Friendship and a parent’s love are timeless and universal themes. Although these two televisions series are made for completely different audiences and talk about different issues, they each tackle the reality of friendship and a parent’s love for their child in their own way. For this reason, someone who enjoys one television series will be happily shocked to find she enjoys the second one as well.
Before going into the similarities between these two seemingly contrasting television series, it is important to determine the reasons for which they are perceived to be completely different.
Target Audience
The first difference between the two is their target audience. DreamWorks Dragons is a spin off from the original film How to Train Your Dragon, which was made to be a family-friendly movie. Given the cast – kids who ride dragons, it can be said that the show is intended for a young audience. The series makes use of animation and bright colors to make it appealing to their target audience. The show has much to teach children about life and relationships while remaining entertaining and fun to watch. On the other hand, 13 Reasons Why being a Netflix original television series was made to tackle an important social issue this one in particularly being suicide. The show was made for a much older audience, with the prescribed minimum age being 16 years old. The show requires audiences to be more mature in their way of thinking and analyzing the events taking place in the series. By this age, it is assumed that the viewer understands that the show is not celebrating suicide but trying to educate the youth about the issue so that it can be avoided in real life. The show also makes use of real people and real situations, like being set in an American high school and having each group in a typical high school represented by the characters.
Stand Alone Season
Although DreamWorks Dragons has two seasons, each season can stand on its own because the series as a whole has background from How to Train Your Dragon. It is also a practice in the start of every episode and season of DreamWorks Dragons to recap what happened in the previous episode and to re-introduce the characters by having them call each other one by one. In contrast, 13 Reasons Why has to be watched beginning with season 1. Season 1 introduces all the characters and their relation to one another. It also sets the story in motion explaining to audiences what has already happened and what is happening now as a result of it. In the first season, it is young girl who committed suicide, Hannah Baker who tells the story. In the following season, the story is understood from the point of view of the rest of the cast. For this reason, it would be difficult for someone to start watching from the second season. The connection is very clear and without the first season, the viewer would have difficulty understanding what is happening and why the story is being told from different points of view.
The Ending
Like all television series made for children, DreamWorks Dragons concludes each season with a happy ending. The show follows a child-friendly format where it introduces the good guys and the bad guys, creates a problem where the bad guys could potentially win but eventually the hero and his friends find a solution making them all live happily ever after. In stark contrast, 13 Reasons Why has no hope for a happy ending. The series is based on the fact that the main character, Hannah Baker has already committed suicide. Even in the characters desire to right the wrongs that have taken place, there can never be a true victory in this television series. A young girl has passed and there is no way for her to return.
Now that the main differences have been established, it is time to acknowledge their similarities. In both television series, characters have encounters with family and friends that they deal with throughout the episodes. Themes like the love of a parent for their child and finding true friends who will stand by you come up in both series. Like mentioned earlier, these themes are universal and always stand the test of time.
Friendship
In DreamWorks Dragons, friendship is tackled through the interaction of Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and their dragons. Although it is plain to see how these characters like to tease and fight each other, in the end of every episode it is made clear that they value each other more than anything. Through their interaction and way of dealing with each other, the series is able to teach viewers how to value true friends.
13 Reasons Why also tackles the idea of friendship but in a very different way. The show introduces different characters that were all at one point in time friends with Hannah Baker. However, as each episode will show viewers, there were certain situations, those very familiar to any teenager, that made these characters who she thought were her friends fall short on their responsibility to her as a friend. For this reason, she felt very alone and ended up taking her own life. Through the stories of each character, 13 Reasons Why reminds viewers about the need value true friends and to be there for them when they need you most.
A Parent’s Love
Although the stories are very different, each series dedicated a few episodes to show that a parent’s love for their child is unconditional. In DreamWorks Dragons, we find that Hiccup is always trying to prove himself to his father but many times falls short. Hiccup is simply not the viking that he wish he could be. But that makes no difference to Stoick who always takes this time to talk to Hiccup and remind him how proud he is to have Hiccup as a son. This gives Hiccup the confidence to go out and make the sometimes difficult but hard choices, knowing that he is loved by his father.
13 Reasons Why also demonstrates the love a parent has for her child as they go through the pain of losing one to suicide. Throughout the series, it is very evident that Hannah’s decision did not only hurt her but the people she left behind, most especially her parents. Her parents ask themselves what they could have done differently to help her, hating themselves for not spotting the signs earlier. In Hannah’s parents experience of loss, it is understood that Hannah was very loved, she simply did not know it or believe it.
Although these two televisions series are made for completely different audiences and tackle their own issues, I found that both had some very important lessons to teach about being a good friend and appreciating the love of my parents. I personally enjoyed watching both television series and I would recommend both to anyone looking to learn something new while being entertained.
Viewers of Berk 