Thinking about the source material
I’ve been thinking about TV shows based on loved source material—and how tricky it is.
Right now, we’re watching the new Wheel of Time TV show. I loved, loved, loved the books—I’ve read them multiple times, some of the characters live in my head. So a new TV show is risky (as was having the series finished by another writer). The TV show is not the same, some things I like, some things I don’t but I’m willing to see how it goes.
Lord of the Rings is another one where I made sure I’d read the books before the movies came out—in this case I found the movies way better than the books (even then I found it lacking in good female characters). Along the same vein, I was pleasantly surprised by the Outlander TV show after enjoying the books.
Another book I enjoyed was Starship Troopers and I refuse to admit the movies carrying that name are related in any way to the source material. The Orchid Thief was a book that was exactly my kind of thing, but the movie was just weird and left me uncertain what to think.
But, what happens when I enjoy a show and delve back into the source material? I purposely didn’t read Game of Thrones after watching the shows. But I did go back and read one of the Witcher books after enjoying the show (which I found delightful and I loved the non-linearity to the story telling—which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea). I found the book a little rough around the edges and the characters showed up in my head looking and acting differently, still enjoyed it though, especially Geralt’s long discussions with his horse (the horse didn’t answer).
As a kid I loved Dukes of Hazard (at the time blissfully unaware with all the issues with that show). For nostalgia sake, I watched the remake and I’m pretty sure my IQ dropped. After enjoying the Battle Star Galactica series that came out a while back, I watched the original which left me with a big nope.
Both seasons of The Umbrella Academy I’ve found delightful. As I’ve said before, I love a non-linear story, especially if it’s quirky and takes unexpected turns—which is exactly what this show does. I delved into the graphic novels hoping to fine more of the same, in this case I still enjoyed the stories but I was really turned off by the artwork (stylistically it just isn’t my thing—artwork is subjective that way). I’m pretty sure if I’d found the graphic novels first, I wouldn’t have bothered reading them.
Which brings me to Cowboy Beebop—it’s a quirky, kinda ridiculous space opera western TV show and I’m loving it, even the aesthetic is exactly my thing. I’ve noticed that the original anime is also on Netflix—so I could watch it. But should I?