The Legend of Vox Machina REVIEW 

I remember reading somewhere that the fight with Orthax was similar to the struggle Taliesin (Percy's VA) had with depression so seeing it on screen was phenomonal for me in that extra level.

Taliesin Jaffe has said that when he made Percy and Orthax, he left it up to Matt as to whether or not Orthax was actually real or not. It could have been that it really was just Percy's inner demons and not an actual entity separate from him.

Seeing Percy's posession as a struggle with depression really made that line, "I don't know what else to do!" hit me close to home. Recent battles and such. Never realised how much it meant while I was watching

Grogs new sword is called Craven edge, Skingorger is Yasha's sword

All of Vax's daggers teleport as it's his skill, not innate to the daggers. He has 3, shown hitting the dragon. That's why he says "dagger dagger dagger" in Gilmore's. It's an Easter egg for the fans.

Btw, Critter, I heard Season 2 got greenlit. Sidenote, Grog is my favorite, and I'm low-key disappointed that Scanlan's solo mansion romp underplayed his cunning gnomely ways, but I still had fun

Slight correction: Scanlans potions are from the hoard in episode 2 - he grabs the potions, the scroll and the troll member when he slips and loses almost all his loot on the way out. generally, I agree with your assessment of Scanlan. I think they're building up to Scanlan getting more and more competent and helpful in season 2, which could be an excellent source of conflict if the group fails to acknowledge his progress and importance (which was also hinted at in the Scanbo episode). Now... to which legendary moment could such a development possibly lead? hmm...

Vex has Spidey Sense, thank you for that. Before Twiins’ stream I actually didn’t know this show was based on anything. I had heard of critical role but I just thought this was the D&D show I was waiting for. From all the trailers it looked like it had the spirit of a D&D campaign with original characters that fit all the archetypes the game is known for. My dad and I really enjoyed this show as casual D&D fans, and I can’t wait for Season 2.

I thought Vex's development is her own panic over having her most important person starting to rely on people other than herself. She and Vax had been the only two they could rely on for years, and she's now being forced to face the fact that he has other important people too. She's also starting to open up, especially to Percy, who she has some double standards toward in the show so far compared to say, how she treats Keyleth as the main threat between her and Vax. I also think the damsel thing is going to be set up for his later arc, and I feel like a lot of his other abilities are going to be gradually added in, just from the vibe I've been getting to add to his frustration. At the end you started seeing him cast some more spells, and it's a lot harder to set up all the spells and stuff up front I think with so much else going on, so I think they're going to save some big development next season. He's starting out it seems the way Sam said he made him as, as one of the worst most annoying characters, and then blindsiding everyone as it goes along.

The animation style is really reminiscent of the Netflix Castlevania show. I'm not a previous fan of the source material but I might dabble in it after seeing this~

As someone who has never watched Critical Role nor played DnD, I loved the show but always wondered how these events went down in real life, like there was something else to this story progression

I’m okay with the beads joke, but that’s mainly because of Kiki’s reaction.

That's something that I hate about most "adult" cartoons. For some reason every single one of them has to have this art style that looks like a 5 year old drew it, and every single line of dialogue is an "adult joke" referencing to something from the 1700s that doesn't exist anymore. In The Legend of Vox Machina, not only do the characters have actual personalities, there's actual dailogue about the story and plot, and although there's a lot of mature jokes, that's not the only thing anyone is ever talking about (excluding Scanlan). As an adult cartoon, this is the only one that actually feels like it was meant for real adults to watch. Just saying, that if a cartoon meant for kids (The Amazing World of Gumball, The Incredibles, etc) can do better at being for adults than you, then you've kinda failed at your job.

Oh my goddddddd I didn’t realize it’d be an hour long but I’m here for it Edit: Also I highly recommend watching the CR watch parties they did for each batch of episodes if you haven't already. They offer lots of insight on the process they went through designing everything and the decisions they made

I think the reason you don’t remember Archie is because they completely changed his original character from an old philosopher and chancellor to a rebel leader and Percy’s childhood best friend, which in my opinion was a great idea and was executed very well

this is what happens when passion is put into a project not just money

I imagine another reason the whole Craghammer arc is missing is because it's centered on two monsters that D&D considers Product Identity. Vox Machina is D&D with the numbers filed off, and Mindflayers and Beholders are two big numbers in that regard.

With season 2 green lit, I'm excited to see how we move forward with adapting the rest of campaign 1. I really hope we eventually get an animated version of "Let's start with courage."

I actually kinda like that Delilah looks similar to Vex as a fan of campaign 3, it actually feels like really good visual foreshadowing with her connection to a certain other character.

