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blade-liger-4ever · 7 months ago

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I GOTTA WATCH THIS NOW!!!!!

Legend Quest: Masters of Myth Review

So recently I’ve really gotten into this new show on Netflix, and for a while, I’ve been wanting to write down my thoughts about it.

The series I’m referring to is called Legend Quest: Masters of Myth. For those who aren’t familiar with the name, Legend Quest is a soft reboot of a Latino American animated series franchise known as Las Legendas, a collection of horror-fantasy films staring a young Mexican boy named Leo San Juan and his adventures with his supernatural companions. It’s sort of like Scooby-Do mixed in with Mexican Folklore. To my knowledge, there are already five to six films in the series as of now, with Legend Quest and later Masters of Myth being the latest installments in the franchise.

The first series, Legend Quest, stars Leo, the same protagonist from the films who was originally a twelve-year-old boy but is portrayed as a teenager in the series, from a small village in the 1800s who can see ghosts and other supernatural creatures. Aided by his band of supernatural companions; Don Andres, the ghost of an old conquistador, a mystical creature known as Alebrije, and a supposed ghost girl from the 21st century named Teodora who time travels in order to help her friends defeat the evil Quetzalcoatl from taking over the world. They are also aided by a secret organization known as the Brotherhood and Marcella, a young witch from Leo’s hometown and his love interest. I didn’t watch the series when it originally came out in 2017 and I only watched it I think a few months back, or maybe last year, I really don’t remember. I haven’t watched the series in a while so my memory of certain details is pretty hazy.

Legend Quest: Masters of Myth is the latest installment in the series and was originally supposed to be a continuation of the first season. But, according to one of the art directors, Netflix came to the crew and instead wanted a new original story because they didn’t want newcomers watching the old series in order to catch up... I know, right?

So, basically, Masters of Myth is a reboot of the reboot. At first, I was worried I would be turned off by this change, but those worries were short-lived for despite the confusion I had about whether or not this was a continuation or a reboot I found myself enjoying the series more than I expected. I’ve watched it four times now.

Before I can get into the parts I liked it’s only fair I get out of the way the element I disliked the most. That being...

Negatives: The Confusing Continuity.

As I said, this is a reboot of the reboot, and learning why this happened does explain a lot of the choices that were made. Leo’s ability to see ghosts, how Teodora time travels, the Brotherhood, the Sugar Skulls, and Marcella’s backstory are still present, but elements such as Quetzalcoatl, Catrina, and the “Chosen One” storyline either aren’t mentioned, slightly referenced or at the very least hinted at. When I began watching the first episode I was under the impression that this was season 2 because a lot of the cannon elements were still there, but as it progressed the changes started to pop up. Leo becoming a much more active protagonist than a reluctant one, and his relationship with Marcella was very different from what I remembered. So if you watch the series and everything feels like we’re just jumping into the story like it’s the beginning all over again don’t assume you’re going crazy. Maybe the best way to describe this would be an Alternate Universe version of Legend Quest.

I could be wrong, but I believe the reason why Masters of Myth contains hints and Easter eggs from the first Legend Quest was that the artists and writers were hoping to expand upon them in this new story if the series got renewed for a second season, which I really hope it does. In spite of how this new continuity happened and it may leave older fans a little bit confused at first, for what it's worth the writers and animators worked with what they had and I found myself enjoying the series a lot more than I expected. I even liked a lot of the added changes. I’m already working on a list of potential season 2 ideas, but that’s for a different post.

That’s... really the only main negative complaint I have. I do have a few other nitpicks but they’re relatively small. Onto the parts I loved.

The New Art Style:

Yes, I know changing from one art style to another can be jarring, but for me, I’d say this was a definite improvement. I know people liked the previous art type but for me, I found both the designs and character movements very flat and unappealing.

In Masters of Myth, the artists went for a slightly more stylized and line-less art-style that reminded me of a bit of the technique used in the Tangled series. A good chunk of the characters are still very much recognizable with some subtle changes like smoother edges and switching around some colors. Don Andres is now wearing blue puffy pants and blue sleeves with brown gloves underneath his armor and Teodora’s purple jacket is now blue with her earrings now being white. Out of all the characters, Leo and Marcella went through the most physical changes, but not too much that I couldn’t recognize them and I personally find their new designs to be a lot nicer to look at, especially Marcella who looks absolutely beautiful in my honest opinion.

