Kingdoms of Grace (2008) Online

Saw this online last year and I've been trying to view it again ever since. I was a late arrival to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer party, watched it end to end with my girlfriend, and was thoroughly bummed when it was done. So I was delighted to find some 'slayer' influences in Kingdoms of Grace.

I didn't even know what rotoscoping was before I saw this, but it really works in the context of this particular story. Great soundtrack, edgy characters, and cool visuals. The only knock is that there's not enough of it!

Highly recommended if you're able to see this somewhere.

This is not something you can say about many things, but everything works in this series! The darkness of the story, characters and the combination of the animation and live action completely entranced me.

I absolutely loved how the history and magic came to life before my eyes and I was transported to a different world. It was especially refreshing that the heroine was not based on the usual "pure soul" premise and she has to struggle with her own demons throughout the series. As soon as I started watching this series (I was so grateful that it is a series and not just one episode), I was overwhelmed by the cleverness of the visuals and the story was fantastic too but the unexpected part was that the music locked me in and I was hooked for good. And now I am stuck waiting very impatiently for the next installment in the Kingdoms of Grace series.

I ran across this on the web and was hooked. Smart, action packed and some great quirky humour thrown in. This is like a combination of Buffy and Relic Hunter, but with darker undertones (lead character is a heroin addict). Very strong female lead but also very vulnerable. The main characters are very multidimensional and well rounded. I'm not a fan of this animation style but the quality of several of the backgrounds was amazing (I especially liked the rain-soaked scene in the first episode where the previous Seeker is killed). The mix of animation and real-life was very cool. I liked the historical aspects of the show. I had heard of the Spear of Destiny before but didn't know much about it. After seeing a few episodes, I went and did some reading up on it and the series has just the right mix of historical/mythical references mixed with the series' own mythology. I'd love to see an actual live-action version of this on TV.

Actually the show has no religious undertones at all. At least no more than The Thorn Birds had in 1983. But it does question who and what religion has the 'right' to own or repossess biblical relics.

I liked the subtle references of North American pompousness, and our ignorant views of Muslims which are obviously borne out of fear and propaganda. I loved the bonus materials on the website, specifically the one dealing with Nim, and how her relationship with her parents is the total opposite of what Sierra's roommate perceives it to be.

Stone's genuine, almost innocent, beliefs that the Spear belongs to the Catholic church is again very subtly challenged by a simple line from the leader of the village: "rightful owner... I see..." It is written very well; carefully weaving historical facts with complete fiction, ala The Da Vinci Code. I would love to have seen this realized with a bigger budget, although considering the reported cost of this show, the producers delivered something that is pretty amazing.

I just about fell on my butt when i saw the characters come alive at the end of the first episode. It was a bit freaky and unexpected, but not in a bad way. I kinda wish they did that with all the characters. I loved the music for the show, it worked well with the age of the characters. Stone's and Hernandez's accents bothered me a bit, they sound fake, but then i saw them speaking Spanish, and it sounded like they both spoke the language, so I'm not sure. I though that Sierra was a little too pretty for a heroine addict, but you know, that's Hollywood. It was cool that all the animated characters looked like their real self, I was sort of hoping that at one point the backgrounds would also be real, but I guess it's not easy to film inside the Vatican. All in all though, I enjoyed the show.

I tuned into this web-series pretty late. I like graphic novels and the feel of the animation of Kingdoms of Grace is that of a graphic novel - very moody and stylish. I like the story, although it is not unlike many story lines we see on television: boy and girl love each other but can't be together because of some insurmountable obstacle. It works on TV, and it works here.

The Indiana Jones style quest for artifacts is the glue that holds the show together, but really it's the relationship between Sierra and the Priest that keeps me clicking on the next episode. If you have a chance to see the comics on the website, you get a glimpse into some background information about the characters; some interesting, some downright shocking.

Well done! I'd love to see more of it.