So happy you started this off with the best iteration of "we play dungeons and dragooooons!"

Arcane cost 10 times more than Vox Machina. The Critical Role team did an unbelievable job with such a tiny budget.

This show has filled the void left in my life without the castlevania show

As a CR fan who hasn’t watched campaign 1 yet, I did enjoy this series quite a bit. I love Keyleth and Percy the most so far, although I am pretty biased since Marisha and Tal are some of my favorites out of the players

I think the dragon lance in Gilmore's was actually a small Easter Egg reference to the fact that many of the CR players, including Matt, were huge fans of the Dragon Lance books. One more topic I would have added was the music. Neal Acree did an amazing job, and there really were no limits to the musical styles used. Think of the dragon fight in e2, and Keyleth's big moments in e11. Two big, dramatic fights, but very, very different musical support. Re-watching the series and paying attention to the music finds all kinds of amazing musical moments. And then the music over the end credits in e5. Masterful.

By the time I was interested in CR, campaign 1 had been completed for a few months and campaign 2 was on the way, so I simply read up on what happened and started with the second (which, overall, I like a lot more than the first). This show is, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy Vox Machina’s story if you don’t have much time to watch the DND sessions or money to spend on books, and I’m really happy I’m enjoying it more than I did trying to watch C1.

So with Vax, the dagger isn't actually the source of the teleport back to his hand. He has a belt that allows him to summon ANY dagger he throws back to his belt (though to keep combat flowing, they let him summon it to his hand). The daggers he has at this stage are the Flame Tongue dagger (which is the one which ignites) and the Venom dagger (which is never used in the show, from what we see, but injects poison into the victim)

Wow! I'd never seen that concept animation before! I think getting Phil Burisma on board for character design, in a chance encounter on a plane by Travis Willingham, was HUGE.

my introduction to critical role as a whole was this show. I started watching it when the 8th episode came out. since then I'm now 81 episodes into campaign 2 and have started playing dnd myself. proud critter.

The reason the 3D stands out a hell of a lot, is actually really because it's not in the same frame rate as the animation. There is also the fact there is more depth. You need to flatten the models a bit, as you can see the curves to everything.

I remember watching the episodes of vox machina Then i heard Dalila talk i was like "You're family..That voice is familiar " It took me a bit but then i swear i let out the loudest gasp and said"Azula!" ever since ive loved her character I love evil girls idk why though

Never heard anyone refer to the briarwood arc as the whitestone arc. Matt needs to voice Viktor, period. No one else would do it justice. Skingorger was one of Yasha's swords, Sylas' sword is called Kraven Edge. Archi was an old man and former steward for the de rolos in the original campaign and didnt play nearly as large of a part in the story, they switched him up to be a more interesting npc for the cartoon. Also after the kickstarter became known to the public amazon wanted the show on thier platform and fronted the money for season 2.

I agree with you that they did simplify scanlan a tad to much for me and wish they had him have more spells in that fight with the potion. My only hope is that in future season we see him gain those iconic abilities and they are obviously gearing up his character development with his insecurities and when he drops the facade for those split moments.

The audio at the end is amazing. Also now that i think about it, they really did under sut schanlan. But i think they're going to flesh him out in season 2, that is, if they bring in someone

Whenever someone asks how dnd romances should go I usually point to crit role. They tend to do very well with pacing and romances in general. Also Trinket is criminally underused in Vox Machina

The short giggles you leave in the video always crack me up. Cool to take a break from RWBY

Didn't know about critical role and never played D&D, just saw a YT short from the first scene of episode 1 and I've been in love ever since. Now I'm halfway through season 2. Shows a fricking banger. ❤

I got a odd feeling from Vex. Despite being the “mom,” of the group, she also seems to be the first one to want to abandon ship if she feels things get too deep but still bring her brother along with her. Not just in her being a roadblock to Vax, and Keyleth’s relationship, but also commenting on how it be easier for just them to make it out as opposed to bringing the group along when there fighting the blue dragon.

Also my roommate who played d&d some 30 years ago one time and can barely work a computer kept wanting to watch, jokingly saying "how dare you make me watch such a terrible show!" He wants to get back into the game now.

looking forward to your season 2 review, now that it's released!

This was a very pleasant surprise! I’ve always wanted to get into CR but was super intimidated by episode length, not so much count. Having this as an entry way got me instantly hooked. Now I’m going back to the actual way and making my way through! I’m on like episode 5/6 of the campaign and enjoying the character dynamics.

