Thank you so much for 100K views on this video and 1K subscribes! ❤ I really didn't expect such a positive response. I hope you won't be disappointed by the content I want to make on this channel because it won't be as much about The Witcher as it will be about fairy tales, folklore, customs, traditions and stuff like that. I'll still make videos about The Witcher occasionally (like once a month) since it's so dear to my heart. Especially if I'll manage to somehow connect the subject of the video with the focus of my channel. But it won't be the primary content. If you want to see how an adaptation of The Witcher world could be done really well by actual fans go subscribe to The Witcher Stories ( www.youtube.com/@TheWitcherStoriesCZ ) 🐍And if you would be interested in the military side of The Witcher world go subscribe to Moritz Workshop ( th-cam.com/video/5qS6Z2do3ZY/w-d-xo.html ) ⚔
Wow, tolles Video. Ich stimme Dir in so vielen Ansichten zu. Ich habe die Bücher von Herrn Sapkowski xx mal gelesen und kenne fast jedes Kapitel auswendig. In der Serie fehlen mir so viele Details aus den Büchern. Ich liebe die Romane und eben die Kurzgeschichtenbücher und darunter auch das Kapitel in dem Geralt Ciri das erste mal im Brokilon Wald trifft. Und da war sie eben erst 9 oder 10 und nicht wie in der Serie, . . . älter. Das hat bereits Unmut bei mir ausgelöst, denn dadurch wurde so vieles nicht erzählt, nicht umgesetzt. Und das ist nur ein kleiner Teil, von dem, was mir missfällt. Ich könnte jetzt Stunden lang weiter schreiben, . . . Aber Dein Video sagt im Grunde, das aus was ich denke. Ich habe vor kurzem alle drei Witcher Spiele durchgespielt und muss sagen, dass mir diese inhaltlich deutlich besser gefallen. Klar haben die Entwickler bei CDPR einen gewissen kreativen Gestaltungsfreiraum, da sie ja auf dem „offenen, interpretierbaren“ Ende der Romane aufbauen. Letztendlich hätte ich auch gewisse Freiheiten in der Gestaltung, der Netflix Serie nachvollziehen können. Eine 100 % 1 zu 1 Adaption ist ja selten möglich. Doch was da produziert wird, ist bodenlos, . . . Danke Dir nochmals für Dein Video.
@@LandofLight Thank you, that's a great suggestion actually 🙂 I already briefly mentioned the chort Torque from the short story The Edge of the World in one of my videos but I can make more detailed videos about different monsters from the world of The Witcher and talk about their original inspiration from real folklore. I had a quick look at your channel and it looks interesting, great presentation 👌 Subscribed.
Thank you very much for this review. My friends are on my case about not liking Blood Origins but this what I was trying to say but more thorough. They downgraded the Witcher world into a forgettable generic fantasy setting and did the same with a lot of the 'fantastical' characters. I really enjoyed the setting of the Witcher and the general interactivty of 'every day' life. It makes the idea that there are things that hunt in the wilds/dark even more terrifying. There isn't a 'spell' that's just going to heal you back to 100% l;ike D&D or throw a mcguffin in the plot to solve all the problems. It's really watered down and the writers think they are 'clever' by portraying generalized and uninteresting motivations or (the lack thereof) character development. It doesn't really seem like they know what they are doing or know how to build a story.
Polish painter Jacek Malczewski often juxtaposed chimeras, harpies, fauns and other mythological creatures in his paintings with villagers in their everyday, life situations. I always associated this with Sapkowski's "The Witcher" because both artists looked for inspiration and showed the legends where they were born - among ordinary people in their small houses.
Beautiful comment. They could get inspiration from multiple artists not only Polish, but various European regions (e.g. Czech, Balkans, German, French), but no, they knew better.
@@mrp1326 remember that for Hollywood, Europeans are one big generic group of people with one culture. "Western culture". Hollywood is so racist they think diversity is only based on skin color and not ethnicity.
@Maciej R Mat RR Martin got inspired by Eastern European culture. He used a legend of sleeping knights (Polish and Czechoslovakian), used famous quote from 'Deluge': 'doesn't matter how you start but how you end'. He admitted he is well read in world literature, legends. Since English history was more cruel he used it as a backbone. Poles never harmed any of their kings (till kidnapping of Poniatowski). RR Martin world is evil, he summarized it in his novelette 'Sandkings' (Piaseczniki). It's so vile, disgusting I don't want to read it again. Some film critics say Nosferatu movies were expression of people's fears in anticipation of WWII. I'd say it was rather an attempt to frighten people. Hollywood was chosen after WWII to be the center of movie making. It spawns obscenity, constantly pushes the boundaries, often offers meaningless, mediocre entertainment. Twilight saga (as somebody jokingly pointed) was about importance of having a boyfriend, at any cost. H.Potter (not Hollywood but matches this ideology, tendencies) teaches that ends justifies the means and occult is fun. Shows like Dr. Who, GOT push limits of human sensitivity more, and more. It's like we're being prepared for WWIII, made feel powerless, isolated, scared. For these film moguls, world 'rulers' we as individuals do not count, our culture is irrelevant. Kindness, best things in life ought to belong to them only. They promote Marxism/Communism/solipsism, narcissism (as in Narcissistic Personality Disorder), etc. How wrong they are they won't notice till the end. All that makes impossible to make a good series nowadays. Like in kakistocracy narcissists sponsor and promote other narcissists, and their 'flying monkies'. I read the Witcher stories long time ago and was disappointed at the end, with the game (too much sex) as well. It's an interesting world but not for me. I tried to read some of his other works but was disappointed, too. I believe Sapkowski did some concessions in his stories to be accepted by the 'western culture'. We have much better stories in Polish literature. And I prefer his 'source material' like 'Home Fairy Tales' (Klechdy domowe').
The eastern European folklore and culture was always the most interesting thing about the Witcher for me as an American because it's barley if ever explored in shows. It's different and that's it's strength, the music, the people, the world, the locations. It's not epic, but it's so intriguing and if they want to get fantastical the Witcher has that it but it's not on demand. It's a slow burn of intrigue that concludes with a moment of epicness. Hollywood took that, washed all the flavor out of it, and replaced it with just generic manufactured trash. And they want to be so inclusive except when it comes to Slavic culture apparently.
Well, seems wokism/Marxism doesn't care for anything beauty, decent. They twist meaning of words, call truth a lie. They're bound to fail everywhere like failed in Poland, Russia.
That's why the games are as successful as they have been. It was made by a Polish studio that saw early Polish adaptations of the Witcher books, TV shows like the Hexer, and decided that they could do it better. Especially in the case of the first game, it was made by the fans for the fans. And damn, Poles are really damn proud of these books and games. Mention that you like fantasy, stuff like Tolkien, to a Polish person and the first question is always, "Do you know the Witcher!?" It's super endearing. It's as big there as Harry Potter is in the UK. It's on billboards, Monster Energy cans, the books are in every book-store. It really is a modern national treasure for them. Arguably, I'd also say it's because the Witcher is inherently more approachable, for foreigners especially, than say something like, "With Fire and Sword" despite it being a simply historic work of Polish epic poetry.
Central European ;) There is as much of Dutch influence as Russian one. You can say that the area of origin for the mythology and history lies between Brugges and Novgorod, Copenhagen and Venice. West Slavic mythology is in the forefront, but closely followed by German, and some Scandinavian , Irish (in lieu of the original Central European Celts) and others. Some parts from early troies are even ripoffs of Conan the Barbarian (the spider god for example).
Too be fair there is not so much of eastern European folklore in the Witcher. Witcher isn't some "slavic fantasy" in its roots. Sapkowski is a big fan of arthurian legends, European folklore and he even used things from DnD or Japanesse folklore. And he openly laughs at Swaróg and Pieróg. But the Witcher (books) has some Polish vibe in it. But it is in the language, how some of the Northern Kingdoms look like and mostly - how characters act, think and talk.
The realistic aesthetic to Witcher is integral in supporting its stories. 1. turns whimsical folklore into horror - take fantasy tropes and showcase how they could turn out if done by real people 2. protagonist must be smart and tough - he is not overpowered and must study and prepare to take on powerful enemies - consequences are lingering - people don't act like archetypes. Give power to the good King and you might watch an elven genocide. 3. relationships feel hard won/lost making them unforgettable
Exactly! The folklore part of the Witcher is what makes it feel real. It feels like the real (medieval) world if those folktales your grandmother used to tell you were actually true. When you walk through the woods in the Witcher it feels a bit like when you were little and actually believed that there was a witch, a dangerous pack of wolves or some other Biest lurking in its depths. Throw that away and you end up with something that is not the Witcher anymore.
Translation from Wokeland Netflix Current Day Story Telling Protagonist must be a Female of Color who is smart and tough and the greatest warrior alive and able to fight off 50 men alone. Have at least one white male to look stupid and get beat up so the show can make fun of him
I've been saying this -- Hollywood just can't deal with real diversity. Different culture, cultural norms, and values are way beyond their comprehension.
Yup, the only way is their way - subvert and destroy, ruin anything people can look up to or/and enjoy! These are slavic books/ storylines, something you can never tell from that show, because Slavic values are exactly what they fight against! Especially Eastern European ones which for most also relate to Russia (the eternal enemy) as well... 🤨
Worst thing is they had Cavil, they were so lucky to get someone who enjoys and somehow understands world he tries to portray. But instead of lisening to good advice they said he was kicked for toxic gamer behaviour. If after the season 3/4 fails they will blame him for that, we will reach peak stupidity
I just don't get why streaming sites prioritize showrunners over actors. Show runners are completely replaceable. Anyone can step in and keep the torch going as long as its cast is game. They just know they can't control the actors while the showrunners are directly employed by the company so they prioritize them.
@Wooden Door Garage Theres the books, then the 3 games. Rest is fanfiction (or this is how i cope). Cavil needs to be given opurtunity to work with team that is actually made of people who enjoy original world and reboot the series. Even actors could stay if they read the books first. I wanna see the difference that writers and management team will do, if instead of someone who just wanna "put as much of his queer drama from his life" into the show instead of focusing on making a good series :/ (around my circles queer is not a negative word, just to make sure its not me problem with him being somehow LGBT+, but that he tried to use something that shloud have been his own separate thing, not series that has milions of die hard fans including your lead-fucking-actor)
@@FolkWalkCZ I'm from Poland, I love The Witcher games and I think exactly like you, the first part is the best. Of course, the gameplay isn`t as exciting, difficult and pretty as in the third part (which everyone recommends), but I personally fell in love with the first one. The graphics don't matter for me... stories are impressive, unique atmosphere and varied colors put you in the right mood, villages are full of folklore, swamps are dangerous... Usual I don't like playing male characters, but I had a wonderful time playing The Witcher, I smile just thinking about it. It was an amazing adventure worth every minute. I don`t like splendour, I prefer simplicity... the third part of The Witcher seems to me too modern, also I don't like Ciri and Yennefer... I don't like it when they take attention away from the main male character. The second part has a lot of stories about elves which I don't like, I like dwarves the most ;). You can see what direction the game developers have gone and although they have attracted attention of many players... I`m still in love with the first one, it's love at first sight ;) Only Geralt and his search for his lost memories interspersed with orders for monsters head and settling scores with evil people in the background of villages and cities that looked very realistic... Incredible adventure.
@@buck-pucker He is really a tool through which you get to know the world he is in, its different sides, beliefs, many characters and their problems. He is the eyes, the silent observer... thanks to which he doesn`t disturb anything that we can experience thanks to him. He doesn't draw attention to himself, he doesn`t have a narcissistic personality... which I personally like very much. That's why he's a unique character.
"netflix doesnt understand the witcher" is the understatement of the year. they dont understand the entire fantasy genre. or even stories in general. they genuinely fail to comprehend what people find enjoyable or what the point of a story even is.
No one in the entertainment industry today understands fantasy that is why they don't know how to do Elves or Dwarves right. I never read the Witcher books or played the games (I'm too old and arthritic to play video games anymore) but watched the show because I'm a lifelong fantasy fan. When I saw the Elves of all different races all mixed together I sighed then thought maybe they were from different area of the world and are now all together because of persecution by humans. I was hoping that it would be explained in Blood Origins and it seemed to be that way at 1st, each of the main characters being from different clans, then when they showed the capitol it was just all mixed together anyway. Not the main reason I only watched the 1st episode but was one of them. All the Elves look and act like pointy eared humans. I laughed at a bald Elf and also one with dreds. It takes more than pointy ears to make them Elves. And ALL DWARVES ALWAYS HAVE BEARDS!
it's showrunner who doesn't understand source material and they brought in writer who has has zero writing ability to wrote the script. the reason why season 1 watchable because of Henry Cavill input.
This pretty much explained why you need someone deeply in tune with the cultural background of a book (or from the same culture) to adapt it succesfully
I don't even think that anyone involved with the show had to be in tune with any particular culture to do the show right they just have to be fans of fantasy in general. No one involved with this show have any interest in the fantasy genre and it shows. That's why they can't do Elves or Dwarves right. Elves are not pointy eared humans. It takes more than slapping some Spock ears on a person to make them an Elf. Hell, even in ST Spock didn't 'feel' like an alien because he was, to quote Bones, "a pointy eared bastard," but because his character was alien to the human character. Elves should have an otherworldly feel about them. Don't get me started about beardless lesbian Dwarves.
Nobody from Avatar the Last Airbender team was actually an Asian, and it turns out just fine. You have to be interested in the culture. But I don't think that was the directive Netflix gave the showrunners.
@@adapienkowska2605 I enjoyed watching that show with my son so I watch Dragon Prince. It does a pretty good job with their Elves. It's sad when a children's show can do it but one written by supposed adults can't.
@@adapienkowska2605 Yeah but the civilisations around them, especially the fire nation, the earth kingdom and the Air nomads were heavily inspired by asian culture. Just look at the clothes and architecture or even the cycle of reincarnation or the quest for enlightment.
I've read the books (translated to german tho, but think the translator did a very good job) and they are so different from the usual fantasy crap we get. The language used stood out specifically, because the Author used very time appropiate terminology, which, with the very well written dialouge, made everything so down to earth and realistic. Smart or witty people in the books talked like that, you could gather that someone was smart just by reading their dialouge, characters were distinct. Eastern European History and Culture are very interesting and unique and just making it american is the wrong call. I came to despise american media, because they always try to depict diverse groups and cultures but they always just turn out to be american in their behaviour and mindset.
@@RG-iw7py you realize that the books were written when Poland was still communist right? trying to blame the adaptation as bad because of "cultural marxism" is just psychotic lol
@@yveltalsea I don't think that's a good reasoning for why saying it's bad because of "cultural Marxism" is a dumb idea. The real reasoning is that "cultural Marxism" is literally a far-right antisemitic conspiracy theory. Unless the writer of the books is/was himself a commie, because if that's the case then your point would work.
Agreed, dialogues are biggest strength of Sapkowski. The way his characters speak is so natural you belive him everything. Pages after pages of just talking but it isn´t boring at all. Best examples are (well for me) in Baptism of Fire. And the medieval like language is great too.
@@yveltalsea I'm Polish with M.A. in history of theatre from Jagiellonian University. My life time experience tells me Marxism ends in gulags, destruction. Cultural marxism is just one of the expressions of it, Frankfurter school. Calling names, insulting people is very typical for Marxism, Narcissism. And Poland is still run by commies elite. This system evolved, made us believe was overturned. We fall for it for decades. Luckily the world is turning back from it, globalism.
Exactly! Thank you! The Witcher's world is very "domestic". It's reality with a spice of fantasy. It's not grandiose, Geralt is but a speck in the grand scheme of things. Had he not gotten involved with Ciri, he would have lived his days just hunting monsters to get by and would have probably died doing so. The stories that make up his life story are so interesting because he has been incredibly lucky to come out alive from them. He's not unbeatable, he's just a man with better senses, strength and speed than average. Anything else has to come from taking elaborate potions that slowly poison him. It's not glamorous, it's painful. I seriously don't understand the need of adaptations to reinvent the wheel (and do it poorly in the process). The whole thing is already written down, just read the fucking books, play the games and make an adaptation of what already exists and excels at telling this particular story.
Very well written. In medieval societies without mechanization and mass production, the countryside and the farmers and peasants that inhabit it have to make up the bulk of the population to produce the food that people need to survive. This modern TV fantasy world-building has massive towns full of citizens that just exist without the need for fresh food and water; heroes who can traverse the land without the need for supplies, campfires or even bedding. They can survive in the mountain/desert environment without any effort whatsoever. It's no wonder their worlds 'reflect the modern world' more than the worlds their series are based upon, because they are more like modern worlds, where basic neccessities are not something you have to worry about.
Very well put. This is something that was just laughable to me in the Rings of Power when Elrond and Celebrimbor just walked all the way to Khazad-dûm without any supplies, guards or maybe change of clothes for traveling, just nothing. It was so obvious that they just went from one studio set to another without thinking about it.
@@Seegster77 Being pretty close to each other just makes it worse. Dale is literally within LINE OF SIGHT of Erebor and they still use some other mode of transport than walking🤦♀️
fantastic point about the corrupting influence of modern living-- when unchecked-- when it comes to fantasy shows. The idea of occupation and behaviour being arbitrary, and not related to the specialisation/requirements of the environment make everywhere feel very nonsensical and same-y. If a medieval city by a large river and one in the mountains is A) populated by the same people and B) they're living the exact same way then you haven't shown the diversity of the land: you've sketched one painting in two colours and said you've made two pieces of art.
Remember that the people who make up Hollywood nowadays are mostly socialists/communists in terms of ideology. So they hate farmers, they hate the countryside, and they hate the idea of them living peaceful lives in separation of the system. They project this hate onto them by portraying living in a farming community as a "waste of one's potential" or "being an ignorant filth covered rube". To them the idea that choosing the peaceful life over the viciously incongruent work of a sellsword is inconceivable.
"I hate how everything beyond California and USA is so different. We must make it look the same as Los Angeles. For diversity and inclusion!" - everyone in Hollywood
“No one could love living in the countryside, there is so much dirt and slop. Everyone that lives in the country is just too poor to move the a city.” -caliwood morons
Ironic that they preach about "diversity and inclusivity" but all they do is homogenize everything all to fit their own narrow minded view or stereotypes. Speaking from someone living in a diverse community.
