TV DVD Review: "Dragons: Riders of Berk": Part Two

Rated: TV-PG for violence
Starring: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, and T.J. Miller
Released: November 2012 - March 2013 (original Cartoon Network premieres) / July 23, 2013 (DVD)

Synopsis: The adventures of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), his beloved dragon Toothless, and their friends continue in this second part of the first season! In these nine episodes, they discover new species of dragons, defend their home island of Berk from lightning strikes, and fight to escape the clutches of the evil Alvin (Mark Hamill, Star Wars).  With plenty of action and suspense, as well as dashes of humor, this collection is sure to excite and entertain!
As seen on Cartoon Network.

The Good: This is pretty much more of the same as in the first outing...but, as they say: If it's not broke, don't fix it.  Everything that made the original How to Train Your Dragon film and the previous episodes as great as they were is still present here.  The animation is once again outstanding, as is the voice work.  The finale has me eagerly awaiting the next season; I won't give it away, but, I will say that it'll leave you breathlessly desiring a further installment...which is kind of the point.

The Bad: Nothing here to complain about, except, once again, the inappropriate rating; it should be "TV-Y7-FV", not "TV-PG-V".

Content Concerns:

• Sex: Innocent romance. 4/5
• Nudity: None. 5/5
• Language: Name-calling, at worst. 4/5
• Violence: Fantasy/cartoony violence abounds.  The dragons fight each other and shoot blasts at people; however, no one is seriously hurt, and there's absolutely zero blood or gore. 3/5
• Drugs: None. 5/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: Along with the fantasy violence, there's many a suspenseful moment, especially in the two-part finale, and some of the dragons are rather hideous. 2/5
• Other: A bit of gross-out content (i.e., spitting). 4/5

Conclusion: I had my doubts about how this series would turn out, but it definitely does justice to the theatrical film.  If you loved the movie, but have yet to check out this series...what are you waiting for? Go rent it from your local library, NOW!

Score: 4.5/5