The very first ep of the series.

Discuss. :)

Oooh, nicely done. Now we've got an epp discussion for each epp. Thanks, LF! :)

Sooooo it was...well, extremely predictable, no scales. It's the first epp, though. Of course it has flaws and such.

But I seemed to notice a change throughout the animation process, speed, and character design (specifically, Moordryd, who has seemed to had a certain change in his character design). Also, a continuity error: at times, why are some of the tongues a bright sugar pink? :P

Not much to say about this for a first episode, except that in my book, it was perfectly fine. (Well, not really, actually. Artha does act arrogant here too.)

In my opinion, Artha seemed a little less detestable in this ep.

Haha word wears high-heels. I just noticed that :D

Interesting... :huh:

Well, he is a woman...... :P Nah, i'm just playing with you, or am I? * cam goes to eyes just like Word's and Moordryd's* :P But in the first eppie, we can tell Artha doesn't like dragons, and he really doesn't know that Beau is a VERY special dragon. Until Connor reveals the secret about Beau to him.

I found something intresting: Many of the 'street racers' who assemble are actually members of crews in the later episodes. And one of them is Rancydd from the Dragon Eyes? Wonder why he didn't get kicked out.

And Connor does that gravity-defying leap to lay the smack-down on Moordryd. Matrix-y. Wooooooooooooooah. Mind you, Word does this in 'Broken Bonds' too. Maybe gravity is different on their world?

Apparently so. Plus, friction is rather confusing in their world as well. They can easily slide on the ground, and yet, they can easily walk, run and stop! (Not all shoes in their world have grips, mind you.)

Skylii Posted on Feb 25 2006, 05:29 PM

Yeah! Like in 'Artha the Drac', after Spynn shot the trapping gear at Artha, then she and Vociferous jumped into the air and started skidding down the slanted bridge thingy. How on earth can you skid down,on concrete, on that type of slant in high heels!?!?Well, not really high heels, but very tall boots i guess.....<_<

I'd say it's supposed to be more along the lines of sophisticated martial arts, just like in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." If you have the right training (in this case, from the Dragon Priesthood), then you can pull off gravity defying stunts. That's how I interpret it anyway.

Now, here's food for thought:

CONNER WAS BALD AT SIXTEEN??

Yes, I know that he probably shaved his head, but still, very weird. :blink:

Anyone tried translating the symbols in this ep? I tried and it's actually mostly gibberish. If I wrote it, I'd write things like 'Join the navy' and 'Eat your breakfast' and 'All your base are belong to us'. Heh heh heh...corrupting young minds since 2004. >:D

Yeah, I think it's a priesthood thing. ;) I guess it never grew back...

Some. The sign Beau crashes into at the very end says "RACE" except it's a mirror image. The Japanese scroll style artwork in the Connor household says things "draconee yum", "race" and "release the dragon" if I remember correctly. And one of the signs you see as the camera pans down to the Down City area at the end says "happy place ping pong". You see that sign a lot in Dragon City. Apparently, it's a chain... :)

That is acaully funny. I think it is called "bored computer guys a work".
You should see what the computer sciens students put in there comments while they are doing practicals. Stuff like "where is the cookie monster" and "why did the elaphant cross the road" They are weird by right. (no pan intended)

There are poeple that goes bald at that age. It isn't that weird.

Yeah, I think I've seen those ones. I think I only managed to read one because it had ping pong bats on it however. :P

Dragon City is built very high up, yes? (Twenty miles, I think it was). Well, I've learned in Physics that the higher you are from the ground, the less pull gravity has on you. Also you weigh a bit less. (Maybe that's why everyone *cough* most of the girls *cough* are so small in weight?)

Hmm, in this episode, Beau chooses Artha to be the Dragon Booster, right? Now, I know there's a place around here that deeply discusses this (I just can't seem to find it anymore, help me) but I've had a rather senseless thought that will probably result in many paper balls thrown at me: What if Beau chose Artha solely on the basis that the Golden Armor was a perfect fit for him?

LOL But that's just me who thinks that, I guess. :P

I suppose so. They do seem to have gone down the path of making the past heroes seem like they could be the same-gender siblings of their modern-day counterparts, which is a bit of a shame--I'd have liked to see a boy trying to live up to a heroine's legend, or a girl in less sexist modern times getting to play a hero's role, or maybe a black orig!DB to have a person of colour who's not a sidekick.

On the other hand, maybe Connor and Word were the chosen human studs. (:P) Beau seems pretty reluctant to let Moordryd get on in Pride of the Hero until Destiny Makes Him, and Connor seems to expect that it'll be Artha--so maybe there's something unusual about them in particular, the reason why the priests went for those particular orphans as apparently the only ones they took in. And/or Beau growing up with Artha means he liked him.

