Release that Witch

Website : Qidian China

Rating : 9.1(1866)

Chapters : 1498

Status : Complete

Word count : 3.36 million

Author : Er Mu

author level : Great

No of works : 1

Year started : 2016

Translated works :

Genres : Comedy, Fantasy, Mature, Seinen, Slice of Life, Supernatural

Tags : Adapted to Manhua, Army, Army Building, Beautiful Female Lead, Calm Protagonist, Caring Protagonist, Clever Protagonist, Crafting, Demons, Depictions of Cruelty, Devoted Love Interests, Discrimination, Early Romance, Economics, Enemies Become Allies, Engineer, Fantasy World, Firearms, Hard-Working Protagonist, Industrialization, Kingdom Building, Kingdoms, Knights, Leadership, Loyal Subordinates, Magic, Male Protagonist, Management, Manipulative Characters, Marriage, Mature Protagonist, Medieval, Modern Knowledge, Monsters, Multiple POV, Nobles, Politics, Pragmatic Protagonist, Religions, Romantic Subplot, Royalty, Schemes And Conspiracies, Stoic Characters, Strategic Battles, Technological Gap, Transmigration, Wars, Weak Protagonist, Witches

Popularity : Very popular in China

Official raw link : https://book.qidian.com/info/1003306811

Last edited : 21/Mar/2020

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Website : Qidian International (webnovel.com)

Views : 126.1 million

Rating : 4.6(6.4k)

Chapters : 1498

Power Rank : 37(current weekly), 3(male lead all-time), 7(All-time)

Power stones(all time) : 3.9 million

Status : completed

Translator : Transn, Henyee Translations

Editor : Transn, Henyee Translations

Premium : Yes

Premium chapter : 89

Coins per chapter : 7-8

Total number of coins : 10672

Popularity : Very popular

Last edited : 21/Mar/2020

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Synopsis :

Chen Yan travels between worlds, ending up becoming an honorable prince in a medieval fantasy world. Yet this world was not quite as simple as he thought. Witches with magical powers abound, and fearsome wars between churches and kingdoms rage throughout the land.

Roland, a prince regarded as hopeless by his own father and assigned to the worst fief, spends his time developing a poor and backward town into a strong and modern city, while fighting against his siblings for the throne and absolute control over the kingdom. Join Roland as he befriends and allies with witches and, through fighting and even farming, pushes back invaders coming from the realm of evil.

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POSITIVE REVIEW :

Tl;dr - Reincarnated mechanical engineer brings about industrial revolution in the Medieval Era (imagine going on an invention spree in the 14th century introducing steam engines, Newton's laws, Einstein's theories etc. Become the greatest scientist in the history and rule over the world), with the help of witches that are falsely called the devils incarnate by the Church. The world building is great, the translator is amazing and this story is a must read!!

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The first thing I will say is that the title doesn't justify the story. If I was to sum up the story till now, it would be 'Engineer in Another World'. An interesting theory XD

The MC is level headed, smart, and he thinks like a student of science, and not like some stubborn and foolish idiot. He is nither arrogant nor a coward.

This is a story of an engineer being reincarnated in another universe, as a good-for-nothing prince and will fight against his siblings for the throne. And he uses science and stuff from his previous life in this world, which is still in the era of kingdoms using swords and crossbows, and becomes the overlord of the world.

Imagine you being reincarnated in 1500s. I will invent electricity, machines and everything I've learnt, and name then all after me. I will become the God of the masses and get worshipped by the whole world XD. Our MC is not that arrogant. He is humble and respects everyone, unlike a lot of novels. And there are witches in the story. From the sypnosis we get that the witches are hated by the whole world and our MC fights for them. I won't spoil it for you guys.

From the story so far, I think there will be lots of scheming, planning, plotting and conning others in the future chapters. Till now there has been no mention of things like cultivation levels or anything such. I don't think it will be a story where the MC is nuts about cultivation and becoming an immortal, which is different from a lot of xianxia novels, and I think this is one of the really good points about this story. The author is doing a good job at building the world, and I would recommend this novel very much

-intelanands(NU)

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CRITICAL REVIEW :

Release that Witch is a surprising read in a sea of webnovels. It isn't perfect, and I'll elaborate on that, but it's above the garbage often seen. There won't be plot spoilers in this review except the obvious "Yeah he helps witches" so continue with that in mind. Enjoy my mini-novel review.

