So, I finally decided to watch Hazbin after hearing about how bad it was and have come to the conclusion that I give in the title. I made an effort to find people who don't just talk about what they don't like about the series but also discuss what they did like and would like to see more of outside of things like the music and art design which I think helped me come in with a bit more nuance rather than just finding people who love everything about it and won't hear any criticism about it or people hating on it to just hate it. I believe another way to put it, which I think applies to more than just HH, was when I heard a youtuber say "I said I liked it...I didn't say it was good." I'll briefly talk about the things I liked and disliked, some things I might've changed and the fact I'm looking forward to season two just a little bit. Some spoilers ahead....
Let's get the good stuff over with. Of course, I do actually like the character designs even if they are very 2000s Tumblr but that doesn't mean they can't be good. The VAs do a great job at the characters they are given and are very good fits and I'm not just saying that because Husker's voice actor is Keith David who also voices my favorite Disney villain Dr. Fascilier. On top of this, even though there are some songs I think aren't the best, I can't deny that the music is good. There's also some genuinely funny moments as well, one of my favorites being when Alastor just sends Sir Pentious into next week for a minor tear on his coat, Pentious awkwardly flirting with Cherri Bomb, and Alastor burning the scrap of cloth Pentious returns to him after saying it must be special since no one has gotten even that much from him. If it's not obvious, Sir Pentious is one of my favorite characters because I enjoy super-genius characters who are also massive goobers.
After that really quick rundown of things I like, simply because there's not a whole lot for me to say more than I like stuff, let's get to the bad parts. These are going to be things that are at the forefront of a lot of criticisms of the show, but they are still valid even if people don't want to hear it. These will not cover some of Vivziepop's more...questionable practices and choices in her life but I will mention her at least once.
First...I do have to agree about the amount of swearing in the show being a bit much. I am not some prude who believes that swearing is akin to murder, sometimes even doing it myself with varying levels of restraint, but even I feel that she needs to reign it in. Vivzie claims that one of her inspirations as a creator is South Park which has a famous episode where they had a counter to say how many times 'shit' was said and often swearing in general. Vivzie has also stated that she pities anyone who doesn't find a well-timed "fuck word" funny but the issue lies in the fact that...they're not well-timed. It does feel a little bit like a kid who just learned what swearing is and just went nuts which is what the creators of South Park basically said was the reason why their child characters swear so much rather than it being for comedic value. The other issue being that literally everyone swears, even some of the angels we get to see who would be the last people you would expect. Something I think would have been a nice touch, have the angels who do swear maybe be physically unable to in some way and have Charlie (main protagonist who wants to redeem sinners and get them into Heaven) use swear substitutes because she believes it's a step to being a better person and being redeemed. You can still keep her outbursts where she swears because they would have a bit more of an impact since she would be saying things like 'heck', 'frick', 'dang' and so on.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAlSqWMYn0
Next up is the pacing and my god this is a big one. Season one is eight episodes of about twenty-five minutes each and covers the events of six months total. The first episode includes the plot-points of Charlie pitching her idea to Heaven in a meeting that her father asked her to attend because he couldn't, and the extermination day being changed from a year to six months as well as, I think, the reveal of a dead exorcist angel which we haven't been really told should be impossible yet. This is a lot to have in just the first episode when the show was billed as the young, foolish and naive princess of Hell has an idea to stop extermination day, not with violence but by redeemed the sinners of Hell and sending them up to Heaven, and honestly changes the billed plot to stopping the exorcist angels. The characters go through their arcs in single episodes where the issue is brought up; Angel Dusk and how poorly Valentino treats him, Lucifer not being supportive of Charlie's dream and plan, etc. Angel's development of him getting off of drugs is done off camera, Lucifer and Charlie resolve their differences in a single song, and the season ending feels like a series finale to many.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7v91zOpGZ
Another issue that you'll find is just about the writing which has its moments where it's not great. Charlie and Vaggie's relationship feels very one-sided even though the series tells us they are partners, since the pilot was not remade into the actual first episode people don't know about things established in that episode, characters seem to forget things that they should know (Vaggie not knowing angels can be harmed when she was an angel who was harmed) among others. The issue with the writing is less that it's bad but more that it could've used some polish to remove certain plot points for later seasons and taken everything a little slower. The setting also being in Hell isn't honestly because it needs to be but because it's an edgy location since Hell doesn't seem like the lakes of eternal fire in religion and myth. 11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyqSfuUcSA
Also, the show wants you to do homework. I've seen plenty of people who said they just watched the show on Amazon and were confused by the characters since episode 1 is technically episode 2 since the pilot was made on YouTube and establishes who the main cast are. There are also drawing streams and tweets where Vivziepop explained (years ago) the lore behind her characters that sounds rather important to me. In an episode, we are introduced to an overlord (Vox) who hates Alastor. To me, a man who is not a super fan of Vivziepop from years ago, my only correlation as to why they hate each other is that it's a TV (Vox) vs Radio (Alastor) joke as well as two powerful demon overlords who just have beef with each other as rivals. And it wouldn't be that bad to actually go read the wiki or find those streams...but I should not have to do this to know about characters that the show should be telling me about. Movies based on books, for all the creative liberties they take (good and bad), they still do a good job of explaining the characters and who they are to the audiences.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LCPPms4Mn
People have made excuses for genuine issues people have with the show by saying it's in Hell (not a good excuse since Hell just seems like a really crappy, gang-ridden city rather than fields of punishment) and give the excuse that this Hell is not supposed to be based on the Christian Hell...when the king is Lucifer...Adam is the main villain of the series...and the opening of the show is a slightly twisted version of Catholic scripture. There is no respect for her source material which could be made interesting if the effort was made. In Warhammer, Slaanesh the Chaos Lord of Hedonism, draws in people with promises of pleasure while basically making each experience feel more hollow than the last so that people seek greater and greater pleasures.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6SZOh2Hsf
Again, Hazbin Hotel is not a bad show and definitely worth the watch...but it is far from good. Most people can find something to like but also a lot of stuff that needs to be worked on which can boil down to several issues. Vivziepop is a talented artist and animator but she is not a good story writer who does not take kindly to criticism directed against her and whose fans will vehemently defend her regardless of whether the criticism is polite and valid. Still, if you've been wondering if you should give it watch, I say you should but don't have high expectations and hopefully you can find something to enjoy.
Have a day
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