The Marilka dialogue in the first episode described it perfectly already. Not just that a village girl wants to get "out of here and get a better life". That already is ridiculous. This is the 13th century when family, ESPECIALLY in Slavic culture, was absolutely everything. She would want a husband and as many kids as possible and their own place in the countryside, and a beautiful garden to tend to. Not going on adventure like modern miss independent woman. That concept doesn't exist in the 13th century. But the worst part was her complaining that girls cannot become Witchers. Yet again showing that Netflix thinks Witchers are like Thor or Ironman, just another form of a superhero. Instead they are people who got tortured as children, spent their childhood bruised and in pain and are doomed to a life of constant fighting for people who don't even like them and spit at them most of the time. Geralt himself said it plenty of times in the books. He's no a hero or knight. Not even a soldier. he has no great convictions to fight for and he's far too afraid of dying to serve in any wars under any army. he'll do his job and defend helpless people from all sides until he bleeds out in a ditch somewhere because one monster was too fast and ripped his guts out, just like every single Witcher before him. That is NOT a fate a teenage girl from the 13th century would envy him for. Not even remotely. It's just modern nonsense. These days women are supposed to be able to be everything, but I truly wonder how many girls would think life like Geralt in the Witcher 3 trailers was so exciting if they read the story of him fighting in a pool of shit and sewage to kill a Zeugl, not getting the stink off for days. Or how many would be excited about being a soldier from a hollywood movie if they had to die in the mud of a WW1 battlefield. The entire point of Witcher was that it is NOT epic, NOT exciting and certainly not cool. It's a miserable life of hardship and nobody liking you, which is exactly why his friendship to Dandelion is so special. The bard was the first person who even treated Geralt like a person and not just a freak. In the show Geralt constantly insults his best friends and treats them like garbage. Especially when he looked at Yennefer and asked her "A mother? YOU?! You can't be serious!" ... that's just the biggest sign that they have absolutely no clue what they're doing. Not only would Geralt never hurt Yennefer like that, American hollywood women are apparently also so removed from their own ability to have children that they think this is not a big deal. Try talking to any Polish woman like that and you'll get your eyes scratched out. Being able to have children actually means something to a normal woman, and no normal man would EVER talk to a woman like that, especially not one desperately trying to restore her ability to have children. They have absolutely no clue what normal people's lives are like. Yeah they show Yennefer's background and her disfigurations, but they make it all about her looks and about her father mistreating her. A much bigger deal for yennefer was that her MOTHER pushed her away, because her mother felt she had caused her husband to no longer love her, and make her responsible for the defective child. So the mother ended up resenting Yennefer "for destroying the relationship". That hurt Yennefer even more than her father insulting and misstreating her. And then they made it all about Yennefer wanting power. When on earth was Yennefer ever powerhungry? She didn't want that geenie in The Last Wish to move mountains and become all powerful, she most likely wanted that power to heal herself, because that's all she ever wanted and what all her motivation was always about. She didn't give a crap about anything else and wasn't like other sorceresses at all, which is why she wasn't remotely interested in joining the lodge. They basically get everything completely wrong. They even claimed Witcher 3 was too white, confirming even more that they have no clue what diversity actually means. Just because most people in Europe have light skin (even though any idiot in Europe would be able to tell a Spaniard from a Pole or Swede) that doesn't mean European culture is not MASSIVELY diverse. It's probably the most diverse place on the planet considering its small area for the amount of different cultures that live there. Summarizing all that as "white" is rudiculous. They have no idea how many European influences, how much folklore, from ancient slavic tales to vampires from Portugal and germany, to Grimm's fairy tales to the Arturian Saga and gaelic stories and language influences went into the Witcher. They are uneducated idiots who have no idea what any of it is about. And they cannot even get their diversity BS right. The zerrikanian warriors are black and looked at as these exotic women in one episode, and in another episode a black dude runs around at the court of cintra and nobody thinks he's special in any way. How on earth does that make any sense. The Witcher world DOES have all the different ethnicities, they just don't live in the Northern Kingdoms. If they wanted Arabic or Black looking people, well then get a character from Zerrikania or Ofir and add them. Don't make medieval Poland, Germany and France (Hell Temeria even uses the French lillies and Redania literally has the Polish eagle... do the show makers even know what those symbols are??) look like downtown New York or L.A. for f*s sake...
Wow, well said. I need to go through this comment again when I'll have more time because you clearly put a lot of effort into writing it so thank you 🙂
@caitlyncarvalho7637 European fairytales were never about escapism. They were meant as cautionary tales for our children to prepare them for the hardships of life and warn them about the dangers of dishonesty, a life of crime or committing sins, break a word given etc. Escapism is an American invention, the invention of a culture with do much abundance that it needs to make up adventures because real life is no longer exciting enough. One American once told me that every American thinks they are the star in their own movie. Europeans don't think like that. We Also have a much lower need to stand out or be something special. We just want happy lives with family. In some parts of Europe standing out I'd even seen as something negative and undesirable. So the need to be the hero of our own story just isn't there. We care about small stories and making a difference in eachothers life. That's why geralt doesn't fight epic battles but helps simple villagers
@caitlyncarvalho7637 Lord of the rings borrowed a lot from other myths from around Europe with a sprinkle of Tolkiens own views and narnia was very biblical, but I do see what ya saying, these things can be viewed as escapism if you wish it, I don't entirely agree with the guy above that, Europe has no escapism, anything can be escapism if you wish it to be. There just tends to be a different version of escapism. You could say that the US has this thing when they go overseas they tend to try to forcefully implement their world view/culture norms onto others from different cultures, and that tends to be the case even in fantasy worlds
Are you trying to say a peasant girl from a 16th century setting should act like a peasant girl from 16th century setting? In their woke eyes, it would be extremely misogynistic. Women are STROOOONG, they can do ANYTHIIIING!
Hollywood americanized everything from Norse folklore and myths aswell. As did they with Japanese movies and stories. I completly agree with you on all points! The movies and series would be way better if they didn't americanize everything.
As a South East Asian, I want to watch The Witcher, because I expect to transport my mind into the beautiful classic Medieval Eastern Europe folklore fantasy, not Los Angeles.. Or even Asia, what's the point...
Great video. If i recall correctly the showrunner Lauren was basically offered this project when she never was a showrunner before and I think that you are on point that neither she nor her team of writers understood what actually made this book series and games so popular and what made them stand out. As one of the writers admitted most of them didn't like it or even despised the source material, so no wonder why they didn't get the atmosphere, the charm of the setting, didn't respect the folklore, traditions and landscape of the eastern and central Europe that made the books and games stand out.
She has not been a showrunner before, but she wrote episodes of the second season of Daredevil and co-wrote 5 of the 8 episodes of The Defenders as well. A pattern emerges.
They should have went with showrunners and writers of polish or european background for the most part to get the book "spirit" right but they were/are probably too prideful for that and didn't believe they could send their own message that way (and they wouldn't be able to, and good thing too). In Poland Witcher is even far bigger thing than elsewhere in the world, they really love the books and they are really important to them. They love the source material and would have done it justice. Not saying it isn't loved elsewhere but Poland's love for witcher is on another level. Instead Netflix wanted their own "westernized" version of witcher.
@@KanohiVahi Well, they have Bagiński as executive producer but I think that he just plays lapdog to Hissrich because he wants to get into the Hollywood. It's sad because I love the cinematic trailers he did for The Witcher games and also his work in Legendy Polskie.
@@FolkWalkCZ Yeah I am aware of Baginski but as you said it kinda feels like he is just following what Lauren wants for the show (which makes sense even though it's not a good thing as she is the primary showrunner). I agree that Baginski's work on the trailers was amazing. But then Baginski was the one who said that witcher needs more action because this generation craves it. After that I've not had much faith in his positive contribution to the show sadly.
Excellent grasp of the difference between high fantasy and low fantasy. Netflix lost because they tried to convert The Witcher into high fantasy, while also cancelling the Slav/mid-European culture the story rose from.
@@matiasluukkanen7718 that's pretty racist and colonialist on their part, but to be expected after what Hollywood has done with the Greek and Scandinavian mythology.
@@robertkujawa3504 For murican's any country where people are mostly white "evil western culture" and thus they disregard their folklore and unique culture that isn't really tied to murican one.
There is a part of Witcher 3 I absolutely love it is in the Blood and Wine DLC. The is a village north west in the map you have to liberate from bandits once you do villagers come back and then you see something you don't see in any other game. A little boy holding a stick and pretending it's a sword, while few meters away from him a man in leaning on the well playing a flute, not far is a man siting on a bench reading a book with a few friend standing next to him talking. Across the river you can see three women washing clothes ... the village is alive with activity. This is not the only example. As for colours. Hollywood producers actually don't know anything about the medieval period except swords, plate armour and castles.
You pointed out the feeling I always have when watching these fantasy shows. The landscape is always the same. Rocky, huge new Zealand mountains, canyons with plains without trees all around. This look is in 95% of modern fantasy shows and movies. It was British countryside before lotr.
The success of Peter Jackson's LotR movies heavily contributed to the current generic fantasy landscape look. Suddenly every fantasy world had to look like New Zealand. Disney did it in their version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and New Zealand is a horrible match for Narnia.
@@FolkWalkCZ When I think of The Witcher novels I think of the cinematography in The Duelists or Barry Lyndon. It's a different time period, and the landscape is less wild than it should be, but it is a naturalist European landscape shot in a beautiful way. That's how a premium The Witcher show should look. Not 'epic' fantasy crap 101.
@@FolkWalkCZ And Polish, Czech 'ordinary' landscapes are amazing, picturesque enough to fascinate. Indians do love our snowy mountains, snow. I love one Russian game because of their cute villages, wooden houses, churches.
@@RG-iw7py Yeah, can we get small but clean cottages with herb gardens? Can we get forests that are made of smaller, leaved-trees? The feeling of a village community, with their own traditions and customs?
@@Deinareia Yes, people constantly are doing it. Some succeed, some get tired of shoveling snow in the winter, all the hassle and return to cosy concret world they're used to.
This video was wonderful, and it reminded me of the Syndrome quote from the Incredibles: “when everyone is super, no one will be.” Same way with these shows, everything is “epic” these days and in turn they all just feel watered down and meh.
I feel that this video perfectly encapsulates my feelings regarding most fantasy. Where there's armour that don't make sense, clothing that don't make sense, stories that don't make sense and the only environments are brown villages and open plains with lots of rocks and mountains in the distance.
Thanks for the great material! TBH after what Netflix is doing to The Witcher's Lore I think I start to understand why, for instance, Native American people are angry to see how Hollywood and western creators in general depicts them. Here I am wondering why there are no polish actors, as you said, no central europe landscapes, or slavic musicians doing soundtrack. You have to be born in the culture to have the culture and philosophy of your people in blood - then you can share the original spirit to the others by creating the show :) Netflix Witcher is Hollywood - washed and everything right now is from Hollywood and it is so boring. It is like chewing paper. No flavor.
this exactly. a while ago i was thinking why the netflix version felt so bland and generic to me and how i felt my culture was not represented at all compared to how the games and the old polish tv series made me feel (talking about the visual medium mostly, how i was hit with waves of nostalgia esp playing wild hunt and seeing all those familiar sceneries). and i also had this reflection if that how poc feel all the time with hollywood just throwing in this generic black or native american character and being like, here, you have your representation, you should be happy about it. i'm all in for diversity but making it all hollywood-like is not diversity at all
I never liked Westerns for the exact reason. The only good one was Dancing with the Wolves. And the most disappointed I was with their adaptation of Crazy Horse from 1955. In book by Polish author (Marek Fiedler) presents perspective of Indians and shows how the conflict escalates by backstabning from both sides of the conflict. In movie adaptation get some extremally boring. It takes 20 or 30 min before we even see Lakota indians (of course they are called derrogative name - Sioux). And we get none of what was in the books no contradiction between emotion and thought, no hesitation or empathy from protagonist - Crazy Horse. Westerns from 1950s' are such a boring kind that even Stalin considered it a torture.
Buddy, you hit the nail on the head. The showrunners/writers have no creative vision, and every recent fantasy show that's come out of the mainstream with the exception of HotD feels like a mishmash of someone's poorly written D&D campaign. You have a DM that's not prepared enough and keeps chucking storylines and quests from half-remembered books he read 10 years ago creating an unholy abomination with no rhyme or reason. Thanks man, this video just had me going "I thought it and you said it.".
Great video, really captured what's wrong with the Netflix Witcher. I'd add one aspect to it: the language. The books are beautifully written, amazing dialogues, colorful expression of feelings. I loved that Geralt is finally a main character who actually speaks his mind. Then came Netflix and switched him to the generic "strong and silent hero". Moreover, every character in the show swears all the time, and it's soooo out of place. I could accept (barely) that Yen swears. Or Geralt. But the kind and strict Nenneke? Ciri in her early years? The wise, fatherly Vesemir? Queen Francesca? There is no way they would. Their beautiful dialogues are distorted and lost under the generic swearing and unnecessary comedic relief Netflix tries to force on its viewers. And sadly, not just Netflix. HBO did the same with GoT in the last seasons as well
How the hell is HBO to blame for what happened to Game of Thrones? Their only big mistake was putting all of faith in D&D and assuming GRRM would finish the story before they caught up.
@@galanakagalactus903 If I am a company like say General Electric, and I hire a couple of guys to do a job and they dump a ton of toxic waste in a river and give everybody cancer, am I to blame or is it only the two guys I hired? This whole "You can't blame the company only the individuals responsible" thing needs to stop. A company has a duty to put safeguards in place to prevent things going tits-up. The hit HBO took to its reputation was huge, and it came right when Disney+ was kicking off. You can bet the number one message HBO was aiming for with House of the Dragon was showing people they hadn't lost their ability to do quality shows.
@@garrick3727 People hardly ever blame the individuals so what are you on? People always blame the company regardless of the situation. When HBO started making the series under the impression George R. R. Martin was committed to finishing the story in the books and he wasn't. They're mistake was putting faith in D&D who are more to blame for the shows decline than anybody at HBO. HBO offered them writers and they declined because they're egomaniacs and didn't want anyone else associated with writing GOT. HBO also offered them multiple seasons to wrap it up and they declined and rushed the conclusion of the show instead of giving it to another show-runner.
@@galanakagalactus903 I'm not "on" anything. If you only have ad hominem attacks to support your argument then you don't have an argument. I don't see what you hope to gain by personally attacking everyone who implies HBO might be even slightly responsible. Companies contract people to do a job. And if it fails, even despite their best efforts, it's still their fault. If you don't accept that, you could at least be civil about it.
I think all the swearing in particular comes from a popular misconception about what constitutes mature content and dark humour especially. There is of course swearing and really vulgar language in the Witcher books, yes. But it's not on every second page, and normally it directly corresponds to the gender, maturity and demeanor of the speaker. In other words, it's done to reinforce the inherent nature of the character. Geralt will swear, but it's normally under his breath when he remembers how badly broken his leg was at the end of Time of Contempt. He does swear at Dandelion... When he's being an asshole (Geralt that is, not Dandelion.) Ciri swears... But more so when she's in the company of the Rats and is trying to appear the "cool girl" who does drugs and swears like "fuck" is the best adjective in English. It's all relative.
There has actually been some talk from people who work on the show that most of the people working there, including the actual people in charge of the entire show, are frequently making fun of the books and games and don't seem to like the original books. Kind of a bad sign when it comes to adaptation if you don't even like the original work in the first place.
You are right. They never cared about the Witcher story/lore.. They only used the well-known name to attract people, make some money out of it, then scrap the project and move on. Look what Netflix has done to Resident Evil series - instead of seeing the world before collapse and fighting zombies for nothing but bare survival - they turned it into some really sh1tt1 lesbian "family" drama.
@@triggerfairy4070 Yeah, when watching stuff like the Rings of Power, the Wheel of Time show, or basically every Fantasy show after the Lord of the Rings (excluding most of GoT), I ask myself: Do these people even remotely like fantasy? Do they have any idea why a fantasy world can mean so much to people? Are they actively trying to make those movies and shows as bad as they possibly can without losing to much money over it? Hell I am not a writer but even I could have come up with the plot and the dialogues of those. I mean, if I pay someone to do/make something for me. Then I would expect them to do a better job than I, or literally any ordinary bloke you meet on the streets, could.
As an African in America I’m so pissed that Witcher TV Series is overly diverse…I love Witcher because of its Polish cultural origin and its source material…to the point that Ciri told Geralt about how she went to a different dimension that had dark skin people and she was surprised and thought it was interesting yet Geralt got confused and thought she was talking about Zarakannians who really aren’t that dark in the grand scheme of things…but now they are just tossing that out for Netflix dollars and that just rubs me the wrong way. Shoutout to my boy Henry Cavill. Edit: Thanks for the well thought out and positive comments! Nice to know the internet has some semblance of sanity left :)
Nice to hear that:) I'm Polish and you have no idea how we loved 'Roots' series in 80s. We felt it was about us. We were under impression America is the land of free. Beside GOT, Peter Brook's 'Mahabharata' and 'Guliver's Travels' of 1996 embraced, cherished different cultures. Seems, wrong people made decisions about the Netflix Witcher. Polish film version was rather lame but still the actor playing the Witcher looked cool as well (Michal Zebrowski). Polish Yaskier was much better.
Thanks for this comment, because in my opinion you described the essence of this problem. There are different people in the world, different cultures and yes, different skin colors and that is great. It makes us want to explore the world. We can break out of our everyday life to feel something new and exciting. I have this feeling that all over USA, people have already forgotten this and all they see are only shades of skin colors.
cmon bro, we cant have shows without diversity anymore, just accept it and stop crying. With that said, there are much more important problems in these shows that make them bad. Simple as that, if your mind can't get beyond the "buaaa buaaa its too diverse momma, im crying" critic, then you are either really dumb or really immature (and racist).
The Witcher and LOTR are almost like compendiums of regional folklore and mythology. This could be done with any of the cultural regions of Africa but instead they just tokenize actors and shove them into stories they didn't create. Should be more insulting than anything
I love the point about the countryside. Yes, it's the appreciation of the folklore and the normal people that create the richness of Sapkowski's lore, just the fact that he made mythical folk creatures into real things! But in Hollywood, there's Mexico filter, Arabic country filter, and Eastern European filter :D I remember a while ago, watching Killing Eve, when they went to the Polish countryside. I couldn't believe how they portrayed it. Babushkas in headscarfs, horse ridden wood carts, and a grey pub where grey villagers watch grey football drinking grey beer, lol. The countryside in Poland is perfectly fine, thank you very much. People choose to live there, because the nature is beautiful and there's lots to do. Of course after war, it looked like Velen, but now it's good. And people are relatively open and tolerant.
Lived in Poland for 18 months and the countryside is amazing and Gdansk is really Novigrad hehe. Hollywood is stupid. And unlike as in LA, in Gdansk you can walk home at 4am in the morning without a worry in the world even as a woman. I had a Ukrainian friend there at the time and she felt perfectly safe there, no matter how dark the alley. But Hollywood thinks people would rather live in shitty california in an overcrowded city in the middle of a desert instead of beautiful lush Poland.
Trafna analiza! Przyszedł czas na zmianę paradygmatu fantasy. Teraz właśnie się to dzieje na tablicach oglądalności Hollywoodzkich "dzieł" jak Rings of Power czy Blood Origin. Ludzie pokazują, że chcą czegoś oryginalnego.
@@FolkWalkCZ o prosh To ta cała skomplikowana analiza przedmiotu jest w dodatkowo w języku obcym Tym.bardziej podoba mi się tak formułowanie myśli w owym języku Gdzie już sam wysiłek w formułowaniu tezy dał lajka 😝
@@runajain5773 :) Learning Polish to better understand Polish literature could be fun. I'm sure many nuances were last in translation. And we have stories better then Sapkowski's
Another realistic and funny thing in the books is that Geralt lost a tooth at some point. I get why they didn't include that in the games but it would've been funny to see a main hero going round with a gap in his teeth like a common brigand.
I can't remember which of the books it was, but I liked that for pretty much the entirety of one of them Geralt's knee is injured. He doesn't have the time to let it heal so it's constantly bothering him throughout.
I am not sure the dark lens for shooting the village was so much an attempt to make the villages look drab but rather to make them look "realistic". Back in college I took some classes on graphic design and in it they talked about how to use filters to remove the color from things in order to make them look more "realistic". The reason was this claim that the "real world" isn't that colorful and things are more toned down. But this made NO sense to me as all I could think is if this is what you think the real world looks like you need to get your eyes examined. I also learned around the same time Color blindness is fairly common among men, and a lot of graphic designers tend to be men so maybe there really was something wrong with their eyes.
Never heard about the Metro adaptation, and I'm glad they scrapped it because having it set in the US just wouldn't work at all. If you were to make it into a movie or preferably a TV show/mini-series you'd need to had Glukovsky involved and ideally not only have it set in Moscow, but also have all the dialog in Russian with subtitles. Some may argue that it would need to be done in English, but most of Squid Game was in Korean and it was a world-wide success. Trying to portray the world of Metro anywhere other than Russia just doesn't fit the whole point of the series and that is even more important given current events.
