A (Somewhat) Comprehensive Analysis of Dreamworks’ Dragons and Samurai Champloo

In order to really analyze the two shows side-by-side, and compare their elements and structure it would be important to know where the biggest differences of the two lie. To do that, I must first establish what the two shows are.

I don’t have to really talk about what Dreamworks’ Dragons is all about mainly because we have all been collectively watching it for the past month and any attempt at explaining the plot would be all too redundant. Instead I will explain the show Samurai Champloo which in my opinion is the best anime to ever be produced. Ever.

Samurai Champloo (SC) is a japanese anime that is about three people consisting of a girl and two swordsmen travelling together for the sole purpose of finding a “samurai who smells of sunflower”. For the purpose of preventing spoilers I will not talk about the plot much instead I will talk about its elements and usual structure. SC is episodic in nature wherein each episode has a conflict that must be resolved, but despite that the trio still push onward with their travels. You could say that in every stop-over they have, that is where the conflict arises. Needless to say, the narrative structure of the show is dependent on their location at any given moment of their travels. If they manage to stay in one place for an extended period of time, then the conflict of the episode/s stays the same. Once they begin moving again, the conflict shifts to something new with new personalities and characters being introduced along the way. Again, the main end goal is to find Mr.Sunflower Samurai. It’s a simple structure that the show manages to explore and use successfully. As long as they haven’t found him, more adventures lie. There really is no overarching bad guy ala Dagur or Alvin and only three characters maybe four stick around until the end. So from these characteristics alone we can see the difference in both shows and maybe these differences can explain why things are the way they are in both shows.

Getting into the characters of both shows, I have said in previous blog posts that the size of the main cast is one of the biggest differences. The dragon riders alone comprise of 6 main characters that need both development and proper attention which the show more or less successfully did in season 2 (in comparison to season 1). SC only has three main characters that appear on every episode which makes the sharing of the screen time easier. Jin, Mugen and Fuu (the aforementioned three) show amazing chemistry and contrast in the show which is always expressed in each episode and I mean EACH. The dragon riders meanwhile have somewhat sparing depictions of chemistry bar Hiccup and Astrid though it’s not all that bad since we do get some episodes where each of them get enough time to flesh out their relationships. I assume that having more characters with their own backstories and motives and individual goals makes this task exponentially tougher to fully realize and is definitely a big difference when it comes to the two shows.

With all that being said, there are two elements where both shows have a similarity. One is theme and the other is the use of humor. Both shows have themes about maturity, morality and conflict. Family is another theme that is expressed well in both shows. History is another theme that is apparent since Dragons has that viking mythology vibe while SC is about feudal, historical Japan. Despite these similarities the execution on the other hand is wholly different. I cannot stress enough that Samurai Champloo is not totally a children’s show. I mean of course children are still welcome to watch it, but in comparison to Dreamworks’ Dragons it’s not even close. Violence, gore and profanity (in the english dub, which is definitely the way to go in terms of viewing the show) are common in SC and the show is very unapologetic about it, something that is quite common in anime. This means that the depiction of violence is quite gruesome and expressing the themes of conflict and human sexuality is vivid and a little bit realistic. Heads and other appendages are chopped and breasts are fondled. Dragons meanwhile stays true to its young audience and is provides the most wholesome entertainment without sacrificing any thematic value. In Dragons, its more of like “Hey Hiccup don’t be mean to Snotlout because he is just a proud viking and you guys are best friends” while in SC, it’s more of like “you fuckin asshole, you tried to steal my money. Give it back or I’ll chop you and all your little friends up to pieces”. No lie that’s probably a real line from the show.

One thing I love about both shows is their use of humor. They both have a similar approach to it in the sense that a lot of the comedic relief comes from the “stupid” characters like the twins and Snotlout for Dragons and Mugen for SC. They always crack funny one/two liners here and there in most episodes which really stand out and never fail to make me chuckle at the very least. I guess much of the credit goes to the brilliant writers and to the fact that humor is the same across different cultures (more or less). Stupid people and their stupid ideas seem to be funny in both eastern and western cultures. At Least there’s one thing the two can agree about.

Last thing to compare between the two shows is the visual style and aesthetic. Again much of this goes back to the identity of the show. One is a wholesome children’s cartoon program and the other is an artsy, violent anime. Animation is quite different between the two given their natures since one is 3D animated and the other is just 2D, drawing-type animation which is the standard for pretty much all anime. It’s probably not even considered an anime anymore if it starts venturing in to the 3D world. That being said Dragons is bright and simple. There not a whole lot going on visually speaking and when a lot IS going on, it’s usually due to the chaotic dragon fight scenes. The show is easy to watch and kids would definitely have no qualms about how the show looks. The frightmare episode really stands out when it comes to visuals and it was definitely a treat to watch. Samurai Champloo on the other hand is consistent in delivering this sort of vibrant and very artsy somewhat “ukiyo-esque” type of visual. As someone who really appreciates visual forms of art, I really do love how the show looks and is always a blast to watch. The fight scenes are animated in such a way that they’re overtly trying to make everything look badass.

