Commentary: ‘Scavenger’s Reign’ Needs Time To Build

It seems as if animation is getting a big boost in the age of streaming. Anime has always been relatively popular, but fans of the genre had to seek it out. Now, it everywhere — with platforms also using the medium’s popularity to springboard into adult oriented Western animation as well. These shows are being heavily influenced by the streaming model of storytelling, which means fans aren’t going to get the immediate punch that they may be used to from serialized animation. Audiences are going to need to give these programs a chance to build just like they would with live action, and Scavenger’s Reign is a great example of this.

Created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, the series is an ensemble story following several different characters who have become stranded on an alien planet due to a mishap. The group — who are scattered across the landscape — struggle to survive on this dangerous and alien world while trying to use the flora and fauna around them to their advantage. To make matters worse, pirates and an intelligent, telepathic creature are making their escape even more difficult.

Because the story of Scavenger’s Reign is so large in scope, it takes time to fully flesh out its world and its characters. The first couple episodes don’t reveal a whole lot of backstory in regards to the plot and the characters’ relationships. Instead, these episodes are primarily used to build up the alien nature of the planet and the show’s visual wonders. It’s beautiful, but very slowly paced. For this reason, audiences should definitely be committed to finishing all twelve episodes of the first season when they begin. Because the show is a slow burn, viewers won’t be able to feel the full brunt of the story’s pathos until the very end.

Scavenger’s Reign is now streaming on Max.