum from “fellow geeks” to “band together to make Lance miserable” to “childhood friends separated and brought back together”
That's just weird. It's a giant missed opportunity because they butt heads hard in the beginning when Pidge wanted to leave them to go find her family. Then look - Kieth left them to go off with the Galra. These two could have had a conversation before Kieth leaves, or after he returns. But then aagin we don't even have Kieth and Shiro having a conversation - even with all that backstory showcasing theri bond from when Kieth was little - argh! This show frustrates me.
Yeah, Lotor's arc left a bad taste in my mouth too. Even his voice actor complained about it. Why have him go through a redemption arc and get treated sympathetically if they were just going to slam the door in our faces?
They done my boy Keith dirty! And they did my boy Lance dirty! And they did my man Shiro dirty!! And they did my man LOTOR DIRTY! They did EVERYONE DIRTY!!
Is it just me or during the show did u just want shiro to die not beacause u didn’t like him but he literally didn’t need to be there and he’s had some many fake deaths ur just asking the writers if u want to kill him... kill him
True, though I most bad for Allura and the alteans. Seriously, the Alteans of Voltron are like the Mercurians of Mare Child: Every single bad thing happens to them throughout history and they pretty much become extinct in the end. ಠ_ಠ
Lance feels like they were trying to recreate Sokka's popularity as a comic relief character and falling very short. Yeah, Sokka was a comic relief character, but even early on it was easy to see that the Gaang respected him. And he had a strong character arc with great development. Lance could've been a great example of how to overcome poor self-esteem, while teaching the team that even offhand comments made as a joke can deeply hurt. And seeing how badly they dropped the ball on that frustrates me.
Even though Sokka was the butt monkey and was called an idiot by Jeong Jeong and Wan Shi Tong, everyone in the gaang trusted his instincts and leadership. Aang calls him the idea guy. When Sokka feels inadequate because he’s a non bender, his friends go out of their way to tell him that’s not true, and they miss him when he’s not around. Little gestures like that helps a lot.
the age difference was also important, sokka was older than the other two, they were what 12? and sokka was 16? of course they would treat him as a party boomer cause he had to be responsible to keep everyone save (im only in s2 idk if this change later). Sokka relationship with aang and katara was an older brother and the two youngers who make fun of him but still care for him. The paladins treated lance like he is nothing, just a classmate they hang around because they have to, nothing deeper, the jokes border insults because they never showed a deep connection between them to make this jokes hurt less. They missed the mark big time
Honestly Allura's death felt like another off brand Sokka moment: soft glowy white light, "I will always be with you", close up kiss, and the magic princess with white hair fades into mysteriously corpseless death.
i absolutely agree with pretty much everything you're saying oh my god. allura should not have stayed the blue paladin--she learned to connect with the paladins, appreciate combat in a different way, and grow confident in her leadership abilities, but she should have brought all that back with her as a princess and leader of the castleship. like, everything she did, her talents, the lessons she learned, were all irrelevant to the character ending she got
i cant tell you how much this video is appreciated, your dedication is shocking and impressive. i loved this show more than i loved any media before it, and you're right in everything you've said. this video series helped me find closure, while also reminding me i'm not alone. lots of people loved voltron, and lots of people are moving on. plus, you're really funny. i laughed out loud several times
i was wondering why the past few seasons of Voltron felt off. This review really opened my eyes to a lot of the subtle things i didn't notice, but my brain did.
Gonna be honest, I hated the Lion switcheroo. I appreciate that they wanted to give Keith a chance to grow into a leader, but the Red paladin is already second in command. If the team ever needs to split up, logically they'd lead the second team. I guess that's something for fanfic to fix.
My only real problems with it is that A) They never switched the colors of their outfits and B) The switches kinda felt pointless. Sure, we get to see Keith grow into a leader the first time around, but then Shiro quickly replaces him a few episodes later and all that growth gets thrown out the window, only to then bring Keith back as the leader again a couple of seasons later for no reason
Lance was always a better leader than Keith, though. IF they had established Keith as a good leader instead of having him fly his entire team into danger _with Lance being the voice of reason_ right away or you know, having Keith just dump his entire team to go have his own adventures, maybe I would believe he's leadership material. But, as the show presented it, Keith was a terrible leader and exactly why Shiro should have stayed as the leader.
@@GummyDinosaursify Yeah, I agree. Lance was a better leader - Lance, was a teamplayer and a decision maker who cared deeply for the rest of the team but was terribly insecure, but I do also think that Keith could have grown into the role too if given the opportunity... Which he wasn't given. The original Voltron storyline, before the execs got involved and basically ruined everything, could have worked.
9:33 the worst part of the line is that Pidge and Hunk basically side with a guy they don't know and might be their enemy (which turns out he is) rather than their highschool friend with insecurities just for the sake of the lolz for viewers. and the fact that the show's supposed to be about teamwork and connections, yet ppl can't defend the guy victim of racism, even one of them jokes about it. ...OOF and the fact they don't care about killing a clone with its own soul... yikes. Just... so many things wrong in the writing, and yet ppl keep defending it for some reason, i guess bcz of investment in the show itself.
How does hank have a good ending when he’s nothing like what he was introduced as. What happened to being s mechanic and using food as a coping mechanism. Why did that become his ending instead of being s mechanic. Why the hell was he even in the garrison
Honestly I think is important to note that Allura is more than simply Martyr; she's received as representation from poc fans just to end up being wrote off to make the arc of a male character deeper. Is disgusting and sad.
They say the truth hurts, AND DAMN THIS HURTS! What they did to the characters is so sad because there was so much potential. Thank you for making these videos ^^ I appreciate the effort you put into them
This entire show has made a mockery of Lance, and I'm really glad you covered how hurtful all the remarks really were toward him. The thing I sorely missed and that truly ruined this show was the sudden lack of connection to the lions or eachother.
“No one worries about Keith even though his Galra missions could kill him.” This. This got me so upset. He was a teen and on a self-sacrificing team of Galra that made no qualms about exploiting and replacing him - things the Paladins would not characteristically do. It’s not a good message to sent to kids and teens too. That you’re replaceable if you’re looking for a family and unsure where you belong. Kieth’s vlog was deep. And should have remained as such. And lots of things seemed hurtful toward Lance indeed instead of comedic. Lance was both a character I found really annoying and who I related to a lot (haha!) but his treatment was deplorable. Lance taking charge in dealing with his insecurities and coming into his own is a wonderful message - that never happened. Lotor being pushes aside yes. His redemption arc was... missing, and I didn’t like his switch from good to bad and even becoming so close to Allura - I was happy with him as a grey character, like Severus Snape, or Loki, and wanted to see more of his character growth. Lotor as a baby was a product of a birth both out of an addiction fed. Which leads me to another disappointment. They wanted to redeem Zarkon and Onerva but did not address properly that they were addicted to quintessence and bled that with the choices were more their own. Addiction in substance-abuse is a solid message for kids and teens. Also is becoming consumed with power and rage - that is another form of addition. Both addictions lending to exploitation of self and others and degrading of character. I wanted to see both of that with these characters that were once a loving family more. [Edited for typos.]
anyone else notice how the ending of Voltron basically exactly matched the ending of Darling in the Franxx? Statue in honor of the dead, former teammate is a farmer, former teammate is a wandering humanitarian, former teammate is a chef. Worst endings of 2018 change my mind.
Elio sounds to me like you can’t handle adult content :/ I’d actually say DiTF was better because of the main two characters and Mitsuru (I think that’s his name).
Elio idk what about it was disrespectful. And I also don’t know how any of it might be funny. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it so I can’t defend it as well as I’d like but there was a lot more thought put into DiTF than Voltron.
For those of you who didn't realize it whenever Lance is talking about the amount of Paladins with Keith he uses his pinky, the smallest finger, to represent himself. He feels small and is reaching out but never gets help.
Bringing up lance's insecurities, I wanna bring up that one scene where lance thinks he is going to be kicked out of the paladins because of shiro's return and how it was keith who reassured him. He could've talked about this with anyone and yet it was keith who is the apparent "loner." This always bothered me because he couldve talked about it with pidge or hunk since they have established relationships. Or heck he couldve talked to shiro about it too. I get it was because of lance becoming the red paladin, but i feel like it was just a glimpse to a possible resolve to this rival arc as well as lance slowly learning to work with his insecurities. That's just me tho- Edit: ALSO WHAT WAS THE DEAL WITH LANCE'S ALTEAN MARKS???
AND THEN KEITH TURNS AROUND AND LEAVES (I don't remember if it was the same episode, but it feels like it was)? I don't get why Keith isn't allowed to take his own advice? There were so many opportunities to turn and take back the story and still fit in with the budget and make a solid storyline with solid character personalities, but instead, we were given confusing and sudden shifts that destroyed every chance of redemption that came along...
yes, that scene could have been a really important scene for his character development but the writers just pretended like it never happened eisfndjfndlf
@@GabyGeorge1996 you mean mentioned. They've never showed having one. Maybe you could say that black is like a ex that still wants to have something with you (I mean, she really had a bad time forgetting Zarkon)
and here's the kicker re Lotor: the deepest, most sympathetic antagonist who even turned good and offered an olive branch to the heroes dies horribly and becomes a raving loonie for no reason and seems to become a figure of scorn....but the woman who tries to DESTROY REALITY and EITHER KILLED OR TRIED TO KILL A LOT OF PEOPLE? sure, SHE gets to be fully redeemed and forgiven. FUCK. THAT.
Also his whole turning evil actually didnt make any sense. His whole life goal was to find an ethical source of quintessence for the empire so that they wouldnt have to drain innocent planets. He also strongly believed in working WITH planets rather than dominating them. The fact that he appointed himself God of new altea and abducted hundreds of innocent alteans to drain their quintessence made no sense as it didnt match up with his morals. Also, it never explains why he needed quintessence frim them. Lotor was my favorite character so to see him ruined like this really makes me upset especially as he was a nice person. Being the villain did not fit with his personality and the way he died was so unfair. This is probably my biggest fault for voltron. ):
@@rainbowcactus9781 this is why you plan your shit out properly and make sure you understand your characters than god I never actually watched this show or got into it and thus avoided the pain of the seasonal rot
YES I WAS LIKE “WOW YOU GUYS ARE ASSHOLES!” Lotor (S6): Okay…I’m going to be so honest…I did sacrifice our people but there wasn’t any alternatives to preserve the culture and lives. So I wanted quintessence as to find another option. I didn’t want to sacrifice anyone, but that’s only a dream… Everyone: HE’S LYING! HE’S BEEN LYING! HE ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN THE SERIES HE’S A LIAR! HE MUST DIE BECAUSE HE LIED! Allura (S8): …Okay, so perhaps Lotor was actually telling the truth this entire time…sorry. Fans and Lotor:😒…
I think it's absurd to say you can't kill someone for shock value, or any reason. Hell, this entire critique seems to be based around NOT killing someone, so... However, I'm really sick of white progressives coming around and imagining they are being some sort of saviour for the poor, oppressed, marginalized groups. It really rubs me the wrong way that the narrator feels the need to specify which groups it's never okay to do something bad to. If something is not okay to do, then it's not okay period. It doesn't become okay because you are the wrong skin colour. That's just racist.
I think it’s so funny how Lance is introduced as the main character in the beginning of VLD and literally they do nothing with his character development afterwards (they ran out of time I guess). He was there for no reason :(
YES! You really did so well putting it into words! After the final season, I was left feeling pretty... empty. I watched the show because I'm a sucker for found family themes. I loved the team's dynamic, and I was so eager to see them all grow closer and become a real family. It really saddens me that this just never happened. They started drifting apart early on, but I think season 8 really solidified the fact that this theme was going nowhere. They all felt so far away from one another- it was like they were back to where they started. What's worse is that they'd throw in these random bonding scenes between various characters, but the feelings would never stay. Like, the Keith and Lance sunset scene? As nice as that was, where the hell did it come from? I think I would have believed it more had we been given actual buildup between their friendship. The rivalry aspect just dropped off the face of the earth, and now they're suddenly good friends. I wanted to see them get over their differences and become friends organically, because character building is all about the journey, not the destination, but it just feels like the writers just knocked us out and we woke up at the end without seeing what led up to it or how we got there. The best part of having so many main characters is always how they interact with one another. I wanted to see them come to care about each other. I wish you weren't right, but it's true that none of these guys felt like they actually liked each other more than they would co-workers. It's a real shame.
