The Witcher Nightmare of the Wolf review: A Good Bloody anime

After Netflix found out they had another hit on their hands with the dark fantasy of The witcher at the end of 2019, work quickly started on plans to expand the series beyond the realm to just get another season of battle monsters Henry Cavill. The first step in this bigger world, The wolf’s nightmare, hit the banner today and for the most part did a great job, well worth it.

Directed by Kwang-Il Han of Studio Mir, and hosted by the studio itself, The wolf’s nightmare acts both as an elementary prequel, developed by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich Witcher series, and a prelude to what to expect from one of the characters in Fantastic novels by Andrzej Sapkowski arrive in this series’ next second year season. Vesemir – pposed here by Castlevaniait’s Theo James; the character’s older self to be performed live by Kim Bodnia–who we see going from a young boy who wants more of his lot in life to a mighty arrogant monster slayer at the height of his power and swagger, provides our purpose in a world that turns out to be much bigger and more complicated than the one we first met through Geralt of Rivia is in The witcherthe first season of. In part, it is simply because The wolf’s nightmareThe prequel status means there are simply more Witers to go through. Vesemir is far from alone in his hunt for monsters, and there is not only a larger group of witers to bounce back from, but the existence of witers as a tangible and relatively powerful faction in the world, means that society as a whole has to contend with the imperfect position of wizards in this society, beyond the muted tones and evil looks that Geralt has often received in his own adventures.

It is this skepticism among mankind and even the remnants of other races in Witcher world, like the Elves, who in The witcherthe world were ancient allies of humans who taught their early mages the ability to control magic, only to be subjugated and persecuted by the ascending human nations – this forms the basis of The wolf’s nightmarethe most interesting construction of the world. It’s a dark and sometimes cynical story, maybe even more so than its live brother. But this cynical lens allows him not only to present a world that feels morally complex and interesting, where there is no inherently “Well” Where “Wrong” factions, where violence and fear inevitably and coldly trump peace and faith, but also put Vesemir in a test of character through his 90s.-execution in odd minutes. It is gratifying to see him grow as a person beyond the mask of confidence he has as a man right at home drowning in his viscera while naked in a lavish tub, bragging about his triumphs (bathtubs are, of course, a necessary part of Witcher world building which fortunately remain in place here). To give us an idea of ​​what to expect when a much older and perhaps wiser Vesemir shows up at The witcher season two, The wolf’s nightmare offers a fascinating journey that invites us to consider the parallels between the attitudes of Vesemir and Geralt, and lays the groundwork for a potentially charged relationship between the young witcher and his former mentor when we see them again later this year.

All of that moral complexity and character building, of course, is also just a canvas for the animators at Studio Mir to spout buckets and buckets of blood about the place, with some truly awesome animated action. Leverage the strength of his medium beyond what we could see in The witcher, The wolf’s nightmare shows us what these monster slayers look like at the height of their power, giving Vesemir a lightning-sharp feel of kinetic energy as he soars through the air, swords and swirling runic magic. It’s lavish and grand, and overdone in the best possible way. One thing Vesemir has on Geralt, for example, is a Witcher-branded chain grapple that allows him to swing through the air; it’s very clear Someone at Studio Mir had either watched a lot of The attack of the Titans or simply missed the animation of Lin Beifong’s cops of The legend of Korra.

But it is also, like the legacy of made-for-Netflix ”adult” animation before it, an infinitely bloodier series than its live-action predecessor, with spurts of blood which thematically and often literally hinder the narration at hand. Sometimes it can be a bit too much – in between, Studio Mir DOTA series for Netflix, and Castlevaniathe last season of earlier this year, i think i saw enough intestines where they shouldn’t be and eyeballs hanging out of the sockets of the streamer for a while. But as she threatens him, the skillfully animated (and slick with blood) action never manages to overshadow the interesting layers. The wolf’s nightmare bring to The witcher‘s world and your dark. If you miss the mainland before his return in December, it’s worth to throw some coins of your time here.

The Witcher: The Wolf’s Nightmare is now streaming on Netflix.

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