Unicorn Warriors Eternal - General Discussion

[Galileo908]

The latest show from Genndy Tartakovsky premieres tonight! 

I caught the first episode at NYCC last year and loved it.

[AnimeMania]

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal follows a team of ancient heroes protecting the world from an ominous force. Throughout history, unicorns have symbolized the virtuous, appearing to ensure that goodness reigns. When the reawakening of our heroes comes too early, they find themselves in the bodies of teenagers. Damaged as a result, their memories of who they are and the history of the unicorn over the centuries have been lost, with some of their magical abilities weakened and fragmented. Not only do they have to protect the world against the prevailing darkness, they have to do it while navigating the unexpected laughs and humor that come with teen angst and emotions.

Hazel Doupe as Emma, the current host of the soul of Melinda, a powerful sorceress.

Tom Milligan as Dmitri, the current host of the soul of Edred, a warrior elf.
Copernicus, a steam-powered robot, has a recurring, nonspeaking role.

Jeremy Crutchley as Merlin.
Alain Uy as the original Seng.

Demari Hunte as Alfie, the current host of the soul of Seng, a cosmic monk.

Grey Griffin as the original Melinda. Griffin also portrays an anthropomorphic fox woman implied to be the ultimate evil the heroes fought against across history.
Jacob Dudman as the original Edred.
George Webster as Winston, Emma’s fiancee.
Ron Bottita as Emma’s Dad

S01.E01: The Awakening

A young girl, unwittingly infused with magical ability, discovers that she is part of a group of eternal heroes destined to fight a supernatural evil throughout time.

Premiere Date: May 5, 2023    Adult Swim      Midnight

S01.E02: The Awakening, Part 2

Melinda and Copernicus seek the remaining heroes of Unicorn while the supernatural evil unleashes a sinister force to stop them

Premiere Date: May 5, 2023    Adult Swim      12:30am

[AnimeMania]

For some reason my DVR only recorded the last minute of Episode 1, but luckily the entire full episode is available on YouTube.

[incandescent]

Damn, this show was insanely beautiful. The colouring was so rich.

[Galileo908]

I absolutely love the design of this show. It's Tezuka mixed with Fleischer. I spotted Asterix (or at least a group of Vikings that looked like him) in the montage at the beginning of the first episode.

[AnimeMania]

S01.E03: A Fateful Encounter

Melinda's mental struggle causes her to seek out the normality of Emma's old life, while Edred, Seng and Copernicus are embroiled in a citywide manhunt for Unicorn.

Premiere Date: May 12, 2023    Adult Swim      Midnight

[AnimeMania]

S01.E04: What Lies Beneath

An evil foe traps Unicorn aboard an ancient ship where the spectre of a vanquished crew will encompass their doom.

Premiere Date: May 19, 2023    Adult Swim      Midnight

[magicdog]

I definitely wasn't expecting Emma's fiancee to turn up!  I also had an issue with him being left on a floating board and told by Edred to go home.  How the heck was he going to do that considering you left him in the middle of the ocean??

[Galileo908]

19 hours ago, magicdog said:

How the heck was he going to do that considering you left him in the middle of the ocean??

He'll find a way. I imagine. I was shocked he showed up, too.

I really love how Fox Lady fights. Just stellar animation on her.

[magicdog]

I caught the first 4 episodes on AS last night and I can't help but have questions - ones I hope Gendy will eventually answer:

1) How are the new vessels for the souls chosen?  Watching the past incarnations, they all seemed to be warriors of one kind or another.  None of the current vessels fit into that mold.

2) How does the soul occupation work?  Is the original soul destroyed or moved or pushed into a proverbial corner when the Unicorn blasts them?  Once the evil entity is defeated, what happens to the people who were used for the warrior's souls?  Do they live out their natural lives?  Do they die immediately after while time passes until the next call?  Do the souls of Melinda Edred and Sed leave the bodies and leave the occupants free to pick up their lives?

3) How did Copernicus end up in a London cemetery when last we saw him he was in the American western frontier and how did the fox's robots know to look for him there?   

