Voltron blah blah blah

Trivia + Drawing + Chogokin and Toy Collecting I'm Thayo. This is my blog dedicated to Golion, Dairugger, and Voltron: Legendary Defender. I info dump about Voltron history and trivia which is 35 years rich of messiness as both an animated property and a toy. I'm critical of lots of things. Please read my info page before following. →my art tag "Kurojishi yo"/"Oh Black Lion" is a song used in the original anime Voltron is based on.

[kurojishiyo]

I know I haven’t touched this blog for a long time, but

I’m actually writing a retrospective essay about a brief history of the Voltron franchise, and how despite Voltron being a pop culture icon, it has constantly been burdened with mistakes and shortcomings since day one.

[kurojishiyo]

LOL HI GUYS i decided to finish watching vld from the beginning so like

my thoughts below so far, I just stopped at the start of season 1

the character designs are legitimately really good. I know I and others make fun of the pointy chins, but the updated character designs are actually really well made. this is an opinion also held by japanese fans who vaguely know about the original anime

I also just noticed how prevalent the jokes about food and weight at Hunk’s expense really is. We all complained about season 2 really taking it far, but it was kind of always there since the beginning. I think we just tolerated it a bit more in the first season because of Hunk’s role in the balmera arc

Lance’s comments on other women is genuinely uncomfortable now especially now that the series is over and I know the gist of how things go.

Keith’s impulsiveness and recklessness is also something that I’m just ??? that the other team members don’t really point out. And yes I know he gets confronted about it in later seasons, it’s just jarring that it takes that long for that to happen

Pidge also gets a lot of focus which is why she was so compelling when this was released... but now I’m just thinking about all the odd things she does because of this. yes, she’s a genius but it’s also hard for me to believe that even with her intellect, determination, and the green lion, that she would genuinely believe that she can just find her dad and brother on her own without the other paladins

Anyway not for bullet points. I fully understand why people made SO MANY comparisons to ATLA when the series was ongoing. There are so many surface level parallels that kinda tricked people into believing that it’ll have the same outcomes as ATLA. You have the war, genocide, allura and coran being missing for a long long time, the visual similarities, etc

I completely understand why people made the comparisons. I also stated before that building your expectations for vld based on what happens in atla is just setting yourself up for disappointment because all the similarities is kinda top layer if I put it that way.

[kurojishiyo]

part of me wants to write this personal essay on how i genuinely believe that voltron

as a franchise

is actually defined by its mistakes and that VLD was just the inevitable

[kurojishiyo]

so you know how toei created the original two anime...

And that the current owners of Voltron (WEP and by extension DreamWorks) got in multiple disputes with them over the ownership and they supposedly got the rights resolved…

I mentioned earlier that to hype up the new SOC, Bandai is uploading the entirety of Dairugger to rekindle interest…. Except it seems that a few episodes were taken down all with a notice saying that it contains material owned by Toei.

I know a lot of you don’t care about Dairugger, that’s fine, but I think it’s concerning that Toei is yet again doing something the shows thatvhey might still have some stakes in the Voltron franchise… Of course I doubt that would include anything involving VLD, but who knows

[kurojishiyo]

Guys this is important… Voltron is a franchise cursed with legal battles over it’s ownership. I’m not a lawyer but I wouldn’t say that there isn’t a possibility that this might reveal a shaky foundation for VLD. And also, Japanese viewers who didn’t grow up with Dairugger have been watching it on YouTube thanks to Bandai, and they’re enjoying it. People are actually talking about Dairugger because they decided to upload a series free of charge. Before this, the only legal way to watch Dairugger was through it’s DVDs which have gone up in price. Just… This is something to pay attention to if you still love Voltron…

[kurojishiyo]

It makes me wonder if there is something in there that was setting off youtube's autoflagging, which is.. bizarre? Especially for an anime that old and for something that supposedly has its rights settled more than ten years ago.

[kurojishiyo]

so you know how toei created the original two anime...

And that the current owners of Voltron (WEP and by extension DreamWorks) got in multiple disputes with them over the ownership and they supposedly got the rights resolved…

I mentioned earlier that to hype up the new SOC, Bandai is uploading the entirety of Dairugger to rekindle interest…. Except it seems that a few episodes were taken down all with a notice saying that it contains material owned by Toei.

