The show doesn't allow the viewer to get to know the characters. The characters' reactions to unexpected and tragic things that happen around them feel absurd and alien. The side-characters introduced are unmemorable.
This all leads to the story feeling bland and almost pointless. If I don't care about the character why would I care about what happens to that character?
I like the theme and the art style but this show could be much MUCH better with some solid writing.
68 Reviews
A show that didn't know what it wanted to be.
a-boddam19 September 2020
Between the style changes (between 2D and 3D animation) throughout the series and the bad monster 3D models, it's hard to believe Capcom green light this for even the seven episodes it had.
This is a fan fiction at its worst.
Just play the game, it has a plot.
This is a fan fiction at its worst.
Just play the game, it has a plot.
Good, but forgettable
Dannyboi9419 September 2020
Dragon's Dogma the video game, was a blast to play. It has great combat, magic, and an interesting world, but sufferes from the same thing this TV adaptation has. Bland characters and story. I wasn't expecting this series to have a compelling story anyway. The entire premise is insane, yet engaging at the same time. The characters in this series have little development, and aren't every interesting to watch on screen. They aren't bad, but I felt like the show could have stretched more episodes in there, to make us feel and connect with the people we are following through this bizarre story.
It felt like Netflix was being a bit curious with the show, not giving it much attention. It could have been a fantastic show, because it shos amazing potential throughout its episodes. It's very violent, addressed serveral human issues, has stunning animation and world design, a stunning soundtrack, and a very well done opening title screen. It just needed that extra attention, to give the story more time to develop.
Maybe Netflix will add another season, and built upon the issues with season 1. But that aside, Dragon's Dogma, is entertaning, for a quick watch, but won't stick in the mind for long after its finished....but really no epic sayings like "Wolves hunt in Packs!" or "They're Masterworks all, can't go wrong!"
6/10
Almost A an 8+
chrisbrooks-1925917 September 2020
I enjoyed the storyline, the plot and how it ended BUT I didn't like the final battle they really could have done a much better job here. If the final fight would have been better, maybe even an extra episode, I would have made it an 8 to 8.5. Instead it lands at a 7. A little bit of a let down but solid overall.
Like a cheap knock off Berserk, and not even the good one.
ZEROspawn19 September 2020
The animation is awful, you can hardly even call it that, as it lacks actual animation in the show. Everything seems like it runs at a lower fps than it should or that it was made like stop animation.
The story is super generic, and really boring in the long run. And that is also how I would describe the characters in the show. I think Netflix through some nudity into it just to check if people where awake at some points.
This show really shows how lucky we are that anime was made in Japan, as the lack of imagination, skill and execution put into the western shows would have meant that this genre would have been dead years ago.
I really miss the stars on Netflix so I could have been warned how bad it was, or tell others to skip it. As it's not even worth it as a time waster, and you have to live with Netflix now constantly asking you if you want to continue, and reminding you of how you where suckered into see it in the first place.
I would have given it 1 star, but as 1 stars are not counted on IMDB it gets 2.
The story is super generic, and really boring in the long run. And that is also how I would describe the characters in the show. I think Netflix through some nudity into it just to check if people where awake at some points.
This show really shows how lucky we are that anime was made in Japan, as the lack of imagination, skill and execution put into the western shows would have meant that this genre would have been dead years ago.
I really miss the stars on Netflix so I could have been warned how bad it was, or tell others to skip it. As it's not even worth it as a time waster, and you have to live with Netflix now constantly asking you if you want to continue, and reminding you of how you where suckered into see it in the first place.
I would have given it 1 star, but as 1 stars are not counted on IMDB it gets 2.
Could've Been Worse...
DeBBss19 November 2020
As someone who's played the original game, Dragon's Dogma (2020) does a decent job as an adaptation. It takes some stuff from the game, and it adds some new things. When it comes to the screenplay, I couldn't find any glaring issues, but for some reason, the screenplay felt underwhelming.
Another issue with Dragon's Dogma (2020) was the CGI. Some anime TV shows work well with the CGI, but Dragon's Dogma's CGI was off-putting. A show like Dragon's Dogma would've looked amazing with hand drawn art, but in order to save time, they went with the CGI. And even though the CGI was unnecessary, the fight scenes were well done, and it was pretty entertaining.