I like both shows. I was quite indifferent to Season 1 of Dragons because of this lacking touch of overall quality, but when season 2 came around the show already grew on me. I had begun to appreciate the show in terms of what it offered to an older viewer like me. Quality, wholesome entertainment that is actually quite funny. SC meanwhile is just totally the best anime ever and I couldn’t say enough to justify how good it really is. I do appreciate the fact that watching the former in class opened my eyes to how objectively decent children’s shows are. I kind-of thought they were just shallow programs that kids can mindlessly consume for entertainment. Analysing Dragons episode by episode opened my eyes to the depth and nuance that these kinds of shows can exhibit with some economical and realistic underpinnings or implications. Good stuff.

Defenders of Berk Synthesis

Let me begin by saying that Defenders of Berk was 100% awesome! It totally blew my expectations away after watching the first season which was admittedly lower given my opinion of Riders of Berk which didn’t totally impress me at all. Defenders was better in pretty much every category compared to its predecessor. I will pattern this synthesis with my previous one about Riders.

Let’s talk about patterns and flow. I get this feeling that Defenders really made a point to somewhat deviate from the loose pattern that I recognized from the previous season. As I said before I always thought that the episodic plots of the show revolved around mundane viking-dragon life which is then exacerbated by either the outcasts or a new dragon usually in an abrupt manner. I mean it’s not totally different in Defenders, but I definitely felt that each episode felt somewhat refreshing and I wouldn’t say unpredictable, but more of exciting. The flow and pacing of each episode also improved and the feeling that each episode unfolded abruptly or arbitrarily without proper build up wasn’t as apparent this time. Race to Fireworm Island or Fright of Passage are a couple of episodes which exemplify this excitement/refreshment in terms of episodic structure. In the former, no new dragons were involved except for the fireworm queen (to call it new is kind of debatable) and was more of a fleshing out of Snotlout’s capacity for compassion and loyalty to anyone other than himself which I quite liked. The latter shows some historical exposition which in tandem with a new dragon, the Frightmare, makes the episode stand out. The visuals in that episode was also pretty damn good which leads to another aspect of the season which saw incredible improvement, the animation.

The animation quality/level in Defenders of Berk went up a couple of notches and was very noticeable since episode 1 I would say. Maybe this is because of an increase in production budget or the show hired better animators and fired the ones from last season. Whichever the case might be, animation quality really helped with my personal enjoyment of the show and most of the episodes kinda looked like the first movie which I would say is the benchmark in terms animation.

Moving on to roles and identities, the show still manages to stick to its “guns” albeit with more room for characters to show their different dimensions. Hiccup is still the main man, but other characters got their time in the spotlight to good effect. Free Scauldy and Zippleback Down gave the twins the center stage and it was pretty successful in providing entertainment. Aside from that, Ruff and Tuff had moments wherein they showed capacity to show their worth as dragon trainers/ people capable of smart stuff (although most of them were accidental). The Iron Gronckle and The Eel Effect also gave the rest of the lesser major characters like Astrid, Fishlegs and Snotlout opportunities to also showcase their different dimensions. Overall Defenders of Berk have a better sense of balance when it came to their characters and episodes felt less and less hiccup-centric and more collectively centered.

Season 2 of Dragons really felt more mature when compared to season 1 as well. The themes are deeper and more nuanced. The characters (both good and bad) are more fleshed out and everything is smoother. I have this idea in my head that season 1 had a lower quality mainly because they were still testing the waters of the TV world. Coming from a box office hit, I guess the producers weren’t completely sold on the idea of a tv-series version and thus didn’t go all out in terms of investing in the show. Season 2 was probably better because the producers knew that there was a real, solid interest and was therefore profitable. This made them invest in better animators, better writers and overall a better show. Whether or not that is really what happened, season 2 was a really good watch and I wouldn’t think twice when recommending it to someone for some pleasurable child entertainment.

Defenders of Berk Ep. 17-20

I don’t that have much to say about episode 17 because I didn’t get to watch some parts of it due to being late for class, but from what I saw it wasn’t as impressive as the previous episodes. This is because it was a little bit predictable. In their world of dragons, it really isn’t much of a mystery when all metal objects available start disappearing for no apparent reason. It’s always going to be a case of Smothering Smokebreaths gone wild. It also wasn’t a big surprise that this was all due to Dagur and the Berserker’s efforts to invade the isle of Berk. Another thing that wasn’t a surprise? It failed (obviously). In the end the Smokebreaths take all the metal from Dagur’s all too present Armada and thus ends the attempt. Episode 17 could not have been more cookie cutter in my opinion, but maybe the fact that I did not get to watch it fully affected this judgement on my part.

Episode 18 showcases some nice dragon dynamics to its viewers. Basically this episode tries to explore the parent-child relationship between dragons and is represented by Thornado and the three young, troublemaking thunderdrums: Bam, Bing & Boom. The three “thunderdrumlets” are depicted to be too rowdy and chaotic with no regard for authority. This changes when Thornado is around to pacify them as needed which really gives off this fatherly/motherly figure type vibe going on (I’m not really sure of Thornado’s sexual orientation, so I’ll keep it open for now). Eventually Stoick releases Thornado from his possession so that the young thunderdrums have a protector/ role model/ parent to care for them as they develop further. It is also seen on dragon island that older dragons like to prey on young ones for some reason and this is one of the main reasons why they need Thornado. I feel like this is a much needed exploration or expression of the dragon psychology since the series is partly about them. I would also like to point out that most of the educational underpinnings of the show in this particular season have been more deep or somewhat more nuanced than the usual good vs bad type of moral dilemma which is quite interesting.