It was scrapped only because unlike Sapkowski, Gluchovskij actually has enough integrity to say "NO!" when he sees that someone wants to butcher his creation. From what I've heard he refused to sell the rights for the adaptation when the studio said that they want to set the movie in the US.
And you're exactly right about Squid Game. It's a proof that you don't need to change anything for the mainstream audience if it's good enough. You just need to get it in front of their eyes.
Playing the Metro games in any language but russian isn't as good honestly. The games have such wonderful russian voice acting I can't imagine listening to the English dub. Although I can't understand a lick of Russian I still find the language to be integral to the setting. Like having people surrounded in cyrillic speaking in english would just feel wrong.
With really good writer and director it could work same way Kurosawa adaptations of Shakespeare or Apocalypse Now work. It wouldn't be pure Metro adaptation, but it could work.
@@MrKuncol I'm not saying you can't make series set elsewhere inspired by Metro, in fact there are some novels written with DG's permission set in other parts of the "Metro universe", but the heart of Metro really is about Russia and the problems inherent to Russian society. A lot of those issues just don't work outside of post-apocalyptic subterranean Moscow. Especially the fact that the Metro 1 and 2 lines were designed as bunkers starting in the 50's. No other city on the planet has anything equivalent.
Awesome video! Just to add a bit to the epic scenery discussion, I think that the reason that the "epic scenery" has become stale comes from the fact that Hollywood doesn't understand how that scenery was used in Lord of the Rings. Like you mentioned about the hobbits, it was used to enhance our understanding of the characters and people that lived in those areas. It helped explain why hobbits loved the shire and why people from Gondor and Rohan were different. It became part of the storytelling. Now Hollywood uses it only for it's wow factor and forgets that the scenery must affect the people who live there in some way. That's why the Witcher books and games scenery is so good as well. The scenery is directly connected to the people and the shows don't convey that aspect of the books/game.
...It also helps that Middle-Earth canonically has a bunch of massive fuck-off mountain ranges. And a good deal of Lord of the Rings takes place either in, or in lands adjacent to, said mountains. And the existence of said mountains plays several major roles in the plot.
Your analysis is spot on! Netflix show was my first contact with The Witcher franchise, but I gave up on it after 4 episodes because I felt like I'm watching some kind of bootleg version of GoT with no soul. Then I've played games and I fell in love with them for its climax and morally grey characters. As a Polish I really wish there was more Slavic represantation in mainstream media that's why it's such a shame that our culture was compeletly ignored by Netflix.
@Dziabuka tbh I have no idea how you knuckled through Witcher 1. The gameplay side of that felt so boring. I hope to one day manage it myself because im sure the story is worth it.
While playing the Witcher 3, whenever I spend a lot of time in the small villages and the countryside then go back to Novigrad or Oxenfurt I’m always so mesmerised by the lights and the city aesthetics. It just feels so much more realistic when you have those contrasts and the fact that they feel and look like actual medieval cities are so amazing.
I think a big thing that also kept me aware of how much more grounded the witcher is in comparison to other fantasy, is the simple fact, that the peasant revolt killed so many witchers. sure they might be enhanced mutants, but just a few people with pitchforks surrounding them can kill them. They arent some super soldiers fighting for humans they are basicly just warriors trying to make a living
Less warriors more mercenaries imo. Mercenaries who only even manage against the monsters a lot of the time because of the DECADES spend studying them, literally memorizing every thing possible about them, curses, possible curse lifting methods, etc and of course training incredibly hard.
7:29 it's funny because in the games it isn't really all that clear which of the kingdoms you're supposed to root for, but personally I rooted for Nilfgaard because they were the lesser evil, sure taking over the world and waging war is not a good thing but Nilfgaard atleast seems indifferent or on good terms with nonhumans and mages, unlike the northern realms and rulers such as Radovid
Well you're telling this to someone who is a member of Nilfgaardian LARP group ( th-cam.com/video/WhP-tQBp6BI/w-d-xo.html ) so I appreciate your sentiment. It's pretty based 😁
@@amaroaverna923 We actually did a video with few friends (I'm behind the camera) about the similarities between the Nilfgaardian Empire and the Roman Empire if you would be interested. th-cam.com/video/HxZ5LuzDG2Y/w-d-xo.html
The thing I love about the entire Witcher world is the proportions. 90% of the people are ordinary. It doesn't make them bad. Their driving force isn't to save the world or fight the invading armies or stand up to the [insert absurdly horrible creature.] They simply want to stay alive, get the crops in, survive the winter. That makes them "real." The armies are not made up of glittering crusaders; they're tired, hungry and generally miserable soldiers. The other 10% are either slightly better off or in some cases, a lot better off. But the really high nobility aren't inhuman. They are driven by the same hungers and needs. They want some comfort, wealth and respect...and better food, pretty women and safety. The top percent are kings like Radovid who is an egotistical whack job...he believes he is some kind of demigod. You have Emhyr, the Nilfgaardian Emperor...who is aware of his power and his weaknesses...and generally tries to do what he thinks is best for his nation even if everyone else might hate him for it. And then the Witchers. Everyone can't be a Witcher. The mortality of the training is staggeringly high...and that's just to get them to the level where when they Walk the Path they have a reasonable chance of surviving. Everything isn't gold and jewels and fresh smelling flowers. The Witcher World smells like a small village of farmers. Or a rather smelly city. They have "privy's" in the Witcher world and garbage tips and slaughter houses. They have manure and the smell of wheatfields and vinyards. It's "real." Magic exists...but a lot of it is either horribly difficult or painful...that's why there are so few sorceresses. Witcher World is normal...but with monsters. But no Supermen. Even the kings, magicians, witchers and bards still have to eat and bathe and go to the bathroom. Everyone probably has fleas, even the kings. But Hollywood and the "writers" don't want to show us people...everyone is a hero or a monster.
Very good video and explanation. When I heard the first time that Netflix will produce The Witcher, I decided to read the books first. I loved the books, though they had something disturbing, as the story line is very different from other fantasy saga. I could not really define why I love the books, but after your explanation it became very clear. Thank you for this video.
Netflix has ruined every IP they got their grubby hands on because they are run by incompotent hacks who are basically an online dvd rental company. Stranger things is literally their only semi decent self made show. They have butchered everything else. Sandman. Cowboy bebop. Etc
I just wanted to say that I learn so much from you, not only about the witcher (I only started reading the books), but also about storytelling, coherent narrative and worldbuilding. I'm glad I found this channel and I basically binge watched half of your videos. Also in the comments there're are many interesting takes and opinions. It's simply a good place to be, among the cheap noisy content. I think you hit the nail describing the countryside of Central-Eastern Europe. Our roots aren't a dreamy place like the Shire, but they're not a terrible place that everyone would want to escape from. There was hard work, often poverty and feudal relations. But there was also dancing, singing, wild fun. Something more than daily bread - the sacredness of the land, immersion in nature, Being yourself through the community rather than discovering yourself outside the community.
Thanks for really well written comment ❤ You're making me sound smarter than I really am 😃 But I'm glad that my videos and this community bring you something positive 🙂 I hope you stick around 😉
9:10 I 100 percent agree here! I remember playing the game, and just loving Velen and the outskirts of Novigrad. There were so many simple little villages, nothing big, just small wooden shacks with a bar. And then you'd be climbing a mountain or something and out in the distance you can see a stunning landscape, or an insane castle that just calls to you. It was such a treat. Actually kinda miffed that Netflix snagged such a cool franchise and has essentially made it impossible for anyone else to try and dabble on a series with it. Real sad, it could have been an amazing series like GOT, with a pretty active fanbase. Hopefully the Blood Origin/Rings of Power will serve as a grim reminder for these mega corporations to understand that fancy schmancy big names will attract a lot of fans, yet if no effort is put into being loyal to the story, then said fans will disregard and even put down such series.
This is it. The "Dark Low Fantasy" theme/genre really is underrated & so far I would say Witcher is the only recent "popular" western series that conveyed this genre perfectly. Initially, "Conan" series can be considered as low fantasy too, but with times, it's just keep evolving (devolving) into high fantasy with full on no rule/law magic shenanigans. I would say anime/manga series are far more diverse & has many of this low fantasy genre works. For example, "Mushishi" can be considered low fantasy & rather close to Witcher in the terms of supernatural "folklore" mythos & fantasy stories.
In Poland also exists "I, Inquisitor" (not sure if was translated to any language), where main selling point is dark fantasy and "so MC is good guy or bad guy...?"
Wow good video! You managed too explain really well why the books and games are so realistic, grounded and unique compared to other fantasy titles and how the show fails to capture this and just comes of as a poor imitation and mostly like generic modern fantasy crap.
Thanks a lot for this video, i never heard the issue with Alik Sakharov, it is a good piece of info. As a Latin American i really wanted to see the Witcher show as it should be, an Eastern European tale. Netflix ruined it for me.
I believe Sapkowski wrote about contemporary Poland and made it into a universal tale. Some 20 years ago we made series with top actors but at too slow pace, with not perfect adaptation. The Witcher was handsome like Cahill, and Yaskier was much better, far from the book but defended himself playing good friend of Witcher more than some sidekick, comic relief. Here's his song: th-cam.com/video/KyPDOTuIk40/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Amrazz92 Enjoy!:) Author of this channel recommends 'The Witcher Stories', fan made: th-cam.com/video/g4QLN7aYg3E/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=TheWitcherStories
I wouldn’t compare D&D to these shows, the D&D campaigns I play the worlds are usually so unique and interesting. Whether you’re in Barovia, Icewind dale, Baulders gate, the underdark or Drakkenheim; you can easily distinguish between these places because they are all built to have their own unique settings and cultures within them
Personally, I think you missed one thing about the books that makes them different from others, and maybe it’s just because it’s my personal favourite part of The Witcher-books. The way that the books are told, how it often is told through layers of storytellers - lady of the lake, where Ciri tells the entire story to the knight, the mention of the fate of Jaskier’s journal, the two sorceresses attempting to discover Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer’s later fates. That kind of meta storytelling doesn’t exactly translate well to the screen, but to me, it’s very specific to the Witcher, and makes it stand out against other fantasy stories.
@@FolkWalkCZ I didn't watch blood origin - ever since they killed Eskel, I couldn't keep watching. But yeah, they're hacks, so obviously they wouldn't know how to implement it well.
Your video is on point. I get why creators want diversity on their shows. Some are ideologically commited. Some just want to market product to broader markets and think that race of hero is as important as to them. But in persuit of this they made heroes of EVERY show (no matter if it's in historical setting, fantasy land or far future) looks like pedestrians on Beverly Hills. No matter if action takes place in Cintra, Nilfgard or Velen. There is no ethnic difference, no accents specific to groups, they have no cultural roots or clothing matching local geography or access to specific matterials. It's bland and homogenized. This would be ok in modern setting or SF. But in pre-industrial society, where travel is limited by technology, economic incentives and rigid societal hierarchy? You could make diversity work in this setting. Like, elves could be played by all Asian actors. Give them ginger hair, or light-blue eyes, so they looks completly distinct from any human race. Or make Nilfgardians brown (they are from south, so it would have sense). And voila. You have avesome looking elves and diversity. But I think writers live in buble, and think that entire world looks like mega-city district they live in. I'm surprised there was no Starbucks or pizza parlors in Witcher or Rings of Power. It would paradoxically be more consistent in world they created than dragons.
You hit the nail on the head. I agree entirely. 👍 If the world is multiracial everywhere, even in hamlets, isolated towns, villages, and other continents, how are we supposed to know what people of the north, south, east, or west look like? How do they dress? How do they all sound and speak? What are their religions and customs? If all the elves look like humans with pointy ears, how are we supposed to know what half-human, half-elf hybrids look like? If people look exactly the same everywhere, if everywhere there is diversity of all different colors, then the north, south, east, and west lose their unique identities. They lose what makes each of them so distinct, unique, and different from each other. We can't tell any of the people apart from one another if the North, the South, the East, and the West parts of the planet are all multiethnic. If the cities, towns, villages, hamlets, continents, etc, are completely and utterly diverse, you better have a good explanation for it. Give it some history behind why all these people came to be in the same places and don't make them all look the same. Otherwise, they might as well set it in the 21st century Los Angeles or in the far-off future if they want everything to be super diverse.
That's why having a gay black character works amazingly in Brooklyn 99, but a black elve in the middle of middle earth does not. This is all a result of terrible casting, and these bastards are repeating it again and again. They have picked 50 random people from downtown Toronto, setup a Scottish highland/polish folklore in the background and called it a show. I have predominantly seen women being involved in such terrible projects and decision makings. These sad b*ches have come to Hollywood and ruined the efforts of everyone talented.
It is almost as if they don't understand that ethnic diversity has history behind it and if you decide to make every little village in a fantasy setting diverse your world building just becomes completely unbelievable, especially if you never make any effort to even pretend there was any background story to it.
I love how you say "Melitele". In it I can sens a neighbour from... Czechia? Or Slovensko? You were right on all points. What especially moved me was your take on Hollywood's portrayal of slavic villages. Meanwhile our countryside is so beautiful and colourful, so much prettier than towns. I'm thinking of the village of Zalipie, all in painted flowers or the villages in the tatras with their quaint wooden architecture.
@@FolkWalkCZ God bless you:) I also enjoyed very much your analysis (like of 'Alt Shift X' channel, more than Nerdrotic). Thank you for sharing:) Did you know RR Martin used in GOT the legend of sleeping knights from Tatra Mountains? I've heard it's known in Poland and Czechia. BTW I love the gesture of an astronaut, boyfriend of a Czech girl who took into space 'Krtečeka' mascot and then gave it to the creator of this character Zdeněk Miler.
I would be fine if they did this diverse DnD style of casting if they actually made their own universe. But they're taking this formula and implementing it in already existing universes as we see in the witcher series but especially blood origin, the Rings of Power etc.
Thank you so much. Couldn't agree more. In my opinion Netflix tried to press the books into a mold that doesn't fit. While after season 1 I was interested in watching season 2, Blood Origin just leaves me wishing for a reboot.
Great video and all your points are spot on. I'm Croatian (living in North America) and was hesitant to play the game, but was surprised by how many things reminded me of home - glagolitic Alphabet, the tight knit villages, creatures from our folklore (leshy really got me good!) Even city names like Novigrad. Alongside the folk music it felt like a Polish game that showed a deep Slavic culture that we still share. Then the show came out and was a fantasy Manhattan/mutt of random ancient cultures that were continents and timelines apart. Utterly disappointing. What's even worse is how fantasy settings are being politicized, it's so fucking ridiculous. I hope that modern day fantasy shows die soon, because no one will remember them.
As a fellow-Czech fan of this Polish fantasy work, I salute you and congratulate you for being able to describe so well all the things that have bothered me since the first series, but I couldn't put my finger on what they exactly were. Tbh. I was very happy when Henry Cavill took up the role because he was a great fan and I believed that thanks to his enthusiasm it could be pretty good. I also believed they would really follow the story line of the books because there are so many interesting characters and plot twists to explore. The first season at least tried to introduce the back stories of the main characters, but even in that season some sets and costumes felt...I don't know...stupid, impractical, unrealistic, simply off? The Witcher books and games are based on medieval European life, so it should all be sort of gritty and dirty with a few exceptions that shine even more strongly (like all the witches and their beautiful clothes and cosmetics). When I first read the books, some 20 years ago, they struck me as something special exactly because the characters made mistakes and they were never just black and white which made it very different from let's say LOTR. This feature is also translated into the games and how they are played. Also, all the folklore and history that was interwoven into the stories was a revelation for me because I hadn't even known back then that Eeastern European folklore could be so interesting (I know, but I have always been more of a Classics girl). Right now, I'm just sad that Netflix basically used Henry Cavill for clout but gave him no say in what the series would look like and allowed writers that have no respect to the original source to destroy the whole thing.
damn you're right. I didn't notice the tonal shift from The Witcher 1 to 2. I know why I prefer TW1 than TW2 now. It's the setting, most of TW1 set in the countryside, the villages where the slavic folk atmosphere really shined.
Hello, American here. We don't like what they're doing either. It's less of a "Americanizing" problem and more of a inexperienced/bad writting problem. With no life experience or skills to pull from like Tolken had, all the writers in Hollywood try to rely on a big spectacle to hook the audience. The problem is, BIG STUFF happening all the time is exhausting and numbs the viewer. A little bit of BIG STUFF towards the end can be cool, like dessert after dinner. But having dessert for every meal will wear out it's welcome, just like BIG STUFF happening all of the time.
actually blood origin is americanized compare to season 1. looks at their race, looks at their clothes and design of interior building. this happened when writer only live among his/her circles.
Okay, you've convinced me to read the books. I always feel a little weird reading translations because I'm afraid the prose will be a degraded version of the original, but I must read these. I love fantasy books with a realistic, down-to-earth feel. I think LotR has such a good blend of down-to-earth and... not even epic, but high-romantic. It's a beautiful blend. Mundane detail always enhances a fantastical story, I think. But these TV writers find reality boring. It's like they hate reality, but they also hate fantasy, and they hate stories. It's amazing.
There are audiobooks of the books as well. I listened to them (three so far) while driving. The translation seems fine. Idr the guy that read them, but I got used to his accent real quick.
I'm so glad to hear that ❤ The books are amazing. From what I've heard the English translation isn't that great but many people like it anyways so I hope that it will be your case as well 🙂
Hating everything good and beautiful, kindness that's Marxism:) Woke culture. I'm not great fan of Sapkowski, but i'm Polish and it's nice to see people appreciating him. Don't be afraid to read translation. Polish version of Shrek was better, Polish actor playing the Donkey was 'best in Europe':) French author Roland Topor (I do not recommend) is more popular in Poland than France, thanks to translator who corrected his mistakes, style. You may find there inspiring ideas. I like Witcher's character, commiserate with Ciri and Yen. You may not taste in full Sapkowski's sense of humor. Once the Witcher was passing by the 'Little Palace of Culture'. It makes smile any Polish person coz he refers to the 'Palace of Culture', Warsow landmark, building 'given' to us by Commies, Moscow has 6 sky scrappers like that, nobody in Poland likes this ugly structure, symbol of USSR imposing their culture on us. It;s sort of 'wink' from the writer. Calling it 'little' ads to our tradition of 'reading between the lines' commonly used during years of censorship. I have no idea what Sapkowski meant by it. I read and enjoy it as belittling this ghastly monument, Commies symbol, and breaking the formula. I hope you'll enjoy something in his books. And you may read 'in original' one Polish author: Joseph Conrad coz he wrote in English, even made an impact on English prose. Enjoy:)
A positive and negative(about the books) is that they are uniquely Polish and I feel lots of elements get literally lost in translation from Polish to English.
You are right (probably, since I didnt read english version). However Id rather say they are slavic or central european, since Sapkowskis books and their atmosphere and background truly speak to me, even though Im Czech and not Polish. Btw. if you liked Witcher books I cannot recommend his Hussite trilogy enough.
@@martinkafka9510 I was wondering what is the opinion of native Czechs on the Hussite trilogy. I read it back when it was first published but I mostly remember a sad ending.