Dragon's Dogma (2020) could've been a 9/10, with the proper execution, but with its disappointing screenplay and CGI art, Dragon's Dogma is 6/10. With its negatives, I would still recommend this show, because it's only 7 episodes long.
Another issue with Dragon's Dogma (2020) was the CGI. Some anime TV shows work well with the CGI, but Dragon's Dogma's CGI was off-putting. A show like Dragon's Dogma would've looked amazing with hand drawn art, but in order to save time, they went with the CGI. And even though the CGI was unnecessary, the fight scenes were well done, and it was pretty entertaining.
Dragon's Dogma (2020) could've been a 9/10, with the proper execution, but with its disappointing screenplay and CGI art, Dragon's Dogma is 6/10. With its negatives, I would still recommend this show, because it's only 7 episodes long.
An okay show at best, but not an honest adaptation.
deeppixl19 September 2020
I'll preface by saying I'm a huge fan of the game, and I cannot help but approach the show in a manner that reflects that bias.
Dragon's Dogma, the game that is, is classical kind of fantasy. Adventurer's home is besieged by a dragon, he goes on a mission to slay it and many more monsters along the way, save his love, etc. Kind of boiler plate plot wise but lifted up by some interesting characters, fantastic dialogue, cool lore, and second to none gameplay.
When I heard of the show I was... skeptical, but hopeful that they could capture the mostly upbeat action romp adventure the game was. I was disappointed in that way. Besides the titular Dragon, there were absolutely 0 characters which made it to the show from the game. The Netflix adaptation of Dragon's Dogma takes itself far too seriously. Where there were once silly asides of being paraded around in a jester's cap, there's now a protagonist fueled by rage and brooding. In all honesty Ethan seems like the sort of character a 15 year old would role play in his D&D game. I know because I did the same thing. With such little resemblance it's a wonder why it bares the same name at all, it may as well just be called "Dragon Slayer."
For a show with several seasons planned apparently it also has a serious problem of telling, not showing, it's plot to you. Ethan's tragic backstory eluded to in a couple of glimpses but is ultimately told to the audience by some unnamed kids. The show attempts to provide an ending to the first season with some kind of philosophical malarkey about 'human nature' and the various sins for which the episodes are named after, but it comes across as extraordinarily forced and just plain nonsensical.
More minor complaints include the fact than several monster's models, including the dragon itself, are not textured very well at all. In fact they may have looked better just being copied and pasted from the game itself. Lighting is lacking, and many animations are stiff and floaty, very much unlike other cg animations like Beastars.
Unfortunately it turned out to be a show based on a great story, but not capturing the spirit of it at all, and I can't imagine people seeing it as anything more than your average power-fantasy.
Dragon's Dogma, the game that is, is classical kind of fantasy. Adventurer's home is besieged by a dragon, he goes on a mission to slay it and many more monsters along the way, save his love, etc. Kind of boiler plate plot wise but lifted up by some interesting characters, fantastic dialogue, cool lore, and second to none gameplay.
When I heard of the show I was... skeptical, but hopeful that they could capture the mostly upbeat action romp adventure the game was. I was disappointed in that way. Besides the titular Dragon, there were absolutely 0 characters which made it to the show from the game. The Netflix adaptation of Dragon's Dogma takes itself far too seriously. Where there were once silly asides of being paraded around in a jester's cap, there's now a protagonist fueled by rage and brooding. In all honesty Ethan seems like the sort of character a 15 year old would role play in his D&D game. I know because I did the same thing. With such little resemblance it's a wonder why it bares the same name at all, it may as well just be called "Dragon Slayer."
For a show with several seasons planned apparently it also has a serious problem of telling, not showing, it's plot to you. Ethan's tragic backstory eluded to in a couple of glimpses but is ultimately told to the audience by some unnamed kids. The show attempts to provide an ending to the first season with some kind of philosophical malarkey about 'human nature' and the various sins for which the episodes are named after, but it comes across as extraordinarily forced and just plain nonsensical.
