An underappreciated, unknown great action show

Okay, I may be biased, but even as a adult this show holds up.

The stories start out pretty normal and follow a familiar, superhero-like structure. In some far distant alternate future, Artha Penn is a young racer. In this world, people race dragons (who are kind of like giant, multicolored, reptilian mounts- they rarely have wings and kind of resemble dinosaurs) and Artha wants to get better at it. But his dragon ends up being the "dragon of legend" who will prevent an impending dragon-human war. Due to this, he becomes a hero known as "Dragon Booster" (although it's pretty clear that it's the dragon, or at least the interaction between him and the dragon, that makes this possible.)

The first thing you probably notice is the look. It uses cel-shaded animation, which gives it an entirely unique look. Then there's the dragon-design, which is pretty cool as well (IMO) and gives a good variety of dragon types, with different subspecies often popping up.

Then there's the world that's set up. It all starts on the relationship between dragons and humans, mostly manifested in racing, but that builds up from there. There's a history that they slowly introduce, especially tied to the history of Dragon City (where they live,) and I think they introduce it piece-by-piece in a very natural way as the characters learn. No huge info-dumps, but definitely developments come along pretty naturally and always tie into the story. Makes you wonder what else could show up.
The racing isn't exactly standard, either. Sure, there's a starting line and a finish line, but racers also are aided by specialized gear, which can add in new elements to the race. They are also often engaged in fighting DURING the race, since they can "mag" (repel magnetically) from their dragons to fight or leap in mid-air. This changes up the races, since the tracks often require different tricks or the racers have to take a a new approach to win the race.

Then there's the characters. They start off pretty standard as well, but this is one of the few kids' shows I've seen where you really see development as time goes on. You SEE them learning, and getting better at what they do, and getting more mature. This includes the villains, or at least, Mordrydd. The main villain at first is Worde Payne, Mordryd's father, but by the second season, he's more like a general cackling bad guy and Mordrydd starts developing into the evil counterpart of the Dragon Booster, known as the Shadow Booster. But even then, he's conflicted and you see not just a straight black-and-white villain but a multilayered character.
The side characters and dragons are pretty memorable as well. And it's nice that most characters are not one-offs; once you meet them, they show up, adding in their specific skill set or a new story angle as time goes on.

It's too bad that this show as cancelled, leaving only 2(3?) seasons, but you still get plenty of adventures and growth. It would be cool if the promised new season, "Dragon Academy," were someday made. We can only hope!

At press time, this show can be seen on YouTube, so if you're looking for something new and unique, for you or for the kids, I'd definitely suggest it. Something to remember!