.. but who loves fantasy, elves, dragons, magic and 2D animated action sequences of the highest possible caliber, I applaud this show. I knew absolutely nothing about this world or characters going in, but binged the entire season and can't wait for more. Of course it's a glorified commercial for the game, but when commercials are this good I couldn't care less. To produce this kind of anime with this amount of hand drawn animations isn't cheap though. So I really hope Valve/Netflix, or who ever is paying the bill, keeps doing it for many more seasons. Cause this is really good television. And to whoever designed the dragons: hat off to you.
293 Reviews
Excellent first season, looking forward to what the future would bring.
mkln-2719625 March 2021
I was aprehensive about this series because of all the previous movies/series based on games that have ended in disaster. But I must say I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of this show. They've clearly taken their inspiration from the game, but the storyline is all new, and pretty exciting. At times it can be very dense in storylines, and I'm hoping the next season will take its time a little more to flesh some of them out a little more.
Oh those goosebumps
maybehelpy25 March 2021
When goosebumps appear on the skin from every use of the abilities of your favorite characters! When the game comes to life, it's amazing! It's a pity for those who will not be able to fully experience this, because they have not played Dota)
But without a doubt, a great plot, I look forward to the sequel.
It's a great start
mianshahzadraza25 March 2021
Very well done
viva_adiga25 March 2021
Good job Netflix and Ashley Miller, you did very well for this season. The art is good the story is good. I cannot wait for them to add more Lore and more details. I LIKE every thing about it. Good job indeed. Its perfect, i hope the following seasons are either going to be this good or better. Please make the 2nd seasons as good.
It needs to age. Waiting for more!
jmoseschua25 March 2021
What we've seen is just a glimpse of Dota's lore. I like that the fundamental premises were already presented albeit they could be a vague especially for casual viewers. Hint: ep 1 intro and Terrorblade's statement towards the end of his scene after the fight with Selemene
For the newcomers, or perhaps, even for those Dota fans but unaware of the depths of its lore, this season will be too hazy or too fragmented. As a typical series taken as it is, this series looks bad. Rooting on someone is looking harder, everyone seems to be immoral or has other reasons for one not to be rooted for. Such element could be explained by the lore later on. As a Dota fan, I liked how fleshed out it is. The plot may become slow but this would mean there will be more focus on character story and development. For now, we only had a glimpse of Davion's, Mirana's, Luna's, and Invoker's. We have not really seen the deeper stories for these characters. Davion, Mirana, and Luna for their future and Invoker for his general role in their universe, past and future. All the while, Dota, as the game, has around 120 heroes to offer. I'm just excited of what's to come. The community has waited a long time for this. Before, we were just watching Slacks' Loregasm series in YT for that good 'ol Dota narrative. Now, we've got an actual series that is so far not too bad. Season 2 pleasee!
For the newcomers, or perhaps, even for those Dota fans but unaware of the depths of its lore, this season will be too hazy or too fragmented. As a typical series taken as it is, this series looks bad. Rooting on someone is looking harder, everyone seems to be immoral or has other reasons for one not to be rooted for. Such element could be explained by the lore later on. As a Dota fan, I liked how fleshed out it is. The plot may become slow but this would mean there will be more focus on character story and development. For now, we only had a glimpse of Davion's, Mirana's, Luna's, and Invoker's. We have not really seen the deeper stories for these characters. Davion, Mirana, and Luna for their future and Invoker for his general role in their universe, past and future. All the while, Dota, as the game, has around 120 heroes to offer. I'm just excited of what's to come. The community has waited a long time for this. Before, we were just watching Slacks' Loregasm series in YT for that good 'ol Dota narrative. Now, we've got an actual series that is so far not too bad. Season 2 pleasee!
Amazing
gabrielmarasigan-1420025 March 2021
Tho im saying this is because im a dota player but this is still my take if i didnt know dota and just watched it i mean while watching it i really forgot im watching a game i played for 9 years the writer is really good he made me get absorbed in the storyline finished the whole thing in a matter of hours lmao theres so much potential this show has so much potential and the eng voice acting is really good too its my first time to finish an animated show in eng dub at first i tried watching it at japanese but the eng dub is much more fit great job and ofcourse the animation is top notch you can really see that they gave their all to do this 8 episodes its just like a drop of dota's lore for all of us and i already cant get enough of it in summary
Storyline: 10/10 Animation:10/10 Voice acting:10/10.
