I liked that they included the crows because Alina's story is only interesting at the beginning and the end of the season. In the middle all that's happening is "train, go to a party, sexual tension" while the crows are like "let's make some bad decisions that will most likely literally explode in our faces"
They did an amazing job with incorporating the Crows into S&B too which is great because I was worried that it would feel out of place from the main plot!
I actually thought kaz saying "none of them are like you" is worlds better than "you're not like other girls" . You're not like other girls = implies that girls are all the same and inherently bad. No one is like you= recognizes that people are different, not necessarily in a bad way, but inej specifically is the perfect fit for Kaz and no one else can be like her
This is a lovely comment and I totally agree but it brought to mind the song Most Girls and now that's stuck in my head again after I finally got it out so I kind of hate you right now.
@@my_name_is_love I see what u mean! but idk I feel like it didn't fit them. And the meaner Kaz is, the better it feels when he is actually nice. That's why in the book I would really love it when he would show just a bit of a soft side, where in the show I'm already used to it by episode three.
Honestly it worked because they changed certain subtleties like how mal is so much more likable and we're not always stuck in Alina's mind... Love the showâ€ïžâ€ïžâ€ïžâ€ïž
"girl you just endangered your whole crew! [...] don't worry everyone, she's the cartographer AND the main character!" 5 minutes later: everyone's dead
As someone who has never read any of the books, I actually found the way characters were introduced to be really refreshing. They didn't stop to explain their entire life story, I got to know them naturally as the show progressed
Thank you! I am just so pissed whenever it is the main complaint about a high fantasy show that it didn't explain itself enough... I hate when they use entire characters or episodes in shows just to shove exposition down our throat. We do not need to know every single thing about the world or the characters to enjoy a coherent story with well-written characters.
I honestly feel like if Leigh wouldn't have written the trilogy in only Alina's POV, we would have seen the way Mal cares for Alina and loves her and not just Alina for Mal. The show took Mal's perspective and feelings towards Alina and SHOWED them, rather than just acknowledging them the way done in the books.
âŒPLEASE DON'T COME AT ME FOR SAYING THISâŒ(*NO* spoilers) If we would have six of crows with only Inej's POV than I think Kaz would have been more hated than Mal. But in the duology, as we read about inej's feelings towards Kaz and also Kaz's vulnerability and helplessness, we understood the whole KANEJ relationship better and if we would have gotten that for MAL majority of people might have liked MALINA. Again don't come at me, just saying my opinion and not comparing between MALINA and KANEJ. đ
I legit just said this to my best friend who only watched the show, I just finished all three books and I also feel like Leigh was finding her style and voice in this first series which is why six of crows hits way better. I legit do not like Mal in the books and if I had his POV I would also be better to understand and actual believe he loved her the entire time
I havenât read the books yet but I will say this cast has some of the most insane chemistry Iâve ever seen. Like whether itâs romantic, platonic or familial, the vibes with this cast are immaculate
Okay let me say this. Ravka and the whole Grishaverse is heavily based on Russian culture. Hell, the words they say are actually direct translation. Considering Russia has a large population of Asians who are still scrutinized by the people in the west side/large cities, Alinaâs story was so relatable to me. And it is something Iâve never seen in any media, including Russian shows themselves. Maybe it wasnât necessary, but it made people like me so much happier to see such representation in a popular show/book series.
Also, I felt like it was incorporated naturally in a way that reiterated established parts of her character. It's nice to see that Netflix has learned from Bridgerton that one throw away comment just confuses the narrative. Either address it properly or just don't bother at all.
I'm not Asain and I was happy to see the representation. It just makes the stakes higher, makes her more isolated and leads her to seek out Kirigan, who looks at her like she is living God, unlike everyone else.
How is no one talking about how interesting of a character that black girl on the boat seemed.... and then just died lmao đ like no she looked awesome
This badass Inferni woman gives them the entire rundown about "only the blue light is safe" so naturally some dude lights an entire lantern and holds it up to his face - what did this man EXPECT
I feel that since the books are only from Alina's perspective we didn't really get to see how much Mal cared for Alina. And the show does a better job of showing that.
finally- ikr!? i actually would've really liked S&B better if there was multiple povs like the rest of the Grishaverse. unpopular opinion, i actually kinda liked mal- but he was really neutral for me because we never saw his pov.
Ohhhh I have the answer to that,I was watching one of the cast and Leigh Bardugoâs interviews and she was talking about how after S&B she felt that it was easier to stop writing in 1st person POV especially with fight scenes and what not. So I think a lot of the issues she had with being mainly in Alinaâs headspace was easier to develop in SoC as itâs multiple POVs and 3rd person
Props to Cindy for being a crow stan but still respecting that this is primarily Alina's story and she should come first in the narrative. I could never.
Me: Alina and Mal have such good chemistry this is going to be my ship I'm not going to fall for this darklina nonsense Ben Barnes coming onscreen to ruin my life: y'all hear sum
One of the things I really liked is that this show doesn't treat its viewer like its stupid. It lets you connect the dots all by yourself, instead of over explaining things.
I think it's sooo good! They didn't info-dump you, i get it can be confusing for people that didn't read the books, but it's actually good because then you have to really pay attention to every scene, and it's so good
The decision to slightly alter Mal's character is Leigh decision after a re-read of Shadow & Bone years after the release She's a Malina shipper but she felt her message wasn't conveyed that well and Mal eventually came across as controlling and too much irritable. It's like the bad kind of jealous rather than the good kind of jealous
I'm so glad to hear that! I haven't watched the show yet, but Mal's behavior in the books (second one especially) REALLY bothered me and has been the main reason I haven't started the show yet.
@@talizorah trust me i hated book Mal and i absolutely adored show Mal lmao. I never rlly shipped her with the darling bc of how toxic their rs is but Mal wasnt good either so in the books i wanted her to be with Nikolai he's the best character in the trilogy in my opinion
"Oh, to be seduced by Zoya. What a dream that would be." This woman still out here trying to convince us she's straight? đ Everyday you inch closer to an awakening, Cindy
My brother and I read the books together in quarantine and we watched every episode together bc pandemic sibling bonding but every time the crows were on screen we were SCREAMING because they all looked and acted exactly how we imagined they did! Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, and Kit Young truly understood the assignment and thatâs not even mentioning how good Nina and Matthias were on GOD-
@@fuzzyapple not directly but he says something about hiring another spider if Inej doesn't agree for the job so I just summed up saying replaceable. Though no one better that Kaz knows how irreplaceable Inej is.
