by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
Not to sound like a broken record or that I’m stating the obvious, but it’s an interesting time in The Witcher franchise.
It’s not in the best place. While the last animated entry, Nightmare of the Wolf,was solid enough, the Blood Originspinoff limited series was not good, to put it kindly. With fans still outraged at the Henry Cavill ousting, and Liam Hemsworth slated to take his place later this year, something’s desperately needed to get Netflix’s handling of the franchise back in the fanbase’s good graces. But before the main show comes back, a second animated feature in the franchise is dropping: The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.
Whereas Nightmare of the Wolf gave us a bit of background on Vesemir (and Geralt to a smaller extent), Sirens of the Deep gives us a bit more background on Jaskier (Joey Batey), as Geralt is hired to investigate a series of attacks on a seaside village and drawn into a longstanding conflict between humans and merpeople, all while their respective prince and princess try to balance their feelings for each other.
The storyline explored allows for a fun blend of old and new voices alike in The Witcher universe. While not played by either of the live action actors, Geralt’s video game actor, Doug Cockle, steps into the role of everyone’s favorite monster hunter, and Anya Chalotra returns in her role as Yennefer, alongside series regular Batey. Emily Carey (House of the Dragon) is the biggest newcomer to the voice cast, playing the merpeople side of the Romeo & Juliet-style (given the setting, perhaps The Little Mermaid is a more apt comparison) romance (minus the secrecy) at the heart of the conflict, alongside a human prince, played by Camrus Johnson, and Christina Wren as Jaskier’s old friend Essi rounding out the main cast.
Thankfully, I found myself feeling that this entry in the franchise was closer to its other animated offering than the live action spinoff, as it creates an adventure that I like well enough. Speaking of the aforementioned cast, everyone does their job competently and, admittedly, having Batey voicing Jaskier again just put a smile on my face.
The narrative doesn’t do much you haven’t seen before. It’s basically The Little Mermaid with a more fantastical and brutal Witcher skin over the top of it. Though the story beats are familiar, they’re all the same comforting. Did I know largely what was going to happen? Yes. Did I still enjoy it? Also yes. Plus, with a roughly 90-minute runtime, it’s not something that overstays its welcome.
What really makes this enjoyable, though, is the fight choreography. With Studio Mir at the helm (The Legend of Korra), the animation of the fight scenes really sings and sucks you in as a viewer. It’s fast-paced and brutal, taking full advantage of what animation allows you to do with action scenes and this powerset. There are moments that had me cackling on my couch. The animation has a few janky moments, sure, but they’re rare. It mostly provides a medium for which animators are allow to have a blast with some fantastical set pieces.
Is Sirens something that’s going to turn the tide on an angry fanbase? Probably not, though having enjoyed all three previous seasons, I’m likely a softer judge than others. However, it’s better than the alternative for Netflix, as this should at least scratch fans’ The Witcher itch without, for the time being, making their pitchforks any sharper.
Rating: Liked It
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is currently streaming on Netflix
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