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Series Reviews

The Legend of Vox Machina (2022) – Revisited

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The second set of episodes have just been released for The Legend of Vox Machina; I would like to take this time to revise my initial review. I was correct in assuming that it was too early to tell whether or not this show was any good, but I was right in saying that it was heading in the right direction. With this new set of episodes, the writers show important moments of character growth, and I for one am here for it!

This show is casual fantasy. It has enough fantasy elements to satisfy any hardcore fantasy enthusiast, but it doesn’t isolate those who just want something else to watch. As of now, you do not need to know and follow different tribes or houses. You do not need to keep track of different races or their languages. You do need to know who the main characters are and track the subtle nuances of their character development: their backstory, goals, and how they change over the adventure. This show does a great job at creating these moments of character growth without making members of Vox Machina overpowered and boring.

The strongest aspect of this show is its main cast. Vox Machina is crude, imperfect, and they struggle a lot. This struggle is important this early because it is in their failures and what they learn from them that the story happens. Despite Vox Machina’s poor reputation, the show does a great job establishing that they are still above average. There are moments in the show where an enemy easily overpowers guards or heroes, yet somehow Vox Machina holds its own. This helps establish Vox Machina as heroes without making them overpowered. They still struggle to win against these enemies, but just barely. They still have much to learn, which is perfect because it means more story for us!

I still believe that some knowledge of the Critical Role and D&D would help with the experience, although it isn’t necessary. There are a few inside jokes only accessible to fans of the show, and I as a fan enjoyed them thoroughly.

Lastly, this show also does a great job at translating tabletop to animated series. I like the way they handle skill checks and magic., but I can see it going over people’s heads. It helps to understand why a spell doesn’t go off or why a scene ends the way it does.

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TV Series Reviews: Panic (2021)

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Panic is a show on Amazon that promises a deadly fear factor drama about teens in a small town in Texas. It fails to deliver anything entertaining; I urge you to ignore its existence. The show follows a very dull protagonist who joins a game that has been a tradition in this town for a few years now. In this game, participants compete in dangerous challenges for a life-changing amount of money. Life-changing being only 50k. Challenges range from walking across high and narrow platforms to stealing from drug dealers. On paper, this show seems like a fun show full of suspense and danger. In execution, however, you get a generic and safe teen drama.

I never got the sense of any danger in any of the challenges. You know early on that the protagonist will win Panic, thus the sense of danger doesn’t exist. This poorly written show is predictable. From its plot points to its twists, there are no surprises. The worst of this show is the whiny and boring protagonist you are stuck with. Granted, the acting in this show isn’t great, but somehow hers is the worst. She has no emotion or personality. I already forgot everything about her character.

For a show like this to work, you need drama, suspense, and a sense of danger. Instead of any of that, you get shameless fan service at the cost of plot development. Or you get boring teen drama nonsense that I never signed up for. Maybe I am not the target audience, but I gave this show an honest try. It never gets any good. I got halfway through the series, and I was still waiting for any sense of danger or intrigue. I am so mad this show has the gull to sequel bait. I’m sure season two will be even more disappointing.

This show is poorly acted, poorly written, and poorly executed. Not to mention that the plot holes are hard to ignore. Do not watch this; it is a waste of your time. Maybe the book is better.