While watching the slowly forming Chronicles I am often disappointed since I keep comparing it to Showdown. After the latest few shows I have finally decided that Chronicles is an alternate reality from Showdown. The oringal show did so well because the characters were well defined. I know that Chase would be hard to write often as he is a bit strong and pretty much what you want for a villain, But that wasn't the case for all. Jack the easiest to write is even off in this one. There is weird references and even storylines that don't match up. Now I know there is a nice wink to the oringal story in the first episode, that seems to be forgotten now.
Now I am pretty such we all could see dragons becoming a big part in the series and even a big part in Chase's past. And I am sure none of us can argue about him falling for a dragon girl in a doom romance. But the development to his character that makes no sense to me at the very least is the addition of a brother. Chase having an older brother and wanting to beat him. No Hannibal bean, No temptation of a 'magic potion' to help you achieve your goals. Nope, none of that. Chase apparently turned even because the girl of his dreams chose his brother over him in the most confusing series of events since they make it sound like she loves him and loves his brother. Seriously? The idea of a dragon girl and chase in a doomed romance sounds good, but the execution seems bad. Very bad. What was wrong with having Chase corrupted by blindly following his ambitions. Chase wanted to be the best warrior in the world. Hannibal Roy Bean offered him soup telling him that it would help him achieve his goals, not informing him of all it would change. Where is the good guy who went down the wrong path story? The story now makes Chase seem like a whining child. Yes he is easier to relate to, but having him chose the darker path with this new story makes it seem like if your older sibling is always getting what you want, that you will be evil if you try to obtain it. Not sure what that is suppose to teach. The old lesson was good, that even good intentions can end up misguided and even the closest of friends can be sworn enemies.
Personally if I was to write a Chase love story it would have it where the dragon girl was in charge of keeping an eye on the dragons and ensuring their safety and number. She and Chase meet and fall in love. Later on she finds out chase is killing the dragons she is sworn to protect or Hannibal kills her to make her into the soup that he gives to chase. Either way she either dies or fights chase. If Hannibal doesn't kill or injure her, then she would most likely scatter the dragons and disappear feeling foolish in herself for falling for someone who did something so awful.
Now there are new characters in this series and they are so underwhelming it isn't even funny. Tiny Sim is amoung the most annoying. I mean seriously, we didn't need jack to have some tiny little brat to look up to him. Tiny is like a carbon copy of jack but without any of the charms. He's that annoying little brother that no one likes and no one wants to see. And somehow he ends up using two different shen-gong -wu that do that exact same thing. That was weird. Super cow patty was another useless character that gave no real development. Another sibling of Clay who wants to prove they are better than him. Um, seriously? Where's his sister? she was good at that, nope, it's a brother now. Like we didn't have enough boys. Even weirder is the cow shen-gong-wu in this one and the attacking with milk. Seriously milk? I was not a fan of that episode. And then there is Salvador Cumo whom I think is a failed version of Chase young. Not only was this character very vain and exceedingly weird, he didn't follow the rules of Komodo dragons, which he is said to be a humanoid one. Google them, he is nothing of the like. This episode gave way to a backstory of Raimundo which didn't fit the oringal Raimundo from Showdown. This showed Rai being a sad kid who was forced to clean up after elephants. Where in showdown he lived in a small village near a mountain and got along well and happily with his family. These new characters didn't bring much as they were either in on episode or seem to be plot devices and that's it.
Another development I will address is what is with the mixed results of the Lao Mei Long soup? Chase drank it, turned into a lizard/dragon monster became immortal (and in the oringal series his personality switched around a bit and it is hinted that when he first drank it he temporarily lost his mind.) Now Shadow drank it and she went on a spirit quest? Somehow ended up in the ying yang world (which has been renamed as something else but I can't remember) And is now suddenly good? What is going on? It is confusing enough with the green monkey mask which apparently was part of Shadow and then wasn't already, but now this? Anyone else confuse?
The other parts are What happened to Chase's egg? If Chase was removed from the universe, does that mean that dragon killed him? Will Chase come back as if the last episode never happened?
I do love Showdown. Chronicles is not Showdown. Like I said, it seems to be an alternate reality.
But just so you guys don't think I am just slamming the show. I will tell you things I do like. I like that They can get dragons to fly. I like that they still show closeness to each other. I like that Omi still fails at slang. I like jack's van. I like the fact dragons play a good role in this series. (though I personally didn't care for Rocco, he was at least good for character development and good to learn about different parts of the world in Chronicles). I like how the new temple looks for the most part. I like barky the talking freaking tree! and I like the designs for their weapons.
See not all hate, not all questions. If you have anything to say or comment or question as well be sure to comment too.
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