If Trinket didn't get completely forgotten and sidelined, he just wouldn't be Trinket. Maybe it'll be different when the necklace comes into play.

This show was a fun watch I can't wait for more

I adored the show and it convinced me to finally delve into the campaign. I'm nearly done with campaign 1 now, and I have to say, I thought they adapted it really well. I felt like the changes made were necessary and worked better for a shorter run time, considering not everything translates well and not everything can be included.

Critter reviewing Vox Machina?? YEEEEEEEEEEES

From what I heard, the animation team had difficult time animating animals which is why Trinket was left out.

I'm pretty sure the "rap part" of the introduction song is a nod to Sam saying Scanlan's backstory is the same as 8 mile

I discovered Critical Role back in 2020,watched Campaign 2,currently up to date with Campaign 3,never watched Campaign 1 cause I wanted to watch this show blind! I'm glad you liked it,I liked it too! And I hope many people can enjoy it as well,I'm very excited for season 2 and maybe they'll animated Mighty Nein too! There's tons of potential for the future.

Great summary , I watched it and your summary is on point on both the story and on the description of the characters and their psyche. I even learned where it all started. Well done !!!

Great timing because I literally just finished watching this show lol. I don’t watch CR, but the friend who showed me this is a huge fan and would excitedly fill me in on the easter eggs. I think that helped a lot. I’m also really into D&D and have played for years. LOVED the show a lot I’m not a fan of romance plots either, but at least it wasn’t a HUGE part of the season.

i found it funny that while you said vax only had two daggers you show a scene of him using 3 daggers. also I believe that both daggers can teleport back since it's an effect of a belt he wears called a blinkback belt. also the potions scanlan used he stole from the dragonhoard and they were mentioned in his planning to free archibald

Another great review! I was skeptical about this show at first, but now I’m really interested in watching it!

The Lance of Dragon Slaying was actually a reference to an old D&D setting called Dragonlance. The setting revolved around conflicts between the gods, and how it effects the world, the dragons which are the the servants of the gods, and the magical Dragonlances that were a gift from the gods of good to the mortal races to defeat the evil dragons.

34:52 The skin gorger is Yasha's sword from c2 Grog's cursed sword is craven edge :)

I'm super excited for more grog moments in season 2!

Trinkets absence is sue to animation difficulty as well as not being the most pivotal aspect of the encounters. once they get the necklace from later in the campaign it should be easier to include him on a case by case basis from when there were larger plot points backstory reveals and abilities he and vex developed

s1 is a great start, i also wish the gross out humor was reduced, but overall my biggest issue with it is that it runs into the same issues as marvel shows do: 1. Pike's and Keyleth's magic being mostly reduced to wave your hands, shout, and add glow effects. 2. A lot of jokes immediately follow a dramatic note. Such as the vax & keyleth romance.

Also, Pathfinder was the game Taliesin Jaffe was playing just before this D&D campaign and subsequent animated series.

I had no idea TLOVM has comic books already, I'll check those out. Great series, awesome review.

Love the last bit of the video! Fantastic work.

I can’t stand DnD with its stats and dice rolls, but I love a well written fantasy story. Im glad I could finally experience the Critical Role story my friends love in a format that is perfect for me. Very well done series, not perfect with a little room to grow, but better than most other shows out there. First season is a B+ with potential to become an all time favorite. It will also be interesting to see what happens with further crowdfunding and if amazon actually gives them a budget.

just btw since I also missed this, scanlan doesn't pull those potions and scrolls out of nowhere, they are items he grabbed from the dragons lair and you can see them along with the troll dick in episode 2 when he gets pulled out through the portal, he mentions it again in like episode 6 during the little planning scene where keylith, scanan, and grog were spitting ideas

This show was my introduction to critical role, and I enjoyed it! I was very interested on the Scanlan section cause he was easily my least favorite in the show, I had no idea he was done that different in the campaign. I heard a lot of praise for Scanlan's character from CritRole fans so I kinda thought he'd be one of my favorites, but he really did get just "lol sex" for like 99% of his scenes

Did you record rambos reaction to each episdoe cause him reacting to rwby was always fun to me.

I love your review and pretty much all your videos. I just want to point out That the potions scanlan uses are from the things he collected from the dragons hoard in episode 2 which is why the items are a great pay off in that episode. I do agree it feels like we will see characters like Scanlan, Vex, and Grog get more attention in the second season.

Glad you liked it! As a non Critter and a casual DnD player… it was fine! I would give it 3/5 stars personally, good but not particularly great. I would definitely be Interested in a season 2.