Episode 19 & 20 marks another two part episode and also serves as the season finale for Defenders of Berk. The episode starts off with Snotlout being suspended from the Dragon Academy after nearly killing Astrid due to his antics. I immediately recognized this as a set-up for more plot developments within the episode and was confirmed once Snotlout manages to get himself in trouble after coming across the screaming death. This sets the stage for Alvin’s return as he saves Snotlout from certain death and comes back to Berk with unknown intentions. As expected he is met with animosity and anger despite saving Snotlout and is imprisoned until a formal trial for his treacheries can be done. It is then revealed that Stoick and Alvin were once the best of friends kind of like how Hiccup and Snotlout are (but not really). This furthers hypes up the impending showdown with Dagur and his ever-present Berserker armada and the Screaming Death. I admit this was getting quite intense and the stakes are even higher than ever. Everyone has an interest in this conflict as the Berkians seek to preserve peace, the Berserkers wanting to encroach on this peace and subjugate Toothless, Alvin wanting his outcast island back and finally the Screaming Death in a crazy revelation wanting to be reunited with its mother. The episodes culminate in one big crazy showdown on outcast island with (obviously) Dagur on the side of the losers and the Alvin-Berk coalition on the side of the victors. The SD is reunited with its mother and Stoick is set free after being previously captured by Dagur. Thus concludes the Berk vs Berserker with the Screaming Death on the side saga.

Now let’s talk about the execution of the season finale. I personally think it was quite successful in ending the season with a bang as the producers of the show really uses a lot of the better elements of the show and matches it with good pacing and buildup. I like how everything started with a mini-quarrel between Hiccup and Snotlout which ended up mirroring what happened between Stoick and Alvin in the past. I also like the foreshadowing(?) or atleast the introduction of the idea of Hiccup as chief because it shows an avenue or opportunity for character progression, the big kind of progression. It kind of signifies that it’s about time to stop focusing on childish things and lets Hiccup put the big boy pants on. The humor is great again in these episodes, as usual and the high octane dragon action was also present. Overall it was a strong season finale and it was a treat to watch. Defenders of Berk has definitely impressed me and will be explained in depth in my synthesis blog post.

Defenders of Berk: Ep. 13-16

Episode 13 was pretty lit. Finally Ruffnut had some time to shine in the spotlight of the show. She was pretty instrumental in solving the scauldron problem and to top it all off, she cut her hair off (which is a pretty welcome decision imo she looks great). Another thing that I liked from this episode is the fact that they are exploring sexuality even for a bit with the dynamic between snotlout and astrid. Snotlout being the macho uber aggressive suitor of Astrid was the common sight of the show, but Astrid totally turned that around by being surprisingly sweet to him. This causes Snotlout to feel very uncomfortable and tone down his approach. Maybe this could be an allusion or reference to the stereotype that men are always the suitors and women are always the hard to get types. Given the target age of this show, I think it’s nice to see that they give children a chance to see woman-man dynamics in terms of romance or sexuality.

Episode 14 disappointed me mainly because Ruffnut’s hair has grown back. Continuity is not really much of an issue for the show, but man it would’ve been nice to see her hair grow back gradually as the episodes went by instead of just making it look like nothing happened at all. Continuity is quite important in any show because it places value on whatever happened in the preceding episodes and I thought that this was a major oversight from the writers/producers. Other than that, Episode 14 was probably my favorite episode in the whole season thus far. It has many of the elements that make the show great. The humor was spot on and hilarious, the pacing on this episode was neatly done, and the mystery behind the speed-stingers was quite interesting. The animation quality is also really good, I would even say superb.

Episode 15 sees the Snot-Rid rivalry reaching new heights in terms of development when the riders have to fix Mildew’s cabbage field. First things first, the episode was great mainly because it wasn’t so Hiccup-centric. This episode showcases crazy character development which was sorely lacking in the previous season and already being showcased in many of the episodes of Defender’s. I like the dragon swapping idea in a bid to lower Snotlout and Astrid’s animosity toward each other. In the process, they even find new qualities about each other’s dragons with Hookfang’s new wing blast and Stormfly’s new single spine shot. Very, very cool stuff.

Episode 16, eel-pox. This is one of those episodes wherein the world of Berk gets a little bit bigger. The village is stricken with eel-pox and its up to the riders to make the medicine to cure it with wild ingredients that include bloodbang(?) eel. This episode returns to the more Hiccup-centric format and feels nice after all these episodes that weren’t solely about him. Turns out that eels are somewhat of a dragon psychedelic when ingested as seen when Toothless starts trippin balls after accidentally eating one. It also functions as some sort of power source at the same time for dragons that can handle the trip e.g. the Typhoomerang (which still sounds cool as hell even after hearing it so many times). With the help of Fishlegs, they manage to get toothless back to normal and help heal the village. Hooray.