I know a lot of you don’t care about Dairugger, that’s fine, but I think it’s concerning that Toei is yet again doing something the shows thatvhey might still have some stakes in the Voltron franchise… Of course I doubt that would include anything involving VLD, but who knows

[kurojishiyo]

Guys this is important... Voltron is a franchise cursed with legal battles over it's ownership. I'm not a lawyer but I wouldn't say that there isn't a possibility that this might reveal a shaky foundation for VLD. And also, Japanese viewers who didn't grow up with Dairugger have been watching it on YouTube thanks to Bandai, and they're enjoying it. People are actually talking about Dairugger because they decided to upload a series free of charge. Before this, the only legal way to watch Dairugger was through it's DVDs which have gone up in price. Just... This is something to pay attention to if you still love Voltron...

edit: will check to see if this will be resolved soon, because it would be interesting to see if this somehow was all because of YouTube's autoflagging system. And that means that somehow there is something in this dairugger footage that made the autoflagging go off despite its rights being r solved ten years ago

[kurojishiyo]

so you know how toei created the original two anime...

And that the current owners of Voltron (WEP and by extension DreamWorks) got in multiple disputes with them over the ownership and they supposedly got the rights resolved...

I mentioned earlier that to hype up the new SOC, Bandai is uploading the entirety of Dairugger to rekindle interest.... Except it seems that a few episodes were taken down all with a notice saying that it contains material owned by Toei.

I know a lot of you don't care about Dairugger, that's fine, but I think it's concerning that Toei is yet again doing something the shows thatvhey might still have some stakes in the Voltron franchise... Of course I doubt that would include anything involving VLD, but who knows

edit: will check to see if this will be resolved soon, because it would be interesting to see if this somehow was all because of YouTube's autoflagging system. And that means that somehow there is something in this dairugger footage that made the autoflagging go off despite its rights being r solved ten years ago

[kurojishiyo]

I might have to finish Third Dimension if I want to make a very basic flow chart for “Which Volty Series Should You Watch”

But then that would mean watching DOTU

And then I’m like “I don’t see any possible way for me to genuinely recommend that especially to people my age or younger”

[kurojishiyo]

Here’s a sorta quick draft, which I might make into something fancy when, if at all, I finish VTTD

Beast King Golion (1981)

The original that the majority of the series is based off of. There are a few episodes where the gore is ridiculously graphic and even have on screen sexual assault (I’ll list this later, this post is a draft) but for the most part it’s a fun kids anime with cute moments. There are a good chunk of “filler” episodes that you can just play in the bg while working on other things.

Watch on CrunchyRoll

Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (1982)

The neglected part of the franchise, but great in its own right and also the source of the Galaxy Garrison. It’s basically Toei experimenting with some real robot genre stuff. Focuses more on space exploration and morally grey villains. It’s what I wish VLD was more like. Lots of talking talking talking. Unlike Golion, you actually have to watch every episode with subtitles to understand what’s going on. There are legitimately too many characters tho outside of the main pilots. Also fantastic music.

Watch on Youtube (currently being uploaded by Bandai Spirits)

Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984)

The American localization of both anime above plus 20 special episodes made specifically for this series. Consistency was not the biggest concern for 80s toy series. Has a lot of hilarious moments, and the 20 DOTU-only episodes introduces Merla who is an actual delight on screen.

Watch on Youtube (Golion localization + 20 DOTU-only episodes)

Voltron: The Third Dimension (1998)

under construction but a fully 3D animated Voltron, and also proudly boasts itself as the most American CG cartoon etc etc paste more here

Not sure if this is available officially online in full, might be on amazon tho idk

Voltron Force (2011)

This is the Voltron that is cursed with bad luck. A pseudo sequel to DOTU, it introduces three cadets that are trained to be the new pilots of the lions. IMO, it has the best on screen relationship dynamic with all the main cast. Animation style is the easiest thing to dismiss, but understandable when you consider the fact that it’s a toy commercial made for toys that don’t exist (read: they don’t have a big budget) and only lasted a single season.

Watch on Youtube (idk why but WEP’s youtube is a fucking mess and there are multiple uploads)

[kurojishiyo]

I might have to finish Third Dimension if I want to make a very basic flow chart for “Which Volty Series Should You Watch”

But then that would mean watching DOTU

And then I’m like “I don’t see any possible way for me to genuinely recommend that especially to people my age or younger”

[kurojishiyo]

deadaccount-197 replied to your post “Decided that I missed Voltron now that Dairugger is getting love so...”

The cg always made me laugh but yeah I actually enjoy the kid characters n idk just think it’s not that bad of a show? Most people have only heard of VLD tho, this girl I knew who was a big fan hadn’t the slightest clue that the show was originally from the 80’s

Tbh I think the show’s art style is the easiest reason why a lot of people dismiss it. And to be fair, that is understandable since it’s art style did look weird with how they juxtapose the characters on lineless/empty backgrounds and that the show was clearly on a budget at the end of the series.

