Okay, Ascension…
Let’s discuss this. This is kind of a long ramble so bear with me.
First off, I wouldn’t say it’s bad, because it really isn’t. Is it on the same level as before? Definitely not, but think about it. It’s been an amount of YEARS since Into the Shadows, so those who’ve worked on Slugterra before aren’t going to drop what they’re doing right now to work on Ascension. Thus, with a new crew and possibly new tech involved, there’s going to be some changes.
The voice acting might take some getting used to, but I only found it off-putting for like 5 seconds. That said, I think Eli’s voice is the strongest here. His new voice actor, even with a slightly deeper voice, does pull it off. I just wish I can give this voice actor a name, because they don’t specify the roles (and just give a small ass list of names in the credits.) The weakest voice I found, however, was Locke and Load. The voice actor gave it his best, I’ll give him that, but the accent seemed…detached. I don’t care that much, since Locke and Load are usually side characters to the bigger story outside of the one or two episodes that focuses on them. They’re just my least favorite of the bunch.
The plot itself, so far, is alright. Despite the criminally short runtime (which is not their fault) how they managed to get the point across in the manner it did was actually impressive, now that I think about it. Eli and Trixie’s interactions were actually quite sweet, and not out of character for them. Locke and Load (despite horrible accents) do what they do best. However, we then come to Dr. Blakk…who is no longer physically corrupted? (I have some theories on that I’m not discussing here). Regardless, I see this as two sides of a coin. On one side, can see why people were…unsettled by this. This character, while beloved by most, has outstayed his welcome. He had his character arcs, he doesn’t need another one. That said, and this brings me to other side of the coin, this gives me some hope personally. If Dr. Blakk can come back from the Deep Caverns, then so can another character that actually deserves it: Will Shane…Will. Freaking. Shane. If any character should come back from the Deep Caverns, it should be him. (Maybe this is in relation why this is called “Ascension”.)
Now, for the art quality. It’s actually pretty phenomenal considering what they have to work with. It can get slightly awkward at times, but it’s actually pretty smooth. My only gripe is the lighting. Not all of it is bad, but for the characters themselves…they need some shadows. Does it have to be like it was before? No. Will it give a bit more definition? Absolutely. Other than that, it’s pretty strong quality.
My closing thoughts: I will miss the show how it used to be, but this doesn’t imply that Ascension should be ignored. While it has a name to live up to, they have already shown strengths. But again, we still must recognize that Ascension is being produced under different circumstances then what came before it, so things are bound to change. So, for now, let’s just see where this goes.