These string of 4 episodes have been some of the most enjoyable episodes I’ve watched thus far, but I didn’t watch them in class like most of my fellow viewers so it could have possibly been affected by that. In any case, I am excited as to what the final episodes can offer since the show has definitely reached a new level in terms of quality.

Defenders of Berk: Ep. 7-12

Episode 7 is one of those not-so-Hiccup-centric episodes and kind of focuses on much lesser known rivalries like Snotlout and Fishlegs’. I found it quite interesting that their disputes were settled through a terrible terror training contest with hilarious results. Also I like the fact that they also integrated this dragon training in the rescuing of Meatlug from the outcasts which from a continuity standpoint is really great and shows a little depth in terms of writing. Something underrated in this episode is the capacity of the twins for some wisdom. Ruffnut exclaimed that “competition is the very essence of life, itself” while arguing that the dragon training IS a competition to which I definitely concur. Whether or not that was intentional, I thought it was a sign of the twins’ hidden, I mean really hidden intellect. Another thing about this episode is that there is some sort of consensus that Hiccup is the best dragon trainer among them and that the other riders are raring to prove themselves as superior maybe except the twins since their too busy being free, ignorant spirits to worry about superiority. Lastly, competition itself is expressed here as something that can be friendly as seen from Hiccup’s standpoint and something that can show supremacy among peers as seen from the rest’s competitive behavior. Given the target audience of the show, this is a great concept to be explored for developing young children in terms of their social skills.

Episode 8  is where the Screaming Death finally makes it return, but bigger and badder. Another intense episode filled with high octane dragon on dragon action. Much of the dragon training skills are expressed here by the riders with the new air mail system and in the defense against the SD. Sexuality is also touched on in this episode as Astrid kissing guys is a thought that was discussed in the earlier parts of the epi. For young boys and girls to see these types of interactions no matter how small between male and female members of the show is helpful in again the development of their social skills especially towards the opposite sex. In terms of the narrative this episode is great in showing the depth of the dragon world with their respective island behaviors.

I really liked episode 9 because its a twin-centric episode. Ruff and Tuffnut get to showcase their simpleton nature to the fullest all while Tuff trains a wild typhoomerang which turns out to be Torch, a baby typhoomerang they saw in a previous episode. This is a nice toast to continuity as past events especially the minor ones don’t really get a follow up or a continuation in subsequent episodes. The worldbuilding also gets a nod here with the whole heat wave season aspect of Berk. I firmly believe that the worldbuilding in this show is functionalist in nature in the sense that most of the exposition and world expanding details serve some sort of purpose to advance the plot. In comparison to my favorite show, Samurai Champloo (SC), SC is filled with exposition that isn’t necessarily important to the plot or doesn’t advance anything but the entertainment of the show. For example, much of the historical exposition in the show whether factual or not does not really advance the plot in any meaningful way. It only makes the whole world of SC richer and much more vibrant. One of the biggest differences of the shows is in that regard.

Episode 10 and 11 showcase my ultimate favorite dragon in the series thus far, the Skrill. Purple, lightning-riding, ferocious, the Skrill is so badass! Apparently, the berserkers agree with that sentiment since it is revealed that the Skrill is the dragon that is printed on their crests. There is much to say about these episodes because it showcases many things that make the show really good. Crazy badass dragon, check. Intense, high octane dragon fighting, check. Great humor and many brilliant twin moments, check. Crazy visuals, check. Hiccup and co, trumping the Berserks and Outcasts in one fell swoop??? Super big check. This 2 part episode is a culmination of the ever growing Outcast/Berserker problem with higher stakes than ever. The fact that Dagur was able to control the Skrill in a very oppressive, unnatural manner made it even more intense and is a reference to their old berserker tradition which earned them renown across the isles. It also shows the evolution of the dragon-man dynamic through time that culminated in the clash of old versus new in Dagur/Skrill vs Hiccup/Toothless. Intense episode indeed that ended with the good on top (AS USUAL). Oh and the twins really got to shine again in this episode, especially Tuffnut. His whole infiltration of the Outcast-Berserker meeting was brilliantly done with the songs executed to perfection.

Episode 12 is an episode that mostly revolves around Snotlout and the development-lacking Gustav. Gustav is a character that sort of craves more development from a narrative standpoint since he is a part of some episodes, often playing a factor in them and yet not much is really known about him.  Another thing I like about this episode is that it showcases a nice little nuance in their viking culture. The belief in the “five signposts of Valhalla” is quite an interesting exposition in that it deepens their belief in an afterlife to the extent that they actually believe in physical signs of individual, impending doom. The viewership target of this show probably wouldn’t care about the religious underpinnings of such a concept mainly because kids are not interested in religion (I think), and death is merely a harmless television thing to them. I personally think that it’s great that these themes are being explored in a children’s show, no matter how small or harmless it is because it is a way for children to become conscious of realities in the real world. In terms of narrative and plot, I think it’s refreshing to see a new potential dragon rider in Gustav and this episode is somewhat of a set-up for more adventures that could feature him. Snotlout is still the annoying douche, Dagur is still trying to capture toothless and defeat Hiccup (unsuccessfully, mind you), so nothing new in those regards.

The quality of this season is now undisputable. Watching these episodes finally matched my initial expectation of the series as a whole. Many more themes and subjects are getting expressed and the characters are getting their share of the attention and development. I expect the rest of the season to match if not better what I have seen so far.