4) The previous incarnation looked like it took place in the Old West - say between the 1840s and 1880s (since this is 1890 London now, and Emma was not even 20, we could go with 1869-70).  Something had to go on between the 20+ years since that battle to lead to these events.

5) What about those two people who claimed they were meant to be the vessels for Seng and Melinda (even claiming to have trained for it) and one of them claiming to have been a descendant of the female knight in an earlier battle.  Were they really who they said they were?  After all, how did they know of the past incarnations/battles happening and the preparation to be next to receive the souls?  That's not something generally known. Could someone have made a mistake?

[Lantern7]

Fun series. Serious action set against an aggressively cartoon-like steampunk London, themes of identity crises, a whistling robot that can handle anything thrown at it . . . what's not to love?

On 5/19/2023 at 1:37 AM, magicdog said:

I definitely wasn't expecting Emma's fiancee to turn up!

Seems too convenient, especially after he was laid up in hospital* in the third episode. Could he be unknowingly jolted by whatever evil that is being fought, exasperating the split between Melinda and Emma? Winston seems like a noble sol, but you'd think he would have been discouraged by now. He's probably going to be an instrument for the main evil by the end of the season. I did like him and Edred butting heads, though.

On 5/19/2023 at 9:19 PM, Galileo908 said:

I really love how Fox Lady fights. Just stellar animation on her.

I don't think she's the main Big Bad. Too cute, especially when she(?) burst out of her clothes to flee from Melinda (Melindma?) in tight spaces.

In terms of soul possession . . .  I'm think we have Camelot 3000 rules, where the bodies are predestined and unlikely (Emma and Alfie being the odd ones), and the preexisting souls are subsumed . . . or they should be. Emma seems to not want to go away probably because she loves her big doofus fiance. I say that with affection, by the way.

*It's "hospital" when you're in England, right? Not "the hospital."

[magicdog]

2 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

*It's "hospital" when you're in England, right? Not "the hospital."

Yes.  Canadians and Aussies do it too.

[Vermicious Knid]

NGL, I was hoping for killer unicorns.

I'm not loving this immediately the way I did with Samurai Jack and Primal, or even Dexter. I think there are serious weaknesses in the story and I really don't like the animation style. Much too goofy. Do we really need big-nosed Keystone Cops? The evil is a nine-tailed kitsune, which is too cliche. I'm finding this more of a mishmash than an homage. Noticed the Tezuka influence as well. 

Tik-Tok of Oz:

The robots of Laputa in Castle in the Sky:

This may be my second favorite kraken, after the one in Hotel Transylvania 3.

[AnimeMania]

S01.E05: The Past Within

Emma and Melinda relive moments from the past as Unicorn struggles in the present to contain a creature born out of her magic.

Premiere Date: May 26, 2023

[magicdog]

OK, I was REALLY disappointed with this one!  Emma's finace still left at sea when the gang could have brought him back to shore in the last episode.  Now he might be a werewolf due to his encounter on the fishing trawler.  I place that on the warriors.

Now due to Emma's mental trip to the past, we learn the evil they have been fighting for over a thousand years is Melinda's mother!  Not to mention her father being Merlin himself!  Why did they say in the pilot that the evil entity was Merlin's fault when it was due to Melinda's actions (though unintentional) that this occurred?  I don't recall Merlin doing anything other than watching the disaster unfold.  How does the Fox Lady fit in?  Are they one in the same?

They mentioned Melinda's mother's name was Morgan.  As in Morgan LeFey?  Before her transformation, she seemed nice and not the vengeful woman who wanted Camelot and Arthur destroyed.

I'm calling it now:  via some timey wimey shenanigans, they go back in time and change how it all began, Melinda and Edred marry and lead out their lives without the constant reincarnations, Emma's world goes back to what 1890 SHOULD be (no steampunk) and marries her betrothed without a hitch.  Then the orphanage doesn't close and Alfie is able to live a better life than he was when we met him.  The street magician Edred currently occupies becomes a famous performer.     

