About a month ago, I read on some fanpage of Polish Netflix fans that there was a series that is much better than "The Witcher". There were some not very flattering comments, a bit more medium ones, but the positive ones dominated, which I could divide into slogans like "it's a good series, better than The Witcher" or "The creators of The Witcher should follow an example from the creators of Shadow and Bone, this is how fantasy series are made! ". The brutality, pace of action, atmosphere, actors, better presented characters and technical implementation (scenography, photos, special effects, etc.) were praised. After the first episode, I was a bit disappointed and that opinion didn't change until the very end. Yes, when I put my emotions in the closet and compared this series to an adaptation of Sapkowski's prose, in fact - the new Netflix production is better in several areas. The beginning of the series is more inviting to explore the rest of the episodes, and everything is more dynamically guided and edited. I don't know the original book, so I can't compare both adaptations, but it seems to me that world building, presenting the sides of the conflict, key locations and characters came out better in SaB. The special effects also make a better impression, I would venture to say that this is one of the best Netflix series I have seen in this regard. The characters' costumes, their magical artifacts, or props, in general, the whole scenery came out really nice, but ... Exactly, but I didn't like the plot and the characters. To be honest, I felt like I was watching a series on the level of "Fate: The Winx Saga" and if it wasn't for the popular topic + my girlfriend got involved in the fate of the characters, I would stop watching halfway through. Or I wouldn't even get there at all, just interrupted in the 2nd or 3rd episode.
As for the plot, let me start with the fact that it is an adaptation of a novel (or rather volume 1 in the series) by Leigh Bardugo. He touches on a few threads similar to "The Witcher" - e.g. racism towards Grisha and a slightly scientific approach to magic. Starting from the end, this comparison is very simplified and I realize that it is not perfect and may be perceived by you as wrong, it is only about introducing you to the topic. So, in both series we are not dealing with the usual magic that we can see in old books or cartoons for children. I don't know what it looks like in the book (and Netflix reportedly changed a lot more than Geralt's adventures), but from what I understand, Grishom is closer to scientists than magicians. If only because their skills are governed by the laws of physics. Sure, it is perfectly legitimate to confuse this with magic tricks, but as far as I understand, they are manipulation of matter and not strictly magic. It is strictly forbidden to create something out of nothing, because Grisha has to manipulate already existing matter, not create new matter. I see slight similarities to the magic system created by Sapkowski, but due to the fact that he presented it too poorly, I am not able to fully fairly compare the two methodologies of magic. When it comes to racism, I don't have to explain it when it comes to "The Witcher", because Sapkowski did it masterfully, presenting this problem in many dimensions and on many examples. As for the SaB, from what I remember (correct me if I'm wrong), there were mentioned several times about the slaughter of magicians because people were afraid of them. It immediately reminded me of the murder of The Witchers in Kaer Morhen. Perhaps even the reasons were similar - the mob was provoked by threatening them with the fact that the Witchers could take control of them in the future + although people willingly used their skills, they felt fear towards them, or at best, distanced themselves from them by treating them as a necessary evil. In both titles, children were also taken for training, but these threads are so different + are so common in the literature that I will not compare them.
The series is about Alina Starkov, an orphan with the rank of private. One day, she discovers a unique power that attracts various people to her - both those who want to earn money from it and declare themselves as her friends and enemies who want to use it ... As well as other people for whom it is important for some reason. With the next episodes, the girl gets to know people and their two-faced nature better and develops her talent. I do not know what it looks like in the book, but the Netflix version is such a typical series for young people - there are no too complicated dialogues, refined in terms of the characters' personality, and the script was written for a teenage audience. Such a "Winx", but with a larger budget, better written and thoughtful, and with better creators who did their job well. As for the world, it reminds me a bit of "Fullmetal Alchemist". The action of "Shadow and Bone" takes place in a similar era, in a land stylized as Europe. "Magic" is similar to alchemy, and the public is as familiar with it as the people in the Hiromu Arakawa comic book. In addition, the inhabitants of one of the SaB lands remind me of the soldiers of Drachma (a country from the FMA stylized as Russia from the previous century). Even though I generally liked it, he didn't buy me. I completely did not care about further exploration, getting to know its secrets or characters. Not to mention, I have no expectations for a follow-up. I don't know if this is due to Netflix's ineptitude or if the source material is unattractive in terms of world-building and character creation. However, I cannot say that this is due to the low level, because it is quite good, as in the previously mentioned aspects. I've just seen things like this before, but better implemented.
As for the actors, none of them stuck in my memory or distinguished themselves by their acting skills. Well, except for one - Freddy Carter, who played the role of Kaz Brekker. I liked its design (the hat and cane almost always look great), the aura of mystery that was helped by his eyes, facial expressions and body movements. I probably won't remember him (unless in another movie he will also stand out, but this time he will present better), but I can certainly praise him for being the only one that stays in my memory. Everything else was just right and fulfilled its task correctly - not distinguishing itself either in plus or in minus. Oh, mediocrity. In my opinion, it is noticeably worse than in "The Witcher", where despite some mishaps, we had very good Yennefer, great Geralt and Dandelion, well-matched Renfri and Calanthe. However, as I have already mentioned, in most of the other elements, Geralt's adventures are much weaker.
It's generally not a bad show, and I suspect the people who didn't like it are in the minority. I probably just didn't like it, and perhaps in other circumstances, I'd like it more. I had no expectations for it, because I do not pay much attention to the opinions of ordinary viewers (I will explain why in my text about whether you can evaluate series, anime, etc. in an objective way, I do not know when I will finish it, because it is one of the the most difficult texts I have ever written). However, I do not rule out that the main factor that contributed to my disappointment may be that I read their comments. Basically, it is at least a properly produced series and it is difficult for me to point out any unsuccessful elements, but I can easily say what I managed to do. And the fact that I didn't like it ... Well, sometimes it does. I rate it +7/10, but I'm unlikely to be watching season 2. At most, I will change my mind as my girlfriend wants, but I suspect from her reaction to the finale that it is unlikely to happen. We'll probably just watch something else.