@@shylockwesker5530 The people I know were all really excited with it. Ending is sad (kinda reminds me of Synkiewicz's "Krzyzaci" ending). Characters in the story are awesome - different from Witcher, but similarly deep and appealing. Best part is that where Witcher pentalogy crafts very realistic world, in Hussite trilogy it is masterful fusion of real historical events and persons with very realistic fantasy motives. I consider myself very good in history and in this rare instance I have to give respect to the author for clearly knowing a lot about the history, culture, and filling in parts in very believable way. Only thing I would add for foreign readers is: books about hussite wars often end with battle of Lipany meaning the end of radical field armies, however it should be stressed that it ended like all civil wars do - in this case radical part of hussites losing and the hussite part in favor of treaty with catholics winning,which lead to almost 200 years of coexistence of both confessions in Czech Kingdom (sorry for bit of history trip, just wanted to fill in what happened after books end).
Tbh, I'm currently reading it in Dutch (have read them in Polish about 5 times😁) and it keeps a lot of the "countryness". Of course there is THE curseword you cannot translate but it works indeed! I always find English such a limited language when translated to. Original English literature is far superior to translated unfortunately.
Your arguments are exactly why I fell in love with the old Polish series adaptation, Wiedzmin with Zebrovski. Of course the budget was small, and the CGI quite horrendous, but as it was filmed in Poland, its countryside and old medieval castles, it captured this European homely atmosphere so perfectly! But maybe you have to live here to understand this, which someone from USA just can't do as easily. BTW I too was quite apaled when they introduced the castles in the Netflix version and it just had to look so over the top fantasy. I had the exact same thoughts as you so nicely explained here. Greetings from Czechia
"Homely atmosphere" Yes! Our central European countryside, mountains, fields, meadows, small towns, houses etc. feel sooo... "ours" if you know what I mean lol. There's a lot of beauty out here, such a shame that the rest of the world isn't even aware of that.
CD Projekt Red have made comic about Geralt of Rivia and manga Witcher Ronin. The manga is written by Rafał Jaki the same man who wrote anime Cyberpunk Edgerunners
They said that Blood Origin is based on a plot hole one of the people in the writers room noticed in the books. Thats when i knew it was going to be fucking awful
The books do have a few plotholes. But to base a movie on it? You can invent your own story that would be smth unique that would discuss simmilar themes that would comepete with Tolkien with class like Hayao Miyazaki did.
You are absolutely right about The Witcher being down to Earth, and the vibrant countryside sceneries with old medieval structures. It should be like that, where after we watch the show, it gives us nostalgic vibes that makes us wanna go back whenever we wanted. The Witcher's main theme is all about Witchers doing bounty hunts after the Spheres of Conjunction, then they got involved on the crossfire of multiple nations waging war to each other. Then, meeting new people in their daily lives of Witchers' jobs. It's not overblown character progression. There's weakness to them, so they can learn. Even if they are built different, they need to gather information to hunt a monster down. Thinking all about it, I kinda miss the simple middle age, fictional/non-fictional stories.
Middle age wasn't easy. I wear dresses of better quality then medieval princess could, live in healthier house, benefit from better hygiene, and have access to better education. For improving the rest like food, pollution, criminal behavior of corporations, etc. I can only pray, like in middle ages, knowing God ought to be in the first place.
Netflix understands witcher. It's just that they want the fanbase of the witcher series for their fantasy themed series. U know, avoid hard work to actually achieve popularity due to people's love for ur work but rather, buy that love. Unfortunately for them, they didn't realize they can't buy love.
To understand Witcher you need to do only one thing: Travel to Poland in Fall and spend a day each in those 3 locations: A run down pomeranian fishing village in the marshes. A baca hut in Carpathain mountains. A day in the castle of Lublin. The 3 layered castle where neither layer works easthetically with another one, cause it had to be rebuilt, but there were never funds to do a full renovation. Those 3 locations will get you the perfect understanding of Polish countriside culture: the stoic perservance. The realistic acceptance of living in a culturally isolated place and ability to find joy on it and carry on. That's why also Velen is my favourite location in whole of Witcher 3. Yeah, Novigrad is grand, Skellige whimsical and Tousaint gorgous. But nothing says that YOU will be able to go on and survive as sitting down with Bloody Baron in his ruined castle and drinking together. Both of you may have a history you'd prefer to change, but both of you will do everything to get as much from life as you can despite it. We may be in the shittiest place we realistically can reach, but this is the place we can be free and make our own way into the world.
@Ussurin. That's nice ideas but ...'culturally isolated place'? Poland is versatile nation with rich fantastic literature, amazing culture. We have the best of East and West. Plays of Shakespeare were staged in Poland by John Grey troupe since 1620 (for English merchants first). And Shakespeare knew about Poland which was very prosperous at the time internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/Criticism/shakespearein/poland2/ Later, greedy Dutch, English and Prussian rulers together outsmarted us. Sandwiched between Russia and Germany (cooperating above our head), with UK constantly interfering, America fooling us we may have hard time but still are doing pretty well:)
@@RG-iw7py maybe I phrased it wrong. I didn't meant isolated from other cultures but having culture of isolation. Tho even tho sounds a bit wrong, as it's more of a state thsn culture.
@@shichilaofa German lands are only around river Rhine. All lands from Lubeka to Moscow were settled by slavs. Then inbetween 4th and 6th century Germans genocided half of western slavs and taken over lands up till Brandenburg and from 15th till 20th century they genocided another tribe of western slavs, Pomeranians, with only surviving group of them being Kashubians, now happily members of Polish nation and only surviving cause they were in borders of Poland for the most time. Cause, you know, we aren't hellbent on killing them and their culture. Silesia was settled by slavs, Silesians were one of the foudning tribes of Poland and was the most time ruled by Poland/polish tribes, then Czechia and just then Germany. Pomerania was settled by slavs, which foundend independent Duchy of Pomerania and was spent the most time being independent, then ruled by Poland and only then by Germans. And that's all using only spans pre-WW1. Not counting in additional decades of Polish rule after Germany unconditionally surrendered, had taken away not even majority of slavic lands and those lands were traded Poland by Soviet Union in exchange for hers eastern lands. I bet it's convinient for Germans for the world to forget that they didn't suddenly start murdering everyone in 20th century, but were doing it consistently since at least 2nd century, if not earlier, but we slavs won't forget. History suddenly doesn't start the moment Germany has the most territory, most of which stolen from people they murdered.
"Alzur's Legacy" Witcher-related fanmade movie (budget: around 100 000 PLN, what Hollywood stars spend on one night in a pub) is the best example of how respect and understanding of the source material beats millions spent on the Netflix's crap. Plus, you don't have to pay any subscription to watch it, it's free on youtube, and with foreign subtitles for non-Polish people. So much for so little.
I love this video, being from Asia and seeing western fantasy tales I loved the idea and romantic scenery or European countryside. I was told to watch the Witcher because of it’s pace and easy going nature with fantastical monsters and a more realistic magic perspective. The first season confused me as I didn’t understand what was happening, but some research and reference guides helped. I was always waiting for the massive fireball and it never came which was refreshing. I began watching charmed the American tv series of witches. The classic charmed I should say. Yes it was fire balls and lightening bolts. What I loved about the show was they were trying to live normal lives. The icing and style was different which made it a success. Unfortunately anime in America has bastardized my language and started trends with people who jump into what’s popular. Westerners are injecting their western beliefs into my culture without realizing the problems. Thank you for making this video consider me subscribed.
I think I heard in some video how this diversification actually strips them of logic and reason. And that's actually so true. If a particular geographic area literally has all kinds and races of people, what is its culture. These people arent just shades of colors on a pantone catalogue, they are different ethnicities which have their own culture associated with them. And at least before the modern times, intermingling and immigration and emigration wasn't that popular or feasible. So for a world set in medieval times, it truly makes no sense to have all of them just mixing around like its 2022 Los Angeles.
Yup. If they'd like to show nations with cary diverse racial squad you can set a story in countries of Latin America such as Brasil or Colombia. People loved Disney's Encanto which story takes place in Colombia.
Wow, you made me understand something about my own preferences and disillusionment with modern fantasy. You now made me want to visit Poland, and gave me inspiration to run a ttrpg with historically inspired environs.
Oh wow, what a well written argumentative video you’ve made explaining the historical & cultural influences embedded in the DNA of the source material. I’m definitely impressed by 80% of what you said here Well done! That being said, may I ask that you include a bibliography/reference list of sort in your description/end of future episodes particularly regarding the piece of media (video clips & music) you utilized? And maybe relevant reading or sources regarding historical fantasy and Central European life if it applies (unless all of this was informed through lived experience, in which case you should disregard) I feel like it’s a part of essay writing that hasn’t caught on yet with the new form that is video, and feel it’d formalize and give it more legitimacy as part of an educated essay piece
Thank you for such a nice comment! The weeks of work were worth it just for this 😁 I can definitely add some sources to the description box. Are there any specific things that interest you in particular?
I'm Polish, grow up reading legends, my fav was 'Home Fairy Tales' (Klechdy domowe) but I'm not sure if they were ever translated. Before WWII Kazimierz Przerwa - Tetmajer wrote stories about Polish Tatra Mountains. He tried to recreate in them Polish medieval language, old dialect of this area. Since his books became popular then storytellers from this area started using this language and material for tourists. By this time it's part of our culture.
About Netflix, Poland and villages - there's 1670 series from last year. It's a comedy and it is lampooning modern Poland so its not "historical fiction" by any stretch. But had put some effort into the setting and it really paid off. Adamczycha village seems like a place, not like a grab bag of tropes collected by a very lazy writer. There's some respect for the period permeating it and probably this put it from decent to widely acclaimed in Poland. Setting is a background for the gags that is well done and enhances it. Meanwhile long fantasy series butcher their settings even though they claim audience will feel transported to that "other world" they don't care to make.
Well said! A golden opportunity, as portrayed in the wonderful books, was wasted due to narcissistic self-insertion, ignorant laziness, cocaine/adderall-fuelled arrogance and witless lack of insight. Cultural vandalism is the order of the day.
I'm not surprised morons in Hollywood disrespected the books this much, they didn't even know Poland or any other Slavic country existed. Must have hit them hard too when turned out not everybody in Europe speaks French 😂😂 Amazing vid btw, Greetings from Hungary ❤
@@FolkWalkCZ Oh its from the region i live in (Hajdúság-Debrecen). Never heard this one before but i can totally understand why you fell in love with it 😍😍😍😍 My country is an absolute goldmine when it comes to culture. One of its kind thats for sure. And im nothing but proud over it. I even have been trying to "keep it alive" by doing traditional embroidery (from Kalocsa) for more than 10 years...and i started doing folk dancing last year. Good stuff overall Not because slavic cultures are any less "interesting" than Hungarian. I love all of them and always will (and its not fully linked to my heritage) no matter what the location or history is. For the matter i even subscribed to your channel since im eager to see what you can bring from the western side 🥰😍😍
I would probably agree that they're my favourite as well but I also love the saga for different reasons so it's really about what you're looking for. They're all excellent in different ways imho 🙂
@@FolkWalkCZ Yeah personally I wasn't a fan of the main storyline as it started to enter the 'chosen one' trope a bit for me, to be honest it's Yennefer's story. The short stories were perfect for me. They are different that's for sure.
@@FolkWalkCZ and you went too far gone with you saying that geralt parkouring from the first games cutscene was over the top.... chill out.... witchers are very powerful but still can get their shit rocked if not careful
@@FolkWalkCZ 'pretty, down to earth witcher 1' shows a picture of a grim place to live in but that's the witcher. you're all over the place with the witcher games.... witcher 2 is supposed to be a dive in human politics that happens in the real world.... sure the dragon is a bit off but the locations aren't that much comparable to lord of the rings or netflix witcher... witcher 1 still has those looks of fantasy like the lady of the lake but definitely isn't on the scale to netflix wither or other fantasy films/tv shows.... like they bring that same look or tone to the witcher 3 with the blood and wine dlc.... plus that dark washed out filter can still happen and appear in the witcher like they did for the witcher 3 killing monsters cinematic and ppl complained that the look from that trailer didn't get into the game
When it comes to high fantasy vs low fantasy, I always liked how Berserk straddled that line. On one hand we have huge monsters and weird magic, but on the other we have fairly realistic (with an occasional exception) weapons and armor and believable, if often wicked, characters. Constrasting the two sides made both stand out more
Nice to hear from someone who understands exactly what’s wrong with the Netflix adaptation. Even people who dislike it often have baffling reasoning, like: "It should’ve been all about Geralt hunting monsters and being badass", stuff like that. I have to facepalm every time I hear it.
DO IT! 😃 I hope you'll love them 😉 I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack from the games while you read them. I did it with the soundtrack of The Witcher 1 when I've read the books for the first time and it's a great match. It gives the experience even better atmosphere and the two worlds of the books and the games then blend really well in your head if that makes sense 😁
Oh you are going to love the witcher books then! Especially the first two but the whole series really. Sounds like it would be right down your alley. There's not much more grittier and down to earth fantasy than Witcher. I highly recommend the books. They badly failed to capture this spirit of the books in the Netflix show. CD Project Red's videogames did a far better job of capturing that spirit than the show. Well the show didn't capture it at all sadly and they skipped most or greatly dumbed down some of the best stories from the first two books that show that spirit :(
I used to call it that as well but people have different definitions for "low fantasy" and there was always somebody correcting me that The Witcher is in fact "high fantasy" so I stopped using these definitions and started explaining it in more general terms like "mundane".
In the books I always pictured Geralt as a working glass guy ringing doorbells asking if anyone had some work needing done. Made me remember door to door gap year work.
Lot of Witcher stories play out like fantasy versions of actual folklore stories. Good example Botchlings which are Witchers versions of real folklore ghosts of abandoned or murdered babies (example Liekkiö in Finland). Hollywood writers could've read Witchers and grabbed some history folklore books with ghost stories from few hundred years ago in Europe to "get" what Witcher is trying to do. But that would have required interest and effort in the project they were hired to do.
Witcher was always about countryside, the dangers lurking in the dark awaiting for the unprepered, it was about moral choices that common people face everyday, it was about dirt, mud and dense atmosphere of something present that you are not fully aware of. What netflix did was set the series in stone castles, big halls, cold blunt mountains and grass plains so empty that you almost feel your sould puring out while watching. It focused on creating black and white world with no moral dilemma and an soulles creation is what they'v got. You deserve more subs than you have, one of my favorite video since very long time, your critique is calm and to the point without overreacting, very refreshing. Thank you!
Regarding these moral dilemmas faced by commoners maybe Sapkowski wrote (in very intelligent way) about Poland of 80-90s. It's so hard to remain decent being, especially while Commies elite rules (still). And cultural Marxism that's the rule of ugliness, lack of manners, killing of the spirit, etc. Do you know Alt Shift X channel? also has very intelligent commentary served in an excellent manner.
This was such an amazing video, my friend. As Los Angeles is so far removed from the rest of the country, and most C. Europeans migrated to the Great Lakes region, please don't judge us by them alone. We still do Mass in Polska in Chicago and Cleveland. Everything you said was great, and I feel more educated having heard it.
I was asking myself if you are Czech/Slovak or not, you sounded like it and then I saw the board games and it got confirmed for me... a souhlasím s tebou na většině. Hodně štěstí s další tvorbou xd
This is what I really liked about Game of Thrones in the first seasons. It felt like a real middle-age drama with rarely seen fantasy elements. Magic, Spells , Creatures were soo rare that even the people living in the world didn't believe in stuff like that. I know it got more and more with the seasons but for the most part, its about a realistic believable and political setting.
Finally good in-depth explanation that grasps the originality of The Witcher! Thank you for that. If only Netflix would did proper research before they started anything.
I never knew the books. I only read about the original The Witcher game after the Enhanced Version was released. I purchased it on physical media and I still have it to this day and still play it multiple times. The Witcher 2 was also a great game and then came The Witcher 3 and I was blown away. But in the end, all three games do one thing well: tell a story that is enthralling and fun to watch play out. I have since read the books and that has explained a lot in the games that make more sense now, when before, they seemed out of place and I was lost as it was assuming you have read the books.
I love a good, original, epic fantasy book, but the combination of the fantastical with the ordinary in Witcher makes it so different and good. Good video, i wish you luck.
Thank you so much for 100K views on this video and 1K subscribes! ❤ I really didn't expect such a positive response. I hope you won't be disappointed by the content I want to make on this channel because it won't be as much about The Witcher as it will be about fairy tales, folklore, customs, traditions and stuff like that. I'll still make videos about The Witcher occasionally (like once a month) since it's so dear to my heart. Especially if I'll manage to somehow connect the subject of the video with the focus of my channel. But it won't be the primary content.
If you want to see how an adaptation of The Witcher world could be done really well by actual fans go subscribe to The Witcher Stories ( www.youtube.com/@TheWitcherStoriesCZ ) 🐍And if you would be interested in the military side of The Witcher world go subscribe to Moritz Workshop ( th-cam.com/video/5qS6Z2do3ZY/w-d-xo.html ) ⚔
It's nice to see your channel blow up 🦏🥛
Wow, tolles Video. Ich stimme Dir in so vielen Ansichten zu. Ich habe die Bücher von Herrn Sapkowski xx mal gelesen und kenne fast jedes Kapitel auswendig. In der Serie fehlen mir so viele Details aus den Büchern. Ich liebe die Romane und eben die Kurzgeschichtenbücher und darunter auch das Kapitel in dem Geralt Ciri das erste mal im Brokilon Wald trifft. Und da war sie eben erst 9 oder 10 und nicht wie in der Serie, . . . älter. Das hat bereits Unmut bei mir ausgelöst, denn dadurch wurde so vieles nicht erzählt, nicht umgesetzt. Und das ist nur ein kleiner Teil, von dem, was mir missfällt. Ich könnte jetzt Stunden lang weiter schreiben, . . . Aber Dein Video sagt im Grunde, das aus was ich denke. Ich habe vor kurzem alle drei Witcher Spiele durchgespielt und muss sagen, dass mir diese inhaltlich deutlich besser gefallen. Klar haben die Entwickler bei CDPR einen gewissen kreativen Gestaltungsfreiraum, da sie ja auf dem „offenen, interpretierbaren“ Ende der Romane aufbauen. Letztendlich hätte ich auch gewisse Freiheiten in der Gestaltung, der Netflix Serie nachvollziehen können. Eine 100 % 1 zu 1 Adaption ist ja selten möglich. Doch was da produziert wird, ist bodenlos, . . . Danke Dir nochmals für Dein Video.
I am so excited for the fairy tales and folklore stuff! I'm planning to do videos on that on my channel too!
@@LandofLight Thank you, that's a great suggestion actually 🙂 I already briefly mentioned the chort Torque from the short story The Edge of the World in one of my videos but I can make more detailed videos about different monsters from the world of The Witcher and talk about their original inspiration from real folklore. I had a quick look at your channel and it looks interesting, great presentation 👌 Subscribed.
Thank you very much for this review. My friends are on my case about not liking Blood Origins but this what I was trying to say but more thorough. They downgraded the Witcher world into a forgettable generic fantasy setting and did the same with a lot of the 'fantastical' characters. I really enjoyed the setting of the Witcher and the general interactivty of 'every day' life. It makes the idea that there are things that hunt in the wilds/dark even more terrifying. There isn't a 'spell' that's just going to heal you back to 100% l;ike D&D or throw a mcguffin in the plot to solve all the problems. It's really watered down and the writers think they are 'clever' by portraying generalized and uninteresting motivations or (the lack thereof) character development. It doesn't really seem like they know what they are doing or know how to build a story.
Polish painter Jacek Malczewski often juxtaposed chimeras, harpies, fauns and other mythological creatures in his paintings with villagers in their everyday, life situations. I always associated this with Sapkowski's "The Witcher" because both artists looked for inspiration and showed the legends where they were born - among ordinary people in their small houses.