As a book reader, spoiler free, I can say that the series fixes a lot of the issues I had with the books. Can't wait for you to get to the Nina scenes, the actress is born to be Nina tbh ..
Fixing Mal's personality was a good idea for the show, he needed that makeover. The first episode distracted me with the jumps between both storylines and I've read the books and can't imagine if it worked for non-book readers? I dunno. But I was like "damn Alina, dooming her whole squad".
Soooo I read the books after watching the show. It was a bit confusing (country names and locations) but I was totally able to keep up with the story. But also-mal in books wasnât bad!!! I think everything was there of course Archie brings his own lovable humanity to it-but same feelings and motivations were there if you read between the lines itâs just that books were first person and she couldnât dive into mals perspective. And yeah the change in show didnât make sense for Alina to be the one to make them get on the skiff. In the book they were all assigned together already and they knew it including mal and unit and her. Saying that, the show really softened ALL the characters! Mal darkling and Alina-their are decisions and actions in the book that the show completely removed or changed and I think itâs an overall disservice to the characters, books, and fans. (Although show still delivers really interesting complex adaptations of the characters!) for example mal DID sleep with zoya in the books, you only find out in book 3 but itâs important to show his failings in relation to Alina especially because her her failings in relation to him. In interview Leigh talks about how mal is a grunt for military, and he becomes that for Alina and she just accepts that, which is a reason why I donât see book mal as bad. But back to the show they show him just flirting with zoya! They already show him as obviously in love with her but he wasnât at that point or didnât realize it.
I've never read the book series for Shadow and Bone or SOC. I found the TV show easy to follow just knew some tid bits here and there from friends who have read the series. I enjoyed how they introduced the characters and how they craftily melded in The Crows from the Duology. Planning on reading the SOC Duology soon as it seems very interesting.
@@AussyAngelx huh, i meant that line itself is said in the further episodes so it's better off not mentioning that... but that's just my opinion of a spoiler
@@sai-bi2rh That's not really what a spoiler is, spoilers are more revealing major plotlines, scenes, and character choices/developments that are essential to the story. Out of context lines of dialogue don't really count
@@Reblod oh certainly. but this isn't exactly the most out of context line either imo though you may be right. i just like having no prior information or hints at all so
And the fact that I barely heard about the book series until right before it released. It was so frikkin refreshing when the story line kept switching to a different story, like right when it started feeling like Alina's story was just dramatic and nothing was happening, it switched to Inej, an assassin and a businessman obsessed with a million kruga.
Everyone was casted so well it's unreal. And how is no-one talking about how Ben Barnes was literally MADE to be the darkling, he's exactly how I imagined him plsđ
@@piersnivans5983 I think she was just put on the team in the books. Plus certain stuff with General Kirigan I don't want to spoil since this is only for episode 1.
@@piersnivans5983 overall alina in the books just kind of is a bland protagonist. she wasn't very interesting other than her sun powers and she can be quite flat sometimes (same with mal). I feel like Cindy probably has already said this before but shadow and bone was just a very generic YA fantasy trilogy with a generic main character. the show gave her and mal more personality and substance which makes them more likeable.
I know every other oneâs of Cindyâs comments is something funny or dirty or both, but I just wanted to say: Iâm so glad they added the component of Alina being part Shu. I feel like that replaced her girl-hate towards pretty, feminine girls and stopped following the âiM nOt LiKe oThEr gIrLsâ trope. Plus, we love to see that Shu hate reflect the real life crisis of Asian hate.
I like how they changed it to where alina chose to go in the fold to be with mal. in the books she and mal were already set to go into the fold so by changing it to where she makes that choice for herself, it makes her discovering her powers feel like her choices mattered leading up to it.
âKatniss Everdeen walked so that Alina Starkov could run.â - Cindy,2021 Also Cindy: âI volunteer as tribute ... ooo wrong ya series â đ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
Even if I don't relate to/like Alina, I think she's a really great representation The thing is I'm russian asian (one of the ethnic minorities) and there in Russia live a lot of non white or biracial/multiracial people usually with heavily mixed ethnical background (especially in the borders with asian countries) And seeing a fantasy world where one of the countries is based on Russia (which usually represented in mass media as extremely homogeneous country with only white population) and the main character happen to be biracial is just so refreshing and nice to see
I also liked that, even though I don't like Alina's character (by the way, this actress makes her somewhat likeable) and I'm a white girl that's not even russian. I really like to see good representation in shows
Ngl, when I tried to explain while watching the show that I liked how they swapped Alina being ugly to being Asian, my Asian mother was a little scared that I was saying I thought being Asian was ugly lmao.
Tbh you could argue that Alina IS considered to be "ugly" because she lives in a place where Asian features are looked down upon. Like maybe ugliness is not just the main character having low self esteem but a part of racism. (edit: that being said, i can understand why people might have a problem with how alina's identity is portrayed in the show, because so far it's largely seen as negative. looking forward to seeing the rest of the eps to form my final thoughts)
@@withcindy true. And it makes the character wayyy more compelling, as well as the story in general. It adds more depth to her story than her simply suffering from 'Main Character ugly syndrome '! Racism is an actual issue people deal with. (spoilerish.. That's not really a spoiler) I like that the writers stayed consistent: She faces microagressions and racism all throughout the tv show, not just ep 1. It's actually exploited.
@@ngumlovered7566 The writer of the books has said Mal and Alina being mixed is a new thing for the show. It's a change she was excited to make. To make the show more diverse. It seems like a very welcome change to her story that she was happy with. So that's great. Sometimes show writers will make book authors unhappy with their changes. But that's not the case here.
I feel like the crows add alot of the action that people diss shadow and bone for lacking. It kind of balances the story and keeps the parts at the little palace from being boring while all we get is failing, learning, banya trips, and kefta descriptions.
jesper was truly my favorite character in the show - the casting was PERFECT with him and every time he was on screen i was excited. just all his little gun tricks and eyebrow quirks really hit the mark
@@dxvx.m whoa- what!?? the way i laughed the other day at the idea if that were to ever happen... loll anyway- im so excited for that & i think they're actually adapting ToG. (& i personlly think Crescent City would be a great one too)
As someone who hasnât read any of the books, I thought that the two story lines were pretty well melded together and it was nice to fall back on The Crows when I was getting tired of Alina.
