So I've been watching the Mighty Nein series, and as a big Cr2 fan, I have a few thoughts.
spoilers for both the show and the campaign below, BTW.
Firstly, I didn't like the character designs at first, but seeing them in motion, and in the context of the world, I'm warming up to them! The official art was very bright and colourful, and obviously not animation-friendly, but the animated show design should honour the brightness of the OG designs a bit more. I still have some issues with small things, like everyone having a straight/narrow nose and the same-ish eye shape, etc, etc, but that's an issue in a lot of animation as a whole, and this show is a bit better with having a variety of faces and features, at least compared to, like, Vox Machina.
However, the main characters really look like they belong in the world instead of being the main characters of that world, and with the darker tone of this series, compared to the Vax Machina series, I think the more muted designs make sense. I still think, design-wise, things could have been tweaked here and there, but overall, all the characters look good.
Secondly, I don't really like the choice to take 3 episodes to make the main characters meet each other. I understand why they did that, and I even like that choice of showing us how Nott and Caleb got close, rewriting why Beau was able to travel while technically having a whole fantasy 9-to-5, and setting up Fjord and Jester's arc and friendship a lot more explicitly. I just think, given that this is an 8-episode season, they either needed a longer season so we can get more of the group bonding (which is my favourite part of CR2) or condense the first 3 episodes into 2 episodes, so that way, we can use the rest of the season to establish the Mighty Nein as a group.
That being said, since the next few seasons are almost guaranteed, I don't take too much umbrage with this slower-paced introduction because I know that we're going to get more of the Mighty Nein later. This pacing serves to allow new viewers to meet the characters without the context of campaign 2, which is why I don't mind the Essek Reveal happening so soon, because that works better with the TV show format and how they are rewriting the story.
Not to mention we're already getting bits of the Mighty Nein dynamic early on, even though the main cast don't know each other quite yet, we already have Fjord trying to coach Beau on being a bit more sociable, Nott and Fjord's friendly rivalry, Beau and Caleb being study buddies, Molly and Jester's bond, and the way Molly influences the whole group. So I think the way things were written is pretty smart since they found a balance between a slow start while giving the established fans what they want.
Even though I had qualms with the designs and the pacing, I actually really like how this show is adapting Campaign 2, and I like this show way more than I like Vox Machina. The animation is better, the worldbuilding is more thoughtful, and I like the tone and the writing more in this series.
I don't mean to say this to call the legend of Vox Machina bad, because the tone of that series is way different, and the Critical Role cast even said that the shows are going to present their plots and the world differently. I just enjoy The Mighty Nein's approach to adapting a DnD campaign way more, and I think it was a smart move to take TMN's plot a bit more seriously. Since it's the most well-known campaign in the critical role-verse.
The adaptational changes are also really good for how they highlight stuff we missed in the OG campaign because of its improv format. which, as a Molly fan, serves me well because I'm getting the content I missed from CR2 because of his early departure.
Also, I see what people mean when they say that they have a unique/interesting approach to magic, because I LOVE how they are depicting component-based magic and every character's relationship to magic. The scenes with the Volstruckers are the most entertaining parts of the show, but I also have to give the show its flowers for how they animate Beau and her acrobatic skills. These are just some amazingly animated and choreographed fights.
We're only 5 episodes in, but this show seems promising! Honestly, not even promising, it's just good! I have a hard time finding a serious flaw because I think a lot of the choices they made, even if I disagree with them, serve a greater purpose that benefits the show as a reinterpretation of campaign 2 as opposed to a straight-up adaptation. And while I feel initial frustration when there's a massive change, it still makes me excited as a viewer, cause even though I know broadly where the show *should* be going, the amount of changes still leaves me guessing.