Defenders of Berk: Ep. 1-6

In my experience of watching Television, when a new season starts there is usually something new about a given show. A new setting or a new addition to the cast. Usually the physical appearances of some characters may have also changed. Something within the show would have transitioned into something more than itself. A maturation process so to speak. Defenders doesn’t do much of that, in fact they starts us off in the usual manner.

Defenders of Berk isn’t totally forthright about any sort of transition or progression from its Riders of Berk self when it comes to its own elements. Characters, dragons, roles, etc. are still, for the most part, the same. I’m not saying that there is nothing new and that it was all simply a name change, but when it comes to the physical aspect of the show I haven’t noticed anything different. Whether or not this is a bad thing, I leave it to the judgement of each viewer. I personally think that it doesn’t really matter, but the name change fails to serve a point if nothing really changes.

Something that has changed however which I really really liked is the animation quality. I think the difference is quite clear that these first few episodes had way more detail to them than most of the episodes from season 1. I think this is due to the fact that season 1 probably caught a lot of attention and that made the studio pump more resources in the animation department. Voice work sounds cleaner, the color feels more vibrant, and the quality is just overall better.

Moving on to the plot, episode 1 sees the riders and Stoick preparing for an impending attack by the outcasts. He imposes a flying ban on the riders to keep them safe after experiencing his son’s capture. The riders of course given their namesake, does not follow this order and still commences flying exercises and patrols under the guise of their “Secret Dragon Flight Club” which is quite a refreshing reference to one of my favorite movies of all time, Fight Club. They even manage to sneak in transposed rules of the club which of course bamboozles the twins. Eventually Stoick and co do away with the pointless rule since they are most powerful on their dragons. Also, the outcasts plant whispering death eggs in the tunnels under berk while distracting the riders which sets up a future problem for the Hairy Hooligans.

Episode 2 picks up on the earlier outcast threat all while having fishlegs and meatlug go through an emotional phase which leads to the discovery of Gronckle Iron. I thought this was pretty interesting since there hasn’t been much of an exposition about the smithing on Berk and it leads to one of the more interesting weapons of the show, Hiccup’s mechanical shield. I like the strategy of using some episodic plot line in order to make small developments here and there that contribute to the whole world-building aspect of the show. The ending shows the Whispering Deaths already hatched and wreaking havoc on the caves below and alludes to a lurking, even more terrifying monster.

Episode 3 takes a break from the whole outcast-whispering death threat on Berk and focuses on the development of an emerging bad guy introduced in the last few episodes of season 1, Dagur the Deranged. His obsession for killing dragons is magnified in this episode as he comes across the riders on dragon island who are conducting a grueling training exercise imposed by Astrid. This is the episode where Dagur’s suspicions were confirmed in that the young motley crew of Berk are actually training dragons. This development establishes Dagur as a real threat to Berk as he is unable to forego old dragon-killing traditions. Notable development in this episode include Hiccup’s shield which can also transform into a crossbow which is super cool in my opinion.

Episode 4 is the culmination of the threat being hyped up in the previous 3 episodes. Apparently, aside from the Whispering Deaths that were shown to be planted in the caverns below Berk, there was also the super rare Screaming Death that also hatched. Let’s take a moment to appreciate how terrifying and monstrous the Screaming Death looks and feels like. It is probably my favorite evil dragon to exist thus far in the Dragons universe. In terms of animation, this was a pretty stand out episode because there was so much going on. Lots of intense dragon on dragon action which is always so welcome since the show is a little sparing on the action side of things at times. The riders, in usual fashion, end up driving the Screaming and Whispering Deaths away, but due to Hiccup’s kindness, fail to finish them off. This comes off as quite inconsistent since during the end of the episode, Hiccup is seen worrying that the “Death” dragons will come back to claim their original birthplace. If that were the case, why not just finish ’em off and send them into oblivion while they were already weakened and such. Maybe this was a little oversight from the writers, or Hiccup is just that indecisive. Either way, this episode was intense, high-stakes and exhilarating. Great episode.

Episodes 5 and 6 shifts much of the attention away from Hiccup and the outcast problems and finally focuses on some of the other main characters. I’ve always thought that the show was too Hiccup-centric and “Race to Fireworm Island” and “Fright of Passage” were definitely welcome episodes. Aside from that shift in main focus, the episodes were also pretty interesting especially “Fright of Passage” since it focuses on some of Astrid’s historical background, all while delivering nice visuals with the Aurvandil’s Fire which is the Viking’s fancy name for the aurora borealis and the Flightmare, a new glow in the dark, striker-class dragon. The episode ends with the clearing of Astrid’s uncle’s name for being deemed as a coward in the face of the Flightmare. Meanwhile, “Race to Fireworm Island” sees some incredible development in Snotlout’s character. He is usually seen as this brazen, macho type guy that does not care for much except himself. After Hookfang gets sick, he is finally shown to have a caring softside especially for Hookfang and will do anything to get his Dragon back to fighting strength. I really liked this development and hope that Snotlout gets more dimensions to his personality in the coming episodes.