That opening scene is such an amazing way to explain your reasoning for criticizing this show. No excuses or last minute hiccups change what was brought to screen. Another amazing analysis! Truly I am in awe of the professional quality of this series.
I am pleased that someone could put all my uncertainties, emptiness, and repeated sessions of banging my head against the wall into words. Like you clearly illustrated in your video, what drew me initially to the story was the characters. How it is possible for complete strangers with different backstories could come together with robotic cats and spread peace across the universe. It felt like the creators of VLD were trying to conceive a complex, layered story (which there's nothing wrong with), but fell short. While I could never hate the show, fans took every downfall personally, wonderfully explained by you. Arks were scrapped, cliffhangers were left dangling, and the fandom felt every blow. This show meant so much to its viewers. VLD has personally changed my perception of animation and was my very first fandom. I nursed cramps after hours of drawing art and was able to unite with people over a common pleasure. I believe that for every person divided by this show another fan experienced a meaningful connection. Thank you for giving me an excellent way for us to sum up our beloved series regardless of ships or anything else. Thank you for giving me an insight into all its flaws and issues that helped me see the good that was left. I had fun while it lasted... I will see you all in the stars...
Man, the way they used Lance just ... bothered me on so many levels. Yes, the way they utilized Keith, Shiro, and Allura were messy (and downright insulting at times), but it increasingly frustrated me that the character (Lance) who almost left the team because he felt that he brought nothing of value to it (and they would be stronger without him) ... was constantly (and deliberately) reinforced in those insecurities. Other characters keep saying he has value, but the show never allows him to actually have it beyond showing just how much better (and naturally better) Keith is compared to him on nearly every level. There is something disturbing about making light of that sort of topic that should have been his arc to overcome (rather than his entire arc being nothing more than getting the girl he becomes a broken widower for after like a month of dating).
I started to cry while watching this. Lance is my fav and I love him, but what happened to him and Allura and Lotor, I couldn't handle it. I have never felt so depressed in my life, over this last month.
I feel like Shiro died too early. Season 1- how do we work as a team and form Voltron Season 2- the Paladins bonding with the souls of the lions through their own unique spirits and the parts of them that connect them to their lions End of Season 2- Shiro dies, Keith is no where NEAR ready to lead a team! Shiro hasn't had time to teach him. Season 3 should have been Shiro is still alive and part of the team, and the paladins are developing deeper relationships with each other. Understanding each other pasts, getting more flashbacks, friendships that aren't as formed getting a chance to form. (THESE AREN'T SHIPS. They are friendship pairs that didn't get enough attention) Allura-Keith Pidge-Keith Lance-Keith, theses two have a rivalry that can be humorous at times, but it would be best if things were ironed out between them. What's the root of Lance's jealousy? Keith's talent, Keith's relationship with Shiro? Lance-Shiro, this one going from a cadet admiring his hero to a mentor/mentee relationship. Maybe show how Lance takes this opportunity to gloat to Keith that he's spending time with Shiro. Keith getting frustrated, Shiro putting his foot down to stop the conflict and Lance's method of trying to get ahead of Keith. Shiro affirming Lance's gifts and saying he should take pride in them and cultivate them, but he also should not feel bad or threatened that his skills aren't at the same caliber as Keith's as that doesn't make him less valuable as a human or as a member of the team. Being comfortable with the level of your skill set would be a great thing for audiences of all ages to see. Shiro-Keith, Keith getting his edges smoothed and getting some of his impulsiveness reigned in so he can lead with a clearer head. (Perfect time for the flashbacks we saw in Season 7) Pidge-Shiro, Shiro seemed to have an older brother dynamic with Pidge. This would have been nice to expand upon and go deeper into. Pidge-Allura, outside of the time Allura tries to get Pidge to confess that she's a girl in Season 1, they don't have a scene exclusively for themselves. They both have strengths in technology and knowledge of the ship. It would have been GREAT to give these two several moments where their strengths can work together, and scenes where they can bond as the only girls on the team. Showing a healthy friendship between two females would be another great thing for audiences of all ages to see. Note: Deepening relationships should be shown through dialogue as well, not just missions, combat and participating in shared interests Some other things that would be great to see: Seeing Shiro battle PTSD would have interesting to see as well. How does the team help, how can they help? The paladins helping each other through insecurities. Keith letting his guard down with the team. He's loner because he's afraid if people abandoning him, either by choice or by events taking people away from him. The Paladins letting him know how loved and valued he is, and while they can't promise they'll be with him forever, they'll be with him and support him as they're alive. Seeing more of Paladins grow closer and show less of the war and it's intensity would have made the show much more enjoyable for me to watch. Sorry if you said any of this in the video, I paused it at 5:08 to write this down before I forgot it.
IMO this shows why character-heavy episodes that fans call "filler" are actually important. They give characters a break from The Plot and the viewers get to see them bond.
Not only did they rob us of kid Shiro. It's a missed opportunity narrativly speaking because had they kept in Shiro's childhood not only would they had been able to tie in the terminal illness aspect better, it also would've added more emotional weight to his goals in adulthood and relationships. Going from a sickly kid to an incredibly capable adult who helped save the universe.
Voltron series truly carried Soka's humor but left everything else behind. And now, I am going to watch Last Airbender again because it's amazing and actually flows well.
At least she had something to do. They often forgot about Hunk entirely. They threw Pidge's leftover story threads about saving family at him in the final hours, resolved it super fast and then stuffed him into the background again. He was basically discount Pidge, existing so she had someone to tech talk at and fill out the roster of paladins.
That bit about Lance really reminds me of this one fanfiction I read...the group began getting on Lance's case anytime he said something flirty but then it escalated to whenever he even said anything so then he just stopped talking. It seems, actually, like a very similar situation to how they treat him in the canon that was portrayed.
The way the paladins treat Lance and Keith feels like something out of teen titans go which is even more insulting because at least that god awful show doesn’t try to pretend that the titans have some deep woven bond and respect each other.
Earth should have been destroyed before Season 2; there were Galra warships in the Solar System TWICE in the first episode, they would have invaded and destroyed Earth after discovering Blue was there.
@@peterkrochmalni673 nothing, there's just no logic for them being able to go back there. Knowing Zarkon destroyed Altea just because Alfor destroyed Diabazaal shows how vindictive and petty he was and it was implied he destroyed many more so it was stupid for the characters to assume Earth was still around.
Dragon Landlord I mean to say what have you against Earth that you would wish it destroyed in the first place? If you don’t like it here then move to Mars.
Since the beginning there was an imbalance in the story telling. Lance was supposedly close to Keith but his scenes were all only with hunk or maybe pidge. Also allurance made no sense. It was like that was there only to give lance an arc.
You mean they were "close" while fighting and bickering constantly? That's not how friendship and closeness works, you know. They accept each other and even became friends much closer to the end of the show. And even THAT was kind of pushed down our throats and never truly developed on screen. Like everything with this show.
Yeah the ending made it seem like Keith and lance were close but they never developed that during the show. Season 1 and 3 you could tell they were becoming close and friendlier but season 4-8 threw that out the window and then at the end they try to portray then as close again. This show is dumb.
@@pheela they did become closer in s3 but that friendship was never developed after that and forgotten until season 8 when they tried to push it again.
I stopped watching the show after season 3 because I couldn't stand what they did to Lance. He was my favorite character from the very first moment I saw him and I was so glad that he would be the main character because it seemed like in the first episode that he was important. What did we get? A love-sick boy who doesn't have growth in the series at all. I could relate to his arc with his insecurities and how he puts on a mask but then he just became a childish, dumb lover-boy. Everyone else in their epilogue got their final ending with Hunk literally building an empire and Shiro getting married and being happy and what did Lance get? Pining for his dead girlfriend for the rest of his life. What is that about? He's literally a teen, people are in love and then move on! I'm just so mad with that waisted potential that Lance's character could've gotten I can't even describe it. It would've been kinda revolutional too. Argh I'm gonna stop now because I could go on forever (btw sry if I have spelling mistakes English is my second language lol)
Let me tell you, when you brought up Lotor it unlocked feelings that I buried deep down because of his death. I lowkey loved Lotor and identified with him, and I looked up to Shiro and Black, their strength and they really gave me a feeling of peace. Of hope. It hurt when Lotor died so mercilessly, so- horribly, it crushed child me. And when Shiro became so distant, I would rather have had him dead long ago.
I can see that a lot of love, hard work and commitment was put into this essay. I sincerely hope you get more views because damn, this really deserves them! I'm sharing this right now!
Agree 100%; for me though, the moment that made me realize that the story wasn't about family and friendship was Allura's sacrifice: I was honestly expecting the rest of the team to offer their help and energy, to risk their lives to save Allura, or even just to help saving the universe; however no one even protested when Allura proposed her sacrifice, not even Lance, and he, regardless of the abuse he took from the writers, was supposed to be the one who always has your back, and is always ready to help (not to mention his love for Allura). Instead, they all just shed a few tears and went back to their freshly restored realities like nothing ever happened.
Lance's arc was supposed to be him stepping out of other people's shadows. By the end of the series, he had someone's shadow tattooed to his FUCKING FACE.
I legit cried at your little speech near the end? Like wow, that hit hard for some reason. God, it's been a crazy journey for me. From that fateful day back in June 2016 to now, Voltron has been a big... No, gargantuan part of my life. It's helped me through school, made my writing and art improve, given me something to look forward to for months on end and gave me my first fandom I was an active part of. It's been in my heart for so long that I'd almost forgotten what life was like without it. I owe a lot to this hot mess. To Voltron Legendary Defender, may what you were, what you are, and what you could've been live on as both happy and sad memories. I think it's time for me to move on.
While I agree with most of what you said, I do think the show attempted to make Lance and Keith's relationship stand out. Maybe that's the shipper in me, but Its rumored that Keith and Lance were meant to have a buddy cop realtionship and you can see that in the way so much of their individual arcs are reflected in their dynamic. I won't get into that too much here, because it's not the place, but here are some ways you see the writers trying to show they genuinely care for each other/impact each other When Keith didn't understand something in s1-3, he looked to Lance to explain. Lance stood up for Keith multiple times in the show and comics. In season 2, when Keith was at the Blade and Red started freaking out, so did Lance. In season 2, Lance speaks fondly and with admiration about him then Keith was was upset about Shiro and was ready to burn the world down and take his team with him, Lance put aside his jealously and stood with him. Because Lance stood by him at his worst, Keith was able to become his best, something that only Shiro had done for him by that point. When Keith left, which was a decision the narrative implied had a lot to do with Lance by the addition of the bedroom scene (JDS said in a podcast Keith sabotaged that realtionship with Lance specifically) you can tell Lance is the most worried about him by the way he's animated compared to the others. This also correlates perfectly to Lance spending more time with himself, because "Who was he going to make fun of." When Keith ran off to save Acxa, Lance was the only one to stop him and seemed really concerned. He picked him on the game show and called him the future. When he was passed out on the ground, it was Keith's voice that finally pushed him into consciousness. They formed the wings of Voltron together. His comment to Keith on Altea showed how well he knew him(not to mention their wearing inverted versions of the same jacket that fit together like puzzle pieces, thanks animation team) While I know Lance and Keith's relationship was never going to be romantic, I genuinely think they were meant to be seen as this whole fire and ice, two halves of a whole dynamic, and you can SEE it, but it just falls through after season 4
The sadder version. At the least Yamcha getting whooped was funny and he seemed pretty ok and happy in the end with his baseball career. Lance was just downright robbed and kicked to the curb like an injured abandoned puppy 8I.
As a abuse survivor whose favorite character was Lotor, his arc really did make me feel bad and resentful over the entire series. I stopped watching after he turned on Allura as I knew the series would only disappoint me more. I related to Lotor and for him to be told he was just like his abusive parents which is one the worst things you could tell an abuse survivor, was just a kick in the nuts. I also heavily related to Shiro too but look how that turned out.
