Wiznygrada: Chaos in West Novaris
| Wiznygrada: Chaos in West Novaris | |
 Logo of the Anime Series of Wiznygrada: Chaos in West Novaris, depicting a map of West Novaris with burning text representing the common
design motif of the series. | |
| Wesnovary Koas - Wiznygrada (Весновары Коас Визниграда) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy, Adventure |
| Light novel | |
| With Added Papercuts! | |
| Written by | Ernst Rensof, Koliana Isailović |
| Illustrated by | Klara Scholtz |
| Published by | Spinning Gear Publishing |
| Demographic | Young Adult |
| Original run | June 11, 2008 – May 15, 2017 |
| Volumes | 7 |
| Light novel | |
| Hostile Architecture (Novel) | |
| Written by | Koliana Isailović, Vladimir Morozov |
| Illustrated by | Georgia Alovich |
| Published by | Spinning Gear Publishing |
| Demographic | Male |
| Original run | March 4, 2009 – September 5, 2012 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Anime television series | |
| As Seen on TV | |
| Directed by | Matthias Altwik |
| Produced by | Lara Yakovich |
| Written by | Ernst Rensof, Koliana Isailović, Vladimir Morozov |
| Music by | Marisillo Vincent, with assistance by Karl R. Polstav |
| Studio | Progress Studios |
| Original network | DMS TV, Arnstal Entertainment |
| Original run | June 11, 2014 – present |
| Episodes | 38 |
| Anime film | |
| Wiznygrada the Movie: Seminal Incompetence | |
| Directed by | Matthias Altwik |
| Studio | Progress Studios |
| Released | June 8, 2015 |
| Runtime | 72 minutes |
| Audio drama | |
| Hard of Hearing | |
| Directed by | Mairéad O'Reddin |
| Produced by | Connor O'Gier |
| Written by | Mairéad O'Reddin, Koliana Isailović |
| Music by | Marisillo Vincent, with assistance by Karl R. Polstav |
| Studio | Beovicta |
| Station | Secular Radio Central |
| Original run | March 9, 2021 – present |
| Episodes | 23 |
| Game | |
| On A Bitstring Budget | |
| Developer | Rosak Games Cooperative |
| Publisher | AEI, Arnstal Entertainment |
| Music by | Karl R. Polstav |
| Genre | Roguelike, Role-playing |
| Platform | PC |
| Released | March 2, 2022 (West Novaris, Alaria) |
| Internet fiction | |
| |
Wiznygrada: Chaos in West Novaris (Durakan: Wesnovary Koas! - Wiznygrada, Durakan Cyrillic: Весновары Коас! - Визниграда) is a Durakan webcomic, later given adaptations as light novels and an anime series, created by Ekvatori-Durakan artist Koliana Isailović in 2004. Beginning as a series of internet fiction published on Isailović's personal website and shared on sites such as Oratlayn as 5san, the show gained popularity for it's unique blend of adventure and comedy, providing moments of action combined with sections of comedic and sometimes informative skits with the characters.
Wiznygrada (Durakan Cyrillic: Визниграда) is a compounding of the words Wizny (Durakan word meaning 'small', 'tiny') and Grad (Mulnikan word for "town", "city"), with Isailović stating that the -a suffix was used as a plural both to shorten the name and to tweak words reminiscent of Durakan. The name officially translates to "Tiny Cities", with each of the characters in the series acting as an exaggerated, almost characteristic personification of a City on Urth, mainly centring on Western Novaris, though later series introduced characters representing cities worldwide, with each taking inspiration in both dress and personality from positive and negative cultural stereotypes, often played in a tongue-and-cheek manner.
While there is a large characters roster to the show, with many characters more or less prominent depending on the series, the most consistent main cast are the Durakan cities of Volsta, Marlo, Arnstal, Wesnov and Urnst, with the original series beginning with the attempts of Volsta and Marlo to impress the three largest Durakan cities in order to receive funding to build drinking establishments next to their government offices, with the two being dragged, often against their wills, into adventures and conflicts across Western Novaris and beyond.
The series often uses humour and satire in order to portray historical and current events on the continent, both in order to shed light on and explore the often absurd nature of geopolitics in the region with a generally more light-hearted tone, with the most iconic being the ongoing over-the-top rivalry between the Gränser Capital of Luträbby and the Aponivian settlement of Weedon in reference to the relatively mild Conall Island Conflict.