I tend to think all the various Booster suits morph themselves to custom fit the chosen human. That whole transformation sequence where the suit seems to form around them looks sort of like all the draconium energy swirling around them undergoes an energy to matter state transition to become the suit. Let's see, ... E=mc², so to create the matter in the suit out of pure energy would require one freaking huge amount of draconium energy. Given the extreme level of technology needed to handled energies of that magnitude, then having the suit always fit perfectly regardless of who's chosen becomes the easy part of the problem. :)

I like the idea that Connor and Word might themselves be unwitting pawns in the prophecy. Perhaps their rivalry is itself fulfilling destiny. Word's turn to the dark side was destined (a bit like Star Wars) since it spurs Connor on to re-create the gold dragon breed. Their rivalry further rubs off on their sons, and their endless competition with each other spurs them both on to train hard to in turn gain the skills they will both need when the time is right for them to join forces with the other Boosters and finally fulfill The Prophecy and prevent the war. I would particularly like to see the expression on Word's face in the end when it was revealed to him that his entire effort and pursuit of trying to control the world for himself was actually serving destiny to do exactly the opposite in the end. Nothing quite like the realization that you had no free will your entire life. ;)

Back on the choosing thing, they frequently make reference to a rider balancing with their dragon, becoming one and all that, and Artha complains in episode 1 that all his father's dragons keep following him. I think that's supposed to be a tip that Artha's own energy basically works well with a dragon's and all the dragons are able to sense that, at least to some degree, and that itself is a major portion of the criteria of being chosen (perhaps even all of it). Of course, what we don't know is if something special was done to make Artha that way, or if it's just the cosmic luck of the draw. It could be like the book/movie "Dune" where there's a secret human breeding program going on behind the scenes with the goal of creating a super-human. I tend to doubt that a plot twist like that will show up in the series, but it's fun to think about. Maybe for a fan fiction. :)

Maybe the armor is already there, just slightly out of phase but anchored to the amulet? Might explain why when artha was affected by the mag rip his armor was flashing in and out of existence. Or maybe its something like transporter pattern buffers from Star Trek, they can store patterns in them for a few hours i think is the maximum until they start degrading, but transporters were made for instantaneous teleport, but i dont think its creating matter from energy and the likes
EDIT a detailed info on pattern buffers here http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Pattern_buffer

Now that you mentioned it, I remembered seeing those racers. Before seeing the street racers, we see a lone dragon looking down on the racers. Moordryd told his father, "Don't tell me you are stealing dragon? My Downcity Crew and I have been stealing dragons for most of my life."
Who would not love the pilot episode? I loved watching it, and I am listing this as one of my favorite episodes.

I wish Connor had not planted that bomb. Then it would be easy for the Dragon Eyes Crew to capture Beau.

I was just rewatching The Choosing Part one when I noticed something when Parm was talking to Artha via there Vidd game about the gear Arha should have used and on what dragon.
Parm said "Next time maybe use blue draconium speed gear and red maneuvering gear on a white dragon."
Shouldn't it be blue draconium maneuvering gear and red speed gear? Or is there is more gear types we don't see? Or just something they invented for there game?

Perhaps, but I think that the creators might still have been working on names then, and then later changed them to what we have now. I say that because when the people are looking at Beau when Connor first shows him, one guy calls a peice of gear red speed burst. Shouldn't that be red thruster gear?

It is a nice intro to the cartoon. We meet the main characters - Word, Moordryd, Artha, Parmon, Kitt, and Lance. I like this episode.

It was nice to see the introducation of traffic in Dragon City! The dragons lining up was an eye-opener for me.

My review:
Word
At first, Word did not seem so bad. I did not find him evil, even when he told his son to pretend to be an Elite racer.

Moordryd:
At first, he looks like every teenager with his or her father. He was not smiling, true, but he did not look evil. He looked more like a regular teenager bully, and basically, he is. We see him first with his father, and I was thinking, "Where is his mother?" I though she was shopping, but it was not until Faster than Fear then I learnt the truth. He shouldered against Artha, and that was plain rude. Even then, he was just a BIG Bully.

Artha
I found him too playful for my taste, and I was thinking, "Is he going to be playful for the rest of the show?" I could not believe my eyes, when I first saw the game. I was wishing to be able to play the racing game. It looked fun, and I learnt you do have to be in the same room as your friend. When Beau saw the chocolate in his pocket, I enjoyed his expression.

Beau
I loved the dragon at first sight. He was also playful, pushing Artha to the ground, and taking the chocolate from Artha's pocket. But he was more serious. I could not believe he ate the chocolate with the wrapping still on! It is cool to see a dragon eating chocolates, when animals are not supposed to eat. I loved the part when he tickled Artha, and after eating, he stepped on the video game. Oh Beau! It was cool to see him with the gears, later, and he magged Kitt off his back too. His expression, on being told he was a dumb dragon, got me to say, "I cannot believe I am sharing the stable with this human. If he does not care about me, then I will not care about him either." He did not like Moordryd from the beginning.
After Connor gave the amulet to Artha, I noticed his changed expression. Beau though, "Maybe I was a little harsh with the human earlier. He seems okay."

