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
Internet fiction
Wiznygrada: Chaos in West Novaris (2004-2011) Wiznygrada: Hostile Architecture (2006-2008) Wiznygrada: Trouble in Klippezacht (2009-2014) Wiznygrada: Christie Calamities (2017-)

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.

Logo of the original Webcomic series, designed by Isailović

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,

“	Well, at first I was just going to post it, see if my friends liked it and then, if they did, I would post more. Turns out they did, and all their friends did too. Well, except Ivan, but I didn't trust Ivan's opinion anyway.	„

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.

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.