VLD effected my mental health as well. The difference between us is that I was a huge fan of the original show and the showrunners destroyed a beloved series from my childhood. They gave me two good seasons and I believed they would respect the original and build on it. What I got instead hurt so bad I couldn't finish the series. I still struggle with it more than a month later.
Uhm I love Keith with every drop of my being, but Shiro was the true black paladin. If the showrunners wanted to put in the whole Shiro's soul or whatever is in Black thing, then it makes sense that Keith had an easier time getting Black to accept him, but Allura's powers don't break bonds, there is no reason to believe that Black just gave up on Shiro or their tie was severed because he has a new body? Which btw Black actually accepted? Even when it was Clone Shiro in there? Also, I realize it doesn't make a difference, the show isn't going to change for us, but I think there is hope to be found in a community that has created endings for themselves. What's done is done, but there are so many other possibilities with the new people you've met through the show or the people you've bonded with, whom you've cried together with. So rather than wallowing in our (very likely) shared feeling of sadness, go out there and find something new that fills you with the same kind of joy your favorite season or episode or scene gave you. You don't have to forget Voltron. Take what you've learned and keep moving forward.💕 -Probably one of the Robinsons from Meet The Robinsons
I believe Shiro is the true black paladin as well. Keith is a Mary Stu. He should have remained the red paladin which he had a deep and profound bond with.
I was already depressed about this show but watching this nearly a year later with unclouded eyes where i'm not hoping the best for the show anymore I really cannot believe how goddamn depressing the themes and character arcs are. Goddamn Lance makes me wanna cry, so does Lotor.
Tragedy holds a lot of meaning outside of death and bad endings. In Voltron's case, the 'happy ending' that makes it feel there was something more but it never fully reached it. That's what feels tragic about it. Your analysis vids have made many see that and then some. It's a lot to take in but it's a bitter pill to swallow knowing this but all we can do is accept it and move on from this series. There's more than what this left us, to feel like there could be more than what else there is. It's pretty much open for us to find a new way from this. We can move on and grow from what VLD tried to do for us. Thank you for committing to this and sharing your thoughts VLD. It feels like the closest thing to closure I can get. And with that said, time to go find smthg to fill the void in my heart. Maybe some webcomics. I think Ava's Demon had some updates? (^^)/ Take care Sin Squad!
I actually feel a lot better after watching your videos. I wasn’t sure how I felt after finishing the series, but I have a much better bitter sweet taste in my mouth to the Voltron series overall. So thank you!
Wow, someone who has their second video prepped within days of the first! Nice job, you've given me a great insight into a show I wasn't sure why I wasn't watching- don't think I should, now.
I feel that Adam was killed because he had no other purpose in the series. That's it. He was introduced to make Shiro gay and that was it. Allura's death felt rushed and just a way to wrap up a serious, not because she was a POC
The first few minutes made me realise what I always hated about the part of the series where Keith is gone. I was never really able to put my finger on it until now. It's that Keith is such an important part of the team and I think he has a really strong bond with red and when he leaves no one, especially not red, cares
This sums up my feelings over it. I actually never got too into Voltron I watch season 1-4 and I forced myself to watch 3 and 4 cause I was getting impatient over the character development. Then I watched the rest after I heard about the ending to see what the heck happened. I remember in season 1, I was so excited to see the development, especially in Shiro, and the progression in the friendship between the team and it just felt like they kept resetting it.
Voltron is basically RWBY. A series that started with a simple concept, a colourful cast and a vast unexplored world. But by the end everyone's arcs either rushed and mishandled, the villains end up flat and the characters end up as parodies of themselves with only the illusion of progress.
I wish they would have kept Lotor alive, he was the best character in the show and would have been more interesting to keep him around the Paladins. It would have been cool if Lotor becomes the Black Lion Paladin and met pre-evil Zarkon (it would be a good scene). I like Voltron since it has amazing episodes. But it falls apart when you put it together with the rest. The ending was just a poor man Gurren Lagann
i thought for sure they'd reveal he was a Blade member, if not founder, but the moment they brought up Oriande and the White Lion i bailed. it was obvious they were going to make Lotor the enemy again and i wasn't going to watch one of the coolest characters on the show go crazy.
I was hoping to high heaven that he wouldnt be a bad guy. Or if he was, at least an anti hero but no, he's downright cuckoo bananas insane. And it all felt like a damn waste since he had a good reason to be on Voltron's side and his personality and dynamic was so damn interesting that couldve paralleled his parent's story but he actually gets out of it without going cuckoo bananas evil.
I was hoping he was going to become a part of the team and then they turned him into a complete lunatic.. They left him to die and melt into his prized war machine which his mother controlled like a puppet. The only small victory is that his alternate child form flat out rejected the lunatic claiming to be his mother.
As someone who only just finished the show at the time of commenting this after I dropped it mid season 3; I knew when the characters began playing musical chairs with the lions it was a sign this story would fall apart. The point of no return was Keith leaving the team and none of the other characters trying to stop him.
I’m sitting in my classroom during my planning period grading my middle schooler’s artwork, listening to videos and yours was recommended in my feed, in your opening you mention you’re an art school student, I glance over and see none other than my alma mater RISD (class of 2006), and the illustration department no less! God, things haven’t even changed really in the last decade. Good luck in your studies and hang in there with those crits, and your videos are awesome, keep it up!
god my dude i had a hole in my heart after s8's finale. It just felt so... disconected... so weird. And I knew there were "production issues" but I never investigated because I thought it would just break my heart to know what could have been but, I MEAN IM HERE ARENT I LMFAO... and yes my heart is a little broken but sighhhh i mean! I'll move on! And we all will! Being a fandom goblin for so long and belonging to fandoms that are FUCKFESTS (hello homestuck) has tempered me to treat canon as a box of scraps from which i can take whatever the hell i want and burn the rest, and THAT'S WHAT WE GOTTA DO MAN. fanart and fanfics and headcanons and just... eventually it turns out fine am I right? also thanks for the podcast rec! and i loved the video!!!
For months, even since I got over this show, I still couldn't find a closure, I couldn't figure out what went wrong. I got this weird feeling since the clone shiro mess...and now it finally makes sense. Thank you for this two part video! It was truly very necessary. Thank you for letting me find peace with my used to be favorite show, before the last two seasons.
This showed up on my recommendations and I had to watch it. It sounds like you've been through something tragic in your life to find the self love you needed. You've also been able to stand back and connect to stories about finding that self worth. Sometimes it doesn't seem like you'll ever get out of that darkness but when you find that light, it's truly makes life worth living
Beginning and end summary of characters: Lance: Insecure scatterbrain -> Living tragedy Allura: Strong commander -> Martyr Pidge: Broken family -> Mechanic god Keith: Lone wolf -> Lone wolf with mom Shiro: War veteran -> Disabled, Dying, LGBT Asian man Hunk: Mechanic -> plus-sized foodie
Well, I am a big Allurance fan. So I will speak my mind a bit. I did not like the season. Now, I do agree with the nostalgia and the great mischaracterizations of several key figures: Shiro and Keith act like strangers, Hunk and Pidge basically never act together, Keith and Lance only share a few words in the whole season, Coran and Allura basically never interact and never said goodbye... So yeah, the Season really changed a lot of stuff and turned it south. And one of the things I had most hatred and anger: the ending. The ending is absolute and total nonsense given the fact that it basically contradicts all the previous things done in the show. Examples: 1- Allura says Lotor taught her to use Quintessence to bring life.... Uh... NO... HE... DID... NOT!!!! He FAILED the Oriande trial and could NOT manipulate Quintessence. Allura was the one to power up the SIncline ships. It was NOT Lotor! 2- Honerva has ruined millions of lives and killed millions of people... but she gets a happy ending.... Allura who has sacrificed everything for the Universe and has finally found someone who truly loves her... she sacrifices herself and does not get a happy ending... ¬¬ BRILLIANT!!!! Kill a lot of people and you can get the happy ending while the heroine gets a kick in the butt!!! 3- Alfor was corrupted because of Honerva.... Uh, NO... HE... WASN'T!!!! He was killed by ZARKON, who was corrupted when HE tricked the original Paladins to enter the Quintessence field. And now, it turns out that: Oh, Honerva corrupted him.... 4- Keith becomes a humanitarian, Lance a farmer, Shiro a gay husband (¬¬ ), Hunk a chef and Pidge a robot nerd..... Could anyone come up with a worst possible ending for everyone?????? 5- The end scene depicts the Lions heading towards a constellation/nebula with Allura's silhouette, probably indicating she is alive... Uh.... THEN WHY DID YOU KILL HER IN THE FIRST PLACE!?!?!?!?!? The ending was a terrible way to end the show... It totally destroyed it! The show went downhill since the end of S6, not to mention that S8 (despite Allurance happening) and the ending totally wrecked it...
I agree with everything you said here except the characters' ending. Keith reforming the Blade into a humanitarian effort warmed my heart because he basically took this part of himself and his lineage that once was a spot of insecurity and shame to help guide a very misguided and somewhat lost people to a brighter and more peaceful future and make a positive change on an intergalactic scale. This is the direction I always imagined the Blade going in. Lance being a farmer sucks ass for reasons the whole fandom can agree on. Voltron isn't forgiven for all the Hunk fat jokes but Ambassador Hunk was a pretty damn good way to turn that whole mess around on its head. And Pidge is exactly where she needs to be, though I really want to see how she's using her genius to advance the human race.
I forgot my baby! I like Shiro's ending fine, he deserves love, comfort and rest after all he's been through. I just wish we could have seen him and Curtis interact on screen at least ONCE. They're only getting a pass from me because he's adorable.
@@Sephajinami I kind of agree with the Keith ending but it is very poorly executed. On one scene, he is the leader of Voltron. Next scene, he is on the Kral Zera arena (which was destroyed and now magically rebuilt). Next scene, she is with Lotor's generals with the humanitarian group while Krolia and Kolivan now "lead" the Galra. In my view, it is not properly executed. Could Keith become that? Yes, but given the proper context. Lance: I absolutely agree. No point on discussing that. Plus, he is going to be reminded every single day of his life on how he lost Allura. That is a horrible way to end the character. Pidge: I do not really agree because although she is a genius and all that, the character has been taken out of place. She joined the Garrison and Team Voltron because she wanted to find her family. She already found it and brought them together. Having the Holt family establish "the next generation of Defenders" is IMO out of place because there is no more war and the Galra Empire was stopped. So, what's the point?
Thank you for this. Thank you thank you thank you. I watched the later seasons of Voltron not being able to put a finger on why the show felt less like the show that got me through a really hard part of my life and more like a Shonen Jump anime about space lions. One of Netflix's all-time best shows had died before it was meant to, and it truly was a tragedy at the end of the day.
I really, really appreciate the ending you put in here about fandom and self care. You hit the nail on the head with the stuff in the first half of the video of course, but you also really struck home with that last bit. Thank you!
Lotor was my absolute favorite character. I was really upset, that he didn’t get a proper arc or the chance to be redeemed. Idk it just made me reeeaaally sad. I want a better lotor arc😢 And also I think lance needs way more respect. It seems that nothing really good happens to him and even when it does it is taken away. I wish that at least in the sequel sequence they would have shown the others supporting him but NOTHING OF THAT HAPPEND. Yeah. I‘m a bit upset about my favorite characters not getting the arcs they deserve
Lotor was my favourite too. I felt my heart was ripped out of my chest. I wasn’t expecting a redemption arc, though it would have been nice, but at least have him do something (that was wasn’t speculative) to really deserve his fate.
hell, with the way season 4 ended i was expecting Lotor to be one of the founders/leaders of the Blade of Marmora. would have made more sense than him hiding the surviving Alteans.
@Bjorn Arnesen except there was built up from lotor. With him starting as a villain in this show with explicitly duplicitous nature; to us knowing that draining the quintessence from a person is possible. Even in this video sinn brings up quotes from the creators saying that always wanted him to be a villain while being slightly agreeable, so the idea that this reveal happened last minute for the sake of making him the villain again is blatantly false. It's one thing to think that the way lotor was handled was abysmal, but to push a theory that contradicts information everyone in and out show agree on is just plain delusional.
