Harry Potter vs. Percy Jackson - The Books (ft. The Authentic Observer)
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Hello everyone!
I'm so excited that I was once more able to collaborate with The Authentic Observer for this video. She's so smart and lovely, and I had a blast filming this with her.
In the video we chat about the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan, and the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling. We compare and contrast the two, and talk about how both handle similar concepts differently.
Let me know your thoughts on these books down below!
Please check out the video we did on The Authentic Observer's channel here: • Percy Jackson vs. Harr...
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I love Percy and Harry equally, but I think Percy’s romance with Annabeth was handled a lot better than Harry’s romance with Ginny. Harry and Ginny just seemed to come out of no where in book 6, while Percy and Annabeth’s relationship builds up in the span of all five books and continues to build in the Heroes of Olympus series. While I do love Harry and Ginny together, I wish Rowling would’ve established at least a bigger friendship so that their relationship would’ve had something to build off of, like Ron and Hermione.
I totally agree! I think Ron and Hermione's relationship has similar depth to the Percy/Annabeth relationship.
Keeley LaSure Thorough Observation 👌👌
Janni Walugembe I agree. The way Annabeth acted towards Rachael annoyed me, then when she noticed Rachel and Percy wouldn't be a thing, she started treating her nice, it annoyed me so much.
Didn't harry talk to like a humaniod form of his hormones serval times in the books or did someone make that up? If it is true then atleast rick knows what its like being a teenage boy more than rowling does.
I personally think Harry and Ginny are perfect together, for Ginny experienced something similar to Harry in the chamber of Secrets, and that Ginny had always had a crush on Harry, it’s just that Harry took time to develop the feelings he had for her.
I think Annabeth and Hermione are actually quite different even if they basically fulfill the same role in the trio.
Since Percy first saw her, (or second) she was this California girl cliche with blond hair and great muscles but stormy eyes that broke the illusion. Her whole character is that you shouldn't judge her on looks. She is badass, intelligent and witty and tackles the stupid blonde stereotype with her dagger face on.
Also she first finds Percy extremely annoying and grows to like him whereas it's the opposite for Hermione and Harry.
Hermione is introduced as this imperfect know it all with frizzy hair and large teeth that's just so condescending towards Ron and Harry it's almost painful. Her character is that she was actually imperfect, she was acting wrong and Harry and Ron made her realize that. Afterwards even if she kept her sassy attitude, she was less uptight around people.
I totally agree! That's well said :)
I adore wise girl
Never judge a blonde
And also Hermione has two character traits (smart and brave, maybe sarcastic) whereas Annabeth is actually complex
Ahh thank you! I always try to convince people that they aren't alike or that Annabeth isn't like Hermine but most people disagree. I know I'm late by the way😅
Yes, yet alone their values and all are different. Also, I honestly feel like they are smart in different ways...
I grew up with Percy Jackson. While everyone else was reading Harry Potter, I was obsessed with Camp Half-Blood and Greek mythology and epic quests. It will always be my favorite series, even to this day. With no offense to Harry Potter, of course, I'm sure it's as important to other people. But to me, it's no Percy Jackson.
Melissa Kaleka I loved both but always perfer PJO
I Read PJO but like HP to PJO is really good tho
Same
Same
Me too!!
I read Percy Jackson and Harry Potter around the same time. But I have a soft spot for Percy Jackson and I think it's going to stay that way. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored HP but Percy Jackson related to me so much because it made me face my fears at school and became my inspiration almost everyday I have a thought of PJO
the funny thing is that it makes a lot of sense. Riordan was an English teacher before he wrote the books.
Agreed with all this, read them around the same time yet PJO just something about it.
When I first read them I was being tested for ADHD and struggling with what I thought was wrong with me and I loved the fatal flaw idea because for me it put in perspective nobody is perfect we all have issues
As someone who despises most romance, I loved how Rick Riordan wrote Percy and Annabeth.
Percy and Annabeth