WebAnimation Overly relying on Drama will blow your engine.
Right from the start, I can say that I do agree a with a lot of points made by Magister Flopsy in the other review, so mine will be more about giving my point of view from similar issues. This isn't a bad series, its a mixed bag with flaws and perks, actually quite fun and I do recommend at least giving a try. But it has serious problems that may escalate if left untreated
More specifically, from the last part of the first season to the second season onwards, it suddenly switched from an episodic plot with assassin imps doing their jobs to relying too much on drama. Drama, as a storytelling tool, is a great way to make the audience emphasize and connect with the characters and can boost interest in the overall story. But it's akin to using Nitro in a race: It's best used sparingly, on specific parts of the track. Use it too much and either it will run out before the race is over, or worse, you'll blow up your engine. As in, it turns into melodrama and poison your whole show.
It gave me the impression that Vivzie Pop only had the pilot and a couple of episodes in mind alongside her other show Hazbin Hotel and didn't know what to do after it picked up so much interest, or is holding the development of the scenario to Hazbin. Either way, the writers of the series resorted to drama.
And there are clear signs of Drama abuse already. As Magister Flopsy noted, the imps barely do any assassination jobs and most episodes turned into pieces to explore damaged parts of the characters (familial abuse, mostly). Generally this sort of focus is done in the middle of a series as a break between long arcs or a catalyst, here its being used as its spine. We had an infamous retcon to turn Stolas and Blitzo into long-lost lovers, an episode about Millie's family, about Moxxie's family, what's next? Loona's origins? And then what?
Again, drama isn't necessarily bad, its abuse is the problem. Characters are wasted because they only exist for drama. For example Stolas, who is supposed to be a grand figure in hell, so far mostly exists for drama with his daughter or Blitzo. How does his family works? Does lending a powerful book to an imp will have consequences? It won't be explored unless there is a dramatic scene between Stolas hugging Blizto.
Besides that, while still able to make me laugh, the rest of the writing is also suffering. The pilot had really good Precision F-Strike moments, but as the series go on, cursing became so common that I felt they were in New York instead of hell, and musicals feel more like padding.
The animation is still insanely good, the voice acting is just as good as the animation. Honestly, the series can still be saved from the pit of melodrama, but it needs good writers to pull it off. It already has a really good character development (both visual and characterization), there is still a whole scenario to be explored and opportunities to be used. And yes, asking for writer help (or any kind of help) isn't bad nor should be considered humiliating.
WebAnimation Simultaneously the most overrated and overhated thing on the internet
To call Helluva Boss a divisive show would be a massive understatement. It seems like you either think it's a show where what little redeeming value it has is massively overshadowed by its non-existent worldbuilding and overreliance on cliffhangers to retain the audience's attention creating a Kudzu Plot or you think it's a flawless masterpiece and anyone who criticizes it is a big stinky poopface. Then you have me where my opinion of the show is just a resounding "It's alright. I found it entertaining at least." I think the good outweighs the bad, but there's a lot wrong with it and the arguments the aforementioned haters make aren't entirely without merit.
The good:
- The core cast has some very well-written characters. Blitzo, Moxxie, and Stolas are all remarkably fleshed out and pass what I call the "Same character, different show" test, where the mark of a truly three-dimensional character is if you could place them in a completely different show with a completely different cast and reliably predict how they would behave, with flying colors. Loona and Millie, while not nearly as fleshed out as the other three (and in fact I would argue one of the big problems with the show is that Millie doesn't have much of a character), are still likeable and endearing. Brandon Rogers as Blitzo and Richard Horvitz as Moxxie give top notch performances, with the latter's performance being some of his best work since his hayday in the early 2000's when he voiced such iconic characters as Zim, Billy, and Razputin.
- The animation has no right to be as good as it is. Like it's actually TV-quality animation despite being entirely crowd-funded. 'Nuff said.
- IMP's rogues gallery is fantastic. Crimson is up there with Azula and Classic-series Vilgax for my favorite villains in Western Animation. The DHORKS despite being extremely comedic and only human prove to probably be the most dangerous foes yet, having pulled a fast one on a Demon Lord who can predict the future. Striker is downright intimidating and would be perfect as The Rival for Blitzo if that were the goal of his character. Fizzaroli and Verosika, while not as spectacular as the three I just mentioned, are both delightfully hateable.
- The show's reputation for having a Kudzu Plot is wildly overblown, and honestly strikes me as hypocritical. People be willing to give Breaking Bad five seasons to resolve its plot threads, but when Helluva boss goes two minutes without resolving cliffhangers suddenly it's an issue. Two of the most commonly cited examples of this alleged Kudzu is the endings of Episodes 5 and 6, both of which occurred in the latter half of an EIGHT episode season. At least wait until the end of Season 2 before declaring them aborted arcs. Sweet Jesus y'all need to chill.
The bad:
- As mentioned before, the worldbuilding in this show are non-existent, and honestly the show doesn't even try to aim for a coherent setting. Several VERY important questions are raised that the show has zero interest in answering. What happens if the IM Ps are killed? They're already in hell. Why is it so imperative that the existence of Hell and Demons be kept a secret? The show tries to play up the Urban Fantasy angle but misses the part where you have to properly explain the consequences of *not* maintaining the masquerade.
- IMP very rapidly devolved into Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. The last episode where the plot had anything to do with IM Ps job as assassins who specialize in killing people on Earth at the behest of humans who went to hell was Season 1 Episode 4.
- I feel like I'm going to be crucified for this, but the musical numbers in this show are garbo for the most part and I usually skip them. It's not that any of the cast are bad singers. It's just that the songs that have been written for them are bad.
- Lastly, Stolitz as the OTP for Blitzo is very poorly handled. And I don't say that because it's "problematic", because it's SUPPOSED to be. I say it because the idea that they actually had feelings for each other beyond transactional sex wasn't hinted at all before Episode 6 and ever since it's completely taken over the show.
In conclusion, I recommend giving it a shot. But it's a very love it or hate it kind of show and if it's not your thing it's not your thing.
WebAnimation A fun show, but one that needs a bit of help with what to focus on.
Helluva Boss is an extremely fun show for me, watching a bunch of demons going around causing mayhem while managing to have some level of heart, and being genuinely likeable all around. As Zangief once put it, "You are 'bad guy', but this does not mean you are bad guy." The relationships in this show are an amazing draw for me, whether it be the romantic ones like Moxxie and Millie or Fizz and Ozzie, the familial like Stolas and Octavia, or the platonic ones like Loona and Octavia, as are a lot of the music, "Two Minutes Notice" in particular is an ear worm.
The show is far from perfect though, and a lot of it has to do with its issues in terms of focus, both in plot and characters, and how everything seems secondary to the "Blitzo and Stolas" romance drama, when it feels like the least interesting part of the show and a Romantic Plot Tumor, since whenever it seems like there is a chance to progress the relationship, nothing is actually done, making it feel drawn out and tiring. Paradoxically, they tend to be screen hogs, taking up time from the rest of I.M.P., and appearing in plots they don't need to be in.
In short, the show can be very fun and be filled with heart, but it's clear that the parts VivziePop wants to focus on is the biggest hurdle it struggles with, sacrificing other more interesting plotlines for a relationship that is being drawn out too much and many have stopped caring about. There is still hope though, if "Oops" and "MAMMON'S MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL MIDSEASON SPECIAL (ft. Fizzarolli)" are any evidence, that the show can still do good moments and have heart, it just needs to solve its biggest issue in a way that doesn't sacrifice everything else in the process.