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I thought about this text after watching Netflix The Witcher and reading various comments, both positive and negative. I dropped this idea because of my laziness and the need to do research on "The Witcher" - ordering my knowledge, remembering the fragments of the original that was complained about in Netflix adaptation. The topic returned to me recently and twice. A few days ago, as I was exchanging opinions with AnonymousGaal (an anime commentator on Facebook) about the animated version of ToG, and a little earlier Paweł, who likes my fp. I asked him about the story of "Castelvania", how it looks in games, what can be expected from the animation, and in what direction the story can develop. Not extending, as Sapkowski said, "When I create any hero or personage, it's always for serving the tale. They should serve the fable. The story is the queen."

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Each art form (anime, books, comics, movies, series, games, paintings) has its own forms of expression that will not necessarily work in any adaptation. For example, there is no point in converting arkanoid or tetris into an acting film or series. Documentary and, of course, books, a picture / frame to hang on the wall by a fan? Approx. However, you cannot write a script based on the gameplay of the above games. There is a lack of characters, even a rudimentary plot, as in "Doomie", or even sense. These are simple games for relaxing or killing free time. In the same way, not every book can be filmed in an attractive form without undue interference in the original. Eg "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, "Ziemimorze" from Ursula K. Le Guinczy "Silimialirion" from Tolkien. In the form of a series it might be easier, especially in the days before the Coronavirus epidemic, when many different series were created. Or, as I wrote on the occasion of texts about "Vinland Saga", it is worth using that it's cartoon / anime and boost the stage's effectiveness. Series and movies can't always afford it, it's easier to draw or do it in CGI at a cheaper price. In turn, cartoonists, mangacs and creators of non-Japanese comics have easier time in presenting the strength of the blow or its dynamics than writers. On this occasion I recall the manga fight between Goku and Freezer on Namek. Very filling and nicely drawn mordobit, thanks to which you can visualize everything. The same way you feel that these characters want to be sucked and will not let go until the very end. Still, the image is stronger than our imagination. Examples can be exchanged for a long time, I will focus on selected examples from titles from the thumbnail text, mentioning here and there a few other works.

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I'll start with "The Witcher". Not everything that worked in the original would fit in the series. If Lauren Schmidt Hissrich decided to faithfully film 1 volume, we would not have practically Yenn backstory, and Ciri we could completely forget. Well, not really - we would see her in Pavetta's tummy. As for Yenka, we would get one episode with a cold bitch who cynically used Geralt, controlling him with magic. Contrary to the talk of many people (both praising and criticizing the series), Sapkowski outlined a fairly coherent world and outlined some character traits or character flashbacks. The problem is only that he spread many things over the whole saga, giving us here and there pieces of information that you have to head yourself. For example, Yenn's past is 90% consistent with what was in the books. She was a hunchback, her father thought her mother had let go with her lover, so he banished her from the house. In Aretuza she got very severely in the field, and throughout the saga she repeatedly said (as well as Vilgefortz, albeit less often) how heavy magic is, control of chaos and how much time you have to devote to learn all the necessary theory. Sorceresses were also an extension of the will of the Chapter, which ruled the world from behind the curtain, and thus - manipulated the kings, were their advisers. The series added, from what I remember, I will refresh it soon to write its review, only the visit of the rector of the academy and the affair with Istredd.  Only that both things were led so naturally, as if they were in the original. They are consistent with the characters and story written by Sapkowski. Yenka, like most magicians, likes sex, and Istredd was her "earlier Geralt", I'm not sure if he fulfilled this role at the beginning of his studies in Aretuza. As some swingers say, "you can have different lovers, but you go back to my bed for the night" This is the type Geralt is, and earlier a magician. Thanks to the stories from the second volume, you can partially cover this difference, but it is not enough. I could write more or less the same about Dandelion or Geralt if I compared their Netflix counterparts with books. Geralt is not very smart, he is naive, he is stupidly stubborn, he flies for Yen, although for her he is only one of several boys (at this stage of history), he is not afraid of cruelty and hard solutions, although he is a sincere good man . Dandelion, in turn, flies behind the virgins, he won't let any go, he spit what saliva brings to his tongue, often pretends to know something, when it is different. Usually slips from problems on the farm. And she has a cute smiley face that attracts women, usually less intelligent and wealthy. If I read the book carefully, there would probably be a few points that the series presented wrong, but IMO they are irrelevant to how faithfully these characters were transferred to TV screens. 

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It was necessary to add some backstory to Ciri and Yen, show the world not limited to Geralt and the creatures he met, to develop what Sapkowski had outlined here and there. Lauren and the rest of the creators have made great use of the fact that wizards, elves, witchers, vampires that we will see in later seasons etc. they are long-lived. For example, on the example of Foltest and his sister, whom we first see as young and then older. They can live hundreds and maybe over a thousand years. The world seen from Geralt's perspective would be awesome for game fans, they would definitely be delighted. However, I'm afraid that it would be too risky for a wide audience, and the creators want to make money first of all. Why limit yourself because of the canon when you have enormous wealth at your disposal? I don't know how "The Witcher" compares with other fantasy worlds, but what Sapkowski created gives horrible wide scope to show off. A lot of politics, plotting, bribing officials of a foreign country, keeping others in check, sharp diplomacy and attempts to find an alliance. A lot of diverse fights and opportunities to show eye-catching brutality. Dwarves, mages, people, elves, witchers, monsters and other groups have their advantages, which, when used properly, can ensure their victory against a stronger opponent. Even folios or more ordinary lovers of this subject will get a lot of conspiracy theories, not stupid visions about the world, the meaning of life. Or terribly written interpersonal relationships, which often surprised me with their conclusion or sensible argumentation. Or multidimensional showing emotions, racism, other phobias or consequences of stupid actions of people whom we would call in our world, depending on our views, leftists, hedonists, ascetic people or Catholics. Why limit yourself to the adventure of one monster hunter?

