Hmm, not a bad first ep at all.
Coran reminds me of Varrik from Legend of Korra, which is a bit annoying.
But I'm also glad he's not the old "hardened war vet" old man that is much too common in every modern show with a "butler" type. He's a bit comic relief, but that separates him from clearly being a father figure to Allura, and more of a trustworthy friend.
Which is nice, since her father is a machine ghost. Who has a cool design.
Speaking of Allura, I'm pretty happy with her characterization so far. I didn't know what to think of the accent at first, but it does help her feel a bit more like royalty. And I'm perfectly fine with Studio Mir giving us tanned=skin women who don't fall into the normal loud / violent tendencies many would force such a character into.
Keith looks up to Shiro, and I'm fine with that. Shiro looks imposing and leader-like, and the grey-before-his-time hair sneaks him into "Older and Wiser" territory much beyond his years, which is fun.
Hunk's Vomit / Always eating gag is already old in EP. 1, but I'm also pleasantly surprised at how competent he is otherwise. They make a good case as to WHY he's on the group, by showing him to think a bit different than the rest, in a rather useful way. He's not just comic relief, and that's appreciated.
Pidge... how in the world did you re-program alien tech instantly? Smart as hell, surely. Ignoring things I haven't seen in show yet, he's very much like I'd imagine the old Pidge to be in a modern work. Plays well off Hunk, to give a comedy edge to the show, without feeling like either character is resigned to ONLY being comedic. Feels a bit like the Toph of the show at the moment, which is ok.
Lance is Sokka. No, really... he feels so similar it's a bit jarring at times. I like his snark. It's a bit more universal in his personality than in the old series, but due to this, it makes him stand out a bit more.
I like the designs overall. But the music... is so plain and usual for a series of this type, so far. There's nothing that's stood out to me, and that's disappointing. I still hum the Various themes of Voltron to this day...
Majestic
That Mystical Harp Sturmming
Sad Princess - A personal favorite, I think of this often on Sunny days, actually...
Sand People
I would have preferred something that sounded more like it belonged in a Japanese RPG, rather than the straight-forward background filler we have here (so far).
I look forward to seeing how the rest works out. I wonder if Yurak / Sendak will get his turn at being a Ro(ast)Beast here, too..