[Lantern7]

So the Big Bad that Team Unicorn is facing . . . is Melinda's mother, who has a Morticia Addams thing working for her. Or, if you're into anime, Nico Robin. Also, Winston might now be a werewolf. I mean, why not? It's a nice distraction from trying to figure out the death toll Melindma made in releasing a no-bullshit Kraken upon the town.

Winston's potential condition is the Team's fault. They couldn't take a few seconds to fly him out to land? Nope, just leave him on some plywood like Rose and Jack.

I'm just going along with the story, even as I wonder how Copernicus could have existed to help the Team. Was he pulled from 1890? Is he part of a super-secret model that Merlin stole from his future? Does the "activation" of the Team mean there's a surplus of weirdness to be had in 1890 England, or is it generated by the Team itself? There are so many questions that need answering . . . and that's not including questions that should never be asked, like, "Staple a Team Unicorn member to one of Genndy's prior heroes." For that, I'm thinking Edred/Jack, Melinda/Fang and Seng/Spear, even if it means the loss of that sweet caveman hair.

ETA: From the teaser for the next episode, at least tech support exists in this world. Copernicus is gonna need it. Did you see how that Kraken made a fist with a tentacle while smacking the robot? That was savage.

Edited May 29, 2023 by Lantern7

[AnimeMania]

S01.E06: The Mystery of Secrets

Melinda and Edred seek a mechanical genius to fix Copernicus; Seng searches for the solution across the Sea of Time.

Premiere Date: June 2, 2023     Adult Swim    Midnight

[magicdog]

Very odd episode.  Copernicus is back together but missing that missing ingredient to bring him to life.  Edred is holding back a secret which could help him but why is he reluctant to share it?  Was he sworn to secrecy by Merlin?  His people?  By Copernicus himself?  

Emma is still trying to get through to Melinda about what happened to her mother, but she's not having it.  

Who was it that bribed the sailor to out the Foxy Lady?  Even she didn't know!

[Galileo908]

Fox Lady went down way too easily. There's four more episodes left, we'll see her again. 

Next time we're finally getting Edred's backstory.

[Galileo908]

On 6/2/2023 at 4:45 PM, magicdog said:

Who was it that bribed the sailor to out the Foxy Lady?  Even she didn't know!

Watching it again, it was most likely Otto. The person had his purple gloves (not unlike Dexter's, FYI).

[Noneofyourbusiness]

On 5/26/2023 at 3:18 PM, magicdog said:

Before her transformation, she seemed nice and not the vengeful woman who wanted Camelot and Arthur destroyed.

Stories vary on Morgan le Fay being good, bad or neutral. The Arthurian mythos has been told and retold many times. In the earliest versions, she was usually Arthur's benefactress. Also, a lot of modern adaptations conflate her with Arthur's other half-sister, her sister Morgause, the mother of Mordred. Morgan's first appearance was in Geoffrey of Monmouth, where she wasn't even related to Arthur and Morgause and was a great healer of Merlin's acquaintance and the leader of nine sisters on the isle of Avalon.

[magicdog]

2 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

Stories vary on Morgan le Fay being good, bad or neutral. The Arthurian mythos has been told and retold many times. In the earliest versions, she was usually Arthur's benefactress. Also, a lot of modern adaptations conflate her with Arthur's other half-sister, her sister Morgause, the mother of Mordred. Morgan's first appearance was in Geoffrey of Monmouth, where she wasn't even related to Arthur and Morgause and was a great healer of Merlin's acquaintance and the leader of nine sisters on the isle of Avalon.

Good to know.  All the stories I'd read had Morgan and Morgause as the same person (typically the book notations said, "or Morgause" depending on the story you read) and definitely evil.  Thanks!  

[AnimeMania]

S01.E07: The Heart of Kings

Unicorn's quest to fix Copernicus leads them into a blood war for control over Edred's homeland.

Premiere Date: June 9, 2023        Adult Swim        Midnight

[Lantern7]

9 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

S01.E07: The Heart of Kings

Unicorn's quest to fix Copernicus leads them into a blood war for control over Edred's homeland.

Premiere Date: June 9, 2023        Adult Swim        Midnight

Also, this episode is 45 minutes long. Just FYI.