Storyline: 10/10 Animation:10/10 Voice acting:10/10.
Season 1 is good. Season 2 is great.
AlphaDovah18 January 2022
DOTA is very fast-paced and covers a lot of content very quickly. It requires paying attention and some thought, but even as someone who hasn't played the game and knows nothing of the lore, it's possible to keep up with and greatly enjoy the series. That said, the show would benefit greatly from a longer more paced run time. DOTA exhibits good animation, an intriguing world, and adventure focused on characters that don't fit into the standard binary of hero or villain. They're layered and each has their own story and complexity for what and why they do what they do, be it "good" or "evil". Give it a modicum of focus and the reward will be an evocative and wild journey.
Season 1 Review
SleepingMorpheus25 March 2021
I may not be a diehard fan of Dota 2. But I used to play a lot. So its nice seeing all thee characters brought to life. In season 1, you follow Davian and Mirana on the journey to get the lotuses of Selemene back. In this journey you get to see fan favorites like Invoker, Luna and of course Terrorblade and he's awesome. While this storyline wasn't as much engaging in the beginning, by the end it redeemed itself leaving us wanting for more. There are lot of factors in the play here, this causes for story to be all over the place, also from that this season provided good groundwork for this to evolve.
Intriguing
Natte_Nate25 March 2021
As someone who has probably put around 20k-30k hours into Dota 1 and 2 I must say the feeling of seeing all my heroes come to life in a show like this is amazing to say the least. It's an amazing world and it has so much potential. Now the show itself is entertaining alot of times, has great animations and some funny moments. Mostly, however, it's too hasty and you get the feeling they've had to cut out too much to fit it all into 8 episodes. I didn't quite get as emotionally involved in the characters as I hoped. The jumps from one place, both physically and emotionally between the characters, is way too hasty sadly. I do hope this show hits big so Netflix will want to invest more into coming seasons episode wise to delve deeper in the relationships and characters. Well worth the watch though.
Superb action, enjoyable characters, but severe pacing issues
jensdekkersnl12 August 2022
*No spoilers*
The action of this show is some of the best that anime has to offer in my opinion, visually anyway. The characters in this show are enjoyable and generally quite consistent in terms of their characteristics and actions. The voice acting is good all around, although I feel like some characters lack emotions and appear to be in the same mood throughout almost the entire show (S1-S3).
However, this show suffers most from severe pacing issues which get worse as the show progresses. For someone who hasn't played the games there are too many questions left unanswered in terms of lore, but I cannot imagine that even those that do play the game are capable of truly keeping up as the pace of this show is weirdly high.
Much like in season 2, season 3 also suffers from this problem. There are only 8 relatively shory episodes per season and the amount of big events that happen throughout just doesn't make sense. This is one of those shows that should either slow down in terms of plot speed, or have double the amount of episodes to cover it.
All in all enjoyable enough to binge watch and I rate it a 7/10 due to how enjoyable the action is. In terms of actual plot, I find it a mess. Had the show's plot and subsequently pace been as good as the action, it could have easily scored higher.
The action of this show is some of the best that anime has to offer in my opinion, visually anyway. The characters in this show are enjoyable and generally quite consistent in terms of their characteristics and actions. The voice acting is good all around, although I feel like some characters lack emotions and appear to be in the same mood throughout almost the entire show (S1-S3).
However, this show suffers most from severe pacing issues which get worse as the show progresses. For someone who hasn't played the games there are too many questions left unanswered in terms of lore, but I cannot imagine that even those that do play the game are capable of truly keeping up as the pace of this show is weirdly high.
Much like in season 2, season 3 also suffers from this problem. There are only 8 relatively shory episodes per season and the amount of big events that happen throughout just doesn't make sense. This is one of those shows that should either slow down in terms of plot speed, or have double the amount of episodes to cover it.
All in all enjoyable enough to binge watch and I rate it a 7/10 due to how enjoyable the action is. In terms of actual plot, I find it a mess. Had the show's plot and subsequently pace been as good as the action, it could have easily scored higher.
