Netflix recently released the anime adaptation called DOTA: Dragon’s Blood which was derived from the popular MOBA game and esports staple DOTA. Is it worth investing time and energy or should you just pass the series completely? Here’s my DOTA: Dragon’s Blood review to help you better in deciding.

The anime series is now streaming on Netflix and features the voices of Yuri Lowenthal, Lara Pulver, Tony Todd, Troy Baker, Josh Keaton, Anson Mount, and JB Blanc. The show was written by Ashley Miller, Steven Melching, Ashley Halloran, Mitch Iverson, Amy Chu and developed by Ashley Miller.

Before we proceed, SPOILER ALERT

What’s it about?

DOTA: Dragon’s Blood is an adaptation from the game. And a bit of disclaimer, I’m not too deep into the lore of DOTA so everything is new to me here. Mostly anyway, show me the game and I can quickly follow where its going because its one of the games that made esports such a big deal. But the lore is something I’m scared of and there’s A LOT here. That being said, Netflix managed to churn out a decent to good anime series based on the MOBA’s lore and that’s what you need to keep in mind going into the series.

Storywise, I’ve read reviews that say this was lazy writing while there are others that say it was good. I’m more towards its good probably because I don’t know shit about the backstory and characters. This really is my first time to meet all these characters and I loved meeting all of them.

Characters to watch

Showrunner Ashley Miller was telling the truth that he was genuinely fond of the Invoker. If you’re a parent, not necessarily a dad, then by the time episode 7 and 8 rolls by, you’ll understand what makes him tick. I’m fond of Kaden too because goddamnit, that’s recycled Guts from Berserker right there. And Marci was adorable as hell.

Of course, the main characters Davion and Mirana should deserve a mention here because they were the driving force with everything that’s happened, are happening by the end of the season and will happen.

Voice Acting

Yuri Lowenthal is in his element here are Davion so as Troy Baker’s Invoker. You know you can’t go wrong with these greats working in the project. Didn’t expect to like Anson Mount’s Kaden though. The casting was perfect. Lara Pulver and Frey Tingley’s banter are also great and Alix Wilton Regan’s Selemene just works great.

Episodes and other details

Each episode for season 1 is roughly around 30 minutes and the total episodes for this episode is 8. You can actually take in the whole season in one siting, just have to be patient or go wild with the skips and fast foward. But if you really want to enjoy the story, just stick around and enjoy the visuals and even the music.

Skippable stuff?

Honestly, there’s very little skippable stuff. I tried to skip a few big moments and found myself going back to re-watch those scenes because they turned out to be important so I don’t recommend you do the same thing. There are going to be slow parts too, in my case, I found the sequences with Fymryn’s pod to be boring (then the lovefest happened then it got boring again). They did good with world building and keeping viewers engrossed.

Visuals?

I’d definitely say that the visuals were good in this anime. From dragons to demons to human-dragon hybrids to elves. Everything looks great. Again, I’m not well-versed in the lore including the dragons and eldwyrms so seeing these ancient creatures interact with our boy Davion was AMAZING for me. In the back of my mind, I wanted a series starring those dragons.

And the action sequences here are to die for (just ask Davion). There’s one I particularly loved and that was the fight between Selemene and the season’s big bad, Terrorblade! The colors and the effects were gorgeous and the way they scripted the scenes were so good.

Can we watch it with kids?

Answer’s no. If you’re a parent whose finicky with the content to expose your kids to, Dragon’s Blood isn’t. And while some ratings for anime are just slapped on, this one really sticks to the rating. There’s gore and violence and bad language. Best let the kids stream Cocomelon instead.

DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Review – Verdict

8/10

Great worldbuilding, solid lineup of cast, great visuals and a story that’s at least coherent. DOTA: Dragon’s Blood is OK in my book.

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