General Discussion

I just found out the second season of nine realms is out only four months after the first one, and it's exceeded my expectations- not only is is bad, it's almost unwatchable :/

I've loved the HTTYD series since the first movie, including the spinoff shows (which were often better written than the movies), and I love nine realms in concept, but the show is lacklustre in basically every capacity. The writing is horrifically unoriginal at best, the animation is often awkward and hard to look at, and though the cast is technically very diverse, the writing is so poor it undermines any good that does for the show. I swear not one character has a consisnent motive or personality beyond some vague stereotype.

At this point the show really reads like hate mail to the HTTYD series, I'm only still watching it because surely it can't get worse... right? And then it does.
For me this is another symptom of a disheartening trend in animated tv, so many of my favourite shows are in the exact same genre but there are so many that are just. Bad- looking at you Dragon Prince and Inside Job.

i only watched the trailer and i could already tell it may just have been the worst show i couldve ever chosen to watch

thinking about how the night fury genes on the main guys dragon are still visible after countless generations of (i assume to have been) breeding with light furies hurts my brain

dragon nine reaalms makes me vomit just thinking about it.
ive only seen the trailer and a summary and still i hate it so much
god just leave HTTYD alone
it got it's good run
now leave it be before it rots and becomes bad

Oof. The Dragon Prince may not be perfect, but it's not at all comparable to the quality (or lack thereof) of Nine Realms.

[quote name="IAmV" date="2022-06-13 10:09:10" ] Even though it is a ****-tastic show filled with horrific stereotypes and blatant racism (do NOT get me started on Jun), terrible writing, questionable animation, anthology-styled stories that make vague attempts to tie back into a cohesive plot and failing miserably, among numerous other failures... I still find myself enjoying it. I think it is purely due to the fact it allows me to turn my brain off for half an hour and completely disengage from everything around me, for which nothing else has been capable of doing. Granted I am able to tune my mind out because it is required to get any semblance of enjoyment, but the fact it even allows that much is a huge plus (for me). It is similar for my mum and dad who have also been watching it as of recent. There are also some genuinely humorous and thought-provoking moments, even if they are few and very far between. On a separate tangent: While I completely understand this is not an excuse for the aforementioned, this show is NOT aimed for the older audiences that the movies and spin-off series were. While I would never say that anything created for children should be unnecessarily simplified, we also need to understand who the show is intended for--rather than what we wish it was. Now despite stating the above, I am clueless as to how some of the more... racist aspects managed to get through the door. Edit: Grammar. [/quote] wait what what racism i knew this stuff was mind melting mush but racism? wow. h o w did execs let that slide.

[quote name="IAmV" date="2022-06-13 10:09:10" ] On a separate tangent: While I completely understand this is not an excuse for the aforementioned, this show is NOT aimed for the older audiences that the movies and spin-off series were. While I would never say that anything created for children should be unnecessarily simplified, we also need to understand who the show is intended for--rather than what we wish it was. [/quote] I'm honestly very confused who the target audience is because they do have a seperate series aimed at kids that's set in a different universe, and one of the dragon species is pulled directly from that show (which... don't get me started on that, they're set in different universes I- ??) But overall nine realms pulls way more cues from the main series, especially race to the edge- they have several dragon species pulled straight from there and a whole character that pulls heavily from one of the main antagonists of the series [img]https://i.imgur.com/M1Txgp3.png[/img] Bad image I made to demonstrate the point but like... why do they even have a rasorwhip here like. The most interesting thing it does is make a fire tornado which isn't a power it has in Race to the edge- but another dragon species is [u]famous[/u] for (Typhoomerangs). They literally just put it in to say woah look! It's Heather's dragon! You know Heather, fan favourite character? Wow it's her dragon- it's here! Like [emoji=tundra deadpan size=1] I won't even start on the fact that all these dragons are exactly 1:1 copies of the ones that lived supposedly millions of years ago or whatever, apparently nightlights have become a whole species in that time but razorwhips and terrible terrors haven't evolved at all ¯\_(?)_/¯ Overall, the show takes way more cues from the movies (with [u]multiple[/u] scenes in the first season being direct rip offs from them) and the series as a whole reads very much as the successor to the race to the edge series- both of which are aimed at like more mature audiences. Hell, nine realms has a higher age rating than race to the edge. If this was a show for children it could've been way more in line with the rescue riders series. On top of that, one of the main creators (who has been behind a lot of the httyd series) has said in interviews that he wants nine realms to have the same feel for fans as the main series did- this show is supposedly for us. And, regardless of that, being a show for younger audiences is no excuse for terrible writing. [quote name="IAmV" date="2022-06-13 10:09:10" ] Now despite stating the above, I am clueless as to how some of the more... racist aspects managed to get through the door. [/quote] And yep, there's a lot of weird racism. They have a really diverse cast but that's where the positives end. Yay black disabled woman who gets about 3 minutes of screen time. Wooo poc lesbian couple who are great moms and have no bearing on the plot whatsoever. [emoji=tundra deadpan size=1] There's one scene in season two with a black side character where they... straight up used the wrong model. He is white for like a full minute. Granted that's more of an animation error, apparently to do with lighting, but it says a lot that a [i]major[/i] issue like that got through unnoticed. Also, yeah all of Jun's character is... wow. I'm not Asian so I can't comment a ton but the fact that her dragon is so out of place, but no one comments on it, literally the only eastern style dragon that has ever been in the show... that one episode where they actually try to get her to talk about her heritage but she's spent so long talking nonsense it feels like it should be another joke... it's [i]bad[/i] Also the fact they made D'Angelo obsessed with the army feels... wrong. Like, making his dad a bodyguard was already playing into a stereotype, but after recent events it just feels... really on the nose, you know? They might as well have made him a cop Not to mention D'Angelo's dragon being so big and tubby- why couldn't they give him a sleek, fast dragon so he can compare it to flying a plane in the air force or whatever- like he's constantly making references to? (side note: I know absolutely nothing about the army I'm probably mixing up some details, sorry) Also as an autistic person Alex's character feels offensive in like 7 different ways but also relatable in 3 so... I'm letting it slide..... -_- for now.. Edit: wow sorry this is so long... it will happen again I have so much to say about this show.