And the after show depression when you realise you binged it in a few days in between school and you have to wait like at least a year before (if even) the next season comes
@@alyssapinon9670 nah I mean don't want to spoil the show, cus Cindy and some people in the comments did not watch it in full yet. It's related to the time lines of six of crows and shadow and bone being interlinked, and characters meeting each other. Without giving away too much, I think it was made quite well
Btw, in case you did not notice, there are at least 4 actors on the show who have Asian blood and very proud of it. Jessie (Alina), Archie (Mal), Amita (Inej) and Sujaya (Zoya).
I hated Mal in the book and I grew to like him in the show đ„ș They did such a great job to make him more likable! Also, I just love how they perfectly portrayed the characters! The cast is absolutely perfect!! đđ€
Me who has never read shadow and bone: Mal seems like a cool dude I wonder why everyone hates him. Was he more annoying in the books? I really donât know
I don't know what to say about the actors playing most of the characters. I haven't really thought about what they looked like, but the ones playing Kaz, Inej and Jesper are perfect. Not only in how they look but also their way of speaking, facial expressions, chloding etc. The people making the show did a very good job of casting them đ
As someone who hasn't read the book or didn't know anything about the story, me and my partner really liked the series. I think the crows added a lot of interest, plot, and funny moments - we're keen to discover their backstories more next season. I feel if they didn't included it, the story would have felt very 'teen romance' . Also we loved how quick the whole pace of the series was, we never felt bored watching. Funny that Mal was unliked in the book - he was our second favourite character (behind Jesper), romance wise he was so wholesome/supportive/mature - the shadow dude was straight up creep and abusive vibes.
Everyone did an amazing job with this show especially with the production value. The costumes and cgi all honestly look movie level, which is great when you realize that they managed to do it with an entire show rather than just one movie.
As someone who hasn't read the books, I am understanding everything pretty well. However I am enjoying the Crows characters more, they are very dynamic
Ok but I actually love the fact that they combained the two stories, it makes everything more complicated, i know, but it never gets boring. Its kinda messy but its a GOOD mess. I watched the show with my parents and they didnt read the books but they are loving the show just as much as me.
why did Kanej have faster buildup than Malina Kanej is extremely delicate and subtle, needs to be carefully handled while Malina is our comfort buddy ;-;
As a non-book reader (who also initially missed the first episode when I started watching it with my parents) I thought the story wasnât hard to follow at all! They did a great job of explaining the world progressively without having it feel like an info dump.
Cindy: there's my man fighting for honour ... Meanwhile... Darkling: I will strip away all that you know, all that you love, until you have no shelter but me đđđ
@@juliacorreal i can only hope I can write that level of pining in my fanfictions for my fav ships :â) especially ones that are set kn a world where the characters are in life or death situations
Just wait... The Crows are the BEST part of the entire series đ It all comes together, and I'm living for Jesper. He's such a saucy b*tch. Love seeing that man on screen!
You know they did a great job when the book readers have no complaints. Perfect casting tho, the actors greatly performed the tension needed in the scenes.
the sound affects in the fights scene are as loud as me opening a crisps packet at 2 am đ„°
Mal: **moves his arm**
Sound effects: **WIND WOOSHING AT 5X VOLUME**
@@withcindy literally
@@clownz8314 walking up the stairs and turning on the microwave too
@@Kmkmkms gotta make that sacrifice for the midnight snack
sorry to be a grammar police but effects
I liked that they included the crows because Alina's story is only interesting at the beginning and the end of the season. In the middle all that's happening is "train, go to a party, sexual tension" while the crows are like "let's make some bad decisions that will most likely literally explode in our faces"
In Wylanâs case, literally
They did an amazing job with incorporating the Crows into S&B too which is great because I was worried that it would feel out of place from the main plot!
My favorite thing in the entire Crow storyline was the thing with the baby goat đ
I enjoyed Alina so much though. She could just be there breathing and I'd watch it.
@@Ebbagull Milo, our one and only savior!!đđđŸ
I actually thought kaz saying "none of them are like you" is worlds better than "you're not like other girls" . You're not like other girls = implies that girls are all the same and inherently bad. No one is like you= recognizes that people are different, not necessarily in a bad way, but inej specifically is the perfect fit for Kaz and no one else can be like her
Yes!! Totally agree that it's a beautiful line and is a genuine compliment, rather than just basically being an insult to everybody else.
This is a lovely comment and I totally agree but it brought to mind the song Most Girls and now that's stuck in my head again after I finally got it out so I kind of hate you right now.
@@khaxjc1 SAME when I read that comment I thought of Most Girls too, except I like the song so that was good for me đ
yeah, anyone can be unique without being..better than everyone else
kaz calls inej "investment" in the books
fans who didnt read the books gonna be like "oh my god why is kaz so cold and cruel" bestie this is soft kaz u havent seen shit
Lmao heâs so soft in the show, honestly all the crows aređ
Right!! My non-reader friend thought I was crazy when I got mad bc they were wayy too nice
bruh exactly
@@Sarah-ss6fr why would you get mad at that? đ I liked them more in the show oop
@@my_name_is_love I see what u mean! but idk I feel like it didn't fit them. And the meaner Kaz is, the better it feels when he is actually nice. That's why in the book I would really love it when he would show just a bit of a soft side, where in the show I'm already used to it by episode three.
This show is just an elaborate plot to get all the Six of Crows stans to become Grishaverse stans and honestly I'm not even mad about it
Why did it kinda work with me though.đ
So true haha, I never would have read the books otherwise
I honestly could not have cared less for the main story line... đ
OK ok Fold. Dark shit... Get back to the Crows!!!!! Lol
omg frrrrrr you just cracked the theory
Honestly it worked because they changed certain subtleties like how mal is so much more likable and we're not always stuck in Alina's mind... Love the showâ€ïžâ€ïžâ€ïžâ€ïž
Alina literally threw her unit under the bus to travel with Mal, but at least she became a flash light.
now why did i read that as flesh....
