Natural 20

Introduction

Critical Role is a podcast series centred around a group of friends who also happen to be voice actors, and The Legend of Vox Machina is a television series based on their first campaign and is streamable on Amazon Prime.

The 2022 series is a parody of the fantasy genre and the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. Despite being an animated series, The Legend of Vox Machina is definitely not for children as there is a lot of gore, sex and profanity. Yet, it comes across as probably one of the most hilarious and most thought-out shows that I have ever watched.

Setting and Plot

The show follows the storyline created by Critical Role’s Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer and his friends, with the first three episodes serving as an introduction to their characters. The first few episodes also set up the world of Exandria, where everything takes place.

From the third episode onwards, the series introduces the Briarwoods as the main antagonists, adapting one of the best storylines of Critical Role. This evil family of nobles have been using their powers to manipulate the king to grant them special privileges and were the ones responsible for the massacre of fan favourite Percey’s family.

The Legend of Vox Machina walks steadily on the fine line between comic relief and heartfelt moments, which comes as a surprise from a narrative adapted from a mostly improvised Thursday night role-playing game among friends. The cohesive nature of the storyline comes from an already concluded campaign, where the cast can cherry-pick the scenes and moments they would like to see.

The Legend of Vox Machina is a fantasy enthusiast’s thrill ride, feeling like an adult version of The Last Airbender but with more profanity added to it. Despite being a television show aimed at adults, it does not try to mock the innocence that comes with adventure. Lately, it feels like animation studios are trying to move away from this pessimistic nature that comes from shows like Rick and Morty for something that does not rely on shock value for views.

One of my favourite moments comes from the third episode where the party calls for someone to cause a distraction while the rest search for their missing comrade. Only for the great Scalan Shorthalt, played by the insanely energetic Sam Riegal, to take the reigns by singing “pull my beads of love” in front of an entire audience of diplomats while wearing a fluorescent codpiece. This scene alone manages to cement the show into my good books, along with the likes of Arcane from last year.

Then the tone does a complete one-eighty, the moment we see the Briarwoods in action as they beat the living crap out of the cast, with Matthew Mercer’s Sylas Briarwood standing as a formidable charisamaniac and adversary for the party.

Characters and Performances

After spending years role-playing these personalities on the table, the cast has gained an exceptional familiarity with the characters, as every party member shines in their own unique way. Since the actors already had a close relationship from their time playing, their performances were consistent. 

For example, Travis Willingham‘s Grog, a barbarian whose fondness of ale is almost equivalent to his dimness of mind, is probably the most sentimental member of their fellowship. Yet, his most endearing characteristic is his friendship with Ashley Johnson‘s Pike, the party healer. 

There is something about Ashley Johnson’s voice that instantly makes her recognisable. Portraying mostly younger protagonists, such as Ellie from The Last of Us and Tulip from Infinity Train, it was difficult to differentiate the character from the actress. 

Speaking of Pike, she is the character who had the least amount of screen time among the cast. She spends most of this time finding absolution after losing contact with diety among the bulk of her powers. This trope is common in Dungeons and Dragons campaigns as players may have other commitments preventing them from participating in sessions. 

Taliesin Jaffe plays the role of Perciville De Rollo, a nobleman whose land and family were taken from him by the sinister Briarwood family. To some extent, one could consider Percy to be the protagonist for most of this storyline, as many of the events mainly surround him. He was also the one given the most character development. He was the underdog, going up against intimidating opponents, even for a role-playing game. 

Outside of Percy, Keyleth(portrayed by Marisha Ray) is probably the only other character other than Percy who goes through any form of character development. A powerful druid and probably the most potent member of Vox Machina. Yet, her lack of confidence leaves her prone to panic attacks mid-combat, among other insecurities. Her character becomes more assertive as the series goes on, eventually becoming the group’s light when in the darkness. 

One of the most adorable dynamics of the series comes from the blossoming relationship between Keyleth and Vax’ildan Vessar(Liam O’Brien), the party rogue. There is a good girl, bad boy romance going on between which one can not help but smile over.

Vax is the twin brother of Vex’ahlia, the party ranger played by Laura Bailey. Bailey is an extremely versatile voice actress, playing roles from Maka Albun from Soul Eater to Trunks(young) from Dragon Ball Z. While Vox Machina does not have a de facto leader, Bailey’s stern performance of Vex gave me the impression that elf heald that position among the crew, despite her reluctance to rely on others.

Then there is Scanlan, the party bard and ladies’ man. Sam Reigal’s hyperactive personality fits this character like a glove, making every scene this guy is in feel amazing. Scanlan’s energy and vulgar personality can be felt throughout the entire series, which is why he is just so much fun to watch.

Conclusion

Streaming networks such as Amazon Prime and Netflix are beginning to understand that there is a desire to watch these kinds of shows. That animation can be more than just a distraction for children. Before watching these series, the best place to find animations geared for older audiences was through anime. Watching something like Attack on Titan became the norm for many people in the 2010s. 

However, with shows such as Invincible and Arcane slowly becoming more prevalent, something like The Legend of Vox Machina was bound to appear eventually.

With its charming humour and a delightful cast of characters, The Legend of Vox Machina has the potential of becoming a new stepping stone and hopefully the new standard for future adult animations.