Thanks for the recommendation 🙂 I actually love artworks of Jakub Rozalski exactly because of this reason. He understands our culture so well.
Great insight!
Beautiful comment. They could get inspiration from multiple artists not only Polish, but various European regions (e.g. Czech, Balkans, German, French), but no, they knew better.
@@mrp1326 remember that for Hollywood, Europeans are one big generic group of people with one culture. "Western culture". Hollywood is so racist they think diversity is only based on skin color and not ethnicity.
@Maciej R Mat RR Martin got inspired by Eastern European culture. He used a legend of sleeping knights (Polish and Czechoslovakian), used famous quote from 'Deluge': 'doesn't matter how you start but how you end'. He admitted he is well read in world literature, legends. Since English history was more cruel he used it as a backbone. Poles never harmed any of their kings (till kidnapping of Poniatowski). RR Martin world is evil, he summarized it in his novelette 'Sandkings' (Piaseczniki). It's so vile, disgusting I don't want to read it again.
Some film critics say Nosferatu movies were expression of people's fears in anticipation of WWII. I'd say it was rather an attempt to frighten people. Hollywood was chosen after WWII to be the center of movie making. It spawns obscenity, constantly pushes the boundaries, often offers meaningless, mediocre entertainment. Twilight saga (as somebody jokingly pointed) was about importance of having a boyfriend, at any cost. H.Potter (not Hollywood but matches this ideology, tendencies) teaches that ends justifies the means and occult is fun. Shows like Dr. Who, GOT push limits of human sensitivity more, and more. It's like we're being prepared for WWIII, made feel powerless, isolated, scared. For these film moguls, world 'rulers' we as individuals do not count, our culture is irrelevant. Kindness, best things in life ought to belong to them only. They promote Marxism/Communism/solipsism, narcissism (as in Narcissistic Personality Disorder), etc. How wrong they are they won't notice till the end. All that makes impossible to make a good series nowadays. Like in kakistocracy narcissists sponsor and promote other narcissists, and their 'flying monkies'.
I read the Witcher stories long time ago and was disappointed at the end, with the game (too much sex) as well. It's an interesting world but not for me. I tried to read some of his other works but was disappointed, too. I believe Sapkowski did some concessions in his stories to be accepted by the 'western culture'. We have much better stories in Polish literature. And I prefer his 'source material' like 'Home Fairy Tales' (Klechdy domowe').
The eastern European folklore and culture was always the most interesting thing about the Witcher for me as an American because it's barley if ever explored in shows. It's different and that's it's strength, the music, the people, the world, the locations. It's not epic, but it's so intriguing and if they want to get fantastical the Witcher has that it but it's not on demand. It's a slow burn of intrigue that concludes with a moment of epicness.
Hollywood took that, washed all the flavor out of it, and replaced it with just generic manufactured trash. And they want to be so inclusive except when it comes to Slavic culture apparently.
Well, seems wokism/Marxism doesn't care for anything beauty, decent. They twist meaning of words, call truth a lie. They're bound to fail everywhere like failed in Poland, Russia.
That's why the games are as successful as they have been. It was made by a Polish studio that saw early Polish adaptations of the Witcher books, TV shows like the Hexer, and decided that they could do it better. Especially in the case of the first game, it was made by the fans for the fans.
And damn, Poles are really damn proud of these books and games. Mention that you like fantasy, stuff like Tolkien, to a Polish person and the first question is always, "Do you know the Witcher!?" It's super endearing. It's as big there as Harry Potter is in the UK. It's on billboards, Monster Energy cans, the books are in every book-store. It really is a modern national treasure for them.
Arguably, I'd also say it's because the Witcher is inherently more approachable, for foreigners especially, than say something like, "With Fire and Sword" despite it being a simply historic work of Polish epic poetry.
Central European ;) There is as much of Dutch influence as Russian one. You can say that the area of origin for the mythology and history lies between Brugges and Novgorod, Copenhagen and Venice. West Slavic mythology is in the forefront, but closely followed by German, and some Scandinavian , Irish (in lieu of the original Central European Celts) and others. Some parts from early troies are even ripoffs of Conan the Barbarian (the spider god for example).
@@richardaubrecht2822 The biggest piece of Celtic impact is on the Elves in particular. The Elves even speak Welsh. 😂
Too be fair there is not so much of eastern European folklore in the Witcher. Witcher isn't some "slavic fantasy" in its roots. Sapkowski is a big fan of arthurian legends, European folklore and he even used things from DnD or Japanesse folklore. And he openly laughs at Swaróg and Pieróg. But the Witcher (books) has some Polish vibe in it. But it is in the language, how some of the Northern Kingdoms look like and mostly - how characters act, think and talk.
The realistic aesthetic to Witcher is integral in supporting its stories.
1. turns whimsical folklore into horror
- take fantasy tropes and showcase how they could turn out if done by real people
2. protagonist must be smart and tough
- he is not overpowered and must study and prepare to take on powerful enemies
- consequences are lingering
- people don't act like archetypes. Give power to the good King and you might watch an elven genocide.
3. relationships feel hard won/lost making them unforgettable
Exactly! The folklore part of the Witcher is what makes it feel real. It feels like the real (medieval) world if those folktales your grandmother used to tell you were actually true. When you walk through the woods in the Witcher it feels a bit like when you were little and actually believed that there was a witch, a dangerous pack of wolves or some other Biest lurking in its depths. Throw that away and you end up with something that is not the Witcher anymore.
Translation from Wokeland
Netflix Current Day Story Telling
Protagonist must be a Female of Color who is smart and tough and the greatest warrior alive and able to fight off 50 men alone.
Have at least one white male to look stupid and get beat up so the show can make fun of him
Yes, this is it exactly!
you say like magic trick making elfs disapear is a bad thing
@@DustinBarlow8P stop being an incel. The main problem isn’t wokeness, it’s corporate policy, which is the modern, not post-modern approach.
I've been saying this -- Hollywood just can't deal with real diversity. Different culture, cultural norms, and values are way beyond their comprehension.
Yup, the only way is their way - subvert and destroy, ruin anything people can look up to or/and enjoy! These are slavic books/ storylines, something you can never tell from that show, because Slavic values are exactly what they fight against! Especially Eastern European ones which for most also relate to Russia (the eternal enemy) as well... 🤨
Well, you can't really blame them. Americans have no culture, so they don't understand the concept
Worst thing is they had Cavil, they were so lucky to get someone who enjoys and somehow understands world he tries to portray. But instead of lisening to good advice they said he was kicked for toxic gamer behaviour. If after the season 3/4 fails they will blame him for that, we will reach peak stupidity
I just don't get why streaming sites prioritize showrunners over actors. Show runners are completely replaceable. Anyone can step in and keep the torch going as long as its cast is game. They just know they can't control the actors while the showrunners are directly employed by the company so they prioritize them.
@Wooden Door Garage Theres the books, then the 3 games. Rest is fanfiction (or this is how i cope).
Cavil needs to be given opurtunity to work with team that is actually made of people who enjoy original world and reboot the series. Even actors could stay if they read the books first. I wanna see the difference that writers and management team will do, if instead of someone who just wanna "put as much of his queer drama from his life" into the show instead of focusing on making a good series :/
(around my circles queer is not a negative word, just to make sure its not me problem with him being somehow LGBT+, but that he tried to use something that shloud have been his own separate thing, not series that has milions of die hard fans including your lead-fucking-actor)
@@IlkanarI mean, the show is just meant to be an adaption, so..
@@twinzzlers adaptation =/= oversponsored fanfic imo.
@@Ilkanar Lmao
Finally, someone who understands "soul" of The Witcher. You presented it beautifully, thank you.
Thank you so much 🙂
Said it better than anyone else. I wish other fantasy titles that hasn't received mainstream attention stays that way.
@@FolkWalkCZ I'm from Poland, I love The Witcher games and I think exactly like you, the first part is the best. Of course, the gameplay isn`t as exciting, difficult and pretty as in the third part (which everyone recommends), but I personally fell in love with the first one. The graphics don't matter for me... stories are impressive, unique atmosphere and varied colors put you in the right mood, villages are full of folklore, swamps are dangerous... Usual I don't like playing male characters, but I had a wonderful time playing The Witcher, I smile just thinking about it. It was an amazing adventure worth every minute. I don`t like splendour, I prefer simplicity... the third part of The Witcher seems to me too modern, also I don't like Ciri and Yennefer... I don't like it when they take attention away from the main male character. The second part has a lot of stories about elves which I don't like, I like dwarves the most ;). You can see what direction the game developers have gone and although they have attracted attention of many players... I`m still in love with the first one, it's love at first sight ;) Only Geralt and his search for his lost memories interspersed with orders for monsters head and settling scores with evil people in the background of villages and cities that looked very realistic... Incredible adventure.
The Witcher is refreshing because Geralt isnt the main character of the world
@@buck-pucker He is really a tool through which you get to know the world he is in, its different sides, beliefs, many characters and their problems. He is the eyes, the silent observer... thanks to which he doesn`t disturb anything that we can experience thanks to him. He doesn't draw attention to himself, he doesn`t have a narcissistic personality... which I personally like very much. That's why he's a unique character.
"netflix doesnt understand the witcher" is the understatement of the year. they dont understand the entire fantasy genre. or even stories in general. they genuinely fail to comprehend what people find enjoyable or what the point of a story even is.
Good point.
No one in the entertainment industry today understands fantasy that is why they don't know how to do Elves or Dwarves right. I never read the Witcher books or played the games (I'm too old and arthritic to play video games anymore) but watched the show because I'm a lifelong fantasy fan. When I saw the Elves of all different races all mixed together I sighed then thought maybe they were from different area of the world and are now all together because of persecution by humans. I was hoping that it would be explained in Blood Origins and it seemed to be that way at 1st, each of the main characters being from different clans, then when they showed the capitol it was just all mixed together anyway. Not the main reason I only watched the 1st episode but was one of them. All the Elves look and act like pointy eared humans. I laughed at a bald Elf and also one with dreds. It takes more than pointy ears to make them Elves. And ALL DWARVES ALWAYS HAVE BEARDS!
it's showrunner who doesn't understand source material and they brought in writer who has has zero writing ability to wrote the script. the reason why season 1 watchable because of Henry Cavill input.
Is netflix your favorite corporation?
@@ZaKrakilla Okay.. The ones funding Netflix doesn't people want.
This pretty much explained why you need someone deeply in tune with the cultural background of a book (or from the same culture) to adapt it succesfully
Yeeep..
I don't even think that anyone involved with the show had to be in tune with any particular culture to do the show right they just have to be fans of fantasy in general. No one involved with this show have any interest in the fantasy genre and it shows. That's why they can't do Elves or Dwarves right. Elves are not pointy eared humans. It takes more than slapping some Spock ears on a person to make them an Elf. Hell, even in ST Spock didn't 'feel' like an alien because he was, to quote Bones, "a pointy eared bastard," but because his character was alien to the human character. Elves should have an otherworldly feel about them. Don't get me started about beardless lesbian Dwarves.
Nobody from Avatar the Last Airbender team was actually an Asian, and it turns out just fine. You have to be interested in the culture. But I don't think that was the directive Netflix gave the showrunners.
@@adapienkowska2605 I enjoyed watching that show with my son so I watch Dragon Prince. It does a pretty good job with their Elves. It's sad when a children's show can do it but one written by supposed adults can't.
@@adapienkowska2605 Yeah but the civilisations around them, especially the fire nation, the earth kingdom and the Air nomads were heavily inspired by asian culture. Just look at the clothes and architecture or even the cycle of reincarnation or the quest for enlightment.
I've read the books (translated to german tho, but think the translator did a very good job) and they are so different from the usual fantasy crap we get. The language used stood out specifically, because the Author used very time appropiate terminology, which, with the very well written dialouge, made everything so down to earth and realistic. Smart or witty people in the books talked like that, you could gather that someone was smart just by reading their dialouge, characters were distinct. Eastern European History and Culture are very interesting and unique and just making it american is the wrong call. I came to despise american media, because they always try to depict diverse groups and cultures but they always just turn out to be american in their behaviour and mindset.
In my opinion it's also need for a quick buck, and Cultural Marxism's impact disregarding values, people, beauty, etc.
@@RG-iw7py you realize that the books were written when Poland was still communist right? trying to blame the adaptation as bad because of "cultural marxism" is just psychotic lol
@@yveltalsea I don't think that's a good reasoning for why saying it's bad because of "cultural Marxism" is a dumb idea. The real reasoning is that "cultural Marxism" is literally a far-right antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Unless the writer of the books is/was himself a commie, because if that's the case then your point would work.
Agreed, dialogues are biggest strength of Sapkowski. The way his characters speak is so natural you belive him everything. Pages after pages of just talking but it isn´t boring at all. Best examples are (well for me) in Baptism of Fire. And the medieval like language is great too.
@@yveltalsea I'm Polish with M.A. in history of theatre from Jagiellonian University. My life time experience tells me Marxism ends in gulags, destruction. Cultural marxism is just one of the expressions of it, Frankfurter school. Calling names, insulting people is very typical for Marxism, Narcissism. And Poland is still run by commies elite. This system evolved, made us believe was overturned. We fall for it for decades. Luckily the world is turning back from it, globalism.
Exactly! Thank you! The Witcher's world is very "domestic". It's reality with a spice of fantasy. It's not grandiose, Geralt is but a speck in the grand scheme of things. Had he not gotten involved with Ciri, he would have lived his days just hunting monsters to get by and would have probably died doing so.
The stories that make up his life story are so interesting because he has been incredibly lucky to come out alive from them. He's not unbeatable, he's just a man with better senses, strength and speed than average. Anything else has to come from taking elaborate potions that slowly poison him. It's not glamorous, it's painful.
I seriously don't understand the need of adaptations to reinvent the wheel (and do it poorly in the process). The whole thing is already written down, just read the fucking books, play the games and make an adaptation of what already exists and excels at telling this particular story.
Very well written. In medieval societies without mechanization and mass production, the countryside and the farmers and peasants that inhabit it have to make up the bulk of the population to produce the food that people need to survive.
This modern TV fantasy world-building has massive towns full of citizens that just exist without the need for fresh food and water; heroes who can traverse the land without the need for supplies, campfires or even bedding. They can survive in the mountain/desert environment without any effort whatsoever. It's no wonder their worlds 'reflect the modern world' more than the worlds their series are based upon, because they are more like modern worlds, where basic neccessities are not something you have to worry about.
Very well put. This is something that was just laughable to me in the Rings of Power when Elrond and Celebrimbor just walked all the way to Khazad-dûm without any supplies, guards or maybe change of clothes for traveling, just nothing. It was so obvious that they just went from one studio set to another without thinking about it.
@@Seegster77 Being pretty close to each other just makes it worse. Dale is literally within LINE OF SIGHT of Erebor and they still use some other mode of transport than walking🤦♀️
fantastic point about the corrupting influence of modern living-- when unchecked-- when it comes to fantasy shows. The idea of occupation and behaviour being arbitrary, and not related to the specialisation/requirements of the environment make everywhere feel very nonsensical and same-y. If a medieval city by a large river and one in the mountains is A) populated by the same people and B) they're living the exact same way then you haven't shown the diversity of the land: you've sketched one painting in two colours and said you've made two pieces of art.
Most of these hacks probably think food only comes from the store
Remember that the people who make up Hollywood nowadays are mostly socialists/communists in terms of ideology. So they hate farmers, they hate the countryside, and they hate the idea of them living peaceful lives in separation of the system. They project this hate onto them by portraying living in a farming community as a "waste of one's potential" or "being an ignorant filth covered rube". To them the idea that choosing the peaceful life over the viciously incongruent work of a sellsword is inconceivable.
"I hate how everything beyond California and USA is so different. We must make it look the same as Los Angeles. For diversity and inclusion!" - everyone in Hollywood
Inclusion. LoL they are Hollywood Culture Nazis.
“No one could love living in the countryside, there is so much dirt and slop. Everyone that lives in the country is just too poor to move the a city.” -caliwood morons
it seems like diversity only applies to Africa and Latin America, the others are lesser humans
Trust me if I could throw some of my fellow Americans into woodchippers I would. lol.
Ironic that they preach about "diversity and inclusivity" but all they do is homogenize everything all to fit their own narrow minded view or stereotypes. Speaking from someone living in a diverse community.
The Marilka dialogue in the first episode described it perfectly already. Not just that a village girl wants to get "out of here and get a better life". That already is ridiculous. This is the 13th century when family, ESPECIALLY in Slavic culture, was absolutely everything. She would want a husband and as many kids as possible and their own place in the countryside, and a beautiful garden to tend to. Not going on adventure like modern miss independent woman. That concept doesn't exist in the 13th century.
But the worst part was her complaining that girls cannot become Witchers. Yet again showing that Netflix thinks Witchers are like Thor or Ironman, just another form of a superhero. Instead they are people who got tortured as children, spent their childhood bruised and in pain and are doomed to a life of constant fighting for people who don't even like them and spit at them most of the time. Geralt himself said it plenty of times in the books. He's no a hero or knight. Not even a soldier. he has no great convictions to fight for and he's far too afraid of dying to serve in any wars under any army. he'll do his job and defend helpless people from all sides until he bleeds out in a ditch somewhere because one monster was too fast and ripped his guts out, just like every single Witcher before him.
That is NOT a fate a teenage girl from the 13th century would envy him for. Not even remotely. It's just modern nonsense. These days women are supposed to be able to be everything, but I truly wonder how many girls would think life like Geralt in the Witcher 3 trailers was so exciting if they read the story of him fighting in a pool of shit and sewage to kill a Zeugl, not getting the stink off for days. Or how many would be excited about being a soldier from a hollywood movie if they had to die in the mud of a WW1 battlefield. The entire point of Witcher was that it is NOT epic, NOT exciting and certainly not cool. It's a miserable life of hardship and nobody liking you, which is exactly why his friendship to Dandelion is so special. The bard was the first person who even treated Geralt like a person and not just a freak.
In the show Geralt constantly insults his best friends and treats them like garbage. Especially when he looked at Yennefer and asked her "A mother? YOU?! You can't be serious!" ... that's just the biggest sign that they have absolutely no clue what they're doing. Not only would Geralt never hurt Yennefer like that, American hollywood women are apparently also so removed from their own ability to have children that they think this is not a big deal. Try talking to any Polish woman like that and you'll get your eyes scratched out. Being able to have children actually means something to a normal woman, and no normal man would EVER talk to a woman like that, especially not one desperately trying to restore her ability to have children.
They have absolutely no clue what normal people's lives are like. Yeah they show Yennefer's background and her disfigurations, but they make it all about her looks and about her father mistreating her. A much bigger deal for yennefer was that her MOTHER pushed her away, because her mother felt she had caused her husband to no longer love her, and make her responsible for the defective child. So the mother ended up resenting Yennefer "for destroying the relationship". That hurt Yennefer even more than her father insulting and misstreating her. And then they made it all about Yennefer wanting power. When on earth was Yennefer ever powerhungry? She didn't want that geenie in The Last Wish to move mountains and become all powerful, she most likely wanted that power to heal herself, because that's all she ever wanted and what all her motivation was always about. She didn't give a crap about anything else and wasn't like other sorceresses at all, which is why she wasn't remotely interested in joining the lodge.
They basically get everything completely wrong. They even claimed Witcher 3 was too white, confirming even more that they have no clue what diversity actually means. Just because most people in Europe have light skin (even though any idiot in Europe would be able to tell a Spaniard from a Pole or Swede) that doesn't mean European culture is not MASSIVELY diverse. It's probably the most diverse place on the planet considering its small area for the amount of different cultures that live there. Summarizing all that as "white" is rudiculous. They have no idea how many European influences, how much folklore, from ancient slavic tales to vampires from Portugal and germany, to Grimm's fairy tales to the Arturian Saga and gaelic stories and language influences went into the Witcher. They are uneducated idiots who have no idea what any of it is about.