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If something is unnecessary at the beginning of the movie/series and does not help maintain a good pace of history, then it is worth cutting it out or postponing it or referring to it in the form of a flashback, or adding a mention of it. I don't know what exactly they cut from ToG, but I trust Anonymous Gaal that it was done right. The first episode was exactly as it should be, properly introduced to the world. It contained the necessary information about him, he did not have much knowledge to learn, he had an attractive introduction, for example missions. Excessive amounts of text to be absorbed can be daunting, especially at the beginning of the show. It's better to wait these few episodes or the whole season when fans really are involved in this universe. Another thing is that part of the adaptation of the anime/series/film is based on the original from years ago. Sometimes a few years ago, which is still not so noticeable, but in the long run it is easier to see how the story itself has aged, how the story was conducted, how to write dialogs, and similar components. Or it just stopped impressing, because e.g. we are already more aware of the world and we need to improve the original. Another thing is the line, animation, CGI, it is easier to see the passage of time here, as with almost everything based on visual sensations, but I am not writing about it here. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to modernize certain issues to make them easier for the viewers to absorb. In addition, it is worth remembering that older games often did not attach such importance to writing a story. Sure, there were different RPGs, adventures that had a rich world, decent heroes' creations, but the matter was not so simple in terms of FPP games, platformers, RTSs etc. For example, if they wanted to faithfully adapt the first part of "Warcraft" or the old "Castelvanie" (assuming that they would not refer to later parts that attach more importance to the script), then the creators of the film / series would have to develop the source material. In fact, they would have to build most of the universe based on its outline, which was created for the game. I don't really want to believe that Carmlla (or even other vampires, kingdoms) had such importance in old games. I may be wrong, but the series has significantly developed a universe that was created by programmers. This is not always important for gameplay, but almost necessary for the movie and the series. I have no experience in this matter, but it seems to me that it's best to adapt such things by choosing the best things and build around them. Some of the less attractive elements can be cut if the story and its flow benefit.

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I believe that the canon is important in every case. It greatly facilitates discussion and saves a lot of time. What matters to me is what came out first. In the case of books, it is, for example, "The Witcher" from Sapkowski, in the DB and DBZ manga from Toriyama, in the anime 2 movies (yes, I know, they are part of Z series, but I personally treat them as post-Z) TV series, cinema from Akira and Toei Animation studies. On the other hand, I am increasingly convinced that it does not matter so much and that the creators should almost freely use the source material. Sure, many of these titles have a lot of good ideas to use, but you don't have to cling to them. Or otherwise, depending on when you need it. I don't know how it is with American comics, but in the case of Japanese ones, it would make sense to adapt them quite faithfully. Such FMA, HxH, OP or most likely ToG are comprehensively planned worlds in which you can tell many different stories. They have a complete structure, thought-out history, outlined the geopolitical situation, invented persona, nations, the most important elements of the world, explained magic, etc. I see no reason not to treat them on the same level as "The Lord of the Rings" or similar books. However, it is worth skilfully using the canon. So that both fans do not feel foreign that the producers' vision deviates too much from the version they know and the new ones are lost. A good example is "Castelvania", a solid fairy tale for fans of battlefields, "Witcher" series/books. Blood, showing people from the wrong side, great magic possibilities, different races, and fighting styles. I haven't played games beyond 4 on SNES, so I can't distinguish the ideas of the creators of the series from programmers, but from what I read random reactions of the fans, the impressions are positive. They draw from the canon, it is the most important and they add their things, which the game does not offer. Nobody will take the original from us, and you can always get a new, interesting look at the brand you like. Or good characters, like Carmilla's sisters, especially Lenora. It's not always successful, but I think it's worth trying for a few successful ones. Even if some adaptations or arcs fail, such as the story "On the edge of the world" in Netflix. 

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But if it doesn't turn out that I'm a hypocrite, I still think that excessive deviations from the canon are bad. You can afford to change your skin color because of the conjunction of the spheres. You can change the skin color of supporting characters (Coen, which will appear in Season 2), but the most important elements should be at least roughly the same. If the creators want to make their own story, it doesn't bother me to say it from the beginning. In the case of Wieśka from Netflix, Bagiński and Lauren did a good adaptation of the book. They clearly blocked their budget, which made the battle in Sodden fallout, err ... poorly compared to how they presented it in the books. Sure, those little things with magic fireballs looked cool, but there were not enough soldiers for how strong Nilfgaard was then. These actions, like Triss, stops them at the gate, or the number of corpses after they left the castle is quite eloquent, it looked cheap. However, I believe that with more cash will be able to adapt better source material more nicely.

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Thank you Karol and Ola for help in a few fragments, Paweł for saving time on research on "Castelvania".

And that's it. Let me know your approach to transforming works into new art forms.