IDK, I think I only started to mellow out on my own hesitation to watch VF was when I read that a lot of shit happened with multiple partnerships with the Voltron brand either backed out or straight up got defunct and that explains a lot about the low budget towards the end of the series. And bc of that it only made me see that there was clearly a lot of passion behind the scenes to at least finish the only season.

Then again, I’m used to kids anime that use CG mixed with 2D, which also makes me tolerate kid characters more.

[kurojishiyo]

Decided that I missed Voltron now that Dairugger is getting love so I’m also rewatching Voltron Force

[kurojishiyo]

A few episodes in and there’s a nice since of comfort I get from it that I really didn’t get from VLD. And yeah I watched the entire series before, so I know what happens, but it’s really unfortunate that a lot of people didn’t like the new kids characters a lot. When they’re great, I’d argue that it’s really the last few episodes that they irritate me because they get away with some pretty dangerous stuff but ah well. We know the story. It got cancelled. A few nitpicks though.

the split screens bc yeah the rights moments use them correctly, but there are a lot, and I mean A LOT of times where it feels awkward. Mixed with the animation style and CG, it gets jarring.

[kurojishiyo]

Decided that I missed Voltron now that Dairugger is getting love so I'm also rewatching Voltron Force

[kurojishiyo]

nomadicism replied to your photoset “So what’s basically my birthday present arrived on Halloween and the…”

Congrats! My Dairugger XV hasn’t arrived yet and I’m starting to get anxious!

I got mine from amiami, so mine didn’t come with a sleeve. I know a local place that sells SOC in my city is gonna get the one with the slip cover.

[nomadicism]

I pre-ordered through Nippon Yasan. Never ordered through before, but they responded quickly to my inquiry yesterday. They haven’t got all the stock in yet, which has caused a delay. Any other pre-order I wouldn’t be sweating, but I’ve been waiting years for there to be an SoC Dairugger. I’m feeling better about now. I don’t know if mine will have a sleeve or not. :-)

[kurojishiyo]

Just for a heads up, Nippon Yasan has been having some rather unpleasant service lately. I’ve ordered from them before with EMS. The first time was in 2018 and they were fast with shipping it out, but I think things changed when they had their huge sale earlier this year. Just last month I ordered from them and they took a really long time to prepare their order despite other Japanese retailers getting their stock.

Even other regular figure collectors have been talking about disappointing services from them.

[kurojishiyo]

nomadicism replied to your photoset “So what’s basically my birthday present arrived on Halloween and the...”

Congrats! My Dairugger XV hasn’t arrived yet and I’m starting to get anxious!

I got mine from amiami, so mine didn’t come with a sleeve. I know a local place that sells SOC in my city is gonna get the one with the slip cover.

[kurojishiyo]

It feels great to a be Dairugger stan rn especially watching JP twitter experience Dairugger /legally/ thanks to Bandai

[kurojishiyo]

@ vld fans who still want more voltron

Voltron Force is legally available on Youtube via WEP’s account and Golion is on Crunchy Roll. Bandai is in the process of uploading all of Dairugger, and yeah most of the Voltron franchise neglects its existence, it is the source of where the Galaxy Garrison originated from so yeah!!! They’re old and don’t have animation as polished as VLD, but give them a shot if you have the time.

[kurojishiyo]

So what’s basically my birthday present arrived on Halloween and the wait was worth it. Glad that Bandai is enjoying its Voltron license. Not sure if they’ll give VLD the same treatment, but for now, I look forward to Bandai making Dairugger stuff after such a long time since its original toy.

Lately I’ve been hearing about some unpleasant QC from SOC with the latest releases, but Dairugger doesn’t have problems that bad. My only complaint rn is the left shoulder ratchet on Rugger 4 being too soft. I did see a user on twitter with a really bad shoulder ratchet that’s extremely floppy. Kinda like Gaogaigar’s shoulder being weighed down.

[kurojishiyo]

Hi there. Just updating that Bandai Spirits is actually uploading the entirety of Dairugger with English captions in higher quality, so you don’t need to resort to illegal sites or shill out hundreds to buy the DVDs from scalpers.

Although Voltron nowadays doesn’t take a lot from Dairugger, and really the only thing that survives from it is the Galaxy Garrison, I do urge you to at least check out the other series that made Voltron possible.

Don’t be turned off from the size of the cast, they really only focus on 8 of the 15 team members. Since many of you are more familiar with VLD, I think you can appreciate that Diarugger emphasized more on space exploration and morally grey antagonists which Golion lacks.