And they cannot even get their diversity BS right. The zerrikanian warriors are black and looked at as these exotic women in one episode, and in another episode a black dude runs around at the court of cintra and nobody thinks he's special in any way. How on earth does that make any sense.
The Witcher world DOES have all the different ethnicities, they just don't live in the Northern Kingdoms. If they wanted Arabic or Black looking people, well then get a character from Zerrikania or Ofir and add them. Don't make medieval Poland, Germany and France (Hell Temeria even uses the French lillies and Redania literally has the Polish eagle... do the show makers even know what those symbols are??) look like downtown New York or L.A. for f*s sake...
Wow, well said. I need to go through this comment again when I'll have more time because you clearly put a lot of effort into writing it so thank you 🙂
@caitlyncarvalho7637 European fairytales were never about escapism. They were meant as cautionary tales for our children to prepare them for the hardships of life and warn them about the dangers of dishonesty, a life of crime or committing sins, break a word given etc. Escapism is an American invention, the invention of a culture with do much abundance that it needs to make up adventures because real life is no longer exciting enough. One American once told me that every American thinks they are the star in their own movie. Europeans don't think like that. We Also have a much lower need to stand out or be something special. We just want happy lives with family. In some parts of Europe standing out I'd even seen as something negative and undesirable. So the need to be the hero of our own story just isn't there. We care about small stories and making a difference in eachothers life. That's why geralt doesn't fight epic battles but helps simple villagers
@caitlyncarvalho7637 in my experience, family/community, America seems very lonely from my view, but that's just me
@caitlyncarvalho7637 Lord of the rings borrowed a lot from other myths from around Europe with a sprinkle of Tolkiens own views and narnia was very biblical, but I do see what ya saying, these things can be viewed as escapism if you wish it, I don't entirely agree with the guy above that, Europe has no escapism, anything can be escapism if you wish it to be. There just tends to be a different version of escapism. You could say that the US has this thing when they go overseas they tend to try to forcefully implement their world view/culture norms onto others from different cultures, and that tends to be the case even in fantasy worlds
Are you trying to say a peasant girl from a 16th century setting should act like a peasant girl from 16th century setting?
In their woke eyes, it would be extremely misogynistic. Women are STROOOONG, they can do ANYTHIIIING!
Hollywood americanized everything from Norse folklore and myths aswell. As did they with Japanese movies and stories. I completly agree with you on all points! The movies and series would be way better if they didn't americanize everything.
As a South East Asian, I want to watch The Witcher, because I expect to transport my mind into the beautiful classic Medieval Eastern Europe folklore fantasy, not Los Angeles.. Or even Asia, what's the point...
Some things might get lost in the translation but I wholeheartedly recommend you read the books.
The point is for the Afro-American, Negro, and Blaque & Brown bodies to feel included and most importantly get their resources (paycheck).
Evelyn got sidetracked and played DnD instead of saving Joy
Same here! As a South East Asian I wanted a pure European fantasy but nah I get diverse America
Most Americans, particularly people actually into a given genre, don't want things Americanized either.
Great video. If i recall correctly the showrunner Lauren was basically offered this project when she never was a showrunner before and I think that you are on point that neither she nor her team of writers understood what actually made this book series and games so popular and what made them stand out. As one of the writers admitted most of them didn't like it or even despised the source material, so no wonder why they didn't get the atmosphere, the charm of the setting, didn't respect the folklore, traditions and landscape of the eastern and central Europe that made the books and games stand out.
She has not been a showrunner before, but she wrote episodes of the second season of Daredevil and co-wrote 5 of the 8 episodes of The Defenders as well. A pattern emerges.
They should have went with showrunners and writers of polish or european background for the most part to get the book "spirit" right but they were/are probably too prideful for that and didn't believe they could send their own message that way (and they wouldn't be able to, and good thing too).
In Poland Witcher is even far bigger thing than elsewhere in the world, they really love the books and they are really important to them. They love the source material and would have done it justice. Not saying it isn't loved elsewhere but Poland's love for witcher is on another level.
Instead Netflix wanted their own "westernized" version of witcher.
Thank you! 🙂 Love your profile picture btw ❤ Hexer is a gulty pleasure of mine😁 I actually want to make a video about it in the future.
@@KanohiVahi Well, they have Bagiński as executive producer but I think that he just plays lapdog to Hissrich because he wants to get into the Hollywood. It's sad because I love the cinematic trailers he did for The Witcher games and also his work in Legendy Polskie.
@@FolkWalkCZ Yeah I am aware of Baginski but as you said it kinda feels like he is just following what Lauren wants for the show (which makes sense even though it's not a good thing as she is the primary showrunner). I agree that Baginski's work on the trailers was amazing.
But then Baginski was the one who said that witcher needs more action because this generation craves it. After that I've not had much faith in his positive contribution to the show sadly.
Excellent grasp of the difference between high fantasy and low fantasy. Netflix lost because they tried to convert The Witcher into high fantasy, while also cancelling the Slav/mid-European culture the story rose from.
Well, high or low fantasy, they don't have the ability and intelligence to pull off either, to any reasonable level.
No, they just americanized culturally polish story.
Similar how Amazon did in RoP.
@@matiasluukkanen7718 that's pretty racist and colonialist on their part, but to be expected after what Hollywood has done with the Greek and Scandinavian mythology.
@@robertkujawa3504 For murican's any country where people are mostly white "evil western culture" and thus they disregard their folklore and unique culture that isn't really tied to murican one.
There is a part of Witcher 3 I absolutely love it is in the Blood and Wine DLC. The is a village north west in the map you have to liberate from bandits once you do villagers come back and then you see something you don't see in any other game. A little boy holding a stick and pretending it's a sword, while few meters away from him a man in leaning on the well playing a flute, not far is a man siting on a bench reading a book with a few friend standing next to him talking. Across the river you can see three women washing clothes ... the village is alive with activity. This is not the only example.
As for colours. Hollywood producers actually don't know anything about the medieval period except swords, plate armour and castles.
You pointed out the feeling I always have when watching these fantasy shows. The landscape is always the same. Rocky, huge new Zealand mountains, canyons with plains without trees all around. This look is in 95% of modern fantasy shows and movies. It was British countryside before lotr.
Buy drone with good camera, do some national geographic shit and... here you go, a believable world!
The success of Peter Jackson's LotR movies heavily contributed to the current generic fantasy landscape look. Suddenly every fantasy world had to look like New Zealand. Disney did it in their version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and New Zealand is a horrible match for Narnia.
Exactly. I'm pretty tired of it and it really pisses me off with The Witcher because that's a world that should specifically look ordinary.
@@FolkWalkCZ When I think of The Witcher novels I think of the cinematography in The Duelists or Barry Lyndon. It's a different time period, and the landscape is less wild than it should be, but it is a naturalist European landscape shot in a beautiful way. That's how a premium The Witcher show should look. Not 'epic' fantasy crap 101.
@@FolkWalkCZ And Polish, Czech 'ordinary' landscapes are amazing, picturesque enough to fascinate. Indians do love our snowy mountains, snow. I love one Russian game because of their cute villages, wooden houses, churches.
@@RG-iw7py Yeah, can we get small but clean cottages with herb gardens? Can we get forests that are made of smaller, leaved-trees? The feeling of a village community, with their own traditions and customs?
@@Deinareia Yes, people constantly are doing it. Some succeed, some get tired of shoveling snow in the winter, all the hassle and return to cosy concret world they're used to.
This video was wonderful, and it reminded me of the Syndrome quote from the Incredibles: “when everyone is super, no one will be.” Same way with these shows, everything is “epic” these days and in turn they all just feel watered down and meh.
I feel that this video perfectly encapsulates my feelings regarding most fantasy. Where there's armour that don't make sense, clothing that don't make sense, stories that don't make sense and the only environments are brown villages and open plains with lots of rocks and mountains in the distance.
Yeah, I'm really tired of it.
Finally a critique that looks beyond the american culture wars. Well done.
For fucking real. I'm sick of that nonsense.
Thanks for the great material! TBH after what Netflix is doing to The Witcher's Lore I think I start to understand why, for instance, Native American people are angry to see how Hollywood and western creators in general depicts them. Here I am wondering why there are no polish actors, as you said, no central europe landscapes, or slavic musicians doing soundtrack. You have to be born in the culture to have the culture and philosophy of your people in blood - then you can share the original spirit to the others by creating the show :) Netflix Witcher is Hollywood - washed and everything right now is from Hollywood and it is so boring. It is like chewing paper. No flavor.
this exactly. a while ago i was thinking why the netflix version felt so bland and generic to me and how i felt my culture was not represented at all compared to how the games and the old polish tv series made me feel (talking about the visual medium mostly, how i was hit with waves of nostalgia esp playing wild hunt and seeing all those familiar sceneries). and i also had this reflection if that how poc feel all the time with hollywood just throwing in this generic black or native american character and being like, here, you have your representation, you should be happy about it. i'm all in for diversity but making it all hollywood-like is not diversity at all
I never liked Westerns for the exact reason. The only good one was Dancing with the Wolves. And the most disappointed I was with their adaptation of Crazy Horse from 1955. In book by Polish author (Marek Fiedler) presents perspective of Indians and shows how the conflict escalates by backstabning from both sides of the conflict. In movie adaptation get some extremally boring. It takes 20 or 30 min before we even see Lakota indians (of course they are called derrogative name - Sioux). And we get none of what was in the books no contradiction between emotion and thought, no hesitation or empathy from protagonist - Crazy Horse. Westerns from 1950s' are such a boring kind that even Stalin considered it a torture.
Only good westerns are Dr Quinn and Dancing with the Wolves
Buddy, you hit the nail on the head. The showrunners/writers have no creative vision, and every recent fantasy show that's come out of the mainstream with the exception of HotD feels like a mishmash of someone's poorly written D&D campaign. You have a DM that's not prepared enough and keeps chucking storylines and quests from half-remembered books he read 10 years ago creating an unholy abomination with no rhyme or reason.
Thanks man, this video just had me going "I thought it and you said it.".
Great video, really captured what's wrong with the Netflix Witcher. I'd add one aspect to it: the language. The books are beautifully written, amazing dialogues, colorful expression of feelings. I loved that Geralt is finally a main character who actually speaks his mind. Then came Netflix and switched him to the generic "strong and silent hero". Moreover, every character in the show swears all the time, and it's soooo out of place. I could accept (barely) that Yen swears. Or Geralt. But the kind and strict Nenneke? Ciri in her early years? The wise, fatherly Vesemir? Queen Francesca? There is no way they would. Their beautiful dialogues are distorted and lost under the generic swearing and unnecessary comedic relief Netflix tries to force on its viewers. And sadly, not just Netflix. HBO did the same with GoT in the last seasons as well
How the hell is HBO to blame for what happened to Game of Thrones? Their only big mistake was putting all of faith in D&D and assuming GRRM would finish the story before they caught up.
@@galanakagalactus903 If I am a company like say General Electric, and I hire a couple of guys to do a job and they dump a ton of toxic waste in a river and give everybody cancer, am I to blame or is it only the two guys I hired? This whole "You can't blame the company only the individuals responsible" thing needs to stop. A company has a duty to put safeguards in place to prevent things going tits-up. The hit HBO took to its reputation was huge, and it came right when Disney+ was kicking off. You can bet the number one message HBO was aiming for with House of the Dragon was showing people they hadn't lost their ability to do quality shows.
@@garrick3727 People hardly ever blame the individuals so what are you on? People always blame the company regardless of the situation. When HBO started making the series under the impression George R. R. Martin was committed to finishing the story in the books and he wasn't. They're mistake was putting faith in D&D who are more to blame for the shows decline than anybody at HBO. HBO offered them writers and they declined because they're egomaniacs and didn't want anyone else associated with writing GOT. HBO also offered them multiple seasons to wrap it up and they declined and rushed the conclusion of the show instead of giving it to another show-runner.
@@galanakagalactus903 I'm not "on" anything. If you only have ad hominem attacks to support your argument then you don't have an argument. I don't see what you hope to gain by personally attacking everyone who implies HBO might be even slightly responsible. Companies contract people to do a job. And if it fails, even despite their best efforts, it's still their fault. If you don't accept that, you could at least be civil about it.
I think all the swearing in particular comes from a popular misconception about what constitutes mature content and dark humour especially.
There is of course swearing and really vulgar language in the Witcher books, yes. But it's not on every second page, and normally it directly corresponds to the gender, maturity and demeanor of the speaker. In other words, it's done to reinforce the inherent nature of the character. Geralt will swear, but it's normally under his breath when he remembers how badly broken his leg was at the end of Time of Contempt. He does swear at Dandelion... When he's being an asshole (Geralt that is, not Dandelion.) Ciri swears... But more so when she's in the company of the Rats and is trying to appear the "cool girl" who does drugs and swears like "fuck" is the best adjective in English. It's all relative.
The series look like they hate Sapkowski's work. They only needed the "Witcher brand".
Should be called the w.i.n.o.
Witcher in name only.
There has actually been some talk from people who work on the show that most of the people working there, including the actual people in charge of the entire show, are frequently making fun of the books and games and don't seem to like the original books. Kind of a bad sign when it comes to adaptation if you don't even like the original work in the first place.
You are right. They never cared about the Witcher story/lore.. They only used the well-known name to attract people, make some money out of it, then scrap the project and move on. Look what Netflix has done to Resident Evil series - instead of seeing the world before collapse and fighting zombies for nothing but bare survival - they turned it into some really sh1tt1 lesbian "family" drama.
Pretty much most modern fantasy adaptation.
@@triggerfairy4070 Yeah, when watching stuff like the Rings of Power, the Wheel of Time show, or basically every Fantasy show after the Lord of the Rings (excluding most of GoT), I ask myself: Do these people even remotely like fantasy? Do they have any idea why a fantasy world can mean so much to people? Are they actively trying to make those movies and shows as bad as they possibly can without losing to much money over it? Hell I am not a writer but even I could have come up with the plot and the dialogues of those. I mean, if I pay someone to do/make something for me. Then I would expect them to do a better job than I, or literally any ordinary bloke you meet on the streets, could.
As an African in America I’m so pissed that Witcher TV Series is overly diverse…I love Witcher because of its Polish cultural origin and its source material…to the point that Ciri told Geralt about how she went to a different dimension that had dark skin people and she was surprised and thought it was interesting yet Geralt got confused and thought she was talking about Zarakannians who really aren’t that dark in the grand scheme of things…but now they are just tossing that out for Netflix dollars and that just rubs me the wrong way. Shoutout to my boy Henry Cavill.
Edit: Thanks for the well thought out and positive comments! Nice to know the internet has some semblance of sanity left :)
Nice to hear that:) I'm Polish and you have no idea how we loved 'Roots' series in 80s. We felt it was about us. We were under impression America is the land of free. Beside GOT, Peter Brook's 'Mahabharata' and 'Guliver's Travels' of 1996 embraced, cherished different cultures. Seems, wrong people made decisions about the Netflix Witcher. Polish film version was rather lame but still the actor playing the Witcher looked cool as well (Michal Zebrowski). Polish Yaskier was much better.
Thanks homie
Thanks for this comment, because in my opinion you described the essence of this problem. There are different people in the world, different cultures and yes, different skin colors and that is great. It makes us want to explore the world. We can break out of our everyday life to feel something new and exciting. I have this feeling that all over USA, people have already forgotten this and all they see are only shades of skin colors.
cmon bro, we cant have shows without diversity anymore, just accept it and stop crying.
With that said, there are much more important problems in these shows that make them bad. Simple as that, if your mind can't get beyond the "buaaa buaaa its too diverse momma, im crying" critic, then you are either really dumb or really immature (and racist).
The Witcher and LOTR are almost like compendiums of regional folklore and mythology. This could be done with any of the cultural regions of Africa but instead they just tokenize actors and shove them into stories they didn't create. Should be more insulting than anything
I love the point about the countryside. Yes, it's the appreciation of the folklore and the normal people that create the richness of Sapkowski's lore, just the fact that he made mythical folk creatures into real things! But in Hollywood, there's Mexico filter, Arabic country filter, and Eastern European filter :D I remember a while ago, watching Killing Eve, when they went to the Polish countryside. I couldn't believe how they portrayed it. Babushkas in headscarfs, horse ridden wood carts, and a grey pub where grey villagers watch grey football drinking grey beer, lol. The countryside in Poland is perfectly fine, thank you very much. People choose to live there, because the nature is beautiful and there's lots to do. Of course after war, it looked like Velen, but now it's good. And people are relatively open and tolerant.
Lived in Poland for 18 months and the countryside is amazing and Gdansk is really Novigrad hehe. Hollywood is stupid. And unlike as in LA, in Gdansk you can walk home at 4am in the morning without a worry in the world even as a woman. I had a Ukrainian friend there at the time and she felt perfectly safe there, no matter how dark the alley. But Hollywood thinks people would rather live in shitty california in an overcrowded city in the middle of a desert instead of beautiful lush Poland.
Trafna analiza! Przyszedł czas na zmianę paradygmatu fantasy. Teraz właśnie się to dzieje na tablicach oglądalności Hollywoodzkich "dzieł" jak Rings of Power czy Blood Origin. Ludzie pokazują, że chcą czegoś oryginalnego.
Dziękuję bardzo! 🙂
Yea they chose on purpurs someone who is not they wantet it generic
@@FolkWalkCZ o prosh
To ta cała skomplikowana analiza przedmiotu jest w dodatkowo w języku obcym
Tym.bardziej podoba mi się tak formułowanie myśli w owym języku
Gdzie już sam wysiłek w formułowaniu tezy dał lajka 😝
@@MadMalkavian thank for translator button to understand your comments
@@runajain5773 :) Learning Polish to better understand Polish literature could be fun. I'm sure many nuances were last in translation. And we have stories better then Sapkowski's
Another realistic and funny thing in the books is that Geralt lost a tooth at some point. I get why they didn't include that in the games but it would've been funny to see a main hero going round with a gap in his teeth like a common brigand.
Do witchers teathx grow back?
It grew back
Geralt plays hockey confirmed
@@coolmanjack1995 to be fair, the Czechs and Russians are very good at it ^_^
I can't remember which of the books it was, but I liked that for pretty much the entirety of one of them Geralt's knee is injured. He doesn't have the time to let it heal so it's constantly bothering him throughout.
Agreed. And furthermore, if everything is epic, nothing is epic. You can't make a moment extraordinary if you haven't established the ordinary first.
I am not sure the dark lens for shooting the village was so much an attempt to make the villages look drab but rather to make them look "realistic". Back in college I took some classes on graphic design and in it they talked about how to use filters to remove the color from things in order to make them look more "realistic".
The reason was this claim that the "real world" isn't that colorful and things are more toned down. But this made NO sense to me as all I could think is if this is what you think the real world looks like you need to get your eyes examined. I also learned around the same time Color blindness is fairly common among men, and a lot of graphic designers tend to be men so maybe there really was something wrong with their eyes.
Never heard about the Metro adaptation, and I'm glad they scrapped it because having it set in the US just wouldn't work at all. If you were to make it into a movie or preferably a TV show/mini-series you'd need to had Glukovsky involved and ideally not only have it set in Moscow, but also have all the dialog in Russian with subtitles. Some may argue that it would need to be done in English, but most of Squid Game was in Korean and it was a world-wide success. Trying to portray the world of Metro anywhere other than Russia just doesn't fit the whole point of the series and that is even more important given current events.