Probably the closest we'll ever get to a Fire and Blood Anime!
burkholdermicah25 March 2021
For some who don't know, Fire and Blood is a prequel to the Song of Ice and Fire series written by George R. R. Martin. House of the Dragon is the name of the new Game of Thrones show that will be on HBO sometime this year or next year. Anyway, DOTA: Dragon's Blood is not only an incredible anime, it's the anime that 3D animated abortion, Dragon's Dogma, wanted itself to be. It's also not only that, it will remind fans of Castlevania because of its tone and atmosphere that show shares! It's definitely an intriguing anime. It starts off awesome and ends on an awesome note. The story is a gripping narrative that I really want to see more of in future anime. The soundtrack is great, the voice acting is good, and the animations are breathtaking to look at. This anime is definitely my cup of tea. It reminds me a lot of Fire and Blood mostly because of how much it references humans being aligned with dragons and how familiar humans are to those dragons. If you're looking for a great anime to start off Spring 2021, this is definitely an anime for you. Excellent storytelling, excellent animations, excellent voice acting, and excellent music. This is yet another must-see anime on Netflix!
Never played the game but...
Heartburnt_Kid27 March 2021
For someone, who knows nothing of the game, I think this was more of a forgetful but fun experience. Some of the voice acting dialogues felt as if they were recorded in a professional studio room and not as if they were from the atmosphere in the show. Some actors also sounded lifeless almost like they were only reading the scripts.
The story wasn't something to write home about, it was a fantasy show full of cliche plot stories, I'm sure most people will forget it in a month. The animation cuts most of the time bothered my comfort, there were so many frequent cuts where the whole screen turns to white blank screen. The battle scenes were rather tiring since they all looked the same and there was little progress in it. I think this show was more focused in the story.
The story wasn't something to write home about, it was a fantasy show full of cliche plot stories, I'm sure most people will forget it in a month. The animation cuts most of the time bothered my comfort, there were so many frequent cuts where the whole screen turns to white blank screen. The battle scenes were rather tiring since they all looked the same and there was little progress in it. I think this show was more focused in the story.
What's the story again?
Kxgkbglnfk26 January 2022
After watching a couple of episodes in s2 I had to go back to s1 to try to understand what I was watching. This is the first time ever I think. I fail to see what the main story is. It seems that it is made up of a bunch of side quests only. Lotus flowers being stolen... war over of some goddess... dragons here and there... a demon corrupting here and there... some elf mage who seem to be able to take down everyone... a new elf goddess but not really... power restored to the old goddess because of flowers I guess... and then finally... some other dragon guy in disguise that literally just appeared in the last two episodes (was he the main antagonist all of a sudden?). This show is all over the place. Pacing is just weird. Character building non existing. But you got a Mary Sue lead that in the end just consumes the world in sun beams and saves the day.. I guess? No fighting required really, woke saves the day... yey!
Thanks netflix
nevercry-6394525 March 2021
Very good start
krohahet25 March 2021
Really amazing work, every thing in it is good or close to perfection. It is exactly the thing i waited for, almost nothing unnecessary to the story. Only animation sometimes feels too cheap (mostly in 3d objects), but it's less than 1% of time, so i'll not blame series for this. I'll wait for new seasons, they are seem ambitious.
Not your typical high fantasy story
Anli_ger25 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
You start watching a generic fantasy story and end up in a f..ed up sci-fi riddle. A beautiful mess - nothing like I've ever seen before.
The show has some pacing issues tho, I wish it would have a bit more episodes. On the other hand there is absolutely 0 filler content.
The show has some pacing issues tho, I wish it would have a bit more episodes. On the other hand there is absolutely 0 filler content.
i advise u to watch this
mmoamen-1468525 March 2021
Good but could be lot better
zeeshanabid5 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm playing Dota2 since 2015, and I had been avoiding this anime because of the bad trailer they made. It made me feel this anime would be bad and boring, and might destroy the image of some of the Dota characters. Then someone recommended this to me, and I watched it.
Be frank, this anime is not entirely bad. There is good character buildup of Dragon Knight, Mirana and Invoker. The story was good too. Although some action scenes could be better, most of them were kind of satisfactory.
Nevertheless, for many Dota2 players and lovers, it would be somewhat disappointing. Reason is simple. Out of a pool of about 120 Dota Heroes, they only had 5 characters in the entire first season. Then one of the main characters, Fymryn, doesn't even look like one of the Dota heroes. At first it felt she would be Wind Ranger. By the end it felt she would transform into Phantom Assassin in later season, as her abilities resemble that of PA. Maybe, maybe not. I believe she's just a new character. Otherwise they could have easily showed it to us by including one of the infamous dialogues of PA by using that on Fymryn. And this is kind of frustrating that out of such a large pool they couldn't find a single character to play that part.
