DOTA: DRAGON'S BLOOD

While we wait for the next season of 'Castlevania' and 'The Witcher'. Netflix has got us a new video game adaptation to keep us busy. 'DOTA: Dragon's Blood' is an adaptation of 'Valve's 'DOTA 2' video game. As with many video game adaptions, there is huge lore to be discovered and only those familiar with the video games will know some terms, names, origins, etc. 

The protagonist is Davion, a dragon knight that hunts dragon with his sidekick Bram, who aides and tell stories of their exploits to towns folks(I wish Bram had more involvement in the plot, but he was just whisked away after episode one.) He could have offered a better comic relief to all the violence and intense plot going on. By the way, the plot of this anime at first felt simple but became convoluted as the episodes progress. I'll explain this in a bit.

You see, one of the common issues with adaptations like these is the fact that it throws the newer audience into an unknown world and when things start to unravel and you feel like you're catching on, then all of sudden you're thrown off balance with some lore driven introductions or twists. It's not exactly a bad thing or deal-breaker. Just that only those familiar with the original lores will be a better judge if the series does justice to the DOTA's fantasy.

Dragon's blood is eight episodes long and there are some things that occur that you might ask yourself or wonder what exactly is going on? Well, you're not alone on this. I'm also not familiar with the Lore as well, but I had fun discovering what it had to offer. While there is a lot going on in terms of storytelling it can be hard to occasionally keep up with some of the information being passed across.

Visually, the animation style looks very westernized. The colouring is bright and colourful; this doesn't stop the anime from being bloody, gory and violent.

Season one's final episode is kind of underwhelming. There was nothing epic about it. It ended with some hints for a second season, there was nothing spectacular to get my interest up to look forward to a second season. The showdown feels to an extent unbalanced with so much going on thanks to the plot's complexity. 

On a final note, 'DOTA: Dragon's Blood' has got demons, dragons, elves, ghouls, humans, etc. Name it. It's a fantasy. Be ready to take in all the mythical mumbo jumbo it throws at you because you're a newbie and just getting to know its world. You might find this series okay but confusing. If you're waiting for the next season of 'Castlevania' and 'The Witcher', 'DOTA: Dragon's Blood' is worth checking out.