It was scrapped only because unlike Sapkowski, Gluchovskij actually has enough integrity to say "NO!" when he sees that someone wants to butcher his creation. From what I've heard he refused to sell the rights for the adaptation when the studio said that they want to set the movie in the US.
And you're exactly right about Squid Game. It's a proof that you don't need to change anything for the mainstream audience if it's good enough. You just need to get it in front of their eyes.
Playing the Metro games in any language but russian isn't as good honestly. The games have such wonderful russian voice acting I can't imagine listening to the English dub. Although I can't understand a lick of Russian I still find the language to be integral to the setting. Like having people surrounded in cyrillic speaking in english would just feel wrong.
With really good writer and director it could work same way Kurosawa adaptations of Shakespeare or Apocalypse Now work. It wouldn't be pure Metro adaptation, but it could work.
@@MrKuncol I'm not saying you can't make series set elsewhere inspired by Metro, in fact there are some novels written with DG's permission set in other parts of the "Metro universe", but the heart of Metro really is about Russia and the problems inherent to Russian society. A lot of those issues just don't work outside of post-apocalyptic subterranean Moscow. Especially the fact that the Metro 1 and 2 lines were designed as bunkers starting in the 50's. No other city on the planet has anything equivalent.
Awesome video! Just to add a bit to the epic scenery discussion, I think that the reason that the "epic scenery" has become stale comes from the fact that Hollywood doesn't understand how that scenery was used in Lord of the Rings. Like you mentioned about the hobbits, it was used to enhance our understanding of the characters and people that lived in those areas. It helped explain why hobbits loved the shire and why people from Gondor and Rohan were different. It became part of the storytelling. Now Hollywood uses it only for it's wow factor and forgets that the scenery must affect the people who live there in some way. That's why the Witcher books and games scenery is so good as well. The scenery is directly connected to the people and the shows don't convey that aspect of the books/game.
...It also helps that Middle-Earth canonically has a bunch of massive fuck-off mountain ranges. And a good deal of Lord of the Rings takes place either in, or in lands adjacent to, said mountains. And the existence of said mountains plays several major roles in the plot.
@@tbotalpha8133 yes, that is also a very good point!
Your analysis is spot on! Netflix show was my first contact with The Witcher franchise, but I gave up on it after 4 episodes because I felt like I'm watching some kind of bootleg version of GoT with no soul. Then I've played games and I fell in love with them for its climax and morally grey characters. As a Polish I really wish there was more Slavic represantation in mainstream media that's why it's such a shame that our culture was compeletly ignored by Netflix.
The animated Witcher movie was way better than Casltevania show though.
@Dziabuka
tbh I have no idea how you knuckled through Witcher 1. The gameplay side of that felt so boring. I hope to one day manage it myself because im sure the story is worth it.
Hollywood does not understand our Slavic culture, thats why the didnt make the series good...
@@aleksandars.7782 And they want to sell their culture, woke ideas.
@@Novictus The Witcher 1 is apparently getting a remake so you might be able to experience it in a more modern/polished state.
While playing the Witcher 3, whenever I spend a lot of time in the small villages and the countryside then go back to Novigrad or Oxenfurt I’m always so mesmerised by the lights and the city aesthetics. It just feels so much more realistic when you have those contrasts and the fact that they feel and look like actual medieval cities are so amazing.
I think a big thing that also kept me aware of how much more grounded the witcher is in comparison to other fantasy, is the simple fact, that the peasant revolt killed so many witchers. sure they might be enhanced mutants, but just a few people with pitchforks surrounding them can kill them. They arent some super soldiers fighting for humans they are basicly just warriors trying to make a living
Yeah, that's a really great point 👌
Less warriors more mercenaries imo. Mercenaries who only even manage against the monsters a lot of the time because of the DECADES spend studying them, literally memorizing every thing possible about them, curses, possible curse lifting methods, etc and of course training incredibly hard.
7:29 it's funny because in the games it isn't really all that clear which of the kingdoms you're supposed to root for, but personally I rooted for Nilfgaard because they were the lesser evil, sure taking over the world and waging war is not a good thing but Nilfgaard atleast seems indifferent or on good terms with nonhumans and mages, unlike the northern realms and rulers such as Radovid
Well you're telling this to someone who is a member of Nilfgaardian LARP group ( th-cam.com/video/WhP-tQBp6BI/w-d-xo.html ) so I appreciate your sentiment. It's pretty based 😁
@@FolkWalkCZ Gloir aen Ker'zaer!
Nilfgaard fan too. As an Italian from Rome, I empathize with them because they remember me the Roman Empire.
@@FolkWalkCZ Oh haha XD that's awesome man
@@amaroaverna923 We actually did a video with few friends (I'm behind the camera) about the similarities between the Nilfgaardian Empire and the Roman Empire if you would be interested. th-cam.com/video/HxZ5LuzDG2Y/w-d-xo.html
The thing I love about the entire Witcher world is the proportions. 90% of the people are ordinary. It doesn't make them bad. Their driving force isn't to save the world or fight the invading armies or stand up to the [insert absurdly horrible creature.] They simply want to stay alive, get the crops in, survive the winter. That makes them "real." The armies are not made up of glittering crusaders; they're tired, hungry and generally miserable soldiers. The other 10% are either slightly better off or in some cases, a lot better off. But the really high nobility aren't inhuman. They are driven by the same hungers and needs. They want some comfort, wealth and respect...and better food, pretty women and safety. The top percent are kings like Radovid who is an egotistical whack job...he believes he is some kind of demigod. You have Emhyr, the Nilfgaardian Emperor...who is aware of his power and his weaknesses...and generally tries to do what he thinks is best for his nation even if everyone else might hate him for it. And then the Witchers. Everyone can't be a Witcher. The mortality of the training is staggeringly high...and that's just to get them to the level where when they Walk the Path they have a reasonable chance of surviving. Everything isn't gold and jewels and fresh smelling flowers. The Witcher World smells like a small village of farmers. Or a rather smelly city. They have "privy's" in the Witcher world and garbage tips and slaughter houses. They have manure and the smell of wheatfields and vinyards. It's "real." Magic exists...but a lot of it is either horribly difficult or painful...that's why there are so few sorceresses. Witcher World is normal...but with monsters. But no Supermen. Even the kings, magicians, witchers and bards still have to eat and bathe and go to the bathroom. Everyone probably has fleas, even the kings.
But Hollywood and the "writers" don't want to show us people...everyone is a hero or a monster.
Very good video and explanation. When I heard the first time that Netflix will produce The Witcher, I decided to read the books first. I loved the books, though they had something disturbing, as the story line is very different from other fantasy saga. I could not really define why I love the books, but after your explanation it became very clear. Thank you for this video.
Thank you so much 🙂 It's nice to see that some people are actually reading the books. Most people just watch the show or at best played The Witcher 3.
Netflix has ruined every IP they got their grubby hands on because they are run by incompotent hacks who are basically an online dvd rental company. Stranger things is literally their only semi decent self made show. They have butchered everything else. Sandman. Cowboy bebop. Etc
I just wanted to say that I learn so much from you, not only about the witcher (I only started reading the books), but also about storytelling, coherent narrative and worldbuilding. I'm glad I found this channel and I basically binge watched half of your videos. Also in the comments there're are many interesting takes and opinions. It's simply a good place to be, among the cheap noisy content.
I think you hit the nail describing the countryside of Central-Eastern Europe. Our roots aren't a dreamy place like the Shire, but they're not a terrible place that everyone would want to escape from. There was hard work, often poverty and feudal relations. But there was also dancing, singing, wild fun. Something more than daily bread - the sacredness of the land, immersion in nature, Being yourself through the community rather than discovering yourself outside the community.
Thanks for really well written comment ❤ You're making me sound smarter than I really am 😃 But I'm glad that my videos and this community bring you something positive 🙂 I hope you stick around 😉
9:10 I 100 percent agree here! I remember playing the game, and just loving Velen and the outskirts of Novigrad. There were so many simple little villages, nothing big, just small wooden shacks with a bar. And then you'd be climbing a mountain or something and out in the distance you can see a stunning landscape, or an insane castle that just calls to you. It was such a treat. Actually kinda miffed that Netflix snagged such a cool franchise and has essentially made it impossible for anyone else to try and dabble on a series with it. Real sad, it could have been an amazing series like GOT, with a pretty active fanbase. Hopefully the Blood Origin/Rings of Power will serve as a grim reminder for these mega corporations to understand that fancy schmancy big names will attract a lot of fans, yet if no effort is put into being loyal to the story, then said fans will disregard and even put down such series.
This is it. The "Dark Low Fantasy" theme/genre really is underrated & so far I would say Witcher is the only recent "popular" western series that conveyed this genre perfectly. Initially, "Conan" series can be considered as low fantasy too, but with times, it's just keep evolving (devolving) into high fantasy with full on no rule/law magic shenanigans. I would say anime/manga series are far more diverse & has many of this low fantasy genre works. For example, "Mushishi" can be considered low fantasy & rather close to Witcher in the terms of supernatural "folklore" mythos & fantasy stories.
Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
In Poland also exists "I, Inquisitor" (not sure if was translated to any language), where main selling point is dark fantasy and "so MC is good guy or bad guy...?"
@@ladrok97 you can said depend on the story, most of time they're anti hero
Spice and Wolf is another good manga/light novel, anime of such low fantasy.
Is GOT/ASOIAF not considered dark low fantasy?
Wow good video! You managed too explain really well why the books and games are so realistic, grounded and unique compared to other fantasy titles and how the show fails to capture this and just comes of as a poor imitation and mostly like generic modern fantasy crap.
Thank you for a nice comment 🙂
Thanks a lot for this video, i never heard the issue with Alik Sakharov, it is a good piece of info. As a Latin American i really wanted to see the Witcher show as it should be, an Eastern European tale. Netflix ruined it for me.
Argentinian here, I think the same, and I don't need a show to ”reflect the world we live in today” These people don't understand the witcher
I believe Sapkowski wrote about contemporary Poland and made it into a universal tale. Some 20 years ago we made series with top actors but at too slow pace, with not perfect adaptation. The Witcher was handsome like Cahill, and Yaskier was much better, far from the book but defended himself playing good friend of Witcher more than some sidekick, comic relief. Here's his song: th-cam.com/video/KyPDOTuIk40/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Amrazz92 Enjoy!:) Author of this channel recommends 'The Witcher Stories', fan made: th-cam.com/video/g4QLN7aYg3E/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=TheWitcherStories
I wouldn’t compare D&D to these shows, the D&D campaigns I play the worlds are usually so unique and interesting. Whether you’re in Barovia, Icewind dale, Baulders gate, the underdark or Drakkenheim; you can easily distinguish between these places because they are all built to have their own unique settings and cultures within them
Personally, I think you missed one thing about the books that makes them different from others, and maybe it’s just because it’s my personal favourite part of The Witcher-books. The way that the books are told, how it often is told through layers of storytellers - lady of the lake, where Ciri tells the entire story to the knight, the mention of the fate of Jaskier’s journal, the two sorceresses attempting to discover Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer’s later fates. That kind of meta storytelling doesn’t exactly translate well to the screen, but to me, it’s very specific to the Witcher, and makes it stand out against other fantasy stories.
Good point. Although Blood Origin had exactly that and it wasn't very good but that's just because they're hacks.
@@FolkWalkCZ I didn't watch blood origin - ever since they killed Eskel, I couldn't keep watching. But yeah, they're hacks, so obviously they wouldn't know how to implement it well.
Your video is on point. I get why creators want diversity on their shows. Some are ideologically commited. Some just want to market product to broader markets and think that race of hero is as important as to them. But in persuit of this they made heroes of EVERY show (no matter if it's in historical setting, fantasy land or far future) looks like pedestrians on Beverly Hills. No matter if action takes place in Cintra, Nilfgard or Velen. There is no ethnic difference, no accents specific to groups, they have no cultural roots or clothing matching local geography or access to specific matterials. It's bland and homogenized. This would be ok in modern setting or SF. But in pre-industrial society, where travel is limited by technology, economic incentives and rigid societal hierarchy?
You could make diversity work in this setting. Like, elves could be played by all Asian actors. Give them ginger hair, or light-blue eyes, so they looks completly distinct from any human race. Or make Nilfgardians brown (they are from south, so it would have sense). And voila. You have avesome looking elves and diversity. But I think writers live in buble, and think that entire world looks like mega-city district they live in. I'm surprised there was no Starbucks or pizza parlors in Witcher or Rings of Power. It would paradoxically be more consistent in world they created than dragons.
Thank you. Good points 🙂
💯 to everything you said 👆🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
You hit the nail on the head. I agree entirely. 👍
If the world is multiracial everywhere, even in hamlets, isolated towns, villages, and other continents, how are we supposed to know what people of the north, south, east, or west look like? How do they dress? How do they all sound and speak? What are their religions and customs? If all the elves look like humans with pointy ears, how are we supposed to know what half-human, half-elf hybrids look like? If people look exactly the same everywhere, if everywhere there is diversity of all different colors, then the north, south, east, and west lose their unique identities. They lose what makes each of them so distinct, unique, and different from each other. We can't tell any of the people apart from one another if the North, the South, the East, and the West parts of the planet are all multiethnic. If the cities, towns, villages, hamlets, continents, etc, are completely and utterly diverse, you better have a good explanation for it. Give it some history behind why all these people came to be in the same places and don't make them all look the same. Otherwise, they might as well set it in the 21st century Los Angeles or in the far-off future if they want everything to be super diverse.
That's why having a gay black character works amazingly in Brooklyn 99, but a black elve in the middle of middle earth does not. This is all a result of terrible casting, and these bastards are repeating it again and again. They have picked 50 random people from downtown Toronto, setup a Scottish highland/polish folklore in the background and called it a show.
I have predominantly seen women being involved in such terrible projects and decision makings. These sad b*ches have come to Hollywood and ruined the efforts of everyone talented.
It is almost as if they don't understand that ethnic diversity has history behind it and if you decide to make every little village in a fantasy setting diverse your world building just becomes completely unbelievable, especially if you never make any effort to even pretend there was any background story to it.
I love how you say "Melitele". In it I can sens a neighbour from... Czechia? Or Slovensko? You were right on all points. What especially moved me was your take on Hollywood's portrayal of slavic villages. Meanwhile our countryside is so beautiful and colourful, so much prettier than towns. I'm thinking of the village of Zalipie, all in painted flowers or the villages in the tatras with their quaint wooden architecture.
Yeah, Czechia 😁
@@FolkWalkCZ God bless you:) I also enjoyed very much your analysis (like of 'Alt Shift X' channel, more than Nerdrotic). Thank you for sharing:)
Did you know RR Martin used in GOT the legend of sleeping knights from Tatra Mountains? I've heard it's known in Poland and Czechia.
BTW I love the gesture of an astronaut, boyfriend of a Czech girl who took into space 'Krtečeka' mascot and then gave it to the creator of this character Zdeněk Miler.
I would be fine if they did this diverse DnD style of casting if they actually made their own universe. But they're taking this formula and implementing it in already existing universes as we see in the witcher series but especially blood origin, the Rings of Power etc.
Thank you so much. Couldn't agree more. In my opinion Netflix tried to press the books into a mold that doesn't fit. While after season 1 I was interested in watching season 2, Blood Origin just leaves me wishing for a reboot.
Great video and all your points are spot on. I'm Croatian (living in North America) and was hesitant to play the game, but was surprised by how many things reminded me of home - glagolitic Alphabet, the tight knit villages, creatures from our folklore (leshy really got me good!) Even city names like Novigrad. Alongside the folk music it felt like a Polish game that showed a deep Slavic culture that we still share.
Then the show came out and was a fantasy Manhattan/mutt of random ancient cultures that were continents and timelines apart. Utterly disappointing. What's even worse is how fantasy settings are being politicized, it's so fucking ridiculous.
I hope that modern day fantasy shows die soon, because no one will remember them.
As a fellow-Czech fan of this Polish fantasy work, I salute you and congratulate you for being able to describe so well all the things that have bothered me since the first series, but I couldn't put my finger on what they exactly were. Tbh. I was very happy when Henry Cavill took up the role because he was a great fan and I believed that thanks to his enthusiasm it could be pretty good. I also believed they would really follow the story line of the books because there are so many interesting characters and plot twists to explore. The first season at least tried to introduce the back stories of the main characters, but even in that season some sets and costumes felt...I don't know...stupid, impractical, unrealistic, simply off? The Witcher books and games are based on medieval European life, so it should all be sort of gritty and dirty with a few exceptions that shine even more strongly (like all the witches and their beautiful clothes and cosmetics).
When I first read the books, some 20 years ago, they struck me as something special exactly because the characters made mistakes and they were never just black and white which made it very different from let's say LOTR. This feature is also translated into the games and how they are played. Also, all the folklore and history that was interwoven into the stories was a revelation for me because I hadn't even known back then that Eeastern European folklore could be so interesting (I know, but I have always been more of a Classics girl).
Right now, I'm just sad that Netflix basically used Henry Cavill for clout but gave him no say in what the series would look like and allowed writers that have no respect to the original source to destroy the whole thing.
"Kingdom Come Deliverance" by Warhorse was also very good.
damn you're right. I didn't notice the tonal shift from The Witcher 1 to 2.
I know why I prefer TW1 than TW2 now. It's the setting, most of TW1 set in the countryside, the villages where the slavic folk atmosphere really shined.
Hello, American here. We don't like what they're doing either. It's less of a "Americanizing" problem and more of a inexperienced/bad writting problem. With no life experience or skills to pull from like Tolken had, all the writers in Hollywood try to rely on a big spectacle to hook the audience. The problem is, BIG STUFF happening all the time is exhausting and numbs the viewer. A little bit of BIG STUFF towards the end can be cool, like dessert after dinner. But having dessert for every meal will wear out it's welcome, just like BIG STUFF happening all of the time.
actually blood origin is americanized compare to season 1. looks at their race, looks at their clothes and design of interior building. this happened when writer only live among his/her circles.
Okay, you've convinced me to read the books. I always feel a little weird reading translations because I'm afraid the prose will be a degraded version of the original, but I must read these. I love fantasy books with a realistic, down-to-earth feel. I think LotR has such a good blend of down-to-earth and... not even epic, but high-romantic. It's a beautiful blend. Mundane detail always enhances a fantastical story, I think. But these TV writers find reality boring. It's like they hate reality, but they also hate fantasy, and they hate stories. It's amazing.
There are audiobooks of the books as well. I listened to them (three so far) while driving. The translation seems fine. Idr the guy that read them, but I got used to his accent real quick.
I'm so glad to hear that ❤ The books are amazing. From what I've heard the English translation isn't that great but many people like it anyways so I hope that it will be your case as well 🙂
Hating everything good and beautiful, kindness that's Marxism:) Woke culture.
I'm not great fan of Sapkowski, but i'm Polish and it's nice to see people appreciating him. Don't be afraid to read translation. Polish version of Shrek was better, Polish actor playing the Donkey was 'best in Europe':) French author Roland Topor (I do not recommend) is more popular in Poland than France, thanks to translator who corrected his mistakes, style. You may find there inspiring ideas. I like Witcher's character, commiserate with Ciri and Yen.