Luna played such intense role in the anime. But her character was not properly developed. Even if she's playing villainous role, it would have been better to have a visual backstory, in something like flashback, to attach the viewer to the character. Same goes for Terror Blade.
Still, it is fun to watch this anime. Maybe in later seasons it would get better. I can just hope. And so can other Dota2 lovers. Because watching our favorite game heroes in an anime story is pretty good for us. We just have high expectations. But no matter what, I believe all of us would eventually watch the entire series.
Be frank, this anime is not entirely bad. There is good character buildup of Dragon Knight, Mirana and Invoker. The story was good too. Although some action scenes could be better, most of them were kind of satisfactory.
Nevertheless, for many Dota2 players and lovers, it would be somewhat disappointing. Reason is simple. Out of a pool of about 120 Dota Heroes, they only had 5 characters in the entire first season. Then one of the main characters, Fymryn, doesn't even look like one of the Dota heroes. At first it felt she would be Wind Ranger. By the end it felt she would transform into Phantom Assassin in later season, as her abilities resemble that of PA. Maybe, maybe not. I believe she's just a new character. Otherwise they could have easily showed it to us by including one of the infamous dialogues of PA by using that on Fymryn. And this is kind of frustrating that out of such a large pool they couldn't find a single character to play that part.
Luna played such intense role in the anime. But her character was not properly developed. Even if she's playing villainous role, it would have been better to have a visual backstory, in something like flashback, to attach the viewer to the character. Same goes for Terror Blade.
Still, it is fun to watch this anime. Maybe in later seasons it would get better. I can just hope. And so can other Dota2 lovers. Because watching our favorite game heroes in an anime story is pretty good for us. We just have high expectations. But no matter what, I believe all of us would eventually watch the entire series.
Good start
Thairrhea25 March 2021
The early part of the stories is mysterious and the progress to the end is very good. Very obvious there have been alot of cuts, which means they wanted this show to be face paced. Prefer more story telling and context.
Mixed bag of an ineffective animation style, some cool action, and a non-compelling plot! :-(
stevebondi2 June 2021
I am guessing that the creators felt the "CG anime" style (especially when converting 3D objects to pseudo-2D cel-shading) of many Netflix original shows is "too cold" compared to traditional anime - because they tried to make this look more pencil-drawn than it was, and they ackwardly added static scenes to attempt to match the economic style of traditional anime. (SIDE NOTE: I personally wish they would all adopt the slick, modern style of shows like Castlevania which I much prefer over economical traditional anime.) In any case, many action scenes are nicely animated, while the overall show suffers from the animation style.
And for me, the fantasy story is not very compelling or believable within its own mythology :-(
And for me, the fantasy story is not very compelling or believable within its own mythology :-(
Best doto series
king_gokhan-2171425 March 2021
Valve is testing the water
mrwnmero26 March 2021
This is the first media production based on a game project that I actually respect. The stories all told well enough for Dota lore fans. But new comers to this universe will have a hard time connecting the dots or understanding what is going on. The production quality is not the best. The entire series somehow feels a little low-budget. Action sequences are shaky, blurry, and, if you pay attention to the animation, highly chaotic. The story telling a bit unordered and the show is suffering to deliver a grown-ups experience with all of those childish/teenage themes that are forced between the characters. Overall, for a first season, I'd say it is a decent start for Valve, Netflix, and Studio MIR. However, the production quality needs a lot of refinement if this show is to continue.
Second season is much worse
Rodzyn19899 February 2022
I liked the first season much more. The second season had the timing very off.
It was all kind of rushed and without depth. It seemed like they want to rush off the story and cut out a lot of dialougues and atmosphere while at it.
Kind of as if they would put 20 episode anime in 8 episodes and the result is lack of depth.
The story itself didn't make much sense in second season as well.
It was all kind of rushed and without depth. It seemed like they want to rush off the story and cut out a lot of dialougues and atmosphere while at it.
Kind of as if they would put 20 episode anime in 8 episodes and the result is lack of depth.
The story itself didn't make much sense in second season as well.
A good start
udonlyu25 March 2021
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