The treatment of Lance has always been my major gripe with the show, and I kept watching to see if it would improve, only to be disappointed every single time. Wow, I'm actually tearing up, Lance was my favorite character, he had so much untapped potential.
As an LGBT person myself, I never had a problem with Adam’s death because it would been an issue for him to still be alive when Shiro returned to Earth. It would have been unlikely that time would be given to him and Shiro to address their relationship then, but it would have been on viewers’ minds and would have been weird to NOT address it.
As an LGBT person myself... They should have just had him leave at some point during Shiro's absence. The issue was that they killed him and left Shiro to suffer the guilt of not being there. Someone pointed out on twitter that the recent reveal of an Overwatch character being gay handled the 'missing ex' a lot better... By having the ex having moved on in life. They could have done that with Adam just as easily, a scene where Shiro asks about him and they mention he left when he got a better job somewhere or whatever, rather than devoting that 16 seconds to mourning him instead. They would have successfully had Adam out of the way without a shock value death of an LGBT character. It also really didn't help matters that they had also killed the lesbian couple off that same season (and clearly last minute retconned it in the following season) so...yeah. It was handled poorly.
Raevell Again, there was nothing wrong with Adam dying. I’m not of the camp that says gays can’t die on tv ever. But yeah, 16 seconds of mourning and just an initial for a last name (lol) made it seem rushed. I think the fact that they made Adam and Shiro’s relationship complicated and arguably neither of them left it happy and they never got to speak to each other again is a pretty accurate representation of how a lot of failed relationships go. You say goodbye on bad terms and never get to fix it. I don’t think simplifying their relationship and Adam’s whereabout to “he went missing” would be any better because I think Shiro and Adam’s relationship was a very good portrayal of a real adult relationship that happened to be gay.
I Identify as a Dragon Good point. I still can’t believe the artist tasked with drawing the memorial wall, or whoever was in charge of designing that thing, thought “these monuments only have everyone’s first name and last initial, right? Like in elementary school?”
@@matthias8122I think you misunderstand, I don't fall under the category of fan who think Adam and Shiro should have reconciled. I personally didn't want that. My only problem was he was a completely undeveloped LGBTQ character who's death was shocking and senseless...it felt in poor taste. Not that gay characters can't die ever but writers definitely seem to favor killing gay characters specifically so they don't actually have to show them being gay. And again, as far as we saw, Ezor and Zethrid were also killed in the same season. That's 3 dead gay characters out of 4. And they were the only named characters that died that season besides the general that betrayed them. Like...yikes.
Freya K I’m still wondering how the crew “hyped up Adam”. All we got was one tweet and a sneak peek clip. If anything, it was the rapid fandom who hyped him up, they let themselves down.
As a big Hunk fan, it really killed me when he and Pidge kept dismissing Lance as comic relief. It didn't feel right! Anyway, thanks for making these videos; helped me figure out what the hecc happened here and come to terms with my feelings about it all.
“Haha look! This characters mom left him as a kid and everyone really close to him abandons him and as a result he has serious issues so he CRIES!”
"HAHHAHAHAH HEY KEITH YOU LITTLE EMO BITCH DID YOUR DAD DIE, YOUR MOM ABANDON YOU AND YOUR ONLY FRIEND GET KIDNAPPED BY TYRANNICAL ALIENS? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA GET OWNED LOL"
-the paladins apparently?
squishy salamander haha, trauma is funny
Haha emotional trauma in a guy is funny!
Dreamworks, pointing a gun at our heads: LAUGH, DAMN IT!
Lol, males expressing emotions other than rage and hornyness? Guys being emotionally open? That’s a gas! /s
How was Hunk the only one who fulfilled his arc with THE LEAST SCREENTIME!
dar Because they had the least amount to screw up. I don’t mean this in any sort of mean, way, but that’s really what it probably was. He didn’t have much screen time, therefore, it was harder to go wrong.
Because he arc was really simple and generic thus the easier to write. But because of that he was nothing more than just okay.
@@brandonontama2415 they tried to an arc with Hunk in season 7 where his newfound courage led him to REALLY want to save his family, even if that meant breaking the military code. But they didn't GO ANYWHERE WITH IT.
@@your_dar_ling A massive shame.
I feel like thats because hunks arc didnt clash with the other characters. Like keiths, lances, alluras, pidges thus lotors arcs etc. Were affected by the decision to keep shiro in the show, like a domino effect when they copy and pasted shiro over the top of keith, which affected lances and alluras arc, and pidges and lotors arcs as well. Hunks arc was based solely just him finding and working on his own passion and confidence. Idk if i explained this well enough, sorry if i didnt!!
What makes me cringe about the show is there blatant use of telling and not showing. God, them saying "we're a family." Makes it empty and disingenious.
Like most Marvel movies
What do most marvel movies tell.
Especially when they show Keith being mean to the team several times and the rest of the team being mean to Lance. That's never addressed but we're supposed to believe they grew as a team despite spending more time apart than together
This show is finished and there is nothing else to talk about
@@wanderingoryx3710 Just let them have a conversation, jeez
Why do writers always abuse comic relief characters?
Cuz making Megs and Squidwards is for easy comedy.
@@Dave102693 Squidward was a reminder of adulthood
@Brandon Ontama: I get really tired of shows and the like doing that too. IMHO, the comic relief characters honestly tend to have a lot of potential to be really interesting.
@@DancesWithFriesians comic relief can work, look how Star Trek DS9 handled it.
Insecurity. Comic reliefs are needed but hated for the writers. Beyond the fact they trying to catter a wide audience, they still writing a kids' show. Most TV screen guides push for less violence, or the violence to be more cartoonish, and to avoid mature themes. Humor deflates tension. It adds also laughs for kids. But most writers seems annoyed with the prospect of comics relief.
You know, I never realized why people were so defensive over Lance. After watching this video, I can definitely understand why people were disgruntled and annoyed by how much of a buttmonkey he became.
Exactly.
I HATED, with a burning passion, Lance and Allura 'together' in season 8 because it made Lance uglier as a character and stagnated his character development. Lance never earned him place as the Red paladin (Keith's right hand) and pretty much became Allura's kickstand. Allura became needy and lost her strength.
Lance never got his time to resolve his one-side rivalry with Keith, a person who he should have learned to become best friends with. It's frustrating.
*he was made* There. fixed it for ya.
His character could have been so much more but they really failed doing his character justice. In fact, they actually REGRESSED his character several times in season 8. It's gross. His story is so depressing and sends out the message that he's not good enough. he was never good enough. So upsetting.
They never pulled a Sokka.
@@icedmocha5264 Sounds extremely mediocre...Last time I say a buttmonkey, a guy with God-like powers was on that alley....
The “the Lance whose always got my back” line always struck me as odd because Lance had never been shown having Keith’s back in a significant way, you know, beyond not letting him die or taking orders from him when he was in charge. I wondered why it seemed like at the end of the series the story went out of its way to make sure the viewers all knew how much all the paladins liked each other.
Matthias81 could’ve been bait?
I think their relationship before Keith left was pretty friendly--if all you watched was seasons 1 and 2, that line makes more sense. They just werent able to pay off all that buildup
Linda Nguyen For what????
Fif Gallag Yeah, true. After about season one it was relatively clear that they didn’t truly hate each other, they just had conflicting personalities. The writing team just kind of wasted seasons 3 and 4, I think it was, as potential time to build camaraderie between them when Keith left for BoM. I do wonder if that had to do with actor availability though....
They never really had a scene where its showed they had earned each other's trust. It's so weird to see them unequal rivals on the first season then bam best friends in the final with nothing in the middle to justify it.
Another thing I would like to add is that Coran, Allura’s father figure, didn’t get to have a goodbye. I know throughout the show he’s mostly used as a comic relief but there were those parts where he really did have an impact, parts that made him feel like more of a person. He was approached by Alfor and told to take care of her and now she’s gone. I could only imagine what he could’ve have felt what he may have suffered through. What we couldn’t see. In the end I felt he really wasn’t given that good ending either. Just faded into the background.
And I would like to thank you for making this. It is well written and helped me address things that I felt when I had watched the final season. Although the show left me off sore, aching for some sort of closure and relief, this video helped and made me learn to just keep moving forward. So thanks again I’m glad to have found this video and you.
(Also the podcast you suggested I’m hooked)
OH GOD, CORAN! This poor, poor man. You're so right; I didn't even process the fact that he didn't get the chance to say goodbye!! That's so, so harsh. (AND THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm so glad you liked the video T___T and mrehehehe, you're hooked on Penumbra?! VICTORY!)
@@The_Sin_Squad yeah I'm hooked on Penumbra now too
Yeah Coran was really done a disservice he deserved better like Allura and Lance say what you will about the others endings but at least they got happy endings
Indeed, it really made me feel bad for him as he didnt got the chance to say goodbye, i had binge watched the series again, and in season 2 Allura calls Coran a second father to her, it broke my heart that they had come to care so much for the other yet in the end he didnt have the chance to say goodbye
Joseph Hargus where can you find it.
I was upset that Coran didn't even get to say goodbye to Allura! she was like his family, his daughter, he swore to her father that he'd keep her safe and protect her, yet he didn't even get a goodbye??
The thing is, I can't buy the fact that they "ran out of time." Avatar The Last Airbender completed their show in 61 episodes, and every single one went into developing the characters and storylines, whether it was a comedic episode or one more dedicated to heavier themes, and now it is an iconic staple of recent animation media. Voltron had 78 episodes to accomplish this. They didn't "run out of time," they wasted their time. They had the opportunity to produce a show that is as beloved as ATLA is; they had the world-building, the characters, the themes, and they just didn't take it. Sure if they had been given more funding and more time to keep producing the show, they could have patched up a few spots in the character arcs and repaired the storyline a bit, but that doesn't discount the mistakes that were made early on. I think that at some point, the production's genuine care for the show waned, and even with all the time in the world, they wouldn't have been able to fix it.
Yes and no. I agree they didn't use there time up well in this series at all. But I think that's only part of the problem. Thing is the biggest choice that made the show fall apart is simply going with a story arc format.
You see there are different type of story structures a series can take. ATLA is serialized, but has episodes that break off from the main plot. There's one main villain, who they must defeat at the end of the story. VLD went with a story arc format, which is while similar, is different. Since you seem like an anime fan, a lot of long shonen action series use that plot structure like BNHA, Naruto and One Piece. The idea is that there are a bunch of mini stories leading up to the final boss. A villain is introduced, they face obsticals and the villain is defeat. Lather, rise repeat.
However, the glaring issue with using the story arc format for this series is that there aren't enough episodes to pull that off effectively. Shows that use the story arc format always go well over the 100 episode mark. While some of these series are still paced rather poorly, being shoved to the brim with filler for the series to catch up with the manga, they are still paced out enough to let each story arc breathe.
VLD only had 26 episodes to do the same, which is far too little, and it shows. Character beats are skimmed over, some characters are tossed aside to focus on other elements and has some of the wonkiest pacing I’ve seen in a western cartoon.
If VLD had the same set up as ATLA, it would fix the pacing issues, allow more time to focus on character, focus on defeating a couple villains instead of multiple, be able to show important character moments and would’ve also got rid of need to turn Lotor into a tragic villain, allowing him to be more of a Zuko type figure or a more of an anti villain figure. (Despite what the EPs say, I think part of the motivation for Lotor be a villain the whole time is because the story arc needed a villain and he was the most logical choice from a historical standpoint.)
They tried to hard to get away from the monster-of-the-week format of most 80s action cartoons and didn't think through an overall plot for the series. Killing the main villain practically mid series leaves you with a lot of time and only vague plots to work. The war with Sendak was the only thing that made sense post-Zarkon.
@@sorcerersapprentice I agree, as much as cartoons fans looked down on the episodic structure, it actually would benefited Voltron. While having an over arching plot. Also I think the Lotor should of been the warrior in sith expansion for Star Wars the Old Republic, that would of been way more interesting.
O.o
" Since you seem like an anime fan, a lot of long shonen action series use that plot structure like BNHA, Naruto and One Piece. "
DAMN YOU GOT ME Magicians apprentice and....nice touch
Name + Avatar = Perfect combo
This is true but if you watch part 1 of this video series then most of Voltron's problems can be put down to executive meddling.