I have just come to season 1 of the show with no awareness of Critical Role and my only awareness of D&D really being through PC games like Baldur's Gate and Eye if the Beholder, not too mention fond memories of the D&D cartoon in my youth. I have to say that I was quickly drawn into the show and found myself hooked. As the season drew on I found myself quickly invested in each of the characters, even Scanlon who I initially was annoyed by but found myself rooting for in the battle with The Duke. The battle scenes towards the end of the run had me urging on the characters and it felt as if each were in peril with Percy's climatic face off with the demon Orthax really had real peril, not only for his friends, but for his soul as well. That this was an initial outing for the team into animation speaks highly of their dedication and I can't wait to finish season 2.

I HOUR LONG???? welp time to get some tea

My cousin actually runs the DND club in my high school so I’ve heard of Critical Role before, but I’ve never played the game or watched the campaigns and I dident even know where or how to start getting invested in DND. But after this I may just watch the show and play a round myself! Amazing review 10/10👍🏽 Fun fact: In the current campaign of the club my cousin literally made “The god of khakis Jake from State Farm” a cannon Jesus figure. Also the cleric tried to fuck a dragon. I love high school.

point of order.. pepperbox is the correct name of that particular type of early gun.

Are you going to review Vox Machina Season 2 and do character over views on Kashaw and Zahra at any point?

I know that scandlans potions weren't well established beforehand but we do know that he got them from the dragon hoard if I remember correctly? Yeah they really should have had that more well established

In their defense, one of the animators in the watch party stream said that animating Trinket was a pain and used up a lot of the animators' time. So benching him was necessary to keep the workflow smooth and economic. Perhaps next season they can afford to higher even more animators so they can afford to use more trinket scenes. A majority of the budget seems to have been allocated to A-tier voice actors. Even a lowly guard was voiced by Logic. So perhaps they can squeeze out a bit more from that budget for the animators

I personally don't mind that Scanlan was kind of nerfed. The reason I didn't like him as much as the others was because he wasn't presented with any depth. The rest of the party all have at least have a little depth; Vex's overprotective and condescending attitude towards her brother due to their shared trauma; Vax's resentment of his sister's attitude contrasted with his obvious care for her; Keyleth's insecurities about her abilities and the expectations of her family; Percy's feelings of guilt about leaving his sister and Whitestone; Pike's conflict between her faith and her friends; and Grog's simplistic wisdom and sadness when Pike leaves. But Scanlan doesn't get any of this. The closest thing that he has to depth is his crush on Pike. But, just the rest of his character, it seems really surface level so far. Hopefully he can be improved for the next season. Sam is one of my favourite members of the cast and I really want to see his vision get fully realised.

17:00 *you're bold one for saying such things with that much confidence* I would argue that Scanlan has most right to the title of the leader next to Percy Percy for obvious reasons, And yes Scanlan might be the silly bard, Scanlan was also always good at finding solutions as well as providing the combat abilities whilst not being too carried away by emotions, while also providing the social skills and being the only one that really ever claimed to be the leader himself. But ultimately I think there is no real leader, besides the one that currently had to deal with their backstory.

the pepper box is the actual name of the model of that firearm :)

I've never watched CR but did watch VM, and your portion on Scanlan made me so sad bc he sounds like he could've been my favorite character had they not adapted his character like that. I'm hoping/wondering if they have something for him down the line, he and the player that plays him deserves it!

I think someone else pointed it out but it bears repeating: Scanlan did admit he didn't know what the potion did but to be fair he grabbed them from the horde of the blue dragon posing as General Krieg. I forget the actual name of the dragon I know his nickname was "The Iron Storm" which is BADASS (and sounds like a heavy metal band). Also a shame they weren't able to keep ahold of the other treasures they might have grabbed. They'd at least have more money than when they started. Heck they could pay for the tavern they worked in episode 1 I'm trying to figure out what they could do with the troll member if Scanlan didn't drop it. Probably sell it to an alchemist as an ingredient or to a mage for study idk

I agree mostly with your assessment of Scanlan J critter. But I would like to add some more on top of what you said. Scanlan, as Sam initially "pitched" him (sort of) was 100% meant to be the worst character, the worst in every regard, and this is the interpretation of Scanlan we are starting with. The way I have described Scanlan and his characterisation to others is that he is entirely a caricature of himself, which is an appearance he puts forward.... and look that specific character quirk will NEVER come into play at all..... oh gods. My assumption is because the crew intend to very rapidly develop his character most likely with the eventual appearance of a certain Scanlan relevant character, he is starting off as a joke and the worst. I just wanted to get that down because I love Scanlan from the streams with all my heart and will be devastated if they just ignore him.... especially as he is quite literally the most important member by the end, the show (and I cant emphasise this enough) absolutely cannot work with a half baked Scanlan. I believe and have faith in the crew behind the show that Scanlan will get the development he needs and deserves.