You may not taste in full Sapkowski's sense of humor. Once the Witcher was passing by the 'Little Palace of Culture'. It makes smile any Polish person coz he refers to the 'Palace of Culture', Warsow landmark, building 'given' to us by Commies, Moscow has 6 sky scrappers like that, nobody in Poland likes this ugly structure, symbol of USSR imposing their culture on us. It;s sort of 'wink' from the writer. Calling it 'little' ads to our tradition of 'reading between the lines' commonly used during years of censorship. I have no idea what Sapkowski meant by it. I read and enjoy it as belittling this ghastly monument, Commies symbol, and breaking the formula. I hope you'll enjoy something in his books. And you may read 'in original' one Polish author: Joseph Conrad coz he wrote in English, even made an impact on English prose. Enjoy:)
A positive and negative(about the books) is that they are uniquely Polish and I feel lots of elements get literally lost in translation from Polish to English.
You are right (probably, since I didnt read english version). However Id rather say they are slavic or central european, since Sapkowskis books and their atmosphere and background truly speak to me, even though Im Czech and not Polish. Btw. if you liked Witcher books I cannot recommend his Hussite trilogy enough.
@@martinkafka9510 I was wondering what is the opinion of native Czechs on the Hussite trilogy. I read it back when it was first published but I mostly remember a sad ending.
@@shylockwesker5530 The people I know were all really excited with it. Ending is sad (kinda reminds me of Synkiewicz's "Krzyzaci" ending). Characters in the story are awesome - different from Witcher, but similarly deep and appealing. Best part is that where Witcher pentalogy crafts very realistic world, in Hussite trilogy it is masterful fusion of real historical events and persons with very realistic fantasy motives. I consider myself very good in history and in this rare instance I have to give respect to the author for clearly knowing a lot about the history, culture, and filling in parts in very believable way.
Only thing I would add for foreign readers is: books about hussite wars often end with battle of Lipany meaning the end of radical field armies, however it should be stressed that it ended like all civil wars do - in this case radical part of hussites losing and the hussite part in favor of treaty with catholics winning,which lead to almost 200 years of coexistence of both confessions in Czech Kingdom (sorry for bit of history trip, just wanted to fill in what happened after books end).
Tbh, I'm currently reading it in Dutch (have read them in Polish about 5 times😁) and it keeps a lot of the "countryness". Of course there is THE curseword you cannot translate but it works indeed! I always find English such a limited language when translated to. Original English literature is far superior to translated unfortunately.
Oh man. I love Hussite trilogy.
Your arguments are exactly why I fell in love with the old Polish series adaptation, Wiedzmin with Zebrovski. Of course the budget was small, and the CGI quite horrendous, but as it was filmed in Poland, its countryside and old medieval castles, it captured this European homely atmosphere so perfectly! But maybe you have to live here to understand this, which someone from USA just can't do as easily. BTW I too was quite apaled when they introduced the castles in the Netflix version and it just had to look so over the top fantasy. I had the exact same thoughts as you so nicely explained here. Greetings from Czechia
"Homely atmosphere" Yes! Our central European countryside, mountains, fields, meadows, small towns, houses etc. feel sooo... "ours" if you know what I mean lol. There's a lot of beauty out here, such a shame that the rest of the world isn't even aware of that.
Taky zdravím z Česka 😃 A díky, skvěle řečeno 🙂 Starej polskej seriál miluju ❤️
Very well put good sir, this message needs to be spoken openly and loudly. It baffles my mind how there are people not realising exactly this....
CD Projekt Red have made comic about Geralt of Rivia and manga Witcher Ronin. The manga is written by Rafał Jaki the same man who wrote anime Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Amazing review who really shows its made by someone who knows the Witcher lore..
Good work my friend.👍
Thank you!
They said that Blood Origin is based on a plot hole one of the people in the writers room noticed in the books. Thats when i knew it was going to be fucking awful
The books do have a few plotholes. But to base a movie on it? You can invent your own story that would be smth unique that would discuss simmilar themes that would comepete with Tolkien with class like Hayao Miyazaki did.
You are absolutely right about The Witcher being down to Earth, and the vibrant countryside sceneries with old medieval structures. It should be like that, where after we watch the show, it gives us nostalgic vibes that makes us wanna go back whenever we wanted. The Witcher's main theme is all about Witchers doing bounty hunts after the Spheres of Conjunction, then they got involved on the crossfire of multiple nations waging war to each other. Then, meeting new people in their daily lives of Witchers' jobs. It's not overblown character progression. There's weakness to them, so they can learn. Even if they are built different, they need to gather information to hunt a monster down.
Thinking all about it, I kinda miss the simple middle age, fictional/non-fictional stories.
Middle age wasn't easy. I wear dresses of better quality then medieval princess could, live in healthier house, benefit from better hygiene, and have access to better education. For improving the rest like food, pollution, criminal behavior of corporations, etc. I can only pray, like in middle ages, knowing God ought to be in the first place.
Netflix understands witcher. It's just that they want the fanbase of the witcher series for their fantasy themed series. U know, avoid hard work to actually achieve popularity due to people's love for ur work but rather, buy that love. Unfortunately for them, they didn't realize they can't buy love.
To understand Witcher you need to do only one thing:
Travel to Poland in Fall and spend a day each in those 3 locations:
A run down pomeranian fishing village in the marshes.
A baca hut in Carpathain mountains.
A day in the castle of Lublin. The 3 layered castle where neither layer works easthetically with another one, cause it had to be rebuilt, but there were never funds to do a full renovation.
Those 3 locations will get you the perfect understanding of Polish countriside culture: the stoic perservance.
The realistic acceptance of living in a culturally isolated place and ability to find joy on it and carry on.
That's why also Velen is my favourite location in whole of Witcher 3. Yeah, Novigrad is grand, Skellige whimsical and Tousaint gorgous. But nothing says that YOU will be able to go on and survive as sitting down with Bloody Baron in his ruined castle and drinking together. Both of you may have a history you'd prefer to change, but both of you will do everything to get as much from life as you can despite it. We may be in the shittiest place we realistically can reach, but this is the place we can be free and make our own way into the world.
@Ussurin. That's nice ideas but ...'culturally isolated place'? Poland is versatile nation with rich fantastic literature, amazing culture. We have the best of East and West. Plays of Shakespeare were staged in Poland by John Grey troupe since 1620 (for English merchants first). And Shakespeare knew about Poland which was very prosperous at the time internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/Criticism/shakespearein/poland2/ Later, greedy Dutch, English and Prussian rulers together outsmarted us. Sandwiched between Russia and Germany (cooperating above our head), with UK constantly interfering, America fooling us we may have hard time but still are doing pretty well:)
@@RG-iw7py maybe I phrased it wrong. I didn't meant isolated from other cultures but having culture of isolation. Tho even tho sounds a bit wrong, as it's more of a state thsn culture.
So that means real germany. Because poland lands arent polish lol.
@@shichilaofa German lands are only around river Rhine.
All lands from Lubeka to Moscow were settled by slavs.
Then inbetween 4th and 6th century Germans genocided half of western slavs and taken over lands up till Brandenburg and from 15th till 20th century they genocided another tribe of western slavs, Pomeranians, with only surviving group of them being Kashubians, now happily members of Polish nation and only surviving cause they were in borders of Poland for the most time. Cause, you know, we aren't hellbent on killing them and their culture.
Silesia was settled by slavs, Silesians were one of the foudning tribes of Poland and was the most time ruled by Poland/polish tribes, then Czechia and just then Germany.
Pomerania was settled by slavs, which foundend independent Duchy of Pomerania and was spent the most time being independent, then ruled by Poland and only then by Germans.
And that's all using only spans pre-WW1. Not counting in additional decades of Polish rule after Germany unconditionally surrendered, had taken away not even majority of slavic lands and those lands were traded Poland by Soviet Union in exchange for hers eastern lands.
I bet it's convinient for Germans for the world to forget that they didn't suddenly start murdering everyone in 20th century, but were doing it consistently since at least 2nd century, if not earlier, but we slavs won't forget. History suddenly doesn't start the moment Germany has the most territory, most of which stolen from people they murdered.
@@shichilaofa You'd be surprised how much of Germany was Polish
"Alzur's Legacy" Witcher-related fanmade movie (budget: around 100 000 PLN, what Hollywood stars spend on one night in a pub) is the best example of how respect and understanding of the source material beats millions spent on the Netflix's crap. Plus, you don't have to pay any subscription to watch it, it's free on youtube, and with foreign subtitles for non-Polish people. So much for so little.
More big companies need to realize it’s taking big chances that generates big success
I love this video, being from Asia and seeing western fantasy tales I loved the idea and romantic scenery or European countryside. I was told to watch the Witcher because of it’s pace and easy going nature with fantastical monsters and a more realistic magic perspective. The first season confused me as I didn’t understand what was happening, but some research and reference guides helped.
I was always waiting for the massive fireball and it never came which was refreshing. I began watching charmed the American tv series of witches. The classic charmed I should say. Yes it was fire balls and lightening bolts. What I loved about the show was they were trying to live normal lives. The icing and style was different which made it a success. Unfortunately anime in America has bastardized my language and started trends with people who jump into what’s popular. Westerners are injecting their western beliefs into my culture without realizing the problems. Thank you for making this video consider me subscribed.
In what way are westerners injecting their beliefs into your culture just asking
I think I heard in some video how this diversification actually strips them of logic and reason. And that's actually so true. If a particular geographic area literally has all kinds and races of people, what is its culture. These people arent just shades of colors on a pantone catalogue, they are different ethnicities which have their own culture associated with them. And at least before the modern times, intermingling and immigration and emigration wasn't that popular or feasible. So for a world set in medieval times, it truly makes no sense to have all of them just mixing around like its 2022 Los Angeles.
Yup. If they'd like to show nations with cary diverse racial squad you can set a story in countries of Latin America such as Brasil or Colombia. People loved Disney's Encanto which story takes place in Colombia.
So true, all about what you said in you video. It is so sad, that Netfilx don't understand the Wircher in general.
Wow, you made me understand something about my own preferences and disillusionment with modern fantasy. You now made me want to visit Poland, and gave me inspiration to run a ttrpg with historically inspired environs.
In 3rd season Netflix did hire Percival Schittenbach but they did some crazy remixing of their songs in oreder to deprive it of harmony.
Oh wow, what a well written argumentative video you’ve made explaining the historical & cultural influences embedded in the DNA of the source material. I’m definitely impressed by 80% of what you said here
Well done!
That being said, may I ask that you include a bibliography/reference list of sort in your description/end of future episodes particularly regarding the piece of media (video clips & music) you utilized?
And maybe relevant reading or sources regarding historical fantasy and Central European life if it applies (unless all of this was informed through lived experience, in which case you should disregard)
I feel like it’s a part of essay writing that hasn’t caught on yet with the new form that is video, and feel it’d formalize and give it more legitimacy as part of an educated essay piece
Thank you for such a nice comment! The weeks of work were worth it just for this 😁 I can definitely add some sources to the description box. Are there any specific things that interest you in particular?
I'm Polish, grow up reading legends, my fav was 'Home Fairy Tales' (Klechdy domowe) but I'm not sure if they were ever translated. Before WWII Kazimierz Przerwa - Tetmajer wrote stories about Polish Tatra Mountains. He tried to recreate in them Polish medieval language, old dialect of this area. Since his books became popular then storytellers from this area started using this language and material for tourists. By this time it's part of our culture.
As a Witcher fan living in rural eastern Europe, I totally agree
Yes, something on a bit different tune. I really really really hope one day we will see CD Project Red game based on J.Dukaj's "Ice"
About Netflix, Poland and villages - there's 1670 series from last year. It's a comedy and it is lampooning modern Poland so its not "historical fiction" by any stretch. But had put some effort into the setting and it really paid off. Adamczycha village seems like a place, not like a grab bag of tropes collected by a very lazy writer. There's some respect for the period permeating it and probably this put it from decent to widely acclaimed in Poland. Setting is a background for the gags that is well done and enhances it. Meanwhile long fantasy series butcher their settings even though they claim audience will feel transported to that "other world" they don't care to make.
Well said! A golden opportunity, as portrayed in the wonderful books, was wasted due to narcissistic self-insertion, ignorant laziness, cocaine/adderall-fuelled arrogance and witless lack of insight. Cultural vandalism is the order of the day.
I'm not surprised morons in Hollywood disrespected the books this much, they didn't even know Poland or any other Slavic country existed. Must have hit them hard too when turned out not everybody in Europe speaks French 😂😂
Amazing vid btw,
Greetings from Hungary ❤
Thanks 🙂 I don't know much about your culture but I love this. th-cam.com/video/M__oAlkY0RA/w-d-xo.html
@@FolkWalkCZ Oh its from the region i live in (Hajdúság-Debrecen). Never heard this one before but i can totally understand why you fell in love with it 😍😍😍😍
My country is an absolute goldmine when it comes to culture. One of its kind thats for sure. And im nothing but proud over it. I even have been trying to "keep it alive" by doing traditional embroidery (from Kalocsa) for more than 10 years...and i started doing folk dancing last year. Good stuff overall
Not because slavic cultures are any less "interesting" than Hungarian. I love all of them and always will (and its not fully linked to my heritage) no matter what the location or history is. For the matter i even subscribed to your channel since im eager to see what you can bring from the western side 🥰😍😍
My favorite Witcher books are 100% the short stories. Just Geralt roaming around the world getting into random shenanigans
I would probably agree that they're my favourite as well but I also love the saga for different reasons so it's really about what you're looking for. They're all excellent in different ways imho 🙂
@@FolkWalkCZ Yeah personally I wasn't a fan of the main storyline as it started to enter the 'chosen one' trope a bit for me, to be honest it's Yennefer's story. The short stories were perfect for me. They are different that's for sure.
@@FolkWalkCZ did you know that witchers move at blur speeds
@@FolkWalkCZ and you went too far gone with you saying that geralt parkouring from the first games cutscene was over the top.... chill out.... witchers are very powerful but still can get their shit rocked if not careful
@@FolkWalkCZ 'pretty, down to earth witcher 1' shows a picture of a grim place to live in but that's the witcher. you're all over the place with the witcher games.... witcher 2 is supposed to be a dive in human politics that happens in the real world.... sure the dragon is a bit off but the locations aren't that much comparable to lord of the rings or netflix witcher... witcher 1 still has those looks of fantasy like the lady of the lake but definitely isn't on the scale to netflix wither or other fantasy films/tv shows.... like they bring that same look or tone to the witcher 3 with the blood and wine dlc.... plus that dark washed out filter can still happen and appear in the witcher like they did for the witcher 3 killing monsters cinematic and ppl complained that the look from that trailer didn't get into the game
THE BEST video on Witcher 👏 u perfectly summarized everything i felt as Central European 💔
When it comes to high fantasy vs low fantasy, I always liked how Berserk straddled that line. On one hand we have huge monsters and weird magic, but on the other we have fairly realistic (with an occasional exception) weapons and armor and believable, if often wicked, characters. Constrasting the two sides made both stand out more
I'm glad the video has so many views and you've gained new subscribers, happy for you man. Keep up the good work and greetings from Poland!
Nice to hear from someone who understands exactly what’s wrong with the Netflix adaptation. Even people who dislike it often have baffling reasoning, like: "It should’ve been all about Geralt hunting monsters and being badass", stuff like that. I have to facepalm every time I hear it.
You're convincing me to buy the Witcher books. I LOVE down to earth, gritty fantasy. I'm not fond of "high fantasy" at all.
DO IT! 😃 I hope you'll love them 😉 I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack from the games while you read them. I did it with the soundtrack of The Witcher 1 when I've read the books for the first time and it's a great match. It gives the experience even better atmosphere and the two worlds of the books and the games then blend really well in your head if that makes sense 😁
Oh you are going to love the witcher books then! Especially the first two but the whole series really. Sounds like it would be right down your alley. There's not much more grittier and down to earth fantasy than Witcher. I highly recommend the books. They badly failed to capture this spirit of the books in the Netflix show. CD Project Red's videogames did a far better job of capturing that spirit than the show. Well the show didn't capture it at all sadly and they skipped most or greatly dumbed down some of the best stories from the first two books that show that spirit :(
High Fantasy and down to earth are not mutually exclusive at all, a song of ice and fire being another great example
When I was a kid we use to call it High Fantasy and Low Fantasy, but honestly it is so bad now, I have no idea what to call it
I used to call it that as well but people have different definitions for "low fantasy" and there was always somebody correcting me that The Witcher is in fact "high fantasy" so I stopped using these definitions and started explaining it in more general terms like "mundane".
In the books I always pictured Geralt as a working glass guy ringing doorbells asking if anyone had some work needing done. Made me remember door to door gap year work.
Lot of Witcher stories play out like fantasy versions of actual folklore stories. Good example Botchlings which are Witchers versions of real folklore ghosts of abandoned or murdered babies (example Liekkiö in Finland). Hollywood writers could've read Witchers and grabbed some history folklore books with ghost stories from few hundred years ago in Europe to "get" what Witcher is trying to do. But that would have required interest and effort in the project they were hired to do.
Witcher was always about countryside, the dangers lurking in the dark awaiting for the unprepered, it was about moral choices that common people face everyday, it was about dirt, mud and dense atmosphere of something present that you are not fully aware of. What netflix did was set the series in stone castles, big halls, cold blunt mountains and grass plains so empty that you almost feel your sould puring out while watching. It focused on creating black and white world with no moral dilemma and an soulles creation is what they'v got. You deserve more subs than you have, one of my favorite video since very long time, your critique is calm and to the point without overreacting, very refreshing. Thank you!
Spot on. Thank you 🙂
Regarding these moral dilemmas faced by commoners maybe Sapkowski wrote (in very intelligent way) about Poland of 80-90s. It's so hard to remain decent being, especially while Commies elite rules (still). And cultural Marxism that's the rule of ugliness, lack of manners, killing of the spirit, etc.
Do you know Alt Shift X channel? also has very intelligent commentary served in an excellent manner.
This was such an amazing video, my friend. As Los Angeles is so far removed from the rest of the country, and most C. Europeans migrated to the Great Lakes region, please don't judge us by them alone. We still do Mass in Polska in Chicago and Cleveland. Everything you said was great, and I feel more educated having heard it.
Thank you so much. You are right. I will try to avoid such generalizing in the future.
I was asking myself if you are Czech/Slovak or not, you sounded like it and then I saw the board games and it got confirmed for me... a souhlasím s tebou na většině. Hodně štěstí s další tvorbou xd
This is what I really liked about Game of Thrones in the first seasons. It felt like a real middle-age drama with rarely seen fantasy elements. Magic, Spells , Creatures were soo rare that even the people living in the world didn't believe in stuff like that. I know it got more and more with the seasons but for the most part, its about a realistic believable and political setting.
Finally good in-depth explanation that grasps the originality of The Witcher! Thank you for that. If only Netflix would did proper research before they started anything.
Found this video on chato's channel, thank you for the explanation, I agree with most of what you said
Thank you 🙂
I never knew the books. I only read about the original The Witcher game after the Enhanced Version was released. I purchased it on physical media and I still have it to this day and still play it multiple times. The Witcher 2 was also a great game and then came The Witcher 3 and I was blown away. But in the end, all three games do one thing well: tell a story that is enthralling and fun to watch play out. I have since read the books and that has explained a lot in the games that make more sense now, when before, they seemed out of place and I was lost as it was assuming you have read the books.
Yeah, I love the games to death but the books are just on a whole another level and knowing them makes the games that much better.
I love a good, original, epic fantasy book, but the combination of the fantastical with the ordinary in Witcher makes it so different and good.
Good video, i wish you luck.
Exactly my thoughts. And thank you 🙂
Sapkowski's books are unique in a sense Sapkowski is an economist and he oftens goes heavily into economy in the worldbuilding and explanations.
I'd say Witcher: Blood Origin is less "discount D&D" and more like "yes, we have Dragon Age at home" (which is even worse).
thats why i like "kingdom come deliverance" and "Medieval Dynasty"and of course the witcher games