Animation wise, the movements are a lot more fluid and flexible, giving the characters the ability to move either really fast or at an even pace depending on the scene and their faces are a lot more expressive.

Because Masters of Myth focuses a lot more on the adventure aspect rather than the fright factor, the color pallets are much more vibrant in contrast with Legend Quest’s more blueish and green tint.

If I had to mention one small flaw it would be that the shadows on some of the characters looked a little bit off, mostly on the cheeks. If this show does get renewed for a second season let’s hope they resolve that little glitch and add a little more variety to some backgrounds. Thankfully, it’s not too distracting.

The Characters:

Aside from Teodora, I can’t say the rest of the cast left a very big impression on me when I watched Legend Quest. I remember their names and roles, but I barely remember finding myself enjoying them as much, well maybe with the exception of Alebrije and Teodora.

The same cast of characters returns for Masters of Myth and right away I found myself liking these characters a lot better than before.

Leo San Juan:

The main protagonist of Masters of Myth. A young boy from a small village in Mexico who was recruited to join the elite Brotherhood as a worldwide monster hunter with his own team of supernatural companions. When I saw Leo again I noticed that he was... different, and not just because they updated his character model. I don’t care what anyone says, new Leo looks downright adorable!

From what I can remember, Legend Quest Leo was more of a reluctant protagonist, having gone on several adventures in the past and now wanting to live life as a normal kid. He was very reluctant to rejoin his group of friends again and, from what I can remember, I found him to be kind of whiny and irritable at times.

Meanwhile, this incarnation of Leo starts out as a bored kid living in his small town, waiting for something to happen (I can relate), so when he was asked to join the Brotherhood Leo jumped at the chance. At first, I wasn’t too sure how to feel about this change because it wasn’t at all what I expected, yet I wasn't at all bothered by it.

Masters of Myth Leo is a lot more adventurous, idealistic, productive and determined, a bit reckless but not to the point of being irritating or annoying. He still retains his honorable and snarky characteristics and shows an irrepressible enthusiasm towards his job as a monster hunter. He’s still a bit clumsy but is a bit more athletic by comparison to his Legend Quest counterpart.

Unlike his predecessor, this Leo isn’t the Chosen One this time so a lot of his motivations stem from personal connections and revelations rather than an outside force. He willingly chose this career and it’s one he takes very seriously, showcasing that despite his overconfidence Leo still holds a strong sense of responsibility and commitment. He has the same powers as he did in Legend Quest, being able to see supernatural entities when others can’t, but rather than just being a power he just so happens to have, they serve a crucial purpose in the final climax.

Because of his confidence, Leo may not always think things through, but he is still very resourceful and more than once has shown moments of cleverness and empathy for his teammates. He feels like a character who, despite believing he’s found a calling as a monster hunter, is still trying to do the right thing, regardless of what he gets out of it when things begin to take a turn for the worse. When he makes a mistake he owns up to it and when he puts his own arrogance aside he shows a lot of promise as a leader. Leo is far more proactive in this series which is a quality I really like in a protagonist.

Also, he’s just downright funny! I’m still not entirely sure why or how they did it, but I found myself both laughing at Leo’s more comedic moments as well as rooting for him to win and learn and grow as a character.

Teodora:

I mentioned before how Teodora was one of the few characters which left a lasting impact on me, and Masters of Myth not only kept her as she was, but made me love her even more by further expanding her character.

Okay, fair warning, I can’t talk I about Teodora without bringing up some spoilers from the first series which isn’t really a spoiler in this new series since they mention it in the first episode. If you haven’t watched Legend Quest, so be warned.

SPOILERS: Teodora is actually the astral projection of a 21t century girl who was hit by a truck and placed in a coma, recruited by a benevolent goddess to travel back in time to help Leo in the past to save the world. This was the premise of the first series, in this series they outright say Teodora is capable of transferring her consciousness into the past at will in order to partake on missions as a projection while her physical body remains in the present day. They did mention her coma during a dream sequence but it’s not explored further, so unless you have some knowledge about the first series chances are the coma thing might confuse you a bit.