The first Wiznygrada Webcomic was released on the 1st of April, 2004, on Isailović's website Pričeosupi.drk, with versions in Mulnikan and Durakan available, illustrating a short story of Marlo trying to host an exhibition to show the other cities in Durakia how important it was, but soon running into difficulties after Volsta convinces him to get Urgabom to help in hosting the event, making jokes and references to the disastrous Expo '95.
While Isailović had posted a few of her works on the internet before, mainly consisting of short stories and self-described "overcaffeinated doodles of varied and questionable quality", Wiznygrada: Chaos in West Novaris was by far her most ambitious project thus far, having worked on it during her time at Volsta People's College, where she was studying to gain qualifications in Art and Design. Despite this, Isailović reportedly did not expect much of a response from the project, later saying in a 2007 interview with a side-magazine of the Durakan newspaper Taglev Pochta,
—Behind the Screens: Koliana Isailović, November 4th. 2007 |
Despite her very low expectations of the webcomic, Wiznygrada received a considerable amount of notice after it was shared on the Durakan social media site Oratlayn, eventually reaching an audience which included 5san creator and indie composer Karl R. Polstav (Known on the internet as KarPol), who would post a link to the webcomic on his site with the permission of Isailović, going on to later compose the iconic theme for the series, which would be remixed and adapted for the anime adaptation.
Following the generally positive response from the internet, Isailović would continue the original series of webcomics between 2004 and its finale in 2011, as well as working on other projects within the series, including the more adult orientated and story-driven web series Wiznygrada: Hostile Architecture between 2006 and 2008, in which she worked alongside Ekvatori author Boris Milošević, as well as two sequel series Wiznygrada: Trouble in Klippezacht and Wiznygrada: Christie Calamities, with additional focuses on the League of Novaris and the International Forum respectively, with the latter series continuing monthly to this day.
Outside of Webcomics, the success of the series allowed for adaptations of the Original webcomic series and Hostile Architecture into light novels, which were published by the Arnstal-based Spinning Gear Publishing Cooperative, with the original series being given the subtitle "Now With Papercuts" as a light-hearted tool in differentiating between the novels in comparison to the webcomic and the series as a whole. As well as SGPC, Wiznygrada has worked in coordination with Progress Studios, one of the larger anime studios in Durakia, creating an anime televised adaptation, subtitled As Seen On TV , as well as a feature length film set during the early 20th Century titled Wiznygrada the Movie: Seminal Incompetence, a reference to the Great War. Wiznygrada: As Seen On TV is currently on its fourth season, having aired the first episode on the 22nd of January, 2022.
A video game based on the series, Wiznygrada: On A Bitstring Budget, was released for PC, developed by the Rosak Games Cooperative, as well as being published and distributed by Arnstal Entertainment Interactive (AEI) - the games division of Arnstal Entertainment - released in West Novaris and Alaria on March 2nd, 2022, with an international release expected in the summer of this year. As developers, Rosak specializes in roguelike role-playing games, and was licenced to create a video game adaptation of the property after a prototype for a light-hearted fantasy RPG was pitched to Arnstal Entertainment, who had previously purchased exclusive rights to any game adaptation of Wiznygrada in late 2014 following the successful release of the first season of As Seen On TV. As with other games developed by Rosak, the roguelike gameplay centres around the exploration of randomly generated dungeons which shift and evolve around the unique playstyle of each run through. The player and their party need to explore through these dungeons in order to navigate the world, find items and help others along the way, encountering turn-based battles based around strategic navigation of the generated arena. The game's story offers a mix of both light-hearted and complex narratives within a story which shifts based on player choice. The game received a positive response from a majority of reviewers, praising its humour and originality, despite some notable criticisms towards the style of gameplay.
The show has also reached an international audience, with translations available in languages across the world. Following a successful translation of the light novel series for Meagharian readers in 2020, a Meagharia-exclusive radio serial was produced, with Wiznygrada: Hard of Hearing currently airing since the 9th of March, 2021 - ahead of the scheduled release of a full dub of Wiznygrada: As Seen On TV by Meagharian studio Beovicta next year.