The animated series Asterix and Obelix: The Battle of the Chiefs, directed by Alain Chabat for Netflix, revisits the seventh cult album by Goscinny and Uderzo. However, while the storyline is relatively faithful to the original text, several narrative elements are treated differently.
A new origin story for the Gallic duo
The series opens with the childhood of Asterix and Obelix, recounting the creation of the magic potion and the accident of Obelix falling into the cauldron. This prologue, completely absent from the comic, allows us to explore the genesis of the friendship between the two main characters and to bring a new emotional depth, where the album begins directly with the presentation of the Gauls facing the Roman occupation.
Several new characters
Some protagonists present in the comic are changed in the series, while new arrivals enrich the story. This is mainly the case of the young Metadata. Created for the occasion, this brilliant Roman archivist replaces Perclus, the aide-de-camp of the centurion Langelus in the comics. In addition to adding a strong female character in a series that had none, this change also changes the course of the story. Where Perclus is ambitious and devious, Metadata stands out for her kindness and empathy, and even ends up changing sides to help the Gauls.
This is not the only notable character change in the series: the druid Amnesix, who heals Panoramix in the comics, becomes Apothika, a Roman witch. Also, Caesar and Cleopatra are entirely from the original album, while they play a more central role in Chabat's series. Among the new faces in this adaptation, we will also welcome the arrival of Caesar's mother, played by Jérôme Commandeur, as well as the Romans Potus, Fastandfurious, Blackangus and Hannabarbera.
Another subtlety is that some well-known figures from the village of diehards are present in the series, while they only appear later in the comics. This is the case of Cétautomatix, Ordralfabétix or Agecanonix
A more modern humor
Unsurprisingly for an adaptation that comes almost 60 years after the original comic strip, Alain Chabat updates the language and multiplies the winks to modern pop culture: numerous allusions to social networks, Through anachronistic gags, the Netflix adaptation aims to reinvent the humor of the little mustachioed man. Also, due to international distribution, the names of these new characters are almost exclusively composed of universal terms, understandable by all. This avoids haphazard translations.
New scenes
The series fleshes out the plot and introduces scenes completely absent from the comics. For example, when Obelix, designated leader in place of Abraracourcix, must confront his shyness during public speeches. This plot, which echoes the childhood of the two characters, does not exist in the album. More humorously, the presence of sports commentators Blackangus and Hannabarbera, who host the fight in the style of a sports broadcast, stands out as a purely televisual addition.
In the comics, Getafix spontaneously recovers from his amnesia, without outside intervention. In the series, the druid regains his senses after being struck by Aplusbégalix, reinforcing the comic dimension of the story. Similarly, the Romans initially never have access to the magic potion. In the Netflix adaptation, Getafix tricks them by mixing it with a weightlessness potion, which gives rise to a delirious scene where the soldiers fly away one after the other. Finally, the series features a Treecutter who, buoyed by the news of Getafix's recovery, triumphs over Aplusbégalix without a magic potion, which is not mentioned in the comics.
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