[magicdog]

I missed the first few minutes of this episode, but it gave a bit more backstory.  Had they traveled back in time to find Edred's people and Merlin?

I was intrigued that Edred was apparently [engaged] to the Eastern Elves' princess, but broke it off when he fell for Melinda.  Considering how bitter the king was, it makes me think she either committed suicide or died of a broken heart.

Nice to see Copernicus as himself again!  It would seem that Merlin is the reason for how he is.

Why the heck does Merlin blame Melinda - a small child at the time of the incident with her mother  - for the situation they find themselves in now??  If anyone COULD have done anything, HE could have since he was the adult and an experienced sorcerer.   

[Galileo908]

13 hours ago, magicdog said:

I missed the first few minutes of this episode, but it gave a bit more backstory.  Had they traveled back in time to find Edred's people and Merlin?

Nope. Apparently Elves are immortal, considering Edred's body was frozen when Copernicus took out his soul. And that just raises more questions. Like, how does Copernicus decide who gets chosen? Are Melinda and Seng's original bodies gone? WHY was Edred's body frozen in the first place?

13 hours ago, magicdog said:

I was intrigued that Edred was apparently [engaged] to the Eastern Elves' princess, but broke it off when he fell for Melinda.  Considering how bitter the king was, it makes me think she either committed suicide or died of a broken heart.

I was expecting her to be the witch!

[magicdog]

7 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

WHY was Edred's body frozen in the first place?

Perhaps without the soul, the body physically dies, so they had to preserve it should Edred fulfill his obligations.

 

7 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

I was expecting her to be the witch!

That would have been a good reveal, but we saw someone we never heard about before, will likely never see again.

[AnimeMania]

S01.E08: Darkness Before the Dawn

Unicorn's search for their evil foe leads them to discover something that changes their lives.

Premiere Date: June 16, 2023     Adult Swim    Midnight

Edited June 16, 2023 by AnimeMania

[magicdog]

I am starting to tune out of this show.  I know Genndy goes for the buildup (and who knows how many more seasons this show might get) but I'm getting a bit annoyed.

We finally meet up with Werewolf Winston - who apparently is a mindless beast in his wolf form - until he isn't.  Then they seem to make it seem like he can control himself somewhat judging by the way he reacted when he heard Melinda/Emma scream.

Merlin - is he possessed by the Big Bad?  Or perhaps The Big Bad in disguise?

Does this mean the Otto inventor and the Tiger man are all dead?  If so, who and why?  Foxy Lady?  Melinda's mother?

I did appreciate Edred protecting Melinda's/Emma's sense of modesty when a naked Winston was given a metal loincloth (which looked weird and I hope he finds something better).

I also liked that Edred was chided for leaving Winston in the ocean.  I'm surprised that the rest of the team was unaware of this.  Did Edred tell them he just dropped him off somewhere?

[Galileo908]

6 hours ago, magicdog said:

Did Edred tell them he just dropped him off somewhere?

Apparently.

6 hours ago, magicdog said:

Does this mean the Otto inventor and the Tiger man are all dead?  If so, who and why?  Foxy Lady?  Melinda's mother?

I did like that the exciting battle between Tiger Guy, Merlin, and the possessed Otto was cut out. They only have two episodes left, something had to be skipped.

 

6 hours ago, magicdog said:

Merlin - is he possessed by the Big Bad?  Or perhaps The Big Bad in disguise?

The preview for next week showed Merlin fighting the Evil, so it looks like possession.

[AnimeMania]

S01.E09: A Love's Last Light

Unicorn's struggle with the Evil Entity takes them to an unexpected place where their foe's power grows exponentially.

Premiere Date: June 23, 2023

[Lantern7]

One more episode. Hey, at least things are interesting, with the team in the cosmic realm, with an adult Alfie/Sen. Also, Winston is the goofiest wolfman ever, and the evil powers that be separate Melinda and Emma.

Yeah, a third season of Primal seems more appetizing, but who knows when that will air?

