As a longtime fan of the _Dragons_ franchise, having watched every piece of mainline content (movies and shows) since 2010, I really don't think _Dragons: The Nine Realms_ is nearly as bad as many make it out to be. Is it as great as the other shows before it? Not really, no. But what seems like an obvious IP milking here actually plays out with some cool ideas. allowing it to stand out on its own, away from the events over a thousand years ago.

While not necessarily the main theme of the _Dragons_ series prior, one thing I absolutely love is Hiccup's past arc establishing the idea that dragons exist and still do exist, just in hiding away from the world of humans. _The Nine Realms_ is great in reinforcing this idea through the use of mythologies and cultures interpreting these dragons as their own monsters and creatures in stories, mainly Nordic folklore and religion (although other cultures are tied into it as well). Out of all the ways to pitch a modern-day sequel to the original series, this is definitely the best choice, in my opinion.

If it wasn't for that neat framing though, I'd probably say pass on this one. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the main cast of kids in this one, who both parallel and revitalize the archetypes of the original dragon riders. Tom and Jun are the two lovers, D'Angelo is the caring researcher, and Alex is a tech genius full of occasional sarcasm. I don't think the writing is as "cringe" as a modern-day _Dragons_ story might sound like, but the plot itself is just a bit underwhelming overall. This is basically just _Dragons_ in a _Jurassic Park_-style government-protected setting, with a couple villain arcs that either feel too rushed or inconclusive. It's a shame that the story doesn't really get all that exciting until the very last season, which flies by pretty quick. The only element keeping everything going is the on-going set of connections with past characters, including those who were exclusively part of the _Dragons_ shows, although they aren't much more than just simple name drops and callbacks.

I can only recommend this one to hardcore fans of the _Dragons_ series who are simply looking for a new take on the IP, especially with its surprisingly short length. Otherwise, just ignore this one, as it doesn't affect Hiccup's arc in any meaningful ways.