the nine realms is a horrifying **** fest of absolute garbage. I totally legally watched the first ep after hearing how bad it was ... oh my god its so bad. Its so so so much worse. It throws out all common sense out of the window, and the animation... dont get me started on the animation.

As a 3d artist, the models are lazy. They are poorly made, which makes it even worse seeing them animated like ROBOTS. All the incredible lighting, shading, rendering, and animation that was present in the previous movies is GONE. I think it truly starts with A) not enough polygons in the models to make the animation smoother and B) atrocious editing that couldnt save this show in a million years.

Do not get me started on the characters. theyre all terrible except for that one girl with the dragon that can turn invisible (even thats a stretch, shes not terrible but not great by any means either.)

do not watch this awful series. spare yourself.

I had hopes, I really did. the concept sounded dumb, but dumb concepts have worked before, and I kinda hoped it would be similar to Trollhunters before it to got terrible. but no. it was just what I thought it would be.
also inside job is one of my favorite shows so it's funny that's it's as bad this show to you lol. not mad or anything I just find the differing opinons interesting!

[quote name="End0scrypt" date="2022-06-13 18:02:06" ] As a 3d artist, the models are lazy. They are poorly made, which makes it even worse seeing them animated like ROBOTS. [/quote] [size=2]Oh haha we have the same name. Twinsies :D[/size] @End0scrypt I don't know a ton about 3d animation in particular but I've done some basic art studies of birds and stuff and how flying works which is [i]apparently more than the animators did[/i] because every flying animation in the show is horrendous. It's largely just wings go straight up and down which [url=https://lesterbanks.com/lxb_metal/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/htmyd_fig02.jpg]isn't how wings work[/url]! Real flying animals move their wings in a circular, almost scoop-like motion- not up and down! I'm super mad about this from a httyd series particularly because the flying animations in the main series are impeccable, hell [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rHP-3rwUHU]this clip[/url] I found from the baby show has better wing animation and more dynamic shots than [i]anything[/i] in nine realms. [quote name="End0scrypt" date="2022-06-13 18:02:06" ] Do not get me started on the characters. theyre all terrible except for that one girl with the dragon that can turn invisible (even thats a stretch, shes not terrible but not great by any means either.)[/quote] Also yep Alex is the only decently written character, but only in that she has a more consistent personality (read- any personality) compared to the rest of the main group. Most of that is just heavy autism coding- she barely speaks until she feels comfortable around people, except for about her special interest, technology, and she also has agoraphobia (fear of going outside) from a traumatic event- it's a shame that most of this is only included to play up for laughs, or as a plot device. It feels really bad for me as an autistic person who's sometimes non-verbal that they so frequently made jokes about Alex being 'mute'. That combined with them making jokes about Jun's .. mother? aunt? I forget the relation but the lady seems to have some form of dwarfism and is only there to be laughed at. Including a black woman in a wheelchair as a side character does not give you enough diversity points to repeatedly be ableist! Alex does get a few good, really insightful moments to be fair, like when she opens up about her agoraphobia, but the fact they immediately go back to only mentioning it as the butt of the joke really detracts from that.

[quote name="Zenzic" date="2022-06-13 11:02:56" ] Oof. The Dragon Prince may not be perfect, but it's not at all comparable to the quality (or lack thereof) of Nine Realms. [/quote] [quote name="Strangeflesh" date="2022-06-13 19:42:53" ] also inside job is one of my favorite shows so it's funny that's it's as bad this show to you lol. not mad or anything I just find the differing opinons interesting! [/quote] I didn't make it clear enough above but I don't think nine realms is on the same level as dragon prince or inside job, it's definitely way, way worse- they're just all shows that I literally had to stop watching halfway through because the experience was excruciating for me. Dragon prince has great animation and design but the plot was hard to chew and there were way too many characters they assigned to marginalised groups for no reason, it's great to see some diversity but if it's only there for the brownie points and not as just another unique trait of an already interesting character then it's probably better off not there at all. And I really wanted to love inside job, and I can see why a lot of people do, but it's horrifically unoriginal in the story, the characters and even the art style. It reads like an amalgamation of every popular animated show, just didn't do anything unique for me. There were some huge jumps in character development too that did not make sense, and while I got a few laughs most of the jokes just fell flat to me despite it being the line of humour I usually love. Even given all these flaws though nine realms is still the worst of the bunch, it really has no redeeming qualities besides [i]technically[/i] (despite the plot holes) being part of httyd cannon, even as much as I wish it wasn't.