Vex, I think, really started to shine right after this arc with the dragons. So her character being in more of a supportive role is understandable. Scanlan does sting though, but I think they're trying to set up... future events. It's really hard not to go into spoilers but I think he was declawed to contrast his future moments with those that are to follow.

I hope for one for season 2!

I can't wait for the next season!! Vex and Vax should take more screen time

You're not the only one to lament Scanlan's lack of magical diversity in this version, nowhere more so than the tomb... he doesn't have to sing *every* spell, does he? Just *say* something inspirational! ("You're a magnificent handsome bastard, don't die!" next season?) On the other hand, we never saw him literally fart out a stinking cloud, so, silver lining. I hurt my nose snorting at the Ripley thing. I would have preferred the original version of Percy's line to her, but it was nice to see her do more in this version. I assume we're going to get that beloved character because of her, and I expect Matt to voice him. Regarding the animation, there were a couple of continuity errors that I noticed while editing my Delilah video, like her dark veins coming and going from shot to shot; but they're easy to miss, and I expect things will only improve, going forward.

This show is what got me into Critical Role. I avoided it for a while because I didnt want to watch other people play D&D for hours; that concept sounded so stupid to me. Then my friend (who also wasnt didnt watch CR) recommended LoVM and I thought "sure, thats definitely something I can watch instead." I absolutely LOVE this show and fell down a rabbit whole of comparison videos, fan animatics and finally watching Critical Role and I've been obsessed ever sense! By the time season 2 came out I was now a Critter ready to see my favorite scenes from the actual campaign play out!

I think if they used the 3d more on monstrous creatures it could add to a sense of horrible and terrifying design or look

Never played dnd or watching anything about it but I had never had so much fun with a show before this.

As someone who only experience with DND is strangers things and my former coworkers talking about the crazy shit they did in their campaign I must say I love the shit and now got me to go back to watch the live stream of campaign 1

Tbh if you have seen the beast master ranger subclass in dnd before it got buffed I would leave the bear behind also

Why does Pike sound so familiar?

I am one of those people I know nothing about critical role and I know nothing about dungeon dragons but I really love This show

Never played DnD in my life, but watched a bit of CR before this show. To adapt the same story on two different mediums is a very, very big accomplishment, and even more so when the final product is this good. For people like me who really enjoy the lore and story that CR has developed but don't really enjoy the format of regular dungeons and dragons, this show is a godsend. It really does feel kinda like the "Invincible" of fantasy animation lol.

i similar to your boyfriend had just started to find an interest in D&D have NEVER actually played and barely knew anything about C.R. i watched this and. bloody. LOVED IT! through and through so yeah

I encourage you to check out and review other dnd campaigns. Like dingo doodles fools gold campaign or rustages one piece dnd. I think it be fun

What I found most interesting about Vex was that, despite the whole argument scene about leadership, and I agree that Vax is the empathy of the group, she is the group leader most of the time. When Vex starts giving orders every one follows them, even if some mutter and complain, and her plans usually work. I agree I'm surprised at how much they cut back Scanlan, especially since Sam Riegel was one of the main writers of a lot of episodes.

My only real question is will there be a vox machina season 2 or will we get a mighty nine season 1

For Scanlan is quite more interesting, because he turns out to be the second most powerful character in their team. Like...that's usually how it works, and The Legend of Vox Machina is no different. In it's future seasons, Scanlan will get his things togethere

Especially now after Season 2, i must say: There is way, way, wayyyyy too much mind control going on. Every other episode has long stretches of someone of the party being under some sort of mind control effect.

Hey CRWBY, that's how you make an evil witch character!

I love your review, but honestly, I completely disagree with you on Scanlan. He was consistently funny and entertaining for me, and I liked how much he had to frantically fight in Scanbo as opposed to wiping the floor with everyone easily. His victory just felt more satisfying Then again, I’m more like your boyfriend in terms of D&D knowledge, so maybe that’s the distinction. Also those end memes were on point 👍

Poor trinket. Beastmaster rangers pets scale poorly in 5e, and trinket was sidelined a lot in the campaign. Matt and Laura had to go out of their way to bring Trinkets usability up, and it was a running joke by Scanlan that trinket was useless.

I would love to ask your opinion on Calamity and Brendan Lee Mulligann as a dungeon master