I really appreciate how you explored the flaws with this show without going into ships. If you're a shipper, it's like your opinion is suddenly invalid, so I really love how you articulated your points. Thank you!
Phewf, hearing this is a relief! I'm a Sheith shipper, and I was worried I went too hard on the Keith and Shiro bits. Thanks for watching!
Ditto. Hey gtgrandom I remember you from my Young Justice days. Are you watching the 3rd season?
@@kaitlnwhite6809 Haha yessss and I'm loving it. (I also have a reaction vid to the first three episodes lol). Animation took some getting used to, and I miss the old team, but I'm already in love with the new characters and can't wait to see where they take the season...
@@Soprie I mean the whole writing fiasco is definitely responsible for a lot of the heat in the shipping wars, and I think it's super interesting. What I meant here is that as a Klance shipper, people think my negative opinions about the season stem from shipping prejudices alone. So I love seeing these non-biased reviews and metas on the show that don't even touch the pairings. Then I can point to them and say, actually, no, here's why it sucks, lol :)
@@The_Sin_Squad not a shipper but personally would have preferred that to how they did handle shiro
Kieth and Pidge never spoke to each other after the first 2 season's
oh fuck
Holy shit you're right
Which is particularly funny considering the sheer amount of fanwork that has placed them everywhere on the friendship spectrum from “fellow geeks” to “band together to make Lance miserable” to “childhood friends separated and brought back together”
That's just weird. It's a giant missed opportunity because they butt heads hard in the beginning when Pidge wanted to leave them to go find her family. Then look - Kieth left them to go off with the Galra. These two could have had a conversation before Kieth leaves, or after he returns. But then aagin we don't even have Kieth and Shiro having a conversation - even with all that backstory showcasing theri bond from when Kieth was little - argh! This show frustrates me.
Holy shit, really ?! That’s insane
Yeah, Lotor's arc left a bad taste in my mouth too. Even his voice actor complained about it. Why have him go through a redemption arc and get treated sympathetically if they were just going to slam the door in our faces?
YEAH! I dropped it after S6. It just…that wasn’t the way, chief…
They done my boy Keith dirty!
And they did my boy Lance dirty!
And they did my man Shiro dirty!!
And they did my man LOTOR DIRTY!
They did EVERYONE DIRTY!!
Can we get some soap in here?
Is it just me or during the show did u just want shiro to die not beacause u didn’t like him but he literally didn’t need to be there and he’s had some many fake deaths ur just asking the writers if u want to kill him... kill him
even Sokka (from Avatar: The Last Airbender) would call them out for being dick!
Basically me the whole time
True, though I most bad for Allura and the alteans. Seriously, the Alteans of Voltron are like the Mercurians of Mare Child: Every single bad thing happens to them throughout history and they pretty much become extinct in the end. ಠ_ಠ
Lance feels like they were trying to recreate Sokka's popularity as a comic relief character and falling very short.
Yeah, Sokka was a comic relief character, but even early on it was easy to see that the Gaang respected him. And he had a strong character arc with great development.
Lance could've been a great example of how to overcome poor self-esteem, while teaching the team that even offhand comments made as a joke can deeply hurt. And seeing how badly they dropped the ball on that frustrates me.
Even though Sokka was the butt monkey and was called an idiot by Jeong Jeong and Wan Shi Tong, everyone in the gaang trusted his instincts and leadership. Aang calls him the idea guy. When Sokka feels inadequate because he’s a non bender, his friends go out of their way to tell him that’s not true, and they miss him when he’s not around. Little gestures like that helps a lot.
So basically they just split sokka into pige and lance.
the age difference was also important, sokka was older than the other two, they were what 12? and sokka was 16? of course they would treat him as a party boomer cause he had to be responsible to keep everyone save (im only in s2 idk if this change later). Sokka relationship with aang and katara was an older brother and the two youngers who make fun of him but still care for him.
The paladins treated lance like he is nothing, just a classmate they hang around because they have to, nothing deeper, the jokes border insults because they never showed a deep connection between them to make this jokes hurt less. They missed the mark big time
Sometimes sokka was the goofy one untaimed.
Honestly Allura's death felt like another off brand Sokka moment: soft glowy white light, "I will always be with you", close up kiss, and the magic princess with white hair fades into mysteriously corpseless death.
i absolutely agree with pretty much everything you're saying oh my god. allura should not have stayed the blue paladin--she learned to connect with the paladins, appreciate combat in a different way, and grow confident in her leadership abilities, but she should have brought all that back with her as a princess and leader of the castleship. like, everything she did, her talents, the lessons she learned, were all irrelevant to the character ending she got
i cant tell you how much this video is appreciated, your dedication is shocking and impressive. i loved this show more than i loved any media before it, and you're right in everything you've said. this video series helped me find closure, while also reminding me i'm not alone. lots of people loved voltron, and lots of people are moving on. plus, you're really funny. i laughed out loud several times
That was kind of inevatibel given the source material.
i was wondering why the past few seasons of Voltron felt off. This review really opened my eyes to a lot of the subtle things i didn't notice, but my brain did.
Hey could you re-write voltron... please
dunno if you'd like it but im currently doing that myself
Chancellor Matt oooo where?
@@madisonbrown7091 www.fanfiction.net/s/13151728/1/Voltron-Final-Season-Rewritten Still in progress, got it on Wattpad and archiveofourown as well
That misses the point of 23:50, my friend
Kyokory but I really don’t like wet socks 😂
voltron did my babies dirty
Not Voltron, Dream Works
Did you even care about the original?
@@wanderingoryx3710 I loved the original.
Gonna be honest, I hated the Lion switcheroo. I appreciate that they wanted to give Keith a chance to grow into a leader, but the Red paladin is already second in command. If the team ever needs to split up, logically they'd lead the second team. I guess that's something for fanfic to fix.
yeah I also didn't like it, either.
My only real problems with it is that A) They never switched the colors of their outfits and B) The switches kinda felt pointless. Sure, we get to see Keith grow into a leader the first time around, but then Shiro quickly replaces him a few episodes later and all that growth gets thrown out the window, only to then bring Keith back as the leader again a couple of seasons later for no reason
Lance was always a better leader than Keith, though. IF they had established Keith as a good leader instead of having him fly his entire team into danger _with Lance being the voice of reason_ right away or you know, having Keith just dump his entire team to go have his own adventures, maybe I would believe he's leadership material. But, as the show presented it, Keith was a terrible leader and exactly why Shiro should have stayed as the leader.
TableWrens Allura should’ve been the black paladin
@@GummyDinosaursify Yeah, I agree. Lance was a better leader - Lance, was a teamplayer and a decision maker who cared deeply for the rest of the team but was terribly insecure, but I do also think that Keith could have grown into the role too if given the opportunity... Which he wasn't given. The original Voltron storyline, before the execs got involved and basically ruined everything, could have worked.
9:33 the worst part of the line is that Pidge and Hunk basically side with a guy they don't know and might be their enemy (which turns out he is) rather than their highschool friend with insecurities just for the sake of the lolz for viewers.
and the fact that the show's supposed to be about teamwork and connections, yet ppl can't defend the guy victim of racism, even one of them jokes about it.
...OOF
and the fact they don't care about killing a clone with its own soul... yikes.
Just... so many things wrong in the writing, and yet ppl keep defending it for some reason, i guess bcz of investment in the show itself.
Lance: Buttmonkey
Princess Allura: Martyr
Shiro: Token LGBT/Asian/Disabled person
Keith: Lone wolf leader
Pidge: Family Matters
Hunk: Good ending
Bingo.
How does hank have a good ending when he’s nothing like what he was introduced as. What happened to being s mechanic and using food as a coping mechanism. Why did that become his ending instead of being s mechanic. Why the hell was he even in the garrison
@@BabyGirlTiny Pidge's BFF.
Honestly I think is important to note that Allura is more than simply Martyr; she's received as representation from poc fans just to end up being wrote off to make the arc of a male character deeper. Is disgusting and sad.
Thank you!!!!
They say the truth hurts, AND DAMN THIS HURTS! What they did to the characters is so sad because there was so much potential. Thank you for making these videos ^^ I appreciate the effort you put into them
I know right! This show had so much potential. It makes me sad that it fell apart. Like dang.
This entire show has made a mockery of Lance, and I'm really glad you covered how hurtful all the remarks really were toward him. The thing I sorely missed and that truly ruined this show was the sudden lack of connection to the lions or eachother.
“No one worries about Keith even though his Galra missions could kill him.” This. This got me so upset. He was a teen and on a self-sacrificing team of Galra that made no qualms about exploiting and replacing him - things the Paladins would not characteristically do.
It’s not a good message to sent to kids and teens too. That you’re replaceable if you’re looking for a family and unsure where you belong. Kieth’s vlog was deep. And should have remained as such.
And lots of things seemed hurtful toward Lance indeed instead of comedic. Lance was both a character I found really annoying and who I related to a lot (haha!) but his treatment was deplorable. Lance taking charge in dealing with his insecurities and coming into his own is a wonderful message - that never happened.
Lotor being pushes aside yes. His redemption arc was... missing, and I didn’t like his switch from good to bad and even becoming so close to Allura - I was happy with him as a grey character, like Severus Snape, or Loki, and wanted to see more of his character growth. Lotor as a baby was a product of a birth both out of an addiction fed.
Which leads me to another disappointment. They wanted to redeem Zarkon and Onerva but did not address properly that they were addicted to quintessence and bled that with the choices were more their own. Addiction in substance-abuse is a solid message for kids and teens. Also is becoming consumed with power and rage - that is another form of addition. Both addictions lending to exploitation of self and others and degrading of character. I wanted to see both of that with these characters that were once a loving family more.
[Edited for typos.]
Sounds like the writers don't truly understand addiction if they thought it was all about choice
anyone else notice how the ending of Voltron basically exactly matched the ending of Darling in the Franxx? Statue in honor of the dead, former teammate is a farmer, former teammate is a wandering humanitarian, former teammate is a chef. Worst endings of 2018 change my mind.
People watch garbage? Oh wait, Im watching these videos explaining why everything is terrible. 😂
@@kit76149 As if don't be gay isn't a good message.
Astro This one shoulda stayed in the drafts, pal
Elio sounds to me like you can’t handle adult content :/ I’d actually say DiTF was better because of the main two characters and Mitsuru (I think that’s his name).
Elio idk what about it was disrespectful. And I also don’t know how any of it might be funny. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it so I can’t defend it as well as I’d like but there was a lot more thought put into DiTF than Voltron.
So....VLD ending is basically the ultimate bad ending for a video game
For those of you who didn't realize it whenever Lance is talking about the amount of Paladins with Keith he uses his pinky, the smallest finger, to represent himself. He feels small and is reaching out but never gets help.
O......Oh god.............Oh no.........I never noticed that and now I'm dead afdsafdafsafda
Oof
Bringing up lance's insecurities, I wanna bring up that one scene where lance thinks he is going to be kicked out of the paladins because of shiro's return and how it was keith who reassured him. He could've talked about this with anyone and yet it was keith who is the apparent "loner." This always bothered me because he couldve talked about it with pidge or hunk since they have established relationships. Or heck he couldve talked to shiro about it too. I get it was because of lance becoming the red paladin, but i feel like it was just a glimpse to a possible resolve to this rival arc as well as lance slowly learning to work with his insecurities.
That's just me tho-
Edit: ALSO WHAT WAS THE DEAL WITH LANCE'S ALTEAN MARKS???
AND THEN KEITH TURNS AROUND AND LEAVES (I don't remember if it was the same episode, but it feels like it was)? I don't get why Keith isn't allowed to take his own advice? There were so many opportunities to turn and take back the story and still fit in with the budget and make a solid storyline with solid character personalities, but instead, we were given confusing and sudden shifts that destroyed every chance of redemption that came along...
bellisdrawing Keith was the leader. Who else was lance going go to when he’s worried he’s won’t have a place on the team?
The more comments I read the more i'll never watch this sloppy reboot. 😂
yes, that scene could have been a really important scene for his character development but the writers just pretended like it never happened eisfndjfndlf
Also, they literally erased Lance's cuban heritage and made him altean, changing a huge part of his identity.
your version is canon to me now.