Overall, the first 6 episodes were a great start to the season. As I said, the overall quality of the show has increased in terms of animation, writing, and visuals all despite not having anything new to the formula. It’s still about Berk vs the Outcasts and new dragons looking to wreak havoc. With episodes like these the show is slowly growing on me and I am looking to see if they can really turn it up another notch with this season in all other aspects.

Riders of Berk Synthesis

If there is one thing that I have noticed in this first season of the Dragons tv series, Riders of Berk, is that it was focused on reinforcing patterns, roles and identities. There is a lot of variety in terms of content in each episode, but somehow the watching experience feels the same. Maybe it’s because we binge watch it in class, and we do not get enough time in between to really miss anything about the show. In any case, I will try to break my observations down in this post.

I will also try to compare and contrast these observations with my favorite anime/show of all time, Samurai Champloo. I find this comparison quite apt since both are cartoons, in a sense, but there is much to be said about their differences (aside from one being a western product and the other eastern which definitely has some cultural underpinning to it).

Starting with the patterns and the flow of the show in particular, Riders of Berk has somewhat of a loose formula when it comes to their episodes. Usually it begins with the hairy hooligans going on their usual day-to-day things until something unexpectedly goes wrong. When something goes wrong it is usually because of one (or a combination) of three things: Mildew’s antics, Alvin the Treacherous and the outcasts evil ploys or a new kind of wild dragon. The episodes then moves on to show the dragon riders with the occasional help of Gobber and Stoick solving the problem eventually and leaving their enemies thinking about the next move after being foiled again by those meddling riders. This is the loose formula I was talking about and the show plays around it adding little twists here and there to keep the show refreshing. Things like Trader Johann, or Mildew’s double deception, or the introduction of Dagur the Deranged, these things add new dimensions to the show while still sticking to the formula. In comparison to Samurai Champloo, there isn’t much of a set formula because the plot keeps moving forward in each episode. So I guess the difference is in how fast the plot unfolds. The slower the show, the more time it has to establish certain structure. Also important to note is that Samurai Champloo is a show about 3 people travelling across Japan to accomplish a certain objective, so the consistency of the setting also plays a part in the establishment of patterns.

Moving on to roles and identities, Riders of Berk really likes to stick to its guns. What I’m saying is that Hiccup is always the main man that does all the right moves to save the day. Snotlout is always the stubborn douchey viking that always tries to act tough. Fishlegs is always the soft, nerdy member of the group. Ruff and Tuffnut are always smashing each other’s heads and always whipping out the one liners that never fail to make me smile. These are not necessarily bad things in my opinion, but I would really love to see more dynamic personalities from the main characters. I don’t think there was an episode where the twins were the heroes basking in the glory or even Astrid as she is one of the most skilled among the riders in fighting. In comparison, the main characters of Samurai Champloo equally get their time to shine in the limelight. BUT, and theres a big but here (ala Nicki Minaj), the show only has 3 main characters so it’s not much of a problem to have them share the responsibility of being the frontliner. Mugen and Jin, the two main swordsmen of the show, are shown to be complete opposites of each other right off the bat kind of like a yin and yang or tupac and biggie, that kind of thing. Despite that there are some episodes where their roles are somewhat reversed and its Mugen (the wild guy) acting all moral and deep while Jin (the super chill guy) is the one with the crazy antics. Again it’s not that hard to pull off when there are only 2-3 main characters.

All in all, Riders of Berk is NOT a bad show and it’s really not a chore to watch. I like how it was light and easy to digest. I didn’t have to really think about what was going on because it’s probably mildew or alvin or the screaming death and on top of that, I knew the good guys were gonna win. I do have high hopes for Defenders of Berk because a new season could mean a new formula or deeper more dynamic roles for the characters.

Riders of Berk Ep. 16-20

(DRAFT)

Before watching the last five episodes of Dragons: Riders of Berk, I have already noticed some of the patterns the show have seemingly established. In episodes where Mildew and Alvin make an appearance, the main plot of the show advances forward. An episode’s conflict is usually caused by a new form of dragon. If it isn’t caused by the outcasts, or a new breed of dragon then the episode is about some historical viking stuff that Hiccup and the gang want to know about. The show tries to mix and match all these things to have some sort of systematic way of executing the show. It’s quite interesting in my opinion because at least it’s not just one bad guy every time or one kind of ferocious dragon that terrorizes the village. This again goes back to the brilliant world building of the writers because they set everything up in a way that the show can ebb and flow through different types of conflicts and circumstances.

Riders of Berk has already been successful in familiarizing the viewers with the characters and their respective profiles and is now focusing on developing each character even more. I noticed this in episode 16 where Snotlout’s insubordination causes him and Hiccup to crash-land in outcast island (of all places) where they are forced to work together in order to survive. This episode took their friendship to the next level because usually the two just agree to disagree in some shape or form, but in this episode in particular they actually had the capacity to become a great team. Hiccup with the knowledge and Snotlout with the muscle. Teamwork is the name of the game I suppose.

I mentioned in my previous blog post about ep. 5-15 that Trader Johann is used as a plot device that brings new objects of interest to the isle of Berk. Episode 17 epitomizes this pattern or use when he was supposed to give Stoick the Vast a treasured object from Hiccup’s mother (which at this point has little to no backstory or background information.) In this episode, it is revealed that Hiccup was afraid of dragons when he was just a youngster and that the object, a toy, was made for him by his mom. The value of getting over your childhood fear/s is something that is expressed at the end, and that is something that the younger viewers of this series can really appreciate.

