I've been going through all animated shows that goes under the brand of Voltron and I just wanted to give you my thoughts on each one: - Voltron: Defender of the Universe (Lion Force): I was introduced to this series as early as my childhood and it was and still remain a show that me and my sisters love to this date. It was one of the rare moments when we agreed to love one show and remember some names and quotes from it. Of course I should mention the Arabic dub was based on "Voltron" rather than "Golion" and it was one of the rare moments where the source was American rather than Japanese as other old-school anime we used to watch. Recently I got the chance to experience it again in English and my GOD how this has turned out different from my expectations! The writing was so corny beyond wild with plenty of lame jokes that I don't get, weird voice choices, some storylines are stupid and formulaic as hell, and as it went on the animation quality was getting worse and worse! Is this really the same show I used to like as a kid?! And was this so popular they wanted even more episodes to be made?!! Main characters are not that interested and they do not match their modern description (Pidge is not a scientific expert and Lance is not the rebellious daredevil as described in modern toy releases) and I really hated all the Allura episodes where they hammer the idea of her being a princess she can't fight only to prove them wrong again, and again, and again, and again....... and again. But I enjoyed the villains more just for how incompetence they get and their terrible plans they think of. I guess this is a show that you really need to turn your brain off to enjoy, or a mind f a 5 year old to get into it! --- - Voltron: Defender of the Universe (Vehicle Force): I've heard about Dairugger XV when discussions about Voltron changes were brought up and I expected a terrible show seeing how this wasn't as popular as the other guy, but surprisingly, I liked this one better! The story was better, the writing is far better, the villains are more interesting, and the characters have more dynamics between them. Sure they were plenty and I still don't know all their names but hey, they kept me interested more than the Lion Force! Dairugger was a more interesting robot as well and I liked how it showcased more abilities than the other guy where his super finishing move was... rocket punches! If you're a fan of Voltron and haven't checked this out then I say give it a chance. Just because it's not the same Voltron doesn't make it any worse. --- - Voltron: The Third Dimension: While I somehow did enjoy the old Voltron, this show was the one I remembered the most. I remember it being more serious and storylines where more memorable and there was some depth to it. The cgi in this series still holds up and it looks better than Beast Wars and Beast Machines! Sure the character faces are still off but they were still better than what was at the time. Voice acting was great and the one I liked the most was Tim Curry as Lotor and Billy West as Pidge (just because he's not as annoying as Neil Ross's voice), and while Kevin Michael Richardson was great as Zarkon, I still prefer Jack Angel over him. I used to hate Amalgamus for being a douch to the team, that until they reveal he was Spoiler messed around and fixed him at the end. The series introduced Stealth Voltron which I'm not a big fan off, but luckily they didn't overuse it or officially replace the classic with it for the reminder of the series. Too bad this show was short lived and the finale wasn't that great of a choice. --- - Voltron Force: Gave it a shot, and... not a big fan of it. First off: If they wanted this series to be about the next generation of pilots, why aren't there five Cadets instead of three?! It takes no brainer to tell you you need five pilots for five machines! They got three, what about the other two?! No one thought about it? Second, if the plan was to make the Cadets the next pilots, why not doing it in the first place than make them stick around as sidekicks?! We know those guys will replace the old ones at the end so do it already and make the whole series about them getting their experience as time goes on. As you could tell, my main issue is with the kids and the unclear intend of this series. And they aren't that good anyway. Dan is an annoying fanboy, Vince is a Deus Ex Machina who can fix anything with his Electro mode, and Larmina is a stereotypical rebellious Princess that i still don't know how she exists and still not interesting. The original pilots are a take on their stereotypes as well. Lotor wasn't interesting with his little screentime, so that leaves Maahox and Wade as the villains here and of the two, I say Maahox was the best of the bunch. The new Voltron design is... okay for the most part, and if I wasn't aware of Getter Robo I'd say the gimmick was a big ripoff of Albegas! But dear lord the cgi animation sucked! Are you telling me a full on cgi show from the late 90s was better than this modern show that uses cgi for a portion of it?! Story was weak for the most part and the finale wasn't satisfying and judging by the time, I don't think this will come back anytime soon. Oh, and I forgot to mention the intro... it sucks. Why does every new cartoon must have a rap opening?! Seriously though? Voltron and rap in one sentence?! And they changed the combination music till they decided LATER to bring the classical fanfare version like one of them said "Uhh, uhh, the fans don't like the music. Uhh, uhh, here, have the original instead! Are we cool now?" Yeah, cool... but the show still sucks. ---------------- And that's my opinion on the four Voltron shows. I'm not including Albegas because it wasn't turned to Voltron. But of all the four, I'd pick The Third Dimension as the most favorite of the bunch followed Vehicle Voltron. I know Voltron is still big in the US, but how many times can you still make it based on the original series? My suggestion is if you want to make yet another Voltron, why don't you just reboot it and start over instead of making more continuity errors and plotholes with each "continuation" you make years after the original story? Lastly a bonus to enjoy: Voltron Arabic Intro (First version - Original) Voltron Arabic Intro (First version - HD remake) Voltron Arabic intro (Second version) Voltron 3D Arabic Intro
Lion Force for sure, despite its age and definite anime qualities. Lotor makes for an actually compelling villain, considering his infatuation with Allura. Voice actor Lennie Weinrib was quite a great standout in the show, being both vengeful towards the Voltron Force and desperate for Allura's love. The Third Dimension was just okay, nothing too special there except perhaps nostalgia. Vehicle Voltron was interesting. But when I see it I think of Defensor too much. The Gladiator Voltron I wish I could have seen, it might have been badass. Haven't seen the new Voltron show, and don't intend to.