And the lions and their non existing personalities?
EXACTLY
You mean the personalities they were teased as having but were never followed up on?
@@GabyGeorge1996 you mean mentioned. They've never showed having one.
Maybe you could say that black is like a ex that still wants to have something with you (I mean, she really had a bad time forgetting Zarkon)
Zoids does it better
I mean, Red kinda came off as a fiery little shit.
and here's the kicker re Lotor: the deepest, most sympathetic antagonist who even turned good and offered an olive branch to the heroes dies horribly and becomes a raving loonie for no reason and seems to become a figure of scorn....but the woman who tries to DESTROY REALITY and EITHER KILLED OR TRIED TO KILL A LOT OF PEOPLE? sure, SHE gets to be fully redeemed and forgiven.
FUCK. THAT.
PREACH. There are so many things that went wrong with Voltron, but Lotor's arc was by far the biggest disgrace. He deserved so much better.
@Maridiosarey FFFFUUUUUUCK THAAAAAAATTT
Also his whole turning evil actually didnt make any sense. His whole life goal was to find an ethical source of quintessence for the empire so that they wouldnt have to drain innocent planets. He also strongly believed in working WITH planets rather than dominating them. The fact that he appointed himself God of new altea and abducted hundreds of innocent alteans to drain their quintessence made no sense as it didnt match up with his morals. Also, it never explains why he needed quintessence frim them.
Lotor was my favorite character so to see him ruined like this really makes me upset especially as he was a nice person. Being the villain did not fit with his personality and the way he died was so unfair. This is probably my biggest fault for voltron.
):
@@rainbowcactus9781 this is why you plan your shit out properly and make sure you understand your characters
than god I never actually watched this show or got into it and thus avoided the pain of the seasonal rot
YES I WAS LIKE “WOW YOU GUYS ARE ASSHOLES!”
Lotor (S6): Okay…I’m going to be so honest…I did sacrifice our people but there wasn’t any alternatives to preserve the culture and lives. So I wanted quintessence as to find another option. I didn’t want to sacrifice anyone, but that’s only a dream…
Everyone: HE’S LYING! HE’S BEEN LYING! HE ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN THE SERIES HE’S A LIAR! HE MUST DIE BECAUSE HE LIED!
Allura (S8): …Okay, so perhaps Lotor was actually telling the truth this entire time…sorry.
Fans and Lotor:😒…
Dreamworks did pretty much ALL of the characters so dirty.
sorry i love your pfp
*It's never okay to kill ANY character for shock value
Yeah seriously.
Nah people are just babies.
Shock deaths are pretty much just jump scares.
I think it's absurd to say you can't kill someone for shock value, or any reason. Hell, this entire critique seems to be based around NOT killing someone, so...
However, I'm really sick of white progressives coming around and imagining they are being some sort of saviour for the poor, oppressed, marginalized groups.
It really rubs me the wrong way that the narrator feels the need to specify which groups it's never okay to do something bad to. If something is not okay to do, then it's not okay period. It doesn't become okay because you are the wrong skin colour. That's just racist.
@@fish-face3069 But we have to give them special attention. They are minorities you know.
I think it’s so funny how Lance is introduced as the main character in the beginning of VLD and literally they do nothing with his character development afterwards (they ran out of time I guess). He was there for no reason :(
t e s s a Shiro was the first character introduced
They had over 70 episodes, they didn't run out of time, they were just bad at managing it.
Tessa Bauman, THIS! Yas. Lance has the most screen time and development in the pilot episode.
@@tiffanypersaud3518 he was the first paladin. That sure should've meant something....but noooo
@@verotile_, yeh noOOoooooOOO... ugh!
YES! You really did so well putting it into words! After the final season, I was left feeling pretty... empty. I watched the show because I'm a sucker for found family themes. I loved the team's dynamic, and I was so eager to see them all grow closer and become a real family. It really saddens me that this just never happened. They started drifting apart early on, but I think season 8 really solidified the fact that this theme was going nowhere. They all felt so far away from one another- it was like they were back to where they started.
What's worse is that they'd throw in these random bonding scenes between various characters, but the feelings would never stay. Like, the Keith and Lance sunset scene? As nice as that was, where the hell did it come from? I think I would have believed it more had we been given actual buildup between their friendship. The rivalry aspect just dropped off the face of the earth, and now they're suddenly good friends. I wanted to see them get over their differences and become friends organically, because character building is all about the journey, not the destination, but it just feels like the writers just knocked us out and we woke up at the end without seeing what led up to it or how we got there.
The best part of having so many main characters is always how they interact with one another. I wanted to see them come to care about each other. I wish you weren't right, but it's true that none of these guys felt like they actually liked each other more than they would co-workers. It's a real shame.
That opening scene is such an amazing way to explain your reasoning for criticizing this show. No excuses or last minute hiccups change what was brought to screen. Another amazing analysis! Truly I am in awe of the professional quality of this series.
I am pleased that someone could put all my uncertainties, emptiness, and repeated sessions of banging my head against the wall into words. Like you clearly illustrated in your video, what drew me initially to the story was the characters. How it is possible for complete strangers with different backstories could come together with robotic cats and spread peace across the universe. It felt like the creators of VLD were trying to conceive a complex, layered story (which there's nothing wrong with), but fell short. While I could never hate the show, fans took every downfall personally, wonderfully explained by you. Arks were scrapped, cliffhangers were left dangling, and the fandom felt every blow. This show meant so much to its viewers. VLD has personally changed my perception of animation and was my very first fandom. I nursed cramps after hours of drawing art and was able to unite with people over a common pleasure. I believe that for every person divided by this show another fan experienced a meaningful connection. Thank you for giving me an excellent way for us to sum up our beloved series regardless of ships or anything else. Thank you for giving me an insight into all its flaws and issues that helped me see the good that was left. I had fun while it lasted... I will see you all in the stars...
Man, the way they used Lance just ... bothered me on so many levels. Yes, the way they utilized Keith, Shiro, and Allura were messy (and downright insulting at times), but it increasingly frustrated me that the character (Lance) who almost left the team because he felt that he brought nothing of value to it (and they would be stronger without him) ... was constantly (and deliberately) reinforced in those insecurities. Other characters keep saying he has value, but the show never allows him to actually have it beyond showing just how much better (and naturally better) Keith is compared to him on nearly every level. There is something disturbing about making light of that sort of topic that should have been his arc to overcome (rather than his entire arc being nothing more than getting the girl he becomes a broken widower for after like a month of dating).
The power of friendship seems so overrated but after watching this I'm like "BRING BACK THE FRIENDSHIP! BRING IT BACK!"
I started to cry while watching this. Lance is my fav and I love him, but what happened to him and Allura and Lotor, I couldn't handle it. I have never felt so depressed in my life, over this last month.
keep fighting through that depression, stranger
Yep. Lance has the worst arc to be honest. :( vld put me off other western shows :(
I actually almost got in a car accident because of S6 😅…
Future Hira here: Yikes...but yeah I never forgot that. I pulled over to cry it out before I continued driving.
@@hirahiro2331 yeah. I still can't bring myself to watch Voltron. I nearly started crying in the hair salon I was getting my hair done at.
Damn. I know nothing about this show or its characters, but I still find myself mourning over what happened to it. So much wasted potential.
Same
Same. But I think I'm gonna watch it anyway.
Big mood
same
I feel like Shiro died too early.
Season 1- how do we work as a team and form Voltron
Season 2- the Paladins bonding with the souls of the lions through their own unique spirits and the parts of them that connect them to their lions
End of Season 2- Shiro dies, Keith is no where NEAR ready to lead a team! Shiro hasn't had time to teach him.
Season 3 should have been Shiro is still alive and part of the team, and the paladins are developing deeper relationships with each other. Understanding each other pasts, getting more flashbacks, friendships that aren't as formed getting a chance to form.
(THESE AREN'T SHIPS. They are friendship pairs that didn't get enough attention)
Allura-Keith
Pidge-Keith
Lance-Keith, theses two have a rivalry that can be humorous at times, but it would be best if things were ironed out between them. What's the root of Lance's jealousy? Keith's talent, Keith's relationship with Shiro?
Lance-Shiro, this one going from a cadet admiring his hero to a mentor/mentee relationship. Maybe show how Lance takes this opportunity to gloat to Keith that he's spending time with Shiro. Keith getting frustrated, Shiro putting his foot down to stop the conflict and Lance's method of trying to get ahead of Keith. Shiro affirming Lance's gifts and saying he should take pride in them and cultivate them, but he also should not feel bad or threatened that his skills aren't at the same caliber as Keith's as that doesn't make him less valuable as a human or as a member of the team. Being comfortable with the level of your skill set would be a great thing for audiences of all ages to see.
Shiro-Keith, Keith getting his edges smoothed and getting some of his impulsiveness reigned in so he can lead with a clearer head. (Perfect time for the flashbacks we saw in Season 7)
Pidge-Shiro, Shiro seemed to have an older brother dynamic with Pidge. This would have been nice to expand upon and go deeper into.
Pidge-Allura, outside of the time Allura tries to get Pidge to confess that she's a girl in Season 1, they don't have a scene exclusively for themselves. They both have strengths in technology and knowledge of the ship. It would have been GREAT to give these two several moments where their strengths can work together, and scenes where they can bond as the only girls on the team. Showing a healthy friendship between two females would be another great thing for audiences of all ages to see.
Note: Deepening relationships should be shown through dialogue as well, not just missions, combat and participating in shared interests
Some other things that would be great to see:
Seeing Shiro battle PTSD would have interesting to see as well. How does the team help, how can they help?
The paladins helping each other through insecurities.
Keith letting his guard down with the team. He's loner because he's afraid if people abandoning him, either by choice or by events taking people away from him. The Paladins letting him know how loved and valued he is, and while they can't promise they'll be with him forever, they'll be with him and support him as they're alive.
Seeing more of Paladins grow closer and show less of the war and it's intensity would have made the show much more enjoyable for me to watch.
Sorry if you said any of this in the video, I paused it at 5:08 to write this down before I forgot it.
IMO this shows why character-heavy episodes that fans call "filler" are actually important. They give characters a break from The Plot and the viewers get to see them bond.
The poor chemistry of the characters was actually why I stopped watching the show. The emotions, felt unbelievable, and triumphs felt unearned.
Not only did they rob us of kid Shiro. It's a missed opportunity narrativly speaking because had they kept in Shiro's childhood not only would they had been able to tie in the terminal illness aspect better, it also would've added more emotional weight to his goals in adulthood and relationships. Going from a sickly kid to an incredibly capable adult who helped save the universe.
Voltron series truly carried Soka's humor but left everything else behind. And now, I am going to watch Last Airbender again because it's amazing and actually flows well.
Right? Hell, Jet ended better than Lotor.
I think Pidge is an problem, she had no arc outside of finding her family.
And even when she found her brother it doesn't impact her character in the long run.
At least she had something to do. They often forgot about Hunk entirely. They threw Pidge's leftover story threads about saving family at him in the final hours, resolved it super fast and then stuffed him into the background again. He was basically discount Pidge, existing so she had someone to tech talk at and fill out the roster of paladins.
@@aprilvaiarella435 Can't argue with that. What I find interesting about Hunk is that it's clear the writers never cared about him.
the whole time i kept wondering 'what about Mom?', she was shown to be alive, did Pidge just not care.
@@DragonLandlord Oh crap, your right. It seems Voltron was in trouble before season 8.
Season 8 in a nutshell:
You get... NOTHING! YOU LOSE! GOOD DAY SIR!
That bit about Lance really reminds me of this one fanfiction I read...the group began getting on Lance's case anytime he said something flirty but then it escalated to whenever he even said anything so then he just stopped talking. It seems, actually, like a very similar situation to how they treat him in the canon that was portrayed.
Like the one where they use something like, "Shut up, Lance!" as a joke and no one realizes he hasn't talked in like a year?
i need links to these i want to read them badly
@@yuriko3977 here's the one I was talking about: archiveofourown.org/works/15830052/chapters/36858030
Nikola Solace it’s that kind of bullshit that leads to people snapping and going on a murder spree
Gaby George not sure if you’re trying to insult me or the fic but ok
Yeah i love the part when Keith almost dies for them and they didn't give a crap about it
IKR what great friends
@@Omggeex Yeah right !?
