My thoughts on Dungeons & Dragons

Well, I honestly thought this one wasn’t going to be that great or anything from the start. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do like a lot of things from the 80s but after seeing the Dungeons & Dragons movie I was pretty certain it was just going to be absolute..... well, bland. I don’t look at a cartoon and judge the quality of the animation or voice acting or any of that stuff as much as I judge the story and after seeing some animes with a similar kind of animation that turned out bad I was skeptical. I’m glad I was wrong though. You put on the first episode and it does the intro. All of these kids, the main characters specifically, get on a Dungeons & Dragons themed rollercoaster ride with great enthusiasm (which I find odd as I barely know anyone who plays the actual game sadly but regardless I don’t care). They go in and it is like some kind of fantasy themed house of horrors ride and then they suddenly enter a glowing portal and are transported to the realm of Dungeons & Dragons and there it shows you all of the main characters as well as the roles they play in the party: 

Venger, the main villain (voiced by Peter Cullen)

Tiamat, a the most powerful dragon (who barely actually appears in the show and is voiced by Frank Welker)

Hank, the ranger (voiced by Willie Aames)

Bobby, the barbarian and Shiela’s brother (voiced by Ted Field III)

Presto, the magician (voiced by Adam Rich)

Shiela, the thief (voiced by Katie Leigh)

Eric, the cavalier (voiced by Don Most)

Diana, the acrobat (voiced by Tonia Gayle Smith

Uni the unicorn, yeah it’s a very..... odd name (also voiced by Frank Welker)

and finally Dungeon Master, the wise and powerful jerk who is helping them find their way home (voiced by Sidney Miller

I just realized how many of those voice actor’s names I recognize. Kinda nice when you’re hearing people play new parts.

I very much like the intro because it throws you right into it off the bat.... oh yeah and I forgot one character. Now I’m going to split this into parts because as of the moment I’m writing this review I haven’t finished the third season so today I’ll be going over the characters. Venger is like if Skeletor had a cousin who nobody ever told he was missing a horn on his helmet. He has the kooky villainy part down but unlike Skeletor he has the evil thing down. He isn’t all, “nyeh heh heh!” he’s more of a, “Now you will die. *proceeds to kill you*” kind of character. He isn’t as good a villain the Joker or pretty much any of these comic book villains, but he is still enjoyable. He is always looking to push his own agenda and when he has no choice other than to work with our heroes he will do it VERY begrudgingly (except for one episode in the first season but that was because it was going to potentially push his own agenda)

Lets move on to Dungeon Master. When I was watching the first season all I could say about him is that he is a total dick. He isn’t mean, actually quite the opposite, he is very kind and very helpful and wise toward our heroes. HOWEVER, the plot of almost every episode is that dungeon master knows a way they can get home, on the way he tells them they will have to choose whether or not to give it up in some very sage good of all kind of way and they do have to give it up, they find it and venger or some other kind of evil comes and either stops them or they have to give up their way back home to keep their home or the land of DnD safe. And for the longest time I was all, “This guys is a massive dick who keeps teasing them with ways home so they will help everyone else except themselves when he most definitely knows a way they can get home without all the hassle. However, in the second season they have an episode centered, somewhat, around Eric that relates to this. I’ll get into that in a minute but first I need to go over Eric. Eric is the kind of guy who’ll ditch you when you invite them to a party you’re having and then not care because he wanted or had to do something else. When put in a terrifying situation he will either freeze up or yelp and cower. He thinks he is the better human being in the same way a rooster who has never seen another one will strut around the yard puffing his chest bigger and bigger every day. That said, he won’t leave his friends behind when it comes right down to it unless he believes they’ll get out of whatever is happening just fine (as shown in the finale for season 1). He desperately wants to go home, and is completely oblivious to his own faults until someone gets in his face. Sounds pretty bad no? Well even with all his faults he still has a good heart in him and a conscience that does shine through now and then, even if for the most part he is just self-absorbed comic relief.

However, in an episode of season 2 Eric is complaining as usual about dungeon master and then (speak of the devil and he will come) dungeon master appears and accepts the Eric’s offer to be dungeon master. During this time Eric has all of DM’s powers and wisdom as well as, it seems, his knowledge. The episode pretty much centers around Eric getting used to these new powers as well as using them to find a way home, which they do, but they are wandering without any knowledge of what to do. Part of the time Eric is as wise and all knowing as dungeon master, but at other times it seems he hasn’t the faintest idea what is the best course of action. I believe this could be the same as dungeon master. Where dungeon master has much wisdom from thousands of years of existence, he would appear to not be at all as all-knowing as Eric and the others would seem to believe. It is also supported in part by the fact that dungeon master constantly leaves them only to reappear when they need his guidance. I think he believes that, while he could do it himself, they must find their own way home. Plus he explains to the ranger that everything is connected and he must be very careful of what he does.

I’ve been writing this review pretty much whenever and so I’m going to sum up the characters as I’ve noticed this part is far too long.

Venger is just evil, but when shown kindness or given help he clearly doesn’t understand why it happens, probably because he actively shows he has no interest in doing anything for the good of everyone.

Diana is a strong, confident, and athletic.... I think she’s a teen but she acts like..... oh wait never mind, she still acts like a teen. I like her friendly and generally jovial attitude.... and I will admit her outfit looks both badass and fairly eye-catching.

Shiela is basically daphne from Scooby Doo but younger and smarter as well as looking to help the team and prevent infighting, though just as whiny (at least for the movie daphne)

Eric is (oh wow I just noticed) like a somewhat meaner and much less laid back version of Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Really the only difference I can think of is that Eric is boastful, impudent, and willing to take at least the first few steps in the other direction instead of helping his friends (at least until end of the 2nd and the entirety of the 3rd season)

Dungeon master is one of the most powerful players in the realm but is a cryptic jerk pretty much using the children for his own personal interests (regardless of them being for the betterment of the realm)

Hank is the leader who takes charge and the group is lost without. I didn’t like how for the episode with the weird cloud bears he completely betrays who he is for a very poorly thought out part of the episode’s plot.

Bobby is a squeaky kid who really cares about the others regardless of however much any of them may pick on him. He is very emotional, and in my opinion i’m glad they didn’t make him a stuck up unfeeling brat because dammit! more men need to be able to cry in public if they’re feeling miserable without everyone viewing them as a weakling!

Presto (the wizard, ha ha ha ha ha -_-) Is an older squeaky voiced kid who constantly fumbles when he tries to help but really is doing his best to help everyone and be a good guy in general.

Guh..... I supposed I have to do this one.

Uni the unicorn.... It’s a unicorn that makes noises (and then later short words) in agreement, or confusion, or whatever and honestly it is a little weird to say this but.... I kinda like Uni. I’m not some furry faggot who’s going to be jerking off to porn of horses (if you do actually do that then you need help) but I thought Uni was, as a character, kinda cute and the design was also, non-sexually, kinda cute but in a way that made me kinda feel.... odd... for liking how they made her..... him.... I think it’s a her... look. Uni may not have much to do with the plot of literally any of the episodes in the entire series but it’s a nice irrelevant character so I don’t really mind it.... yeah it’s a she, it has to be. Although I do find it a little odd that Bobby likes her so much (I mean, a boy? from the 80s? liking unicorns? I doubt it but I’m not going to say it wouldn’t happen).

Next I will go over the story after a review of my first thoughts on the secret show, both in reflection and as a kinda first time viewer of it.