Get Nostalgic Watching this Review of The Legend of Zelda TV Series
Posted on December 27 2017 by Alexis S. Anderson
The Angry Video Game Nerd himself, James Rolfe, released a comprehensive review of the The Legend of Zelda TV series earlier this month. In the video, posted to Cinemassacre’s YouTube channel, Rolfe gives an overview of Nintendo’s early flirtation with cartoon production and describes his personal background watching the Zelda cartoon. Then, diving into his review, Rolfe discusses the show’s characters, writing, episode plots, and similarities to the first two Zelda games. Watch it and tell us what you think!
One aspect of the show Rolfe appreciated was Link’s feisty personality, which I agree on second glance is awesome given how underdeveloped his personality tends to be in the games. Zelda’s active role in the story and her strong personality are impressive as well, especially because that side of her had yet to be explored in the games at that time. Ganon’s monstrous appearance being softened by his comical demeanor was also an interesting and amusing creative decision. Additionally, the art design, enemies, sound effects, and action sequences do a great job of recreating the gaming experience within the cartoon.
The show isn’t perfect, though. Rolfe’s biggest issue with it is the writing, which doesn’t always come up with the best dialogue for each scene and often recycles phrases in later episodes. He views it as more of an action show, so while the plot is usually fun– especially for kids– it isn’t that impactful and can get repetitive. Side note: Just like Rolfe, The White Knight is also my personal favorite episode (with The Missing Link coming in at a close second).
Check out some of Cinemassacre’s other Zelda related videos here.
Do you agree with what Rolfe said in his review of The Legend of Zelda TV series? What would you want done differently if a new Zelda cartoon was released? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.
