Summary
The Netflix Original from the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender is back for The Dragon Prince Season 2, and it picks up right where we left off. The series continues to be charming animated fun that while on the surface seems very kid-centric boasts some real depth.
I very much enjoyed the first book of Netflix’s Original series The Dragon Prince, and its high-fantasy take on Avatar: The Last Airbender. Xadia is a really interesting world and the first book of the show managed to set up its key characters effectively and efficiently. The story is something that will be familiar to fans of Avatar; a group of kids are forced to make a perilous journey in order to try and save the world. Instead of learning about bending the elements, our heroes this time around are taking the titular Dragon Prince back to its mother in the hope of stopping a dragon-based catastrophe in The Dragon Prince Season 2.
While the second book, titled “Sky”, does still share some DNA with Avatar it has really started to become its own series. The characters are developing in some really interesting ways and the world is beginning to open up a little bit more. The series really seems to use its own setting and world brilliantly.
One of the most notable things, right from the first episode of Sky, was there are some great action scenes and set pieces peppered throughout this season. I’ve found that sometimes when it comes to animation the action scenes can lose their sense of physicality and tangibility. The Dragon Prince Season 2 has some great fight scenes that were both beautifully choreographed and managed to pack a punch.
I definitely enjoyed the first book of The Dragon Prince but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was just Avatar wearing a funny disguise; it felt like the thing I loved that was re-dressed to seem fresh and new. The Dragon Prince Season 2 has convinced me that the show is becoming a series worth watching in its own right, based on its own strengths.
The characters definitely share some common traits with those from other series’, but they have also become more three-dimensional, and more completely-realized this time around. I’m particularly enjoying that the show is quite happy to play in the shades of grey, giving us the potential for some complex and conflicted characters. I’m still not sure I fully understand everyone’s motivations, but that feels like a good thing.
With Book 2 it feels as though The Dragon Prince is finally coming into its own. It isn’t soaring just yet, but it feels as though it has finally taken its first tentative solo flight and there were no crash landings.