[AnimeMania]

S01.E10: End of the Beginning
(Season Finale)

Emma tries to find her way back to Unicorn as they struggle to hold out against their foe.

Premiere Date: June 30, 2023

[Lantern7]

So . . . time is now broken? Maybe? Seems to be an ongoing trope for Genndy. I still don’t get what the evil is, or whether it’s the thing that broke time. Could it be that Unicorn did that? Everything feels so big.

You'd think Emma’s parents would have asked about Winston. Apparently, he adjusted to werewolf life rather well. Emma herself is a badass, though I question the sanity of her merging with Melinda.

We’re not going to get a crossover with Primal, right? I should accept that now.

ETA: I got my first UWE-based sketch last week. I'm thinking Copernicus will be next.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Lantern7

[magicdog]

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

So . . . time is now broken? Maybe? Seems to be an ongoing trope for Genndy. I still don’t get what the evil is, or whether it’s the thing that broke time. Could it be that Unicorn did that? Everything feels so big.

I'm not sure what to make of that.  I thought the evil was mom Morgan, but she claimed she was being held and made to be the entity's heart.  So she is an unwilling prisoner according to the scene we saw.

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

You'd think Emma’s parents would have asked about Winston. Apparently, he adjusted to werewolf life rather well.

I agree.  Not to mention how one minute he's a mindless beast in that form then he's talking (although that may be because they're in the cosmos).

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I question the sanity of her merging with Melinda.

She probably thought it was the only way to continue fighting.  Where else was Melinda's soul going to go other than back into Copernicus.   I question how the group was able to go Captain Planet and merge together into an entity of their own to fight.  They never thought of this before in all the centuries they've been together?   I'm not certain how this is supposed to pick up if they get a second season. 

[Galileo908]

23 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

So . . . time is now broken? Maybe? Seems to be an ongoing trope for Genndy. I still don’t get what the evil is, or whether it’s the thing that broke time. Could it be that Unicorn did that? Everything feels so big.

Primal was set in the past, Dexter's Lab was set in the present, Samurai Jack was set in the future, UWE is now set in "all of the above."

18 hours ago, magicdog said:

 I question how the group was able to go Captain Planet and merge together into an entity of their own to fight.

I was wondering why they formed into a wolf instead of a unicorn. Then I realized...it was probably because of Winston.

I really, really hope there's a season 2. I liked the Descendants getting involved, and fanboying over all the lore.

23 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

You'd think Emma’s parents would have asked about Winston. Apparently, he adjusted to werewolf life rather well.

As far as they know, he's probably still at the hospital.

[magicdog]

17 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

I liked the Descendants getting involved, and fanboying over all the lore.

I have to admit that was a highlight!  I would like to know how they came to know so much about the team.  It's easy to forget certain details over the centuries, and how they knew so much about the Northern Elves' kingdom et al.  They even had a Copernicus of sorts!  Maybe they SHOULD have been the receivers of the Unicorn souls - because even Merlin was shocked when he saw how young the current team was and asked Copernicus "What is the meaning of this?" in an angry tone.

[Galileo908]

7 hours ago, magicdog said:

I have to admit that was a highlight!  I would like to know how they came to know so much about the team. 

They said it themselves that they were descendants of former hosts. The hosts probably retain all their memories of being part of Team Unicorn (if Emma is any indication) and started that organization, with those two the last ones remaining.

[magicdog]

17 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

The hosts probably retain all their memories of being part of Team Unicorn (if Emma is any indication) and started that organization, with those two the last ones remaining.

But I don't think it's been explained what happened between each reincarnation.  When Melinda, Edred and Sed were reincarnated into the Vikings/Norse people, what happened after the entity was defeated at the time?  Did the souls immediately go back into Copernicus and the hosts were then free to pick up their lives (with or without their memories of the event), or did they die?  Or did the new occupants occupy the bodies until their [natural] deaths?     

[Galileo908]

7 hours ago, magicdog said:

Did the souls immediately go back into Copernicus and the hosts were then free to pick up their lives (with or without their memories of the event), or did they die?

Merlin said that once the Evil is defeated, the souls go back into Copernicus.