@@idonteatspiders2986 IM DYING OH NO AHSHFNFKGK
@@idonteatspiders2986 that too AJDKFKVV
She almost became a flesh flight
Exactly omg how do yall like her đ
"girl you just endangered your whole crew! [...] don't worry everyone, she's the cartographer AND the main character!"
5 minutes later: everyone's dead
Got here faster than Kaz running from his feelings for Inej
omg
now THAT is fast
Barry Allen who?
speed of LIGHT
@@solkai7575 the kaz speed is faster than speed of light
proved by crow physics
As someone who has never read any of the books, I actually found the way characters were introduced to be really refreshing. They didn't stop to explain their entire life story, I got to know them naturally as the show progressed
glad to hear!!
Thank you! I am just so pissed whenever it is the main complaint about a high fantasy show that it didn't explain itself enough... I hate when they use entire characters or episodes in shows just to shove exposition down our throat. We do not need to know every single thing about the world or the characters to enjoy a coherent story with well-written characters.
@@UmbraKrameri omg yeah
Agreeeeeed, give me that natually unfolding worldbuilding through events and character interactions!
Exactly! Like it didn't try too hard to do exposition the way most YA novel adaptations did so it was fine just watching it.
I honestly feel like if Leigh wouldn't have written the trilogy in only Alina's POV, we would have seen the way Mal cares for Alina and loves her and not just Alina for Mal.
The show took Mal's perspective and feelings towards Alina and SHOWED them, rather than just acknowledging them the way done in the books.
âŒPLEASE DON'T COME AT ME FOR SAYING THISâŒ(*NO* spoilers)
If we would have six of crows with only Inej's POV than I think Kaz would have been more hated than Mal. But in the duology, as we read about inej's feelings towards Kaz and also Kaz's vulnerability and helplessness, we understood the whole KANEJ relationship better and if we would have gotten that for MAL majority of people might have liked MALINA.
Again don't come at me, just saying my opinion and not comparing between MALINA and KANEJ.
đ
I legit just said this to my best friend who only watched the show, I just finished all three books and I also feel like Leigh was finding her style and voice in this first series which is why six of crows hits way better. I legit do not like Mal in the books and if I had his POV I would also be better to understand and actual believe he loved her the entire time
I havenât read the books yet but I will say this cast has some of the most insane chemistry Iâve ever seen. Like whether itâs romantic, platonic or familial, the vibes with this cast are immaculate
love that!
Their acting and chemistry is very on pointđ
yes so true !!
I completely agree,i love the crows so much
So true!
"I'm doing a series where I react to every single episode"
*Slowly starts to buckle up*
get ready
@@withcindy thanks đđœ this is going to be fun
@@withcindy i literally just watched episode one and came straight here
Okay let me say this. Ravka and the whole Grishaverse is heavily based on Russian culture. Hell, the words they say are actually direct translation. Considering Russia has a large population of Asians who are still scrutinized by the people in the west side/large cities, Alinaâs story was so relatable to me. And it is something Iâve never seen in any media, including Russian shows themselves. Maybe it wasnât necessary, but it made people like me so much happier to see such representation in a popular show/book series.
â€ïž
Also, I felt like it was incorporated naturally in a way that reiterated established parts of her character. It's nice to see that Netflix has learned from Bridgerton that one throw away comment just confuses the narrative. Either address it properly or just don't bother at all.
@where's the lamb s a U C E Director doesn't equal showrunner or writer
I'm not Asain and I was happy to see the representation. It just makes the stakes higher, makes her more isolated and leads her to seek out Kirigan, who looks at her like she is living God, unlike everyone else.
I noticed that especially the Grisha Attire is actually the cultural clothes of the Ingush of North Russia
I'm just here to make sure everyone acknowledges how cute Jesper's actor is
yES
kit young supremacy methinks
KIT YOUNG SUPREMACY
YAASSS
KIT đđ
âDonât put any spoilers in the commentsâ
Girl Iâm watching the movie for free with you- I donât know anything-
good we shall remain oblivious together
Same lol
If you seriously want to watch the series, but dont mind a bit of piracy, I suggest you use telegram app to download the episodes for free
@@sarcasticeggs8998 tutorial??!?
@@jonahgallagher3117 you can try searching with the keyword âshadow and boneâ there are plenty channels
How is no one talking about how interesting of a character that black girl on the boat seemed.... and then just died lmao đ like no she looked awesome
Yes I loved her so much after two seconds I wanted to see more of her!
True true i felt really sad when Volcra grabbed her lol
Same! I thought she was gunna be badass
And she was so attractive too like-
That guy who lit a lantern was like the woman who will literally scream, "Who's there?" while she was inside a room and it was a horror movie
LITERALLY
Vivi and shadow and bone stan!? A true hero
@@violetbunches5438 agreed đ we need a comeback!!!!
Giving very much Lex, turning on a flashlight to somehow get rid of a t-rex.
@@unemarguerite at this point I'm willing to wait for Momma Birb be fully cleared out to rejoin them because it's been months anyway...
This badass Inferni woman gives them the entire rundown about "only the blue light is safe" so naturally some dude lights an entire lantern and holds it up to his face - what did this man EXPECT
Tbh I think it was a cartographer from Alinaâs unit who lit the lamp and they arrived after she explained it to everyone.
dude that inferni was so cool !!! i mean that dialogue was just *chef's kiss*
I would've put that thing out with my bare hands, just based on the sheer terror in everyone's reactions
Kinda bummed she got killed on Episode 1. She looks so beautiful :/
@@greenergrass4060 Ikr right I was kind of expecting her to be a bigger character lmao
âI did not care for Alina at all...and now here I am saying the complete opposite.â Thatâs called the Jessie Mei Li effect đ
cindy caring about alina is the truest form of character development
YES!!
So true đđđ
facts!!
âThe fold ate my parents and all I got was this stupid t-shirtâ PEAK COMEDY. The show is so good btw.
I got some major Bojack Horseman vibes: "My mother died and all I got was a free churro" PEAK TRAGIC-COMEDY
I feel that since the books are only from Alina's perspective we didn't really get to see how much Mal cared for Alina. And the show does a better job of showing that.
finally- ikr!? i actually would've really liked S&B better if there was multiple povs like the rest of the Grishaverse.
unpopular opinion, i actually kinda liked mal- but he was really neutral for me because we never saw his pov.