Unlike most CN webnovels, RtW distances itself from Wuxia and enters the magic flintlock genre. With a setting reminiscent of medieval times, you've got a cast of knights and nobles and peasants. This isn't a new concept. In fact, it's old and worn. But it's how it's done despite the tropes, and for the most part, the author managed well. The twist is that the protagonist comes from our modern day, and this twist carries the story in both obvious ways and more subtle ones.

Had the first chapter never mentioned the origins of the protagonist, it would've been hard to realize at a glance. The name of this regular guy is soon forgotten as he takes upon the role of Roland, the fourth prince, and you will probably only know him as such. The previous Roland was a fool, as often these stories make them be, so when our modern day hero takes over, it becomes a familiar journey of climbing to kingship. He no slave or farm boy, but his status as nobility begins low relative to his siblings, and gives us, the reader, something to cheer for.

This brings up the advantages of a modern day man in a period lacking knowledge. But as you can imagine by the title, what keeps this in the fantasy genre is the inclusion of witches, giving Roland cards to play on his path to glory, literally and figuratively.

Witches are ostracized as devils and killed. Their powers are clearly seen and isn't mystical voodoo no one believes. And our protagonist becomes their friend. Whether it's because he's interested in a scientific standpoint or he's a friendly guy isn't important. What's important is the role witches play in the grand scheme of things.

Roland's Border Town becomes a bastion for them. His kindness and acceptance toward witches attracts a flock who aid and make possible things that would otherwise be impossible. Like many novels in epic fantasy, it becomes too much, and details become lost. Because of the story's scope, beside a select few witches, many of them take a backseat and are reduced to tools to help Roland grow his empire. This is a shame because the cast of said witches is fun and varied. Unfortunately you'll only familiarize yourself with certain ones, and the rest are non-existent until the protagonist has use of their power.

Those powers have an important role, and it's here that magic and technology mix. Roland's ability to rise up depends on magic, boosting his ability to quickly reach the industrial age of guns and manufacturing. You'd think one might overwhelm the other, but balance is kept in check. There are clear advantages to witches, yet they're no army. By helping witches, he's given the chance to command an army unlike any seen before, and with his knowledge, the overwhelming advantages he has crushes the opposition and gives Roland a legitimate claim to the throne.

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, he should know things others do not. On the other hand, he knows too much. Roland was a mechanical engineer before, but apparently he knows chemistry, biology, the education system, war tactics, shipbuilding, and who knows what else. Basic knowledge is fine. What this guy has is unacceptable, however.

"Hey, I'm going to write a chemistry textbook telling you every formula in the world. By the way I'm going to jot down a 500 page manual on how2biology. And I'm going to rewrite an entire play or three, by memory, perfectly. But wait there's more! I'll add in a physics course for free. Did I mention I'm a master plumber, farmer, and blacksmith? Hell, have some music theory too, because I'm a mechanical engineer who took some GE classes and we can all do that while governing an entire city as a full-time job."

Like, what? Some defend this, but there's literally nobody who can do this. Stop trying to "logic" it. Can anyone recite every country in the world by heart, right now, and every state and city and province? Can they list the periodic table in its entirety 20 years after they've long forgotten their high school chemistry class? Do they have seven phDs and a photographic memory? Literally autism. And if you don't want to admit that, then Roland's a Mary Sue, period. Frankly, being overpowered is fine. But let's call this story what it is and not pretend it's anything otherwise. Release that Witch is a power fantasy for teenage and young adult men.

Only in foreign webnovels do protagonists get a pass for being overpowered, which is called bad writing anywhere else. Even Superman has his Kryponite, whether it's a rock or vulnerable friends he must care for. Millions are enthralled by something like Game of Thrones because the characters are human. They are flawed and morally gray men and women who may not survive to the end. Protagonist-chan? He might as well be an alien, because nobody is perfect.

And this is an issue because I've never been concerned for Roland's well-being. He's perfect, and thus boring. While he's no fighter, he doesn't need to be. He is in no danger because he's not one step ahead but twenty steps. I'm quite certain that a witch introduced hundreds of chapters ago, who has never done a damned thing, will suddenly become relevant at a critical point. Then he's going to say, "Just as planned." But because the author didn't give our hypothetical witch any show time, it'll look like our prince pulled it out of his behind. Rest assured, Roland has his bases covered with a plethora of beautiful women surrounding him. He doesn't need to worry about them, either, since they're also ridiculous.

What's also boring is how dull his knowledge can be. It drags the story down when the author harps on about molecules. Imagine a football fan yapping in your ears about his favorite team while the season is airing. Now imagine you not giving a shit, since you'd rather watch Rick and Morty or Futurama or something. This is what it's like when the author writes about details no one cares about. Your eyes glaze over and you skip entire paragraphs as terms you've never heard of are talked about. Please stop. Go back to the story.