Aside from that hiccup, Teodora is still as fiery, headstrong and sarcastic as ever, using her smartphone to look up information for the team when needed and, of course, tell Leo when he’s being an idiot. While many of her original characteristics are still present she's also given a few added traits. She's far more receptive and quick-witted and, despite her attitude, takes on a much more active role as a semi co-leader alongside Leo. Seriously, the reason why these guys haven't fallen into a volcano yet is because of her.

Another thing this series did that I am so grateful for is that at one point when Leo and the gang time travel to the twenty-first century they meet Teodora in person and for the rest of the show she joins the team in her human form. This, of course, served as a challenge for Teodora; she can no longer float, her phone eventually dies on her so she can’t look up information for the team (and even if she could the past has terrible WiFi), and of course, seeing as she’s not the most athletic person, she begins to “really hate cardio days”.

Teodora becomes understandably irritated and frustrated with everything that's happening around her, but later we see that despite her lack of powers Teodora still sustains her bravery and productiveness. There were moments in which she forgot her own fears and took immediate action, being creative and using her surroundings to her advantage, which almost got her killed more than once much to Leo’s horror. This all leads to Teodora having to face something probably even harder than being flesh and blood: Her vulnerability.

Teodora isn’t someone who lets her deepest feelings show, often hiding behind a rude and aggressive attitude, but the more the dangers of the past begins to take its toll on her she fears that because of her lack of powers she’s nothing more than dead weight to the team. Of course, she does eventually regain her confidence even while remaining a human girl during the remainder of the season thanks to Leo’s unconditional faith in her.

Had the first Legend Quest continued as originally planned then this is definitely where Teodora’s character arc should have been heading. I’m really happy the writers were able to at least bring this story arc into this new series. Teodora is my new baby, alongside Leo. Must protect them at all costs.

Alebrije:

Out of the main cast, Alebrije is the one with the least amount of changes, even by comparison to Teodora. He still retains his goofy and lovable personality, sometimes coming off as oblivious and innocent but isn't ignorant to what is happening around him. He's a guy who likes to look on the bright side and when his friends are in danger he is always quick to jump in and help. Not much else to say except he's just adorable as ever.

Don Andres:

One thing I do recall about Don Andres was that he was the cowardly lion. The ghost of a conquistador who lied about being a great hero and vanquisher of evil monsters, but ran away when things got rough. Like before, this Don Andres faces the consequences of his mistakes in life, but what I really liked about this version of Don Andres was that he did a lot less running and hiding and a lot more fighting. When faced with a mistake he made in life that affects his modern-day descendants, Don Andres, without hesitation, chose to stay and take responsibility for his past misdeeds in order to help his family.

Don Andres had at least two episodes where his bravery and dedication to the team played a vital role in their mission, which included his knowledge of manners and etiquette, Parisian culture and language, as well as a good chunk of some folklores and legends. Like Leo, he too takes his role as a monster hunter seriously, maybe a bit too seriously at times, but no one can say the man isn’t dedicated.

I also found it funny how, even though he’s technically dead, Don Andres is still an old-timer, so he’s forgetful and slow at times and he has a terrible sense of direction which, amazingly enough, was actually helpful in later episodes if you can believe it.

Marcella:

In the first series, Marcella was a young witch girl from Leo’s hometown as well as his love interest. I want to make it perfectly clear that I wasn’t shipping anyone in the first show, so it’s not that I wasn’t willing to accept LeoxMarcella. However, just because I was accepting of it didn’t mean I enjoyed it. Half the time it felt as though Marcella was just there to fill in the love interest quota. While they did try to flesh her out with a backstory about her mother winding up comatose after trying to defend her daughter from a group of evil witches, it didn’t feel connected with the rest of her personality which was that of the typical nice girl-next-door-crush who was brave and righteous and as close to the embodiment of a dream girl for Leo as one could get. She felt like a poorly written first-time fanfiction OC, not necessarily a bad one just one that was underutilized and flat.

Her romance with Leo didn’t really help either. I kept saying, “come on the show, give me more of a reason to ship these two. I’m waiting”. But it never came. They could have talked about their respected supernatural abilities and grown together first as friends before becoming a couple but they just threw us the romance in the first episode. Leo’s crush on Marcella is the basic school-boy crush and didn’t expand much beyond that.