@@cm1868 S&B* was Bardugo's first published book series, maybe she wasn't as confident with her writing as she is now?
Ohhhh I have the answer to that,I was watching one of the cast and Leigh Bardugoâs interviews and she was talking about how after S&B she felt that it was easier to stop writing in 1st person POV especially with fight scenes and what not.
So I think a lot of the issues she had with being mainly in Alinaâs headspace was easier to develop in SoC as itâs multiple POVs and 3rd person
Yas, I actually like Mal now. I NEVER THOUGHT THAT WOULD HAPPEN
I hated Mal in the second book and wish that he was written like the show version of him.
The way he shot Alexei and everyone jumped back and Kaz didn't even FLINCH like okay king
He's been through worse
I feel like he knew what the dude was gonna do
@@heathern8043 Yeah. If I could see it coming, I'm certain Kaz Brekker could. He would have done the exact same thing.
@@lindseysquire8417 thatâs Kaz for youđż
I didnât notice that!
Props to Cindy for being a crow stan but still respecting that this is primarily Alina's story and she should come first in the narrative. I could never.
Me too lol, ngl as a person who's read all of them the show was kinda floppy without the crows.
Me: Alina and Mal have such good chemistry this is going to be my ship I'm not going to fall for this darklina nonsense
Ben Barnes coming onscreen to ruin my life: y'all hear sum
Not me being a simp for that immaculate facial hair ...
Dude I was so upset when the inferni woman died, she seemed so coolđ
Sammeee
omg RIGHT?!?!
Wasted potential
I KNOOOW SHE WAS SHOWSTOPPING
She radiated main character energy (in a good way) so they killed her
One of the things I really liked is that this show doesn't treat its viewer like its stupid. It lets you connect the dots all by yourself, instead of over explaining things.
I think it's sooo good! They didn't info-dump you, i get it can be confusing for people that didn't read the books, but it's actually good because then you have to really pay attention to every scene, and it's so good
The decision to slightly alter Mal's character is Leigh decision after a re-read of Shadow & Bone years after the release
She's a Malina shipper but she felt her message wasn't conveyed that well and Mal eventually came across as controlling and too much irritable. It's like the bad kind of jealous rather than the good kind of jealous
Wait, she negotiated to make those changes?
@@ohohnenyeoo2654 She and the showrunner kind of discussed it alongside the whole thing during the script's development.
@@SANDUSK471 ok. Thanks!
I'm so glad to hear that! I haven't watched the show yet, but Mal's behavior in the books (second one especially) REALLY bothered me and has been the main reason I haven't started the show yet.
@@talizorah trust me i hated book Mal and i absolutely adored show Mal lmao. I never rlly shipped her with the darling bc of how toxic their rs is but Mal wasnt good either so in the books i wanted her to be with Nikolai he's the best character in the trilogy in my opinion
-This white dude: "Rice eater"
-All of Latin America: "so you are attacking us, too"
Donât forget West Indians đđ
And west Africans too. Best believe we be eating a ton of rice. (Our most significant and popular being jollof rice. Lol)
also native americans... we eat a lot of rice too.. fish and rice is a staple
add subcontinent and desi folk too
All of the Caribbean islands as well, lol.
"Oh, to be seduced by Zoya. What a dream that would be." This woman still out here trying to convince us she's straight? đ Everyday you inch closer to an awakening, Cindy
how does it feel to be right
me: binges the entire season on the day of release and waits for cindy's reaction
*cindy finally uploads*
me: _it's been 84 years_
but now u can rewatch the show with me!
Where did you watch it?
@@shakzerss7062 its on Netflix!
Me too! Binged it twice in one day and then got psyched about Cindyâs reaction vids.
@@withcindy binge watching for the 11th time.
âThe fold ate my parents and all I got was this lousy t-shirtâ lmao someone make this a real shirt and send it to Cindy and Jessie Mei Li
I want that shirt too
"My mother is dead and all I got was this free churro" wait- that's another series
My brother and I read the books together in quarantine and we watched every episode together bc pandemic sibling bonding but every time the crows were on screen we were SCREAMING because they all looked and acted exactly how we imagined they did! Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, and Kit Young truly understood the assignment and thatâs not even mentioning how good Nina and Matthias were on GOD-
me and my sister basically!
Are yâall siblings or some shit- also how do people bond my sister like just stole my egg đ§
Kaz(in the books): inej is a replaceable investment
Kaz(in the show):They are not like you. No one is
He calls her an investment, but never replaceable
And /then/ he calls her an investment
@@fuzzyapple not directly but he says something about hiring another spider if Inej doesn't agree for the job so I just summed up saying replaceable.
Though no one better that Kaz knows how irreplaceable Inej is.
As a book reader, spoiler free, I can say that the series fixes a lot of the issues I had with the books. Can't wait for you to get to the Nina scenes, the actress is born to be Nina tbh ..
SHE WAS AMAZING AS NINA YES
AGREEED
I wish Nina had red hair, but I totally agree!!
Omg nina is literally my favourite character,she's so prettyâ€
it made Mal a lot more likeable TBH. I loved the idea of his character but he was just really annoying in the books lmfaoo
Fixing Mal's personality was a good idea for the show, he needed that makeover. The first episode distracted me with the jumps between both storylines and I've read the books and can't imagine if it worked for non-book readers? I dunno. But I was like "damn Alina, dooming her whole squad".
Soooo I read the books after watching the show. It was a bit confusing (country names and locations) but I was totally able to keep up with the story. But also-mal in books wasnât bad!!! I think everything was there of course Archie brings his own lovable humanity to it-but same feelings and motivations were there if you read between the lines itâs just that books were first person and she couldnât dive into mals perspective. And yeah the change in show didnât make sense for Alina to be the one to make them get on the skiff. In the book they were all assigned together already and they knew it including mal and unit and her. Saying that, the show really softened ALL the characters! Mal darkling and Alina-their are decisions and actions in the book that the show completely removed or changed and I think itâs an overall disservice to the characters, books, and fans. (Although show still delivers really interesting complex adaptations of the characters!) for example mal DID sleep with zoya in the books, you only find out in book 3 but itâs important to show his failings in relation to Alina especially because her her failings in relation to him. In interview Leigh talks about how mal is a grunt for military, and he becomes that for Alina and she just accepts that, which is a reason why I donât see book mal as bad. But back to the show they show him just flirting with zoya! They already show him as obviously in love with her but he wasnât at that point or didnât realize it.