Speaking of story, like many in epic fantasy, there are multiple factions with intrigue and espionage in the background. There's a cabal of witches, the church, and the princes and princesses vying for control. The writer touches upon all of them in a third person omniscient point of view, meaning you see what happens at a bird's eye distance and hear the thoughts of all characters. The reader is in the know of things our protagonist is not, and of events he doesn't witness. Possibly good, probably bad. Although we learn more about the world than Roland does, we don't get to experience the surprises in store for him in the future because we'll be in the loop. I personally lean toward this being a negative because this just becomes info dumping and telling rather than showing. Where's the mystery if the author introduces a new character, then immediately tells us his secrets? His life story, his children's stories, and the name of the gopher in his front yard--there goes whatever interest I have in said person.

Another negative is the grammar. For a translated novel, it's okay. But being readable doesn't mean it's correct, and if you're someone who understands basic grammar rules, little things will bother you. Punctuation and dialogue tags, for example, or the incessant use of passive voice. The editors could do a better job. For the last time, you can smile dialogue. When will they learn?

Now I'm going to talk about what this story is and isn't. Despite the roster of witches, all of whom are women, this is not a harem. It has the potential, but it isn't and hopefully won't be. This story is also small on romance. Because of the cast size, Roland doesn't have time to dote upon characters you may or may not ship together. It's present and there, but it's a subplot. Though some may praise the romance, I can't, because I don't see it becoming more than superficial. There's maybe one chapter focusing purely on relationships as of the 200s. How this is good romance is beyond me. RtW is and will always be about Townbuilding 101 and the politics that come with it.

If the main course of the novel is reaching a modern day quality of life, then witches and magic and such are like the side dish to add flavor to the meal. If one witch is salt and another is pepper, you'll get a lot of salt and pepper. But again, because of the story's scope, you're not going to get much paprika or garlic or chives. They're there, but only as one-dimensional additions. Let's not mention the named knight or three. Unfortunately, you may forget who half the cast is. But if you love the few characters that get the screentime of an A-list actor, you're in for a wild ride.

Anyhow, if I had to recommend a Chinese webnovel to a reader who doesn't like Chinese webnovels, this story would be my first suggestion. At the same time, it's so far away from the typical CN story that it almost doesn't qualify as one, yet technically it is. There's no saving face or retarded "can't see Mount Tai" or wow, he can't decide whether he should laugh or cry 100x. It's not a story of self-improvement by getting lucky finding an artifact, then senseless slaughter. It's a standard western epic fantasy that also suffers from CN webnovel tropes, and whether that's what you want or not, that's what you'll get. It's unique, but not unique. It's done okay, but certainly not groundbreaking.

I cannot get over the detachment I feel for most characters. I like the characters placed in the backseat, never to be heard from again. I like the subplots that'll never be brought up in the future. Instead I read pointless specifics on topics I couldn't give a rat's ass about. Instead I learn Roland paves some roads, and maybe adds a few more witches I'll forget exists. Worst, I'll never be worried about him because I know the fourth prince will pull through unscathed. Why, then, should I or any reader care what happens? The stakes aren't high. They're as low as the dirt under our feet. And when the hero doesn't struggle to achieve his goals, then he didn't earn those victories. Roland is given them on a silver platter, and suddenly, everything he accomplishes is diminished. Zero tension, because every battle is already won.

That doesn't mean I didn't like it. It's still enjoyable. But the fun factor degrades. So I have to ask myself why I should read this pseudo western fantasy. Why should I read RtW when I can read Patrick Rothfuss? Why should I read RtW when I can read Brandon Sanderson, or George R.R. Martin? These known fantasy authors have been picked up by publishers because their work are proven sellers, and have years of practice under their belt in writing. Release that Witch competes in the same genre, but doesn't have the same polish. So for a webnovel it's above average, but compared to published novels vetted by professionals, it has glaring flaws. By virtue of setting alone comes its own pros and cons.

Lastly, I want to say that the story really drags when the releases slow down. Because it reads differently, the pace is different and does not fit the norm of CN webnovels. If you binge read it, the experience is better, but the translators are not keeping up as of late, and my interest in the story suddenly tanked. And once I let the story sit in my mind for a while, I realized it's really as good as people say it is.

Tl;dr, Release that Witch is pretty good for what it is. Release that Witch is also pretty bad for what it pretends to be.

-triggerk(NU)

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In my library :Yes