'Toon Reviews 11: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 1 Episode 8: Rebirth

Rebirth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exciting tone of the last episode continues into this one when the Voltron Paladins are roped into fighting another Robeast which isn’t as easy to defeat as the first one was.  Much of their fight with the beast takes up a vast majority of the episode, and is big on a lot of engaging factors.  The biggest one involves the tensions raised when the team has to fight it without forming a clear idea for an attack strategy.  They have to retreat the first time they face it, and then return to try and beat it by weakening it, but it isn’t long before they decide that destroying the robeast is the only chance they have which really does seem impossible to do given its constant laser-shooting.  They only gain the advantage when a bayard plugged into a Voltron lion once again plays a role in battle which is a solid payoff for all the difficulties faced prior.  So not to make the battle too heavy on drama, the mood is also lightened by some of the team’s comments on what they’re facing, especially Hunk in his own cautious ways, including the part where his bayard is plugged into his lion.  However, there’s one character who really stands out to help make this episode a highlight of this season, and that’s Allura.  This is where everything strong about her character amounts to something incredibly heartwarming.  She’s willing to go down herself to the scene of battle despite the dangers to help the Balmerans who are put in danger by its moans of pain due to so many people taking from it and not giving anything back.  They’ve all given up hope and feel so guilty for their planets state that they want to stay on their planet as it’s destroyed.  However, Allura, through all her determination and hope, encourages the Balmerans to keep up hope and that she will not let anything happen to their home while also sympathizing with them through knowing what it’s like to lose a home planet to the Galra Empire.  It’s her determined spirit that reveals that she, like others of her kind, has the power to heal Balmeras which in turn ties into a follow-up on a statement of healing ceremonies in the last episode.  We learn that Alteans used to perform ceremonies to heal Balmeras when their crystals were harvested, and Allura is willing to perform one herself with her castle ship amplifying her healing powers.  What’s especially impactful of Allura’s willingness is that she’s doing something that could destroy her due to how powerful it is.  She successfully heals the Balmera which in turn finishes off the robeast by imprisoning it in crystals, and she lives anyway, despite needing to rest off the strain of the ordeal in the following episode.  Plus, her willingness to save innocent creatures isn’t made any less impactful and is a clear demonstration of her being a great asset to the series.  Ultimately, the thrill of the Paladin’s fight and Allura’s great appeal as a character elevate this to one of this season’s best episodes. 10/10

The Ranking

1.      Rebirth

2.      The Rise of Voltron

3.      The Fall of the Castle of Lions

4.      Return of the Gladiator

5.      Return to the Balmera

6.      Tears of the Balmera

7.      Some Assembly Required

8.      Taking Flight

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the Paladins' castle ship is infected with "Crystal Venom" that cause havoc for everyone.

If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 11: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 1 Episode 5: Tears of the Balmera

Tears of the Balmera

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This episode is primarily a continuation of the previous one where some of our heroes are given shining moments in reclaiming their castle from Sendak.  From the title, you might think that the main focus would be on the two most light-hearted characters in the cast, Hunk and Coran, retrieving a crystal from a Balmera, a living creature that serves as a planet for smaller creatures.  There are some enjoyable moments from this part of the episode from the many ways Coran shows off his eccentricity, even amidst the dark aspects of Balmera the inhabitants teach them, and Hunk, who’s always prided on nervousness and looking for the easy way out in the past, showing concern for the Balerans and wanting to help them, and for good reasons.  They live in harmony taking what they need from Balmera while giving something to them in return, but things become complicated with it now owned by the Galra Empire.   Because of their problems, two Balmerans represent two believable reactions to Hunk and Coran’s presence.  One named Shay wants to help their cause believing they can give to the Balmera in ways no one has in a while and expressing hope for the future by possibly leaving with them, and another called Rax is loyal to his home and wants the outsiders to leave.  Rax even goes darker in his beliefs when he orders Hunk, Coran, and Shay, who helps them get their crystal behind Galra’s back, to be attacked even imprisoning Shay who allows Hunk and Coran to escape with their crystal.  Overall, this part has further implications of how hard Galra’s rule is on what they conquer, creativity with the concept of Balmeras, and bits of humor coming from the protagonists at the center, even if it seems to gloss over things at times such as with Coran apparently cracking his spine while lifting their crystal and act like it never happened in the next scene.  Surprisingly, this business with the Balmera doesn’t get the most focus.  That honor goes to Pidge who has to help Allura and the Paladins regain control of their castle while being hunted down from Sendak’s army.  In addition, we see more of her past such as the details of what she went through when her dad and brother got captured during their mission, how she got banned from flight school when using their computers to look up information on them during the flight, and her being unsociable with Lance and Hunk when they first met.  It’s always great to see the past of appealing characters, and it makes me wish we’d see more pasts from other main heroes besides her, Shiro, and Allura.  Regarding Pidge’s past, it allows her to move forward with her mission to stop Sendak and actually be a valued member of the team, just after wanting to leave it.  Watching her evade capture/death from the enemy brings out a lot of shining moments for her despite losing her drone, Rover, needing help from Allura’s mouse friends in the final takedown and hearing her closest companion, Shiro, get attacked as leverage to get her to surrender.  While the latter point loses its impact when we see her push on later without a scene of her making her choice in between, she still plays a significant role in helping the team reclaim the castle and defeating Sendak, and the episode ends with a heartwarming scene of her declaring that her loyalty belongs to the Voltron team.  It’s an engaging example of how facing one’s past can lead to great changes in the present.  While the story could have been tweaked with a few additional scenes and things can drag at times, there’s enough heart, creativity, and nice character-building moments to make me consider this a strong entry. 9/10

The Ranking

1.      The Rise of Voltron

2.      The Fall of the Castle of Lions

3.      Return of the Gladiator

4.      Tears of the Balmera

5.      Some Assembly Required

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the Paladins enter the galaxy and stop to help seemingly common refugees as they start "Taking Flight."

If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.