I had only read the Six of Crows duology before watching this show and I was able to follow along fine, once I got the lay of the land down
I've never read the book series for Shadow and Bone or SOC. I found the TV show easy to follow just knew some tid bits here and there from friends who have read the series. I enjoyed how they introduced the characters and how they craftily melded in The Crows from the Duology. Planning on reading the SOC Duology soon as it seems very interesting.
Jesper - "we need a demolitions guy"
Somewhere off in the distance wyland sneezes
DON'T SPOIL!!! (ik it's not an outright spoiler, but it happens further in the season).
@@sai-bi2rh no..... it doesnât. Itâs just a book spoiler. Wylan hasnât even been casted.
@@AussyAngelx huh, i meant that line itself is said in the further episodes so it's better off not mentioning that... but that's just my opinion of a spoiler
@@sai-bi2rh That's not really what a spoiler is, spoilers are more revealing major plotlines, scenes, and character choices/developments that are essential to the story. Out of context lines of dialogue don't really count
@@Reblod oh certainly. but this isn't exactly the most out of context line either imo though you may be right. i just like having no prior information or hints at all so
Never read the book series, but it was *shockingly* refreshing that there is a POC main character and they *actually* talk about her being a POC.
What is her race? I assumed she was white.
@@barnaby4232 she's half chinese and half white i believe
@@taeized Chinese is an ethnicity, white is a race. She is of a mixed ethnicities but her race appears to be white. Itâs quite confusing really!
And the fact that I barely heard about the book series until right before it released. It was so frikkin refreshing when the story line kept switching to a different story, like right when it started feeling like Alina's story was just dramatic and nothing was happening, it switched to Inej, an assassin and a businessman obsessed with a million kruga.
@@barnaby4232 ahhh sorry i meant half asianđ
Everyone was casted so well it's unreal. And how is no-one talking about how Ben Barnes was literally MADE to be the darkling, he's exactly how I imagined him plsđ
Itâs also like a realization of him as canon young Sirius Black from Harry Potter huhu
I really felt like the show gave Alina a lot more agency than she had in the books, which made me like her more.
do you have any examples of this?
For sure! E.g. burning the maps to get herself on the skiff
@@bruadarach9758 howd she do it in the books?
@@piersnivans5983 I think she was just put on the team in the books. Plus certain stuff with General Kirigan I don't want to spoil since this is only for episode 1.
@@piersnivans5983 overall alina in the books just kind of is a bland protagonist. she wasn't very interesting other than her sun powers and she can be quite flat sometimes (same with mal). I feel like Cindy probably has already said this before but shadow and bone was just a very generic YA fantasy trilogy with a generic main character. the show gave her and mal more personality and substance which makes them more likeable.
i canât believe this show is turning me into a malina shipper đł
IKR! Like this show really got me shipping these two...
Saaame. When the show makes Mal likable, ya know its good
as it should
Me toooooo
Malina nation â
âWe get it youâre emoâ is my exact feeling toward the Darkling lol
CINDY, LEIGH KNOWS YOU AND CALLED YOU HILARIOUS AND I SAT THERE GRINNING LIKE A PROUD SISTER!! â€ïžâ€ïž
Omg that's great!! When did this happen??
@@jam5369 just search for 'leigh bardugo and jenny han' in CZcams search bar, leigh answers fans questions and Cindy was one of the fans!
czcams.com/video/4vwah4HO8us/video.html here's the link where Leigh answers few questions by vloggers and Cindy is in the initial part of the video.
i wonder if she'll watch these reactions lol!
WHAT WHERE?
Do I ship Malina? Of course I do. Am I a gay man in love with Inej? Of course I do. I really appreciate that no one was unbearable.
Lmao Malina is raspberry in Russian/Serbian đ
@@eszemaszeszed daang that's tasty
@@eszemaszeszed Malina Weissman rn: đ
ignore that i used a strawberry. weâre in desperate need of a berry emoji
@@eszemaszeszed in Polish too
I know every other oneâs of Cindyâs comments is something funny or dirty or both, but I just wanted to say: Iâm so glad they added the component of Alina being part Shu. I feel like that replaced her girl-hate towards pretty, feminine girls and stopped following the âiM nOt LiKe oThEr gIrLsâ trope. Plus, we love to see that Shu hate reflect the real life crisis of Asian hate.
I like how they changed it to where alina chose to go in the fold to be with mal. in the books she and mal were already set to go into the fold so by changing it to where she makes that choice for herself, it makes her discovering her powers feel like her choices mattered leading up to it.
âKatniss Everdeen walked so that Alina Starkov could run.â - Cindy,2021
Also Cindy: âI volunteer as tribute ... ooo wrong ya series â đ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
cant believe Alina volunteered as tribute to save Mal in the hunger games
@@withcindy I just hate how because of that, the other cartographers died and she didn't care lmao
my dad introducing the show to me: "oh, it's like that mockingjay movie" that's so right đ€Ł
Even if I don't relate to/like Alina, I think she's a really great representation
The thing is I'm russian asian (one of the ethnic minorities) and there in Russia live a lot of non white or biracial/multiracial people usually with heavily mixed ethnical background (especially in the borders with asian countries)
And seeing a fantasy world where one of the countries is based on Russia (which usually represented in mass media as extremely homogeneous country with only white population) and the main character happen to be biracial is just so refreshing and nice to see
That's very nice to hear. I love that they made her part Shu.
I also liked that, even though I don't like Alina's character (by the way, this actress makes her somewhat likeable) and I'm a white girl that's not even russian. I really like to see good representation in shows
I mean Western Russia outside Moscow is pretty homogenously white, if not homogenously ethnic rus
@@ussinussinongawd516 And yet there are way more Asians in Russia than white people
Not me questioning my heterosexuality all through every scene with Kaz Brekker.
mood
as you should
Mal is more my type
@@withcindy I did not see that coming
That's me but with Zoya lol
Ngl, when I tried to explain while watching the show that I liked how they swapped Alina being ugly to being Asian, my Asian mother was a little scared that I was saying I thought being Asian was ugly lmao.