Episode 18 falls under the there’s-a-new-kind-of-dragon episode.

The last two episodes of Riders of Berk constitute as the season finale and is, as expected, about the outcasts vs the dragon riders. What I really liked about this 2 episode finale is that there was a bit of trickery going on. What Hiccup thought was an opportunity to find more night furies for Toothless was actually a trap set by Alvin and co. This leads to their capture and are brought back to outcast island. One of the more unexpected moments happen when Mildew tries to help Hiccup escape while at the same time learning how to ride dragons. I thought this was the moment where Mildew had a change of heart, but as we saw in the episode it was all a double crossing. I didn’t expect the writers to pull of this kind of twist because it’s pretty deep and elaborate. It is pretty welcome though. All in all it was a good season finale and it was successful in setting up more possible plot lines.

 

Riders of Berk Ep. 6-15

Episode 6 introduces major updates to the world and plot of the show. First and foremost, Alvin the treacherous and his band of outcasts are introduced into the show by Gobber through some convenient exposition while trying to restock weapons for the viking’s destroyed armory from episode 5. The outcasts are revealed to be exactly like their name suggests, outcasts from different viking tribes but mostly from Berk’s hairy hooligan tribe. Their leader, Alvin, is quite the treacherous man whom surpasses Mildew on the evil viking scale. This new introduction does three things: first it expands the world of Dragons and its narrative because it shows new antagonists that have evil plans and historical ties to Berk. Second, it allows deeper development for the main characters of the show with regards to their personalities and capabilities. Third and most exciting of all, it allows the show to have more viking on viking violence (or atleast a children’s show version of it) due to the nature of viking culture and warfare.

For example, Stoick and the other older vikings had an opportunity to show their viking strength and ferocity when the outcasts tried to invade Berk and kidnap Hiccup. Despite having no weapons, they manage to set up an ambush with just a couple of frying pans and a kitchen knife. A somewhat minor character like Bucket had a chance to show his kind side when he was asked by a crying little girl to get her stuffed lamb that was left while trying to evacuate. Small moments like these add dimensions to the characters of the show thus making them even more likable.

The episode climaxes in a fight scene on the shores of dragon island wherein the riders, reunited with their dragons, go up against the outcasts in order to save Hiccup and toothless. Eventually the outcasts lose and the vikings of berk return home with their dragons who are deemed good by Stoick, much to the dismay of Mildew. The ending sequence sets up a new plot line for the show where Alvin is seen exploring the idea of riding dragons after seeing the riders of berk in action. In terms of making a contribution to the overall narrative of the show, episode 6 is one of the cornerstones. The subsequent episodes add small details here and there and cuts back on the intensity shown on episode 6.

In episode 7, Stoick is finally convinced that riding a dragon is beneficial in carrying out chiefly tasks and is partnered with a new dragon in the series, a thunderdrum he aptly names Thornado. Episode 8 deepens the viking culture within the show through the introduction of the shield portrait tradition wherein the current chief and his son are painted on a shield that is to be hung on the great hall’s wall. Interestingly enough all the past chieftains have sons that are depicted to be buff and probably tells something about how men are seen in their way of life ala machismo. This episode also expands the theme of family acceptance because Hiccup is not buff and strong which his father always quips about, but in the end accepts him for who his son really is.

Episode 9 introduces a new plot device for the show in the form of Trader Johann. I expected Trader Johann to be a plot device in the sense that he can be a source of quirky things that help set-up many different plot lines and details. His character makes the flow and exposition of some episodes more fluid and convenient. As seen in episode 9, he is the source whom Mildew gets the dragon flower from which is pretty much the source of conflict of the whole episode. A new dragon, the Scauldron, is also introduced.

Episodes 10 and 11 are two parts of 1 bigger episode/arc which is the Heather arc. These are the first episodes since episode 6 that have a major impact in terms of the main story arc because a new character is introduced in the form of Heather. Heather pops in out of nowhere and immediately makes an impact to the rest of the characters. He somewhat attracts Hiccup and earns the ire of Astrid, naturally, due to a perceived rivalry for hiccups attention that evolves into something bigger. Astrid is revealed to be working for the outcasts and is hell bent on getting the book of dragons out of Hiccup’s clutches and into Alvin’s. In typical children’s show fashion, good guys beat the bad guys, the book of dragons is returned safely and all is well. Alvin again makes a post-defeat realization that what they need is not the book, but the dragon trainer himself, Hiccup.

Episode 12 and 13 introduce new facets to the Viking tradition side of things in the show. Things like the introduction of the Thaw-fest games and their ever more apparent belief in norse mythology was further developed which I thought were quite refreshing.

Something I found quite special about episode 14 is that it deviates from the usual viking tradition themes and shifts it to something more on the side of dragons. It is revealed in the episode that Toothless has a rival and that dragons can hold grudges against other dragons. This episode showcases the theme of nature vs nurture with nurture winning in the end because Toothless forgone the idea of revenge in favor of appeasing his master, Hiccup.