More minor complaints include the fact than several monster's models, including the dragon itself, are not textured very well at all. In fact they may have looked better just being copied and pasted from the game itself. Lighting is lacking, and many animations are stiff and floaty, very much unlike other cg animations like Beastars.
Unfortunately it turned out to be a show based on a great story, but not capturing the spirit of it at all, and I can't imagine people seeing it as anything more than your average power-fantasy.
Excellent if you enjoy fantasy, philosophy and moral teachings
F20Maverick20 September 2020
I thought this anime was brilliant. It was very entertaining and each episode had a moral philosophical meaning embedded within it. I found the story very profound and the overall message that if we as human beings do not operate out of love we will succumb to our desires. If we stop using our hearts and allow our worldly desires to consume us, we become the very same monsters that we detest.
Overall, it is a short entertaining anime series with a fair amount of wisdom contained within it. I definitely recommend watching it and hope there is a second series. I almost did not watch it because when I checked the reviews they were fairly low. It was good enough to warrant me making an IMDB account in order to provide it with a more respectable rating.
Overall, it is a short entertaining anime series with a fair amount of wisdom contained within it. I definitely recommend watching it and hope there is a second series. I almost did not watch it because when I checked the reviews they were fairly low. It was good enough to warrant me making an IMDB account in order to provide it with a more respectable rating.
Overall a DECENT ANIME & somewhat faithful the OG game
pait_mojo27 September 2020
+ Personally I think it's a decent story with its themes & time constraint, alongside a pretty good CG animation.
+ Art design is totally on point with the game.
+ The story & lore itself "somewhat" faithful, albeit rather simplified & shortened. This is clearly an alternate story & possibly a prequel of the game.
+ It definitely put the "dark" in fantasy for sure. Also, expect full on nudity.
+ Best fight scenes happened in one certain episode.
+ Recommended for the fans of the OG game, even though there is a possibility for mixed feelings for some.
Episode 1 hooked me
josephhall-8960817 September 2020
I haven't played any of the video games, but had this show on my radar since it was announced. I stayed up until 3am (east coast) just to watch it the second it hit Netflix. I must say, I'm hooked...the characters, the peril, the intrigue and mystery are all sucking me right in.
I will say the animation is very unique, almost like ultra-3D animation. It takes your eyes some getting used to but it's glorious once you do.
The vibe has a very Castlevania meets Attack On Titan feel to it. All good things so far. Check it out!
I will say the animation is very unique, almost like ultra-3D animation. It takes your eyes some getting used to but it's glorious once you do.
The vibe has a very Castlevania meets Attack On Titan feel to it. All good things so far. Check it out!
Castlevania mixed with Hercules
kevin_robbins14 April 2023
Dragon's Dogma (2020) is a series that my daughter and I recently watched on Netflix. The storyline follows a man whose family and town were destroyed by a dragon. When he comes face to face with the dragon, the dragon steals his heart but gives him a chance for revenge if he's up for the challenge. The man begins tracking down the dragon and faces various mythical monsters on his journey.
This series was created by Shin'ya Sugai (Shikizakura) and contains the voices of Greg Chun (Squid Games), Erica Mendez (Hunter x Hunter), David Lodge (Naruto) and Cristina Valenzuela (DuckTales).
The storyline for this series was much better than I anticipated and the ending premise reveal was clever. This had a Castlevania mixed with Hercules feel to it. The various creatures within this universe were outstanding. There's a nice blend of dragons, cyclops, skeletons, banshees and other various creatures that were well presented. The animation for the monsters are a little different from the regular storyline, it took me a moment to get used to it, but it grew on me. The characters have solid depth, not as good as some anime series, but good enough to keep your interest. The conclusion was smart and I'd definitely watch a sequel.
Overall, this is far from a classic but still worth a watch. I would score this a 7/10 and strongly recommend it.
This series was created by Shin'ya Sugai (Shikizakura) and contains the voices of Greg Chun (Squid Games), Erica Mendez (Hunter x Hunter), David Lodge (Naruto) and Cristina Valenzuela (DuckTales).