For me the best part of Kingdom of Grace was the dialogue. It was great to come across something really well written after drowning in a sea of CSI's and Law and Orders. I really loved the grand story line and the romance, even though it is set in a mythological space it felt more real then Grey's Anatonomy. Any former Buffy addict with love this show, it is in the same vein of having multi dimensional and complex characters trying to do what they see as right. I love shows that question the world we live in without coming across as preaching. This show brought up a lot of great questions. The mystery element is also totally addicting. Hoping they bring the series back :)

I highly recommend watching this unique and interesting series. Congrats to everyone involved in creating such an awesome universe. This storyline has such a great opportunity to explore their past as well as where they are headed.

I think it satisfies the science fiction/comic book loving part of me as well as the hopeless romantic.

I watched all the episodes on the website again, and then again. I'd love to see more.

You won't be disappointed.

It is an innovative way , at least for me, to show the story using animation and live action together. The animation style and the comic book treatment goes very well with the style selected for the illustration, and creates an interesting atmosphere.

Even when the animation flow seems to be a bit too paced in some parts, it is compensated with some dynamic moments of action. Would have loved to see more of it, perhaps integrated with some background narration.

The global idea gives up for a big universe development, and sometimes it would have been nice to have more of that integrated on the episodes. It would be nice to see a continuation of the series, even prequels, to explore beyond what it's seen on the show. A big potential for animated comics and derived story lines.

I am fond of anime and I love Pixar style animation. I even like Scooby Doo. But this was something totally new and different. Maybe a little too different for my taste.

The beginning reminded me of The Animatrix, and just as I was beginning to groove on the show, the characters became live. That's right. All of a sudden, there they were, the same actors whose voices inhabited the animated characters, jumping around on the screen. Then they were animated again. I found that it took me out of the story.

I did like the dialog, although at the beginning it was a little heavy and expositional, trying too hard to explain a lot of history and background. But it had some funny bits, my favorite being "[email protected]".

All the issues aside, it must have been addictive enough because I did watch the whole thing anyway, so on some level it did work but I think that the producers would have done better if they either stuck to animation or live action. On the website there were a dozen back-story comic style episodes which I though were a great addition, and perhaps the way this story should have been told - through a comic strip.

This is one of those rare gems that you find completely by accident and then immediately want to share with the world. After watching the entire series, I was left wondering why Hollywood can't do this all the time? But then I realized this is what really makes the show so special – the fact that it is unique and so incredibly well done.

I don't want to give away the story as I believe it's something that you must enjoy and experience for yourself. But that being said, I haven't seen a series like since Buffy The Vampire Slayer or FireFly. Not surprising considering Kingdoms of Grace was inspired and influenced by those very shows.

Even more incredible is the combination of live action and 2D animation. I've never seen anything like it before and I was impressed with how well it worked. And while it took me a few minutes to adjust to it, it completely engaged and captivated me. Yet more compelling is the story telling. I was instantly and completely pulled into the world of Kingdoms of Grace. The only disappointment was that it ends after so few episodes. I hope the producers will create more.

Keep an eye on these actors and key creative team as I'm sure they're going to be a big part of the next generation of Hollywood A-Listers. Watch Kingdoms of Grace when you get the chance! You'll be glad you did.

Don't get me wrong, I loved looking at Kelly Donohue (Sierra), but i think the show would have been better if someone with a little more depth than looks played the role. I think the show's creator, Natasha Baron, played it safe a little, and seeing her resume it's no wonder. Her career is not far along, and there are a lot more OC's and Gossip Girls on the air than, well, I can't even name a show that is void of beautiful people. I long to find an American show brave enough to show a compelling love story between two average people, who don't look like Abercrombie and Fitch models, especially immediately after they ingested some heroin.

Outside of that little nitpick, I surprisingly enjoyed the webisodes. They were funny, and had well crafted characters. Something about it was also very addictive, in a guilty pleasure kind of way.

Bottom line. It was good, but it could have been much better if the choice of actors honored the unique story telling of Kingdoms of Grace.