One more thing before we get Season Two:
Helluva Boss season one had NO REASON to be the way that it is with the quality outside of the animation.
How the story was handled.
How the characters were handled.
(Take notice at Millie in the corner there.)
How the designs were handled.
How the world was handled.
Much of it was handled in either a disorganized, mishandled or outright lazy way, and the worst part is that the fandom thinks that the excuse for this is that it’s “free to watch” (when its not for most, and even then, the term “time is money” exists for a reason, so people are spending something regardless of what others say, even if it isn’t money.) that Vivziepop not putting as much effort as she should is somehow ok.
On top of that, Vivziepop (and other fans) has pretty much manipulated her own audience emotionally, telling them how the show being “free” means that they should be “grateful” for whatever they get just because the animation looks nice from their money and time, that they shouldn’t expect better from the quality of a “free” show. Giving a “be grateful for whatever you get, don’t question anything, the quality of everything else doesn’t matter since its “free” and the animation is nice, just for that, you’re “entitled” for expecting better from this creator and her talents, you don’t deserve anything better, take anything she gives you and shut up!” kind of logic to everything Vivziepop does.
The question to be asked from this is : “Why should we be “grateful” for how Helluva Boss is today? What makes this ok?”
For the animation? Because that looked the way that is because half of us paid for it with our time and money which is how she was able to hire so many artists and have it look the way that it does in the first place.
For the work? Because many indie shows put just as much, if not more, for much less of a budget with all of their content.
So why? How does the audience not deserve better? What makes you think that the creator doesn’t need to improve, let alone focus more on the quality of anything else? Why should people accept only scraps, when there’s so much better out there (writing wise) that actually tries in each area with much less support or people working on it?
How is the creator “entitled” to special treatment for everything she does, what makes her different from any other indie creator with much less support, much less people in their studio, and who work much harder in different aspects than just the animation? Because they believe that their audience deserve the best from them as human beings. Not just praising money bags but human beings who deserve the best from them, regardless if what they’re creating is “free” or not, indie or not, and care enough to do so because they truly believe that the quality of their work matters?
Life isn’t just about money, nor is art.
Just because something is “free” doesn’t mean that it gives the creator an excuse to not give their best effort, or to barely try with certain things altogether, especially since said show isnt actually free and requires money from fans in order to function. Even if it was free, does that give Vivziepop an excuse to not give her best efforts, to only fill the cup halfway, to give things bare bones, to not really… try? No, and it never did.
Take “My Pride” for example, a series with much less of a budget, is also “free” (even more so since the fandom spent much less on it since there aren’t as many fans.) on YouTube, despite that, each episode has a organized story, decent characters who grow and develop, and a genuinely interesting world that though is inspired from something else, is original enough to where it feels like it’s own thing, all of this also being “free” and from a much smaller animation studio.
Why should Vivziepop be excused for everything just because her series is “free” on YouTube?
Why should we only expect the more bare bones things from her, if many other writers and animators or indie give much more effort with their content with much less money or support? Why should we be ok with whenever she is toxic because her show is “free”, when even fanfic writers on Wattpad are shown to have more respect than her in comparison?
We shouldn’t. In fact, despite what Spindlehorse shoved down our throats after the episode 8 situation, you shouldn’t either.
A show being “free” doesnt excuse lack of efforts towards improving, a show being “free” doesn’t excuse someone treating their fandom more like money bags who “should” take everything regardless of quality, a show being “free” doesn’t excuse talking down to your audience whenever they question anything that you do, a show being “free” doesn’t excuse anything that Vivziepop does. So deny anything that you want, but that’s not going to change how season one lacked in multiple areas where it was promised to shine.
Hopefully, by some miracle, Helluva Boss will end up improving through time, Hazbin Hotel wont end up having the same issues, because right now, in combination with how the fandom and creators have been acting for the past months, unless the new writers bring something better to the table… the future isn’t looking to bright for this franchise. This being something that could easily change if the community stopped being so sour towards critique, the creator got her life together and started organizing better instead of cramming things together and stressing herself out constantly to the point where it effects the quality of her work, and things just got better for this series in general.
All that I can say is this that no matter what, no one deserves anything lackluster, even if its free such as youtube or fanfiction, or may cost within a streaming service. You deserve the best, and you always deserved the best.
