Animation
The Legend of Vox Machina
When it comes to being suitable for families, Amazon Prime’s The Legend of Vox Machina failed its saving throw.
Far atop a grassy spire lives Percival and his grandfather, Varghese, in quiet and peaceful solitude. And right now, they’re celebrating Percival’s 16th birthday.
Varghese recalls how Percival’s own father left home at 16, seeking adventure in the magical lands of Brittania. But Percival isn’t as interested in following his father’s example. The idea of adventure excites him, but he’s more than content to spend the rest of his days living atop the spire.
But Ironside has other plans. He’s the strange visitor donned in red armor who arrived in a floating boat—and he’s looking for Varghese. And when he finds the man—his father—he strikes him down before attacking at Percival.
And though Percival ends up surviving his wounds, Varghese lay dying, using the last of his strength to urge Percival to go on his adventure and find the answers he seeks to this tragedy by confronting his father, Ironside.
Why did Ironside try to kill them both? Well, it’s because of a new prophecy, one which spoke of the emergence of the Four Knights of the Apocalypse, said to bring about the end of the world. And Ironside, alongside the other knights of Camelot, has been tasked with slaying anyone who might have the potential to become one such knight.
And it turns out that Ironside’s intuition to return home was right.
Though no one would immediately suspect him, the happy-go-lucky Percival does indeed have the potential to become one such knight, a Knight of the Apocalypse.
Four Knights of the Apocalypse takes place 16 years after the Seven Deadly Sins, in which holy knight warriors—wrongly accused of a crime they didn’t commit—saved Brittania from being destroyed in a holy war between the goddess and demon races and became heroes.
Well, at least they bought the world 16 extra years.
No one would expect Percival to be one of the Four Horsemen destined to destroy that world—not even Percival himself, when he’s told the news. He dismisses it with childlike confidence, saying that such a thing will never happen, even as he’s told that prophecies are always 100 percent accurate. Or so says a talking companion fox named Sin.
Well, the show has yet to test the veracity of that claim. But here’s the content that you will have a 100 percent chance of viewing if you watch this show.
Obviously, spiritual concepts play a large role in the show, including people who have obtained holy and chaotic powers from angelic and demonic creatures. Many characters use these magical powers, often resulting in people getting wounded and bloodied, if not dying outright.
And unfortunately, we see a bit of female objectification, too. Of two female characters we meet (both also 16 years old), the first bathes naked in a spring, with her naked rear visible and her critical areas scarcely covered by clever animation. Meanwhile, the latter strips out of her dress to fight in tight corset-like clothing which accentuates her cleavage.
Simply put, if you’re hoping for an anime based on the biblical book of Revelation, this won’t be it.
Following Ironside’s devastating attack, Percival begins his journey away from home.
Varghese and Percival suffer bloody injuries as a result of Ironside’s magic, which cuts holes through their bodies in the shape of x’s. Varghese spits up blood and dies from his wounds, while Percival’s wounds heal into a big scar. Varghese pierces a roc (a giant bird) with a trident, and he cooks it for dinner.
Percival lives on a pillar of land called the Finger of God. Varghese tells Percival of a shadowy island built by people from the goddess race. He also tells Percival of various magical places across the land. Varghese wields a magical sword, and Ironside uses magical abilities, too. Ironside references a prophecy regarding the end of the world. As Varghese lay dying, Percival wonders if it is due to some sort of “sick divine punishment.”
The 16-year-old Percival asks that, now that he’s an adult, if he can “drink booze,” to which Varghese says he’s still too young. Varghese drinks alcohol. Percival urinates.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
When it comes to being suitable for families, Amazon Prime’s The Legend of Vox Machina failed its saving throw.
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