They didn't say something like
Dude the fuck! ? Heck even Matt didn't give a crap about it
The way the paladins treat Lance and Keith feels like something out of teen titans go which is even more insulting because at least that god awful show doesn’t try to pretend that the titans have some deep woven bond and respect each other.
Earth should have been destroyed before Season 2; there were Galra warships in the Solar System TWICE in the first episode, they would have invaded and destroyed Earth after discovering Blue was there.
You mean like in Go-Lion?
@Christine Taggart interesting idea.
Dragon Landlord What have you got against Earth?
@@peterkrochmalni673 nothing, there's just no logic for them being able to go back there. Knowing Zarkon destroyed Altea just because Alfor destroyed Diabazaal shows how vindictive and petty he was and it was implied he destroyed many more so it was stupid for the characters to assume Earth was still around.
Dragon Landlord I mean to say what have you against Earth that you would wish it destroyed in the first place? If you don’t like it here then move to Mars.
Since the beginning there was an imbalance in the story telling. Lance was supposedly close to Keith but his scenes were all only with hunk or maybe pidge. Also allurance made no sense. It was like that was there only to give lance an arc.
????? where did you get that keith and lance were close? keith plain forgot lance
You mean they were "close" while fighting and bickering constantly? That's not how friendship and closeness works, you know. They accept each other and even became friends much closer to the end of the show. And even THAT was kind of pushed down our throats and never truly developed on screen. Like everything with this show.
Yeah the ending made it seem like Keith and lance were close but they never developed that during the show. Season 1 and 3 you could tell they were becoming close and friendlier but season 4-8 threw that out the window and then at the end they try to portray then as close again. This show is dumb.
@@pheela they did become closer in s3 but that friendship was never developed after that and forgotten until season 8 when they tried to push it again.
Remember what Shiro said in season six, "Just let go Keith, you don't have to fight anymore. By now the team is already gone. I saw to it myself."
I stopped watching the show after season 3 because I couldn't stand what they did to Lance. He was my favorite character from the very first moment I saw him and I was so glad that he would be the main character because it seemed like in the first episode that he was important. What did we get? A love-sick boy who doesn't have growth in the series at all. I could relate to his arc with his insecurities and how he puts on a mask but then he just became a childish, dumb lover-boy. Everyone else in their epilogue got their final ending with Hunk literally building an empire and Shiro getting married and being happy and what did Lance get? Pining for his dead girlfriend for the rest of his life. What is that about? He's literally a teen, people are in love and then move on! I'm just so mad with that waisted potential that Lance's character could've gotten I can't even describe it. It would've been kinda revolutional too. Argh I'm gonna stop now because I could go on forever
(btw sry if I have spelling mistakes English is my second language lol)
Let me tell you, when you brought up Lotor it unlocked feelings that I buried deep down because of his death. I lowkey loved Lotor and identified with him, and I looked up to Shiro and Black, their strength and they really gave me a feeling of peace. Of hope. It hurt when Lotor died so mercilessly, so- horribly, it crushed child me. And when Shiro became so distant, I would rather have had him dead long ago.
I can see that a lot of love, hard work and commitment was put into this essay. I sincerely hope you get more views because damn, this really deserves them! I'm sharing this right now!
well-said. s6 was the last season of voltron i legitimately enjoyed and it's sad seeing how it went downhill
I agree! I think S6 just damaged the entire series…
Agree 100%; for me though, the moment that made me realize that the story wasn't about family and friendship was Allura's sacrifice: I was honestly expecting the rest of the team to offer their help and energy, to risk their lives to save Allura, or even just to help saving the universe; however no one even protested when Allura proposed her sacrifice, not even Lance, and he, regardless of the abuse he took from the writers, was supposed to be the one who always has your back, and is always ready to help (not to mention his love for Allura).
Instead, they all just shed a few tears and went back to their freshly restored realities like nothing ever happened.
Lance's arc was supposed to be him stepping out of other people's shadows.
By the end of the series, he had someone's shadow tattooed to his FUCKING FACE.
I legit cried at your little speech near the end? Like wow, that hit hard for some reason.
God, it's been a crazy journey for me. From that fateful day back in June 2016 to now, Voltron has been a big... No, gargantuan part of my life. It's helped me through school, made my writing and art improve, given me something to look forward to for months on end and gave me my first fandom I was an active part of. It's been in my heart for so long that I'd almost forgotten what life was like without it. I owe a lot to this hot mess. To Voltron Legendary Defender, may what you were, what you are, and what you could've been live on as both happy and sad memories.
I think it's time for me to move on.
I'm sending hugs your way
While I agree with most of what you said, I do think the show attempted to make Lance and Keith's relationship stand out. Maybe that's the shipper in me, but Its rumored that Keith and Lance were meant to have a buddy cop realtionship and you can see that in the way so much of their individual arcs are reflected in their dynamic. I won't get into that too much here, because it's not the place, but here are some ways you see the writers trying to show they genuinely care for each other/impact each other
When Keith didn't understand something in s1-3, he looked to Lance to explain. Lance stood up for Keith multiple times in the show and comics. In season 2, when Keith was at the Blade and Red started freaking out, so did Lance. In season 2, Lance speaks fondly and with admiration about him then Keith was was upset about Shiro and was ready to burn the world down and take his team with him, Lance put aside his jealously and stood with him. Because Lance stood by him at his worst, Keith was able to become his best, something that only Shiro had done for him by that point. When Keith left, which was a decision the narrative implied had a lot to do with Lance by the addition of the bedroom scene (JDS said in a podcast Keith sabotaged that realtionship with Lance specifically) you can tell Lance is the most worried about him by the way he's animated compared to the others. This also correlates perfectly to Lance spending more time with himself, because "Who was he going to make fun of." When Keith ran off to save Acxa, Lance was the only one to stop him and seemed really concerned. He picked him on the game show and called him the future. When he was passed out on the ground, it was Keith's voice that finally pushed him into consciousness. They formed the wings of Voltron together. His comment to Keith on Altea showed how well he knew him(not to mention their wearing inverted versions of the same jacket that fit together like puzzle pieces, thanks animation team)
While I know Lance and Keith's relationship was never going to be romantic, I genuinely think they were meant to be seen as this whole fire and ice, two halves of a whole dynamic, and you can SEE it, but it just falls through after season 4
Your vids are great! Also, can we talk about lance’s death for a sec and how that was blatantly forgotten and ignored?
IKR???? WTH
THANK YOU
wait.. Lance died?... 0-0
Internally, yeah.
Karo Luna OH.
Lance was basically the Yamcha of Voltron.
The sadder version. At the least Yamcha getting whooped was funny and he seemed pretty ok and happy in the end with his baseball career. Lance was just downright robbed and kicked to the curb like an injured abandoned puppy 8I.
How was yamchas miserable life funny.
DBZ Yamcha is a clone, original DB's Yamcha lives a happy life with a big family hes always wanted, forever bullshit-free.
Yamcha had a hard time in dragonball.
His Burma was taken by an alien prince…literally.
As a abuse survivor whose favorite character was Lotor, his arc really did make me feel bad and resentful over the entire series. I stopped watching after he turned on Allura as I knew the series would only disappoint me more. I related to Lotor and for him to be told he was just like his abusive parents which is one the worst things you could tell an abuse survivor, was just a kick in the nuts. I also heavily related to Shiro too but look how that turned out.
VLD effected my mental health as well. The difference between us is that I was a huge fan of the original show and the showrunners destroyed a beloved series from my childhood. They gave me two good seasons and I believed they would respect the original and build on it.
What I got instead hurt so bad I couldn't finish the series. I still struggle with it more than a month later.
Uhm I love Keith with every drop of my being, but Shiro was the true black paladin. If the showrunners wanted to put in the whole Shiro's soul or whatever is in Black thing, then it makes sense that Keith had an easier time getting Black to accept him, but Allura's powers don't break bonds, there is no reason to believe that Black just gave up on Shiro or their tie was severed because he has a new body? Which btw Black actually accepted? Even when it was Clone Shiro in there?
Also, I realize it doesn't make a difference, the show isn't going to change for us, but I think there is hope to be found in a community that has created endings for themselves. What's done is done, but there are so many other possibilities with the new people you've met through the show or the people you've bonded with, whom you've cried together with. So rather than wallowing in our (very likely) shared feeling of sadness, go out there and find something new that fills you with the same kind of joy your favorite season or episode or scene gave you. You don't have to forget Voltron. Take what you've learned and keep moving forward.💕 -Probably one of the Robinsons from Meet The Robinsons
Keith was suppose to be the black paladin originally.
I believe Shiro is the true black paladin as well. Keith is a Mary Stu. He should have remained the red paladin which he had a deep and profound bond with.
I was already depressed about this show but watching this nearly a year later with unclouded eyes where i'm not hoping the best for the show anymore I really cannot believe how goddamn depressing the themes and character arcs are. Goddamn Lance makes me wanna cry, so does Lotor.
Tragedy holds a lot of meaning outside of death and bad endings. In Voltron's case, the 'happy ending' that makes it feel there was something more but it never fully reached it. That's what feels tragic about it.
Your analysis vids have made many see that and then some. It's a lot to take in but it's a bitter pill to swallow knowing this but all we can do is accept it and move on from this series. There's more than what this left us, to feel like there could be more than what else there is. It's pretty much open for us to find a new way from this. We can move on and grow from what VLD tried to do for us.
Thank you for committing to this and sharing your thoughts VLD. It feels like the closest thing to closure I can get.
And with that said, time to go find smthg to fill the void in my heart. Maybe some webcomics. I think Ava's Demon had some updates? (^^)/ Take care Sin Squad!
I actually feel a lot better after watching your videos. I wasn’t sure how I felt after finishing the series, but I have a much better bitter sweet taste in my mouth to the Voltron series overall. So thank you!
Wow, someone who has their second video prepped within days of the first! Nice job, you've given me a great insight into a show I wasn't sure why I wasn't watching- don't think I should, now.
And before I forget, as someone who attended art school: FANTASTIC intro. Perfect way to frame it.
I feel that Adam was killed because he had no other purpose in the series. That's it. He was introduced to make Shiro gay and that was it.
Allura's death felt rushed and just a way to wrap up a serious, not because she was a POC
You say it like it is.
The implications are still...sketchy at best
Netflix shouldn't have promoted Adam as a major character.
The first few minutes made me realise what I always hated about the part of the series where Keith is gone. I was never really able to put my finger on it until now. It's that Keith is such an important part of the team and I think he has a really strong bond with red and when he leaves no one, especially not red, cares
This sums up my feelings over it. I actually never got too into Voltron I watch season 1-4 and I forced myself to watch 3 and 4 cause I was getting impatient over the character development. Then I watched the rest after I heard about the ending to see what the heck happened. I remember in season 1, I was so excited to see the development, especially in Shiro, and the progression in the friendship between the team and it just felt like they kept resetting it.
they barely gave Hunk any screentime and he's the only one who really got a happy ending...
(I love him though, I'm happy he's happy)
What strikes me as odd is how can Keith be an effective leader if his main thing is that he's a lone wolf?
Voltron is basically RWBY. A series that started with a simple concept, a colourful cast and a vast unexplored world. But by the end everyone's arcs either rushed and mishandled, the villains end up flat and the characters end up as parodies of themselves with only the illusion of progress.
Yeah I'm never going to get over what was done to Lotor, Allura and Shiro
Same…still fighting that depression
I wish they would have kept Lotor alive, he was the best character in the show and would have been more interesting to keep him around the Paladins. It would have been cool if Lotor becomes the Black Lion Paladin and met pre-evil Zarkon (it would be a good scene). I like Voltron since it has amazing episodes. But it falls apart when you put it together with the rest. The ending was just a poor man Gurren Lagann
i thought for sure they'd reveal he was a Blade member, if not founder, but the moment they brought up Oriande and the White Lion i bailed. it was obvious they were going to make Lotor the enemy again and i wasn't going to watch one of the coolest characters on the show go crazy.
You said the tea!
