In an age of reboots and retellings, it seems nearly impossible to create new and original source material. That being said, it’s even harder to handle a reboot carefully to appease an audience that’s very devoted to the source material.

The hardest challenge? A form of entertainment that tries to take its own spin on a beloved classic.

In all of my Netflix binge-watching experience, no show has been able to perfectly balance its source material and maintain its own world separate from said source material unlike Voltron: Legendary Defender.

The Netflix original and reboot of the ‘80s cartoon classic, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, has recently released its seventh season in August. The show has been in the experienced hands of executive producers Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, who are most well known for their work on the successful Avatar: The Last Airbender spin-off, The Legend of Korra. The two have produced a show with beautiful animation in both fight scenes and one-on-one dialogue, as well as well-rounded characters that have seemingly gained fanbases of their own.

To add to the experience, Voltron has quite the star-studded cast.

Jeremy Shada (Finn the human, Adventure Time) voices the loveable Lance with passion and excitement in every scene. Kimberly Brooks (Jasper, Steven Universe) has brought life to Princess Allura in a way that no one else ever could. Bex Taylor-Klaus (Audrey Jensen, Scream) loves her character of Pidge so much that it’s evident in her voice acting, which always brings a sense of excitement to the character. Not to mention the head of Voltron, Shiro, is phenomenally acted by Josh Keaton (Young Hercules, Disney’s Hercules). Steven Yeun (Glenn Rhee, The Walking Dead) and his many talents give a voice to the former lone-wolf Keith.

As a fan of Dos Santos and Montgomery’s old work, I was instantly captivated by the show and have remained a devoted fan of Voltron since its early seasons.

Despite this, I was unsure of how to feel about the release of a new season so soon after its previous, but the quick wait proved to be effective in the hype I had going into this season.

To say that I was blown away by the characterization of both old and new characters would be an understatement.

A cast of new characters is introduced, including James Griffin who is voiced by AJ Locasio. Locasio also voices Prince Lotor on the show, but is still able to present a fresh new character through his voice acting skill and experience. I was very intrigued by Locasio’s character of Griffin, even though his scenes were limited.

Griffin wasn’t the only newer character that captivated my attention. Romelle was introduced in season six, but truly shines in season seven. The quirky and lovable Altean steals every scene she’s in and adds comedic relief in heavy episodes like “The Ruins.”

But it’s not just the newer additions that are getting all the attention. Hunk, a fan favorite main character, has officially gotten another moment in the spotlight, which fans haven’t seen since the first two seasons. Tyler Labine is able to voice act a variety of emotional aspects and changes in the character over all 13 episodes in such a manner that left me wiping my mascara off my cheeks.