It also abolishes the âugly YA protagonistâ trope where we all know the main girl is actually beautiful
Tbh you could argue that Alina IS considered to be "ugly" because she lives in a place where Asian features are looked down upon. Like maybe ugliness is not just the main character having low self esteem but a part of racism. (edit: that being said, i can understand why people might have a problem with how alina's identity is portrayed in the show, because so far it's largely seen as negative. looking forward to seeing the rest of the eps to form my final thoughts)
@@withcindy true. And it makes the character wayyy more compelling, as well as the story in general. It adds more depth to her story than her simply suffering from 'Main Character ugly syndrome '! Racism is an actual issue people deal with.
(spoilerish.. That's not really a spoiler) I like that the writers stayed consistent: She faces microagressions and racism all throughout the tv show, not just ep 1. It's actually exploited.
Wait she wasnât Asian in the books? đł I thought she was! đ
@@ngumlovered7566 The writer of the books has said Mal and Alina being mixed is a new thing for the show. It's a change she was excited to make. To make the show more diverse. It seems like a very welcome change to her story that she was happy with. So that's great. Sometimes show writers will make book authors unhappy with their changes. But that's not the case here.
Cindy at 8:30 : Oh Mal, you stupid stupid boy
Mal at ep 8: I never said I was smart
Almost the whole cast confirms my bisexuality lmao.
Ahaha same
Who doesnât though? đ
Loved it how Alexei died and Cindy just stared and kept eating âš Pekka Rollins vibesâš
not me being compared to pekka rollins
I feel like the crows add alot of the action that people diss shadow and bone for lacking. It kind of balances the story and keeps the parts at the little palace from being boring while all we get is failing, learning, banya trips, and kefta descriptions.
I still can't believe the show made me actually like Mal and the Darkling
impressive
Jajaj i agree, in the books I was indifferent to both but I actually liked them in the show
I loved the darking in the books but really hated Mal but the show has me loving Mal and hating the darkling
cindy: "i'm in no rush to watch it all"
me, who stayed up until it dropped at 2 am and was done with it by 9:45 am: yeah same no need to rush bff !
Me though đ
Girl, not you describing exactly how my last night happened đ
ugh girl same! i watched the whole series 2x already IN JUST ONE SITTING!
zoya and mal openly flirting BIPANIC BIPANIC
BIPANIC
Mal saying "I'll meet you at the meadow," had me immediately sobbing. Their power.
That one scene had me rooting for Malina than the entire trilogy did lmao
@@ashleyelisabeth4 đđ
@@ashleyelisabeth4 right?
I swear. I mean I was always malina but the show just made OBSESSED
I cry every timeđ„ș
jesper was truly my favorite character in the show - the casting was PERFECT with him and every time he was on screen i was excited. just all his little gun tricks and eyebrow quirks really hit the mark
Please I'm in love w him đđ
Kit Young was perfect. Apparently he did all of his gun stunts himself. He has such mad talent.
âWhy does Pekka Rollins look like Abraham Lincoln?â I couldnât figure out who it was but thatâs totally it!!!! LOL
"oh to be seduced by zoya" Thats is all I have ever wanted.
same
same đ
Fucking same
Yeahđ©
Iâve already been seduced by her, okay? Now all I need is to actually meet her.
i don't care if the crows "are a good fit narratively" I NEED TO SEE THEM
fair enough
Theyâre the only reasons Iâm watching since I didnât read shadow and bone. But I agree with Cindy they need their own show/season to themselves
Helnik's arc right here
I sobbed when Alexia died. I was so happy when he survivors because he seemed so nice.... and then they just killed him ANYWAYS đđđđ
i just love how literally everyone came out as a Mal stan after watching the first episode đ
I WAS A MAL STAN BEFORE THE SHOW PREMIERED DAMMIT
@@withcindy SAME HERE
Nah, I'm a Kirigan stan through and through.
@@ellax325 thatâs unfortunate
Iâve been a Mal stan since the first book
The way I know Cindy will break the internet when she does a reaction to the ACOTAR adaptation lmao
yes
there's going to be an acotar adaptation?#-#++
@@junehoneycrisp Yes Sarah J. Maas and Ronald D. Moore (He did Outlander) will co-adapt ACOTAR for Hulu
@@dxvx.m whoa- what!?? the way i laughed the other day at the idea if that were to ever happen...
loll anyway- im so excited for that & i think they're actually adapting ToG. (& i personlly think Crescent City would be a great one too)
@Ansee A. Yeah, I get that. But you never know. Sometimes they surprise you and the adaptation turns out decent or even good đ€·ââïžđ
As someone who hasnât read any of the books, I thought that the two story lines were pretty well melded together and it was nice to fall back on The Crows when I was getting tired of Alina.
WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT JESPER????? HE WAS THE MOMENT!!!!! jesper por favor entra na minha casa
SIM KKKKKK. O jesper ficou sensacional demaais
Ficou foi pfto
everyoneâs talking about him on tiktok đ©
JESPER FAHEY SUPREMACY
Does anyone else get that post show depression because real life could never be as exciting?
Me
And the after show depression when you realise you binged it in a few days in between school and you have to wait like at least a year before (if even) the next season comes
@@prettypancake5136 omg yes. This joy looking forward to the start of the show is now over, I feel so empty
@@Toffeeprinzessin same I think ima just rewatch it
Hi, currently experiencing this!
Cindy validating my love for the âfriends to loversâ trope when no one else will đ„șđ€
I feel so happy for Inej meeting her Saint - Alina. After reading about Inejs beliefs and her naming her knives...
yes!!
Ohhhh thatâs why she got excited. Iâve read SoC but I just had trouble following the TV scenes
I don't want to spoiler anything. But I think it's just nice for any person to meet someone they look up to as their hero đ€â€ïž
@@monikadidziulyte448 is it a shadow and bone book related spoiler?