Lastly, episode 15 goes back to full world building mode and gives us a glimpse into the world of the Berserker tribe. Their new leader, Dagur the Deranged is has not heard about Berk’s all new dragon riding feature and is still stuck in the dragon hunting phase of things. This causes problems for the Hairy Hooligans, but due to clever tactics is resolved in the end. This episode primarily sets up Dagur and the berserkers as potential enemies or even allies given their circumstances with the treaty and all.

Episodes 6-15 show that Riders of Berk has adopted an episodic serial narrative form. It is still episodic in the sense that in some episodes, the storyline starts and ends within the episode itself. Despite that, there is still a bigger main storyline that is being continually developed sometimes in a small way, other times in a big way like in episode 6, 10 and 11. The show tries to hook viewers with this type of narrative form because it allows for many different types of situations and developments for the characters, but maintain continuity. One thing that I will keep an eye out for would be if the show maintains this kind of fast pacing and form or will it try to switch it up and stick to one kind of narrative form be it serial or episodic.

Riders of Berk [ep. 1-5]

Episodes 1-5 of Dragons: Riders of Berk seek to expand the world established by How to Train Your Dragon. More friendly characters, new evil character(s) and best of all more dragons! There’s nothing new when it comes to the original concept of the show. The original band of young vikings are still there with Hiccup being the leader of the dragon riders, and the rest of his friends filling their roles perfectly. Astrid is still the average looking, but competitive love interest. Fishlegs is still the soft, nerdy gronkle lover. Snotlout is still the boastful loud mouth and ruff and tuffnut are still, well, ruffnut and tuffnut. They still all ride their respective dragons. Stoick the Vast is still the proud, but understanding leader of the hairy hooligan tribe, and goober is still the wacky blacksmith. Nothing new there.

Moving onto the juicier plot details and the creative worldbuilding that the writers certainly know how to do. The fist episode refreshes us on the story one year after Hiccup and the gang defeat the Red Death. The isle of Berk is finally somewhat peaceful since the vikings and dragons are trying to coexist. They aren’t really successful as seen in the episode because the whole tribe isn’t used to living with dragons at all seeing as the only thing they knew about how to deal with them is through the traditional viking way of violence and killing. The dragons also share the same sentiments and are pretty much wreaking havoc across the village, much to the dismay of Stoick who is still hopeful that Hiccup can fix the situation. This sets the stage for who I’m assuming will be one of the the long standing antagonists of the show, Mildew. Mildew is the typical, old, I-hate-everything-and-complain about it bad guy trope. He seems to have a deep seated hate for dragons which extends to the #1 dragon sympathizer, Hiccup. In pretty much all of the first five episodes, if not all of em, he can be seen complaining to Stoick about the dragons’ presence in the village causing everyone inconveniences, and trying to convince everyone that that’s not how things are supposed to be. Stoick however has faith in Hiccup and gives him all the chances in the world to try and pacify and “train” the dragons. Now he isn’t always successful, but as usual TV show plots go, the good guy triumphs in the end as always. One of the first triumphs of Hiccup end with the establishment of the Berk Dragon academy, but during the events of the fifth episode the dragons end up getting banished from the island due to Mildew’s deceitful tactics. Episodes 1-5 try to have its viewers get used to the respective roles of each cast member. As expected, it can be seen that the show tries to deepen the relationship and dynamics between all the characters without changing the formula of the show.

The show also tries to develop newer themes in the show with the most apparent one being old vs new, tradition vs progressiveness. Killing the dragons vs living with em’ in harmony and benefitting from the cooperation. The old being represented by mildew and the apprehension shown by Stoick and the rest of the villagers while the new being represented by the younger members of the village i.e. the riders. This is something anyone watching can relate to because this is usually how it is in normal society. The older members of society are usually more rigid in thinking while the youngsters are more radical and progressive in thinking.

Now lets talk about the execution. I’m gonna be honest, the expectation that I had prior to watching the series was admittedly high. Watching the movie was quite an enjoyable experience. The world building and character development was great and it set the tone for any possible content that could follow like a sequel or in this case a TV series. Now I’m not saying that Riders of Berk is outright terrible, its actually pretty alright. It does suffer from the problems that my fellow viewers pointed out in class. The animation quality lowered, some of the voice actors changed, and what really put me off the most is the pacing. The episodes so far feel sort of rushed with very minimal pacing when it comes to developing the plot of the respective episodes. I guess all of these can be attributed to the nature and economics of making/producing a TV series as discussed in class. I guess there’s just not enough resources to flesh everything out and make things better. Again, it’s not the worst thing in the world, and the target audience of the show probably wouldn’t pay as much attention as a tv studies student would.

Despite some of the perceived shortcomings of the show, the first five five episodes of Riders of Berk still manages to deliver the dragon-viking adventure vibes that one would expect to see and feel. It is quite fascinating to see how a big studio such as dreamworks can transition a successful full feature animated film into a TV show without compromising the entertainment value of the concept. From viking vs dragons to vikings and dragons vs all who threaten the peace of Berk, the show is still effective in delivering an enjoyable watching experience for kids and mature audiences alike, but more for the kids really. I am curious to see how deep the worldbuilding and themes can get without sacrificing the other elements of the show.