The storyline for this series was much better than I anticipated and the ending premise reveal was clever. This had a Castlevania mixed with Hercules feel to it. The various creatures within this universe were outstanding. There's a nice blend of dragons, cyclops, skeletons, banshees and other various creatures that were well presented. The animation for the monsters are a little different from the regular storyline, it took me a moment to get used to it, but it grew on me. The characters have solid depth, not as good as some anime series, but good enough to keep your interest. The conclusion was smart and I'd definitely watch a sequel.
Overall, this is far from a classic but still worth a watch. I would score this a 7/10 and strongly recommend it.
AWFUL CGI - classic story - very bad animation - slow motion power ...
Sandre-Monroe20 September 2020
Animation is very slow, like watching a movie in slow motion.
So i suppose they simply slow down the CGI to get 32 minutes per episode but render only 16 minutes. This technique is very old and used for lousy productions.
It is very lame, and you can clearly count each frame sometimes.
The story, the dialogue, the characters ... are pfffff forgettable at best.
And the most important: D.R.A.G.O.N.S Dogma DRRRAAGGGOONNNNS You know what ? It is the most horrible, awful animated, ugliest dragon i ever seen -_- How is that possible to give us something like that when you get so many incredible dragons this last years in Game of thrones or Lord of the Rings ... My god, a correct dragon in 3d cost at most 600 $ GODDAM IT and looks like Game of Throne in real time !
And the animation... sometimes it is very good! MOST of the time looks like automate. In 2020 this is very bad. The rendering (aspect, pictures) is good, but sometimes and 100% when a dragon is on screen it is very very bad. The colors do not even match the backgrounds. Seriously guys ... i can do better by myself !!
Hey NETFLIX, put your money into The old Guards II or Castlevania, but please forget this awful thing. Total waste of money for you, total waste of time for me.
BAD animated TV show.
The story, the dialogue, the characters ... are pfffff forgettable at best.
And the most important: D.R.A.G.O.N.S Dogma DRRRAAGGGOONNNNS You know what ? It is the most horrible, awful animated, ugliest dragon i ever seen -_- How is that possible to give us something like that when you get so many incredible dragons this last years in Game of thrones or Lord of the Rings ... My god, a correct dragon in 3d cost at most 600 $ GODDAM IT and looks like Game of Throne in real time !
And the animation... sometimes it is very good! MOST of the time looks like automate. In 2020 this is very bad. The rendering (aspect, pictures) is good, but sometimes and 100% when a dragon is on screen it is very very bad. The colors do not even match the backgrounds. Seriously guys ... i can do better by myself !!
Hey NETFLIX, put your money into The old Guards II or Castlevania, but please forget this awful thing. Total waste of money for you, total waste of time for me.
BAD animated TV show.
couldn't bear it
bat-speling27 September 2020
I'm not a fan of this cheap-looking 3d animation that tries to capture the marvel of 2d, but I can overlook it. I only made it through half of one episode, so I cannot judge the story, I just couldn't handle the horrible voice acting. I just had to turn it off.
Solid good fun.
raggib23 September 2020
Good story, Interesting theme, Intriguing Characters
secretchikin17 September 2020
I've only watched 2 episodes so far but I will say I'm liking this quite a bit, the main issues I have with the show is the CGI/2D mix art style, and the voices sound really bad in English so I had to change it to Japanese With subs and that issue was fixed for me, other than that I'm loving it so far.
Better than expected
rgoeckeritz19 October 2020
Many people may be turned off by the 3D-2D animation style as well as some of the English voice direction initially. I was almost turned off by it myself but I am glad I stuck with it after the first couple episodes. The writing, animation, and VO work improve significantly around the third episode. If you can stay around that long, you may be pleasantly surprised by well written character growth and some tantalizing side stories. Dragon's Dogma is short and sweet and does not outstay it's welcome. However, it may actually be too short. I appreciated the resolution but was left wanting a deeper exploration of the protagonists and just more in general. This series, as a whole, felt like a movie that was awkwardly split to lengthen it and therefore stifled it's pacing. Overall, thought provoking themes as well as some entertaining action make the show worth a quick binge.