@@alyssapinon9670 nah I mean don't want to spoil the show, cus Cindy and some people in the comments did not watch it in full yet. It's related to the time lines of six of crows and shadow and bone being interlinked, and characters meeting each other. Without giving away too much, I think it was made quite well
Kaz: She's not like you
Inej: Yeah because I'm your investment đ
Btw, in case you did not notice, there are at least 4 actors on the show who have Asian blood and very proud of it. Jessie (Alina), Archie (Mal), Amita (Inej) and Sujaya (Zoya).
I hated Mal in the book and I grew to like him in the show đ„ș They did such a great job to make him more likable! Also, I just love how they perfectly portrayed the characters! The cast is absolutely perfect!! đđ€
love it!
Me who has never read shadow and bone: Mal seems like a cool dude I wonder why everyone hates him.
Was he more annoying in the books? I really donât know
@@alyssapinon9670 tbh i shiped Malina in the books too, but apparently some people find him annoying in books
@@alyssapinon9670 it's more so that we don't see his perspective in the books so we don't really get to fully understand his character
@@alyssapinon9670 he isnât terrible, but he acts very whiney and unreasonable sometimes. he gets better as the books go on though
I just know cindy is gonna fangirl over genya and David more than mal and alinađđđ
looking forward to meeting them!
@@withcindy dude you're gonna love it. I have mixed feelings about the series but it's so good.
My babies!
@@dakshitaxo amen! Theyâre so beautiful together!
Spoilers for RoW:
*my heart aches*
Yes! I love Genya and David so much! They definitely needed more screen time!
I will never get tired of the jokes about Alina's whitewashing powers
also omg Anita Suman nailed Inej. Anita and Inej we love only two queens
I don't know what to say about the actors playing most of the characters. I haven't really thought about what they looked like, but the ones playing Kaz, Inej and Jesper are perfect. Not only in how they look but also their way of speaking, facial expressions, chloding etc. The people making the show did a very good job of casting them đ
They nailed The Crowsâ chaotic energy
"Oooh, I like her!" I had the same reaction, and then was very disappointed by what immediately happened to her.
i know right?!
As someone who hasn't read the book or didn't know anything about the story, me and my partner really liked the series. I think the crows added a lot of interest, plot, and funny moments - we're keen to discover their backstories more next season. I feel if they didn't included it, the story would have felt very 'teen romance' . Also we loved how quick the whole pace of the series was, we never felt bored watching.
Funny that Mal was unliked in the book - he was our second favourite character (behind Jesper), romance wise he was so wholesome/supportive/mature - the shadow dude was straight up creep and abusive vibes.
The Crows storyline have gotten the most praise from reviewers. Kit Young is amazing as Jesper, best actor on the show.
"Would people who didn't read the book get into the series?"
>woke up Sunday morning with my dad really engaging with the story
I think yes :)
thats great!!
Everyone did an amazing job with this show especially with the production value. The costumes and cgi all honestly look movie level, which is great when you realize that they managed to do it with an entire show rather than just one movie.
Since the trailer Ive been waiting for Cindyâs inevitable a dirty joke about the foldđ
im so predictable
Omg! I didn't even know I wanted and I had been waiting for this joke until now
I kid you not when I tell you I giggled and squealed like a 5 year old every time Jesper was on screen. Iâm just absolutely in love with him.
SAME
Mood
YEP
As someone who hasn't read the books, I am understanding everything pretty well. However I am enjoying the Crows characters more, they are very dynamic
âi wonder if people not into the books can follow the showâ meanwhile iâm trying to follow it by solely watching cindyâs reactions
oop i wonder how lost u will be!!
I didn't read the books. I figured put what was going on.
Cindy gushing over Malina is making me feel better about the world we live in
cindy now: i liked alexei
cindy in her shadow and bone reading vlog: if your name is alexei, you're bound to die
Ok but I actually love the fact that they combained the two stories, it makes everything more complicated, i know, but it never gets boring. Its kinda messy but its a GOOD mess. I watched the show with my parents and they didnt read the books but they are loving the show just as much as me.
why did Kanej have faster buildup than Malina
Kanej is extremely delicate and subtle, needs to be carefully handled while Malina is our comfort buddy ;-;
I agree! His cheesy lines to her feel OOC to me
As a non-book reader (who also initially missed the first episode when I started watching it with my parents) I thought the story wasnât hard to follow at all! They did a great job of explaining the world progressively without having it feel like an info dump.
Cindy: there's my man fighting for honour
...
Meanwhile...
Darkling: I will strip away all that you know, all that you love, until you have no shelter but me
đđđ
mal is fighting, darkling is.... doing something else
I mean heâs been fighting for a revolution since before Malâs parents were even born, thatâs something?
I fully thought that was a reference to Zuko, my most honourable man
no one:
cindy watching a scene where the characters talk about the fold: ok but what about MY fold đ€š
when r we gonna talk about the REAL fold that matters
the fact that this wasn't in my recommended is a CRIME...thank you stalker instincts for finding this for me
Are Kazâs and Inejâs relationship this cute in the books bc in the show they are literally so adorable omfgg I love the pining lmao
I'd argue its even better because you get to read what Kaz and Inej think about each other through each interaction.
The series gave a good taste but Kaz and Inej's pining in the books is INSANE
@@juliacorreal i can only hope I can write that level of pining in my fanfictions for my fav ships :â) especially ones that are set kn a world where the characters are in life or death situations
As someone who shipped Malina when reading the books, Iâm loving the fact that so many antis are now shipping Malina because of the show.
Me shipping them for 7 years đ„ș
SAME
OG OG STAN, I SEE
why didn't people ship them? i know nothing about the books
@@piersnivans5983 I think people just found mal annoying and he was quite whiny and grumpy. I quite liked him tho
Just wait... The Crows are the BEST part of the entire series đ It all comes together, and I'm living for Jesper. He's such a saucy b*tch. Love seeing that man on screen!
I love that Cindy just got two months of content with this show. Get that coin, queen!
yessss
Next to the actual show, Cindyâs reaction is what Iâve been waiting for all my life
u can re-experience the show all over again through me! :D
@@withcindy hecc yeah!
You know they did a great job when the book readers have no complaints. Perfect casting tho, the actors greatly performed the tension needed in the scenes.
Cindy! You were featured in a Netflix video and Leigh knows you! We are so proud of you!
thank you!