Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“Heaven has no rage, like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorned” – this popular quote is from the 17th century tragedy “The Mourning Bride” by William Congreve. However, it perfectly defines the Greek Goddess Hera from her portrayal in “Blood of Zeus”, the Netflix animated series created by Charley Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides.
Plot Overview: Heron is an impoverished young commoner living with his mother on the outskirts of an ancient Greek village as outcasts because he is a bastard child. Over time, Heron learns he is the son of Zeus and becomes embroiled in a war against a demonic army led by the evil Seraphim. While Zeus tries to guide Heron to victory, his wife Hera plots her own vengeance against the God of Thunder for his many infidelities, with both Heron and Seraphim becoming pawns in the feud between the mighty Olympian couple.
For those familiar with Greek myths and legends, “Blood of Zeus” is not as complex and violent as one would expect it to be, especially considering its 16+ rating in many countries. However, there’s enough blood flowing throughout the first season’s eight episodes to keep viewers nervous about who might die or be mutilated next. I found myself rooting more for Seraphim, the blood-thirsty demonic antagonist, who has a far more tragic back-story than the one-dimensional Heron. But let me write about the most important ingredient of this series first – the animation.
“Blood of Zeus” is produced by Powerhouse Animation Studio, which also worked on “Castlevania” and “Castlevania: Nocturne” and fans of the Gothic series will immediately spot the similarities in illustrations and character designs. In fact, some of the characters look very vampire-like because they resemble “Castlevania” characters. For instance, Hera might remind viewers of Carmilla, the vampire Queen of Styria, just that the Greek Goddess is far more powerful, crafty, but maybe just as ruthless.
For most parts, the animation is definitely engaging; however, the landscapes and background designs aren’t detailed or stunning enough for the many slow-motion shots in the series. Even Mount Olympus doesn’t exude the extravagant Greek grandeur befitting the stature of the Gods. For a brief second, I wondered if the animators simply used Dracula’s castle illustrations and tweaked them to build Mount Olympus for “Blood of Zeus.” Who knows! While I was satisfied with how most of the Greek gods and human heroes look in the show, the character designs for the legendary giants that Zeus and the Olympians battle against were quite underwhelming.The background music on the other-hand consists of a lot of ominous choral flourishes which complement the dark themes of “Blood of Zeus” quite well.
The pace of the series is steady, and despite familiar formulaic sub-plots, the creators manage to keep up steady suspense until the end, making the show binge-worthy. It’s a different story that after keeping you on the edge of your seat in many scenes, the story doesn’t deliver epic twists. Ironically enough, Zeus turns out to be the most flawed yet likable character in the show, he is the OG Lothario, a philandering God with a string of children born out of wedlock, and while he isn’t winning any “father of the year” awards, he at least tries to keep them all safe from Hera’s wrath. Hera makes for an imposing antagonist, blinded by her rage, so much that her actions spell doom for the Gods too. The other characters aren’t as interesting, but they keep things entertaining.
If one had to provide a reductive synopsis for “Blood of Zeus,” you might say: When Zeus has an affair with a human woman, it goes disastrously wrong, igniting a catastrophic war on Earth fueled by Hera’s jealousy. If Greek stories, fantasy fiction, and animation sound like a fun combination to you, definitely check this series out.
Rating: 6.5 on 10. Watch “Blood of Zeus” on Netflix.
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