Thankfully, Masters of Myth fixed a lot of these problems by giving Marcella a personality that made sense in the context of her original backstory, which remains unchanged. This Marcella is just as brave and confident as her predecessor but also no-nonsense, level-headed, and a tad competitive. She isn’t just nice and happy to match with Leo, she’s her own character who isn’t defined by her relationship with the main lead. She starts off in Masters of Myth as an established Brotherhood member with her own monster hunting group of friends and we actually see her use her magical powers more. She’s extremely loyal to the Brotherhood because they took her in when no one else did. She serves as a bit of a foil for Leo, and possibly even Teodora, but she’s never outright malicious or evil, only very dedicated to the point that she could come off as a bit of a perfectionist and doesn't take failure likely. She appears to have a deep-seated desire to prove herself, which is hinted to have come from her past of being ostracized for being a witch.

Another aspect I believe worked better for her and Leo’s dynamic was instead of making them a couple right away, here they start off as bitter rivals from their Brotherhood training class days. They often buttheads with one another, with Marcella always flaunting how she’s higher in the ranks than him and Leo still holding a grudge against her for using magic to cheat during a training exam. Despite this, they’re not entirely antagonistic towards one another. Leo isn’t too bitter that he is incapable of caring about Marcella’s safety or helping her when they have the chance, and is even willing to be friends with her again if she allowed him. Marcella is a bit more hard to read at times, but she too is capable of putting aside a rivalry for them to work together for a common goal.

Their interactions vary from competitive rivals to loyal comrades with some flirtatious teasing here and there. For any LeoxMarcella shippers out there, yes there is a fair amount of ship teasing, but overall romantic or no there is no denying that this Marcella is a massive improvement.

The Story:

The overarching plot of this series shares shades of the first one. There is the “save the world plot”, a villain influenced by Aztec legend, the team traveling to various locations around the world and encountering many different types of monsters. But while the first half of Legend Quest felt rather episodic, Masters of Myth is much more connected. Every episode picks up right after the last one, playing a part in the main storyline while squeezing in a good chunk of comedy and character development, even for Marcella though it’s done more subtly. Alebrije doesn't change all that much, but he does get one episode to shine and save the day alongside his cousin Evaristo, a character from the original Legendas series.

The main villains this time are a bit more predictable, in that you can see them coming from a mile away but thankfully the main characters don’t take too long in figuring that out either, especially Teodora. Near the beginning of the second half of the two-parter, we do get some insight into the antagonist’s endgame which was, I will admit, pretty surprising. And by surprising I mean downright HORRIFYING AND INSANE!!

My friend @pc-the-unicorn mentioned how the monsters in this series have a lot more personality than the monsters from Legend Quest, and I agree. Monsters like the Parisian Gargouille, the pompous Efrit, and the mysterious Anansi all have very distinct personalities and powers which makes them both memorable and likable. Also, this was the first time I’ve seen Anansi (the spider Demi-god from African mythology) and an Efrit (a fire jinn) portrayed in animation as well as other lesser is known creatures like the Caipora from Brazilian mythology. Not only that, but they also play an active role in the final climax.

One monster from Legend Quest also makes a return, the evil dummy which turned people into dolls was utilized here once again, and even later in the last episode.

Unlike in Legend Quest, there is no prophesy or higher power pulling the strings for the main cast to come together and fight an ancient evil. Instead, they learn of a possible conspiracy when one of their friends goes missing and a lot of the series is about them learning who is working against them, why and how to stop them, all leading up to an epic battle for the fate of the world. While the show can get goofy, there are some pretty dark moments here and there, especially when the heroes learn more about the conspiracy and what it means for the world, including Teodora’s timeline.

Sadly, we don’t learn much about how or when they all met and decided to become a team, so if there is a second season perhaps they could do something similar to the 2003 Teen Titans, where they present an entire flashback episode that focuses on how they all met.

The comedy itself can be hit and miss. There is a fair amount of slapstick but the comedy isn’t too reliant on it, mainly coming from the dialog and perfectly timed jokes, especially when the Sugar Skulls and Alebrije are involved, and Leo himself gets a decent amount of funny moments aided by his own moments of snark and sarcasm. I personally enjoyed it but, again, it’s going to depend on one’s personal taste.

Romance:

While Marcella was Leo’s love interest in the first series, this time that role falls upon Teodora. That’s right, congratulations Leodora shippers! You have been blessed!

Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to like Leo and Marcella but the writing just didn’t sell it for me. That doesn’t mean I was shipping Leo with Teodora either. Still, from what I remember seeing I could definitely understand why a majority of fans preferred shipping these two instead.

Leo and Teodora’s relationship is very reminiscent of Ash and Misty from Pokémon, where they bicker but will always have each other’s backs when it matters. Heck, if it weren’t for the show insisting Marcella was Leo’s one and only girlfriend I would have been shipping those two myself, but I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment. Their same dynamic is carried out into Masters of Myth, but is given an extra layer of depth to flesh out the characters and their relationship.

Like in Legend Quest, Masters of Myth does establish a potential romance between the two very early on, but unlike in Legend Quest where the romance was thrown right at our faces, this one takes it's time to build up naturally from the roots of Leo and Teodora’s established friendship, making the payoff far more natural and believable. Hence, why I found myself more invested in this romance and not because they switched one girl out with the other.

Teodora continues to criticize a lot of Leo’s decisions in the first half of the season but it’s not without good reason. When Leo begins to care more about keeping score on how many monsters they catch, Teodora outright says she doesn’t want Leo getting a big ego and forgetting why they hunt monsters to begin with. This establishes Teodora’s role in the team as the voice of reason who keeps Leo and everyone else grounded. Teodora is also a lot more empathetic towards Leo’s feelings this time around, taking the time to comfort him when he's at his lowest and always looking out for his well being. When Teodora becomes human she slowly starts to show more of her softer and playful side, especially when it's just her and Leo.

While Leo does get annoyed with Teodora’s bluntness he comes to really appreciate this about her, realizing her tough love is her way of snowing she cares and knows he is capable of being better, which makes him grow as a character, becoming more aware of his own mistakes and working to set things right. He’s also not above apologizing if he unfairly insulted her and the two are far more forgiving towards one another in this series.

Leo, in turn, becomes incredibly supportive and sweet with Teodora, especially when she joins the team as a human. When she begins to doubt herself Leo is always there reminding her just how capable she is regardless of what form she's in and reassures her it's okay to ask for help. Leo also takes the time to comfort Teodora when she's upset. As for the very romantic moments, it's hard not to have your heartstrings tugged at the sheer amount of love and devotion these two have for one another.

It’s no question that, despite their differences, or maybe because of them, Leo and Teodora continue to bring out the best in each other every step of the way.

Seriously, if the writers had put in this much effort with Leo and Marcella in the last series I’d be singing a very different tune right now. These people are clearly capable of writing a cute romantic side plot so why didn't they just do this the last time? Maybe, like the fan base, they just liked Teodora more... Or maybe this is an alternate reality and maybe next season we will see them both clash and the connecting of the two worlds could lead to the destruction of all reality as we know it!!!.....................*cricket*.

Or I could just be exaggerating. So yeah, this series officially made me a Leodora shipper. I didn’t think it was possible.

Conclusion:

Even though I wasn’t all that attached to the first Legend Quest I was curious to know where it would go from season 1. Masters of Myth may not be the continuity fans were hoping for, but despite its flaws, it does have some good elements.

If you’re curious about whether or not this series has something worth watching, especially if you’re more into character-driven storylines and lighthearted adventures with a good dose of high stakes and action with fun characters, then I highly recommend it. Also, if you’re a Leodora shipper you’ve basically hit the jackpot.

If it gets enough exposure then hopefully it won’t wind up like its predecessor with an incomplete story and forced to start again from scratch. A second season would be the perfect opportunity to expand on the elements the writers wanted to incorporate. They could reintroduce villains from the first series into a new story, maybe have Leo experiment with new levels of his ghost-seeing powers, have Teodora learn how to adapt in the past with her human body, heck maybe even an episode focusing on Marcella and her teammates who already seemed like a very interesting bunch. There are a lot of possibilities this series could go, I would hate to see those ideas get thrown out the window again because of Netflix’s greedy ways. It was because of them that the first Legend Quest never got a second season, so I hope the same fate does not fall on Masters of Myth before it can be given a chance.

Legend Quest: Masters of Myth season 1 is already out on Netflix, give it a watch if you haven’t, share your thoughts and let’s hope this isn’t the last time we’ll see of Leo and his friends. Seriously, we don’t want history repeating itself.

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