Voltron: Defender Of The Universe is a classic anime from the 80s about a team of space explorers who crash onto a planet, where a Princess bestows onto them the responsibility of piloting five robot lions who combine together to form the titular awesome robot. The original series itself underwent heavy editing, rewrites, and censorship, but is still remembered fondly for its characters, giant robot, and amazing music.
There have been a few attempts to revive Voltron in the past, including The Third Dimension (a completely CGI series that brought back a few of the original voice cast) and Voltron Force (a Nickelodeon series that deserved to last a little longer than it did). While those two shows could arguably take place within the same continuity as the original, Legendary Defender is a complete reboot of the story, helmed up by the same creative team who gave us Nickelodeon's Avatar franchise (The Last Airbender and The Legend Of Korra).
The series begins with The Rise Of Voltron, which in typical adventure show fashion, would probably be a 3-part episode if it aired on TV. The series as we know it is shaken up almost immediately. While the characters' names and appearances are overall similar to the original, there are some pretty big differences. In the original, the characters' uniforms (with the exception of Pidge and Hunk) did not match the Lion they were partnered with. This was changed in the other spin-off shows. Here, it's switched up by having the Lions match the pilot's original color. Only Pidge and Hunk are piloting their original Lions. Keith, normally the standardized leader piloting the Black Lion, is now an outcast rebel piloting the Red Lion. Lance was normally the Red Lion pilot, and his rivalry with Keith remains intact, but is seen here piloting the Blue Lion. The original Blue Lion pilot, Sven, has been replaced with a similarly designed character named Shiro, the team's shell-shocked leader. He escaped from Zarkon's forces and pilots the Black Lion. It's definitely good that unlike his counterpart, he stays uninjured throughout all episodes in this first season.
As with Avatar, Legendary Defender is a great blend of comedy and drama, strengthened by its great characters and beautiful animation. Lance tries to talk the talk, but his own insecurities and attempts at ego often get in his own way. He's really the Sokka/Bolin of the team; constantly overshadowed by Keith and Shiro but still comes through in the end. Keith's personality is a departure from previous versions, following his instincts and doing what he thinks is right despite what authority figures might say. Shiro is a great departure from his original counterpart (Sven), the team leader and big brother figure. The whole team respects him and rallies behind his judgment. Hunk doesn't have his counterpart's bravery quite yet, but he's willing to face his own fears and insecurities for the good of his friends. But the biggest change comes in the form of Pidge. Still the youngest member of the team and tech expert (as other incarnations have made the character), the Green Lion pilot is now motivated by a search for a missing father and brother, and is determined to find them no matter what. There's another revelation about halfway through that really needs to be witnessed for oneself.
The first season unfortunately ends on a cliffhanger, which is always a bit irritating. Here's hoping the second season doesn't take too long to come out.
