In first seeing this announced, I of course was excited to see what Armorsaurs could deliver. A hybrid of live action and 3D animation about a team who fight alongside dinosaurs in armour. Many compared it to Power Rangers, and it definitely has that tokusatsu feel. In now giving this first season a watch, there’s a strong core here, set up very well with the opening two-part episode.

In this universe, the dinosaurs weren’t wiped out. They were abducted. Now, 65 million years later, the dinosaurs are returned to Earth. A top secret facility led by Lieutenant Colonel Helmsworth and Doctor Chandler use the dinosaurs to stop an alien threat. One such dinosaur, a T-Rex called Ajax, is being transported to the base when the aliens attack. Intent on taking Ajax for themselves. A trained Armorsaurs pilot, Su, is dispatched to help contain Ajax, but is taken out by a mysterious figure who knows him.

And his brother. Who gets inducted into the Armorsaurs program along with four others. It is revealed that all five are being hunted owing to them having a rare gene called the Avian Anomaly, which means they have the ability to connect with birds. And the dinosaurs. Their first mission proves to be a success despite being more demanding than initially thought.

Across the next few episodes, all of the team get focus, with more dinosaur bonds happening. TJ is a bit of a goof, who likes to get into action via games and sports. Liam is a scientist of the facility, who is very stuck into facts and figures. Prisca and Paloma are sisters, with the former being the more sensible of the two despite being younger. And then there’s Joon, who at first is hung up on the connection he failed to make. Taking on the legacy of his brother’s dinosaur partner. But soon comes to put that aside.

Connections and bonds are a strong core of Armorsaurs. Whether that be between the members of the team, or even with the enemy. All episodes present some form of issue that comes from those connections, whether that be the sisters fighting or the mysteries of Switchblade. And there are some real emotional moments that come from these connections. Bonds that help forge the story to be worth watching, especially as it builds toward the finale.

There’s more than just story to enjoy with Armorsaurs. The fights are all varied, fluid, and exciting. Most of these fights use the armoured dinosaurs, though there’s a few hand-to-hand fights to enjoy. There are some great shots and landscapes, with a lot of detail put into them. Fights in forests, canyons, and even underwater all look great thanks to that level of detail. It’s almost enough to make you forget such fights are all animated.

Sometimes that animation can feel a little stiff or unnatural, but such instances are usually only seconds of the overall action scenes. The same can be said about when live action and animation have to coexist, such as when the humans are interacting with their dinosaurs out of armour. These things are easily noticeable, but I don’t feel they bring the quality of the series down. They’re just a small part of an otherwise very strong visual design.

Getting into the finale, it is preceded by a great look back at the events of the season. Which again feeds into the connections I say are the core of the season with how it does so. And then the final episode provides a great lot of action, revealing one last surprise within its final confrontation. But there is one particular thing the season has been building up that feels like it gets sidelined because of that reveal and what happens from it.

In fact, I’d say that’s the biggest miss of the season. You have this bond set up from the first episode, that plays a part of character motivations throughout the season, and then when it could have landed its biggest impact, it instead gets brushed aside to deliver a more literal explosion. It’s why I can’t give Armorsaurs my highest recommendation, despite liking everything else it has to offer.

All other aspects of the plot are great and engaging. There’s plenty of lovely character interactions among the team. A lot of detail in environments, with energetic and fluid action scenes taking place within them. Meaning, despite that great miss, I’m still looking forward to seeing what is delivered with season two. As such, Armorsaurs gets a recommendation from me.

Images Taken From:
The Armorsaurs Meet Dino Rexley | Armorsaurs
The Raptors Battle Chromedrones | Armorsaurs