Summary
Blood of Zeus is easily one of the best series of the year — it entwines greek mythology with animation while enjoying that alternative feel.
Creators Charley and Vlas Parlapanides can give themselves a deserved pat on the back for Blood of Zeus. They’ve managed to create an impressive, alternative Greek mythology story and present it to the prying eyes of the animated arena — a genre that expects quality. It’s easy to walk into this series and expect an unoriginal tale that involves Zeus’s son. But it somehow manages to make the story feel fresh, and it fills it with an amount of anticipation that can only force the audience down one path — to binge it.
Before this review gets into the crux of the story, Blood of Zeus is wonderfully animated. It’s hardly unprecedented or innovative, but an effort has gone into the colors, and some shots are genuinely wonderful to look at. There’s an opening shot in the finale that sets up the chapter purely by the artistry alone. From a technical perspective, this Netflix series has managed to maintain a benchmark in a difficult genre.
Blood of Zeus follows the lead character, Heron, who is embarking on a world threatened by demons. To stop them, he must learn about his true origin and anticipate a war involving greater beings. The animated series spends plenty of time explaining the origin and the foolishness of his father, Zeus, to build the background. In a nutshell, Zeus could not keep it in his pants, which led to a potential all-out war.
The first half of season 1 is story-building and developing the characters, while the second half focuses on the highly anticipated battle that befalls the land. There’s a strong arc of failed parenting that shines through the story and cripples the lead character — his whole being is about his fate and his untapped anger.
There’s a sense that he needs to feel the bigger picture and journey with his fate rather than work tirelessly against it. The other characters support and honor the themes—Heron may be a lead character, but he is not necessarily always the most important one.
Blood of Zeus is easily one of the best series of the year — it entwines Greek mythology with animation while enjoying that alternative feel. This is a must-see, and it will not take audiences long to complete.
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