They did Lotor dirty and they shouldn't have done that!
He deserved better!
I was hoping to high heaven that he wouldnt be a bad guy. Or if he was, at least an anti hero but no, he's downright cuckoo bananas insane. And it all felt like a damn waste since he had a good reason to be on Voltron's side and his personality and dynamic was so damn interesting that couldve paralleled his parent's story but he actually gets out of it without going cuckoo bananas evil.
I was hoping he was going to become a part of the team and then they turned him into a complete lunatic.. They left him to die and melt into his prized war machine which his mother controlled like a puppet. The only small victory is that his alternate child form flat out rejected the lunatic claiming to be his mother.
Amen.
Lance is my poor child who'd been hurt and left out during all 8 seasons and it makes me so angry and sad each time I think about it
Poor Lance got NTRed hard every season.
That's why fans need those own IPs and platforms
The last bit really touched my heart because I really needed to hear these exact words. By the way I really loved this video.
Thank you! I'm sending hugs through the monitor
As someone who only just finished the show at the time of commenting this after I dropped it mid season 3; I knew when the characters began playing musical chairs with the lions it was a sign this story would fall apart. The point of no return was Keith leaving the team and none of the other characters trying to stop him.
I’m sitting in my classroom during my planning period grading my middle schooler’s artwork, listening to videos and yours was recommended in my feed, in your opening you mention you’re an art school student, I glance over and see none other than my alma mater RISD (class of 2006), and the illustration department no less! God, things haven’t even changed really in the last decade. Good luck in your studies and hang in there with those crits, and your videos are awesome, keep it up!
god my dude i had a hole in my heart after s8's finale. It just felt so... disconected... so weird. And I knew there were "production issues" but I never investigated because I thought it would just break my heart to know what could have been but, I MEAN IM HERE ARENT I LMFAO... and yes my heart is a little broken but sighhhh i mean! I'll move on! And we all will! Being a fandom goblin for so long and belonging to fandoms that are FUCKFESTS (hello homestuck) has tempered me to treat canon as a box of scraps from which i can take whatever the hell i want and burn the rest, and THAT'S WHAT WE GOTTA DO MAN. fanart and fanfics and headcanons and just... eventually it turns out fine am I right?
also thanks for the podcast rec! and i loved the video!!!
Did not expect my favorite lady Juno to make a cameo but yeehaw
The Ducktales reboot has been consistently pretty great so far. Hopefully they keep that going.
For months, even since I got over this show, I still couldn't find a closure, I couldn't figure out what went wrong. I got this weird feeling since the clone shiro mess...and now it finally makes sense.
Thank you for this two part video! It was truly very necessary. Thank you for letting me find peace with my used to be favorite show, before the last two seasons.
This showed up on my recommendations and I had to watch it. It sounds like you've been through something tragic in your life to find the self love you needed. You've also been able to stand back and connect to stories about finding that self worth. Sometimes it doesn't seem like you'll ever get out of that darkness but when you find that light, it's truly makes life worth living
Nice to see all the Lotor stans!
I said it before I will say it again! Lotor was done wrong! He deserved better!
Beginning and end summary of characters:
Lance: Insecure scatterbrain -> Living tragedy
Allura: Strong commander -> Martyr
Pidge: Broken family -> Mechanic god
Keith: Lone wolf -> Lone wolf with mom
Shiro: War veteran -> Disabled, Dying, LGBT Asian man
Hunk: Mechanic -> plus-sized foodie
Well, I am a big Allurance fan. So I will speak my mind a bit. I did not like the season. Now, I do agree with the nostalgia and the great mischaracterizations of several key figures: Shiro and Keith act like strangers, Hunk and Pidge basically never act together, Keith and Lance only share a few words in the whole season, Coran and Allura basically never interact and never said goodbye... So yeah, the Season really changed a lot of stuff and turned it south. And one of the things I had most hatred and anger: the ending. The ending is absolute and total nonsense given the fact that it basically contradicts all the previous things done in the show. Examples:
1- Allura says Lotor taught her to use Quintessence to bring life.... Uh... NO... HE... DID... NOT!!!! He FAILED the Oriande trial and could NOT manipulate Quintessence. Allura was the one to power up the SIncline ships. It was NOT Lotor!
2- Honerva has ruined millions of lives and killed millions of people... but she gets a happy ending.... Allura who has sacrificed everything for the Universe and has finally found someone who truly loves her... she sacrifices herself and does not get a happy ending... ¬¬ BRILLIANT!!!! Kill a lot of people and you can get the happy ending while the heroine gets a kick in the butt!!!
3- Alfor was corrupted because of Honerva.... Uh, NO... HE... WASN'T!!!! He was killed by ZARKON, who was corrupted when HE tricked the original Paladins to enter the Quintessence field. And now, it turns out that: Oh, Honerva corrupted him....
4- Keith becomes a humanitarian, Lance a farmer, Shiro a gay husband (¬¬ ), Hunk a chef and Pidge a robot nerd..... Could anyone come up with a worst possible ending for everyone??????
5- The end scene depicts the Lions heading towards a constellation/nebula with Allura's silhouette, probably indicating she is alive... Uh.... THEN WHY DID YOU KILL HER IN THE FIRST PLACE!?!?!?!?!?
The ending was a terrible way to end the show... It totally destroyed it! The show went downhill since the end of S6, not to mention that S8 (despite Allurance happening) and the ending totally wrecked it...
I agree with everything you said here except the characters' ending. Keith reforming the Blade into a humanitarian effort warmed my heart because he basically took this part of himself and his lineage that once was a spot of insecurity and shame to help guide a very misguided and somewhat lost people to a brighter and more peaceful future and make a positive change on an intergalactic scale. This is the direction I always imagined the Blade going in.
Lance being a farmer sucks ass for reasons the whole fandom can agree on.
Voltron isn't forgiven for all the Hunk fat jokes but Ambassador Hunk was a pretty damn good way to turn that whole mess around on its head.
And Pidge is exactly where she needs to be, though I really want to see how she's using her genius to advance the human race.
Also I don't think Allura's alive, that silhouette was probably just meant to represent how her life force is woven into this universe.
I forgot my baby! I like Shiro's ending fine, he deserves love, comfort and rest after all he's been through. I just wish we could have seen him and Curtis interact on screen at least ONCE. They're only getting a pass from me because he's adorable.
@@Sephajinami I kind of agree with the Keith ending but it is very poorly executed. On one scene, he is the leader of Voltron. Next scene, he is on the Kral Zera arena (which was destroyed and now magically rebuilt). Next scene, she is with Lotor's generals with the humanitarian group while Krolia and Kolivan now "lead" the Galra. In my view, it is not properly executed. Could Keith become that? Yes, but given the proper context.
Lance: I absolutely agree. No point on discussing that. Plus, he is going to be reminded every single day of his life on how he lost Allura. That is a horrible way to end the character.
Pidge: I do not really agree because although she is a genius and all that, the character has been taken out of place. She joined the Garrison and Team Voltron because she wanted to find her family. She already found it and brought them together. Having the Holt family establish "the next generation of Defenders" is IMO out of place because there is no more war and the Galra Empire was stopped. So, what's the point?
@@Zeromus10 Voltron's whole theme is "good idea, horrible execution" lol.
actually cried when shiro's VA gave us that hopeful message.
17:00 No. He didn't see it in front of him. He said it TO HIM. He said, to his face, they were better without him.
i love how hes like trying to convince everyone that shiro doesnt have the illness due to the whole clone thing
Thank you for this. Thank you thank you thank you. I watched the later seasons of Voltron not being able to put a finger on why the show felt less like the show that got me through a really hard part of my life and more like a Shonen Jump anime about space lions. One of Netflix's all-time best shows had died before it was meant to, and it truly was a tragedy at the end of the day.
I really, really appreciate the ending you put in here about fandom and self care. You hit the nail on the head with the stuff in the first half of the video of course, but you also really struck home with that last bit. Thank you!
Lotor was my absolute favorite character. I was really upset, that he didn’t get a proper arc or the chance to be redeemed. Idk it just made me reeeaaally sad. I want a better lotor arc😢
And also I think lance needs way more respect. It seems that nothing really good happens to him and even when it does it is taken away. I wish that at least in the sequel sequence they would have shown the others supporting him but NOTHING OF THAT HAPPEND. Yeah. I‘m a bit upset about my favorite characters not getting the arcs they deserve
Lotor was my favourite too. I felt my heart was ripped out of my chest. I wasn’t expecting a redemption arc, though it would have been nice, but at least have him do something (that was wasn’t speculative) to really deserve his fate.
hell, with the way season 4 ended i was expecting Lotor to be one of the founders/leaders of the Blade of Marmora. would have made more sense than him hiding the surviving Alteans.
Except the show is ove Bjorn. You're re write lotors character is nothing more than that. The actual explanation is the one were given.
@Bjorn Arnesen except there was built up from lotor. With him starting as a villain in this show with explicitly duplicitous nature; to us knowing that draining the quintessence from a person is possible. Even in this video sinn brings up quotes from the creators saying that always wanted him to be a villain while being slightly agreeable, so the idea that this reveal happened last minute for the sake of making him the villain again is blatantly false. It's one thing to think that the way lotor was handled was abysmal, but to push a theory that contradicts information everyone in and out show agree on is just plain delusional.
I know I’m late, but I wish they had him go through a Zuko-like arc.
The treatment of Lance has always been my major gripe with the show, and I kept watching to see if it would improve, only to be disappointed every single time. Wow, I'm actually tearing up, Lance was my favorite character, he had so much untapped potential.
As an LGBT person myself, I never had a problem with Adam’s death because it would been an issue for him to still be alive when Shiro returned to Earth. It would have been unlikely that time would be given to him and Shiro to address their relationship then, but it would have been on viewers’ minds and would have been weird to NOT address it.
As an LGBT person myself... They should have just had him leave at some point during Shiro's absence. The issue was that they killed him and left Shiro to suffer the guilt of not being there. Someone pointed out on twitter that the recent reveal of an Overwatch character being gay handled the 'missing ex' a lot better... By having the ex having moved on in life. They could have done that with Adam just as easily, a scene where Shiro asks about him and they mention he left when he got a better job somewhere or whatever, rather than devoting that 16 seconds to mourning him instead. They would have successfully had Adam out of the way without a shock value death of an LGBT character. It also really didn't help matters that they had also killed the lesbian couple off that same season (and clearly last minute retconned it in the following season) so...yeah. It was handled poorly.
Raevell Again, there was nothing wrong with Adam dying. I’m not of the camp that says gays can’t die on tv ever. But yeah, 16 seconds of mourning and just an initial for a last name (lol) made it seem rushed. I think the fact that they made Adam and Shiro’s relationship complicated and arguably neither of them left it happy and they never got to speak to each other again is a pretty accurate representation of how a lot of failed relationships go. You say goodbye on bad terms and never get to fix it. I don’t think simplifying their relationship and Adam’s whereabout to “he went missing” would be any better because I think Shiro and Adam’s relationship was a very good portrayal of a real adult relationship that happened to be gay.
I Identify as a Dragon Good point. I still can’t believe the artist tasked with drawing the memorial wall, or whoever was in charge of designing that thing, thought “these monuments only have everyone’s first name and last initial, right? Like in elementary school?”
@@matthias8122I think you misunderstand, I don't fall under the category of fan who think Adam and Shiro should have reconciled. I personally didn't want that. My only problem was he was a completely undeveloped LGBTQ character who's death was shocking and senseless...it felt in poor taste. Not that gay characters can't die ever but writers definitely seem to favor killing gay characters specifically so they don't actually have to show them being gay. And again, as far as we saw, Ezor and Zethrid were also killed in the same season. That's 3 dead gay characters out of 4. And they were the only named characters that died that season besides the general that betrayed them. Like...yikes.
Freya K I’m still wondering how the crew “hyped up Adam”. All we got was one tweet and a sneak peek clip. If anything, it was the rapid fandom who hyped him up, they let themselves down.
As a big Hunk fan, it really killed me when he and Pidge kept dismissing Lance as comic relief. It didn't feel right! Anyway, thanks for making these videos; helped me figure out what the hecc happened here and come to terms with my feelings about it all.