The process of reinventing and retelling classic tales through movies and art isn’t new. However, Blood of Zeus is a class apart through its deconstruction and retelling of Greek mythology. From loss to redemption, the anime borrows major themes and elements from Greek tragedy. The anime premiered in October 2020 and was a massive hit worldwide.
However, the journey to recognition wasn’t easy for the creators of the show. From the initial stage of pitching to procuring investment for the show, creators Charley Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides revealed the struggles behind making this show a massive hit.
Deconstructing Greek Mythology in Blood of Zeus
Blood of Zeus is a modern retelling of Greek mythology that focuses on Heron and Seraphim, the two illegitimate children of the God Zeus. To say the least, the character conception of this show wasn’t a piece of cake for the producers as well as writers. Nonetheless, the creators prioritized creative liberty over the need for authenticity and gatekeeping.
Vlas Parlapanides revealed how he and Charley Parlapanides took creative liberty and freedom to move away from traditional storytelling. While authenticity is viewed as an important aspect of storytelling it sure is overrated.
Both creators are Greek-American and while their ancestry plays a part in the conception of the show, they had to do intensive research for the same. In an interview with WON, Charley shared how they came up with the concept of a modern retelling of Greek mythology. He quoted:
Sometimes people are like, well, ‘They changed this,’ or ‘They changed that.’ Part of it is that we’re trying to pitch and win over executives, and they hear pitches all the time. And if you tell them just the story that they read back in high school or middle school, well, what’s new about that? Why would people watch? So part of the hook that we had is that, oh, this was an oral tradition. Some stories were lost. Here’s this new story.
The show owes its global success partly to John Derderian, the head of Animated Series at Netflix. Derderian, the man behind Castlevania, helped the creators of Blood of Zeus get their show onboard. To add to that, the show managed to get 18 million views within the first 30 days of its release.
Furthermore, the retelling of classic tales would also mean countering gatekeeping for the most part. While copyright violations are the norm in media spaces, the duo also noted how Greek mythology is a public IP and has always been subject to interpretation and reconstruction.
Finding familiarity in flawed characters
Be it Seraphim’s redemption or Heron’s anti-hero stance, the series portrays the legendary Gods and celestial beings as flawed characters. Moreover, the exceptional writing paired with the visuals offers compelling narrative and storytelling. While visuals and storytelling are essential aspects of a narrative, familiarity is equally important.
From character development to complex emotions, the series highlights humanness and makes the characters more palatable to the readers. In addition to that, themes of forgiveness, anger, and betrayal hook the viewers onto the narrative. The anime captures the innate nature of human errors beautifully.
To say the least, the creators of this anime managed to shut the gatekeepers’ brigade through their relentless efforts. Given that Oral traditions are not to be meddled with, the creators excelled in their reconstruction of Greek mythology while retaining its authenticity.
Blood of Zeus is available for streaming on Netflix