Abhorrent inbetween some really good fight scenes.
devorect9217 September 2020
Preface: 7 out of 7 episodes watched.
Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen video game that this show is based off of never had a fantastic story. It was always ambiguous and that added to some of the atmosphere. It is interesting to try and base an anime off of the super ambiguous story that is DDDA.
While most action scenes are rather successful, the show likes to add some amount of shock value. While some shock is welcome and spices up a good story, some of these shocks seems out of place and unnecessary in an attempt to be edgy.
The aesthetic of the CGI is pretty distracting. While I can get used to the animation of the main character and pawn, the side characters are at times laughable and a major distraction from the show. A traditional 2D style of animating would have done wonders for the feel and emotional portrayals of side characters. While the CGI of the monsters remains distracting, the motion of the actions during fights does feel well enough done.
Most characters besides the pawn (Who is devoid of all emotion) tick me right off with their logic. I found myself having difficulty connecting to any of the characters or understanding any of their decisions.
TLDR: Action is good. Non-action is not good.
Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen video game that this show is based off of never had a fantastic story. It was always ambiguous and that added to some of the atmosphere. It is interesting to try and base an anime off of the super ambiguous story that is DDDA.
While most action scenes are rather successful, the show likes to add some amount of shock value. While some shock is welcome and spices up a good story, some of these shocks seems out of place and unnecessary in an attempt to be edgy.
The aesthetic of the CGI is pretty distracting. While I can get used to the animation of the main character and pawn, the side characters are at times laughable and a major distraction from the show. A traditional 2D style of animating would have done wonders for the feel and emotional portrayals of side characters. While the CGI of the monsters remains distracting, the motion of the actions during fights does feel well enough done.
Most characters besides the pawn (Who is devoid of all emotion) tick me right off with their logic. I found myself having difficulty connecting to any of the characters or understanding any of their decisions.
TLDR: Action is good. Non-action is not good.
Extremely Entertaining & Great Fun!
kiin_dovah16 May 2021
I 100% reccomend this show. It's short sweet and nice. The graphics are great, the art is beautiful, the battles are exceptional and the storyline more interesting than I expected it to be. I really hope we get a 2nd season!
the game is much better
adamsbernd17 September 2020
I was really looking forward to this title! I watched the full serie and I played the game to the end (also bitterblack isles)
They did a good job with the core mechanics really, but I missed a lot of depth in the anime. All the monsters looked super easy and the pawn/arisen was some kind of superhero. (the pawn even used multiple vocations) Also, the world looked almost nothing like the world in the game.
The story is good, I loved that they went on a quest to hunt the dragon like in the game. But they twisted the whole storyline of the game.
Really not sure if this was supposed to look like the game tbh, but I had the feeling it was.... so got disappointed.
They did a good job with the core mechanics really, but I missed a lot of depth in the anime. All the monsters looked super easy and the pawn/arisen was some kind of superhero. (the pawn even used multiple vocations) Also, the world looked almost nothing like the world in the game.
The story is good, I loved that they went on a quest to hunt the dragon like in the game. But they twisted the whole storyline of the game.
Really not sure if this was supposed to look like the game tbh, but I had the feeling it was.... so got disappointed.
Speedrun
makzbiz12 October 2020
There is no progress in this anime adaptation. Basically the hero can kill any monster with just the help of the pawn with no weapon and armor upgrade at all. I bet he could have killed the dragon even if it didnt take his heart. Everything is rushed what a disappointment.
Castlevania vibe
garcapolis25 September 2020
episode 5 lol
windowsforandroid24 September 2020
Perfect
cybergus1823 September 2020
It's alright
chrisbutler-2829718 September 2020
So much scope for improvement
toushifhaq19 September 2020
The whole series looked so promising before i watched it. Although it couldn't deliver as it potentially could have, but i liked it nevertheless. It kept me hooked throughout. With powerful characters like dragons and other monsters there are so much you could do with it.
The ending fight i felt was particularly stupid and illogically made sensational. Obviously there's no way a dragon like that could be single handedly killed by a human. They could have made a better storyline for a befitting ending atleast.
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