Parmon
Serious-looking teenager. I find him a bit serious yet lovable. He was fine, for my taste.

Lance
I was a little surprised to find him sweeping the floor. He was an instant hit with my brother. I was wondering how old he was. He is so loving, and I loved him too. He was struggling to be freed of his brother's playful grasp, and I enjoyed the playing scene. He gave the broom to Artha, and I was cheering at that part. I do not like to see younger boys sweep the floor, as I believe they should be dusting. You know, small chores around the house.

Connor
His first appearance was appealing, as he raised his left eyebrow at his two sons. I find him not too serious, and it is good.

Kitt
I loved her grand appearance to the Penn Stable, and the reaction of the other Elite Racers. Rancydd showing his distaste to Kitt was not very nice, but then he is a Dragon Eye member. Dragon Eyes are not the friendliest Dragon Crew, but that is the way I like it. Kitt won the little contest by saying he cannot beat her. Great entrance, Kitt! Anyway, she tried to show the men that she can do it too. But Beau magged her off, and I was loving this scene. It was fun to watch, especially when she landed on Artha, and Beau laughing at them.

Wldfyr
He made a grand entrance with his speeding to the Penn Stable.

Cain
He became my favourite character at first sight, and I find him not too serious or playful. He was bad, and I loved it. His expression, upon seeing Beau freeing himself, was priceless. It is great to see his surprised expression.

Decepshun
I was surprised to learn she was Moordryd's dragon.

Coershun
I was surprised to learn he was with Dragon Eyes Crew.

That is my review of the first episode. I did not pay much attention to the remaining episodes of Season 3, as I wanted to see the first episode first.

This wasn't the first episode I've seen, even though it was the first in the series, but I'll give my review the same way Cain did in order of appearance :):

Word & Moordryd

I just knew Word was the bad guy when I first laid my eyes on him (but since I've seen episode five first I kind of knew that already XD). You can easily see that he was up to something sinister, and at that time it made my blood boil because I'm usually not too fond of the bad guys in a movie or T.V. show. But nevertheless it was a good start :)

As for Moordryd, however, I thought he was a complete jerk, but then again I was young then when I saw this so I probably didn't really understand what was going on with him and his daddy dearest. In this first episode I really didn't like him because of his goals sent to his dad to steal Beau, but soon I liked him as the series progressed because I know he's an important character.

Artha and Beau

Again, because I've seen later episodes, I loved these guys :) Artha I liked mainly because of his overall design, anatomy and animation (his egotistical personality ticked me off a little bit once I memorized certain episodes when he need to deflate his large head), but I wasn't really thinking about him being arrogant as I see him now, but that soon comes later ;)

Beau I liked both for the reasons given to Artha and because he's just so fun to watch ^_^ He has an unhealthy obsession with chocolate :P That is funny as hell. I giggle every time he does something to annoy Artha, and in this case, knocking him over, tickling him, and then taking his candy XD For me, it was love at first sight.

Parmon

At first I recognized him from episode 5, but I realized he was the smarty pants of the show XD The way he talked, acted, and sounded gave me all the clues. Plus, I admired him for his maturity :) I'd say out of all the Penn Racing crew, he ought to be the most mature because of how he took situations Artha's about to run into. I liked him overall, so let's hope he gets a better niche in the story as the series continues.

Lance

My first intentions of Lance was more like, "Why the hell is that kid there?" I've seen him in later episodes due to my late discovery, but I soon recognized him as a little brother. I don't remember my entire thoughts, but he's adorable ^_^ I wantz to hug him!

Connor

Okay, this guy was definitely new to me because I saw a few later eps, so my first impressions were more like, "Who's this guy? Their father? Is this what Artha has been describing?" I thought he looked quite professional, and he answered all my questions about how Artha got the gauntlet and amulet. I easily recognized him as an older individual of the two brothers, and he seemed to have a comical side when he raised his eyebrow at them while Artha gave Lance a noggie XD

Kitt

I was like YAY!! A GIRL in this show!! XDD Her appearance made me recognize her as the female in "Fanning the Flames", so I took interest in her. She definitely seemed stuck up when she made her grand appearance, and it peeved me a little... until she looked at Artha in a flirtatious way and it made me laugh. And the fact that she was able to beat a bunch of dudes on the race track made me happy, because in most cases the girls are the weaker gender of the human race, so seeing that she's one of the top racers really made me happy.

Cain

He didn't appear very much in the first episode, and didn't think much about him until a few later episodes when he appeared, but even though he looked intimidating he turned out to be a big softy XD Usually that happens for some reason. Overall, I think he's very interesting.

And finally, the dragons in the show!

I LOVED them. I loved their design, look, anatomy, and their personalities. We all love the dragons, so let's hope we see more of them interacting, and maybe get an episode to themselves. Who knows, there might even been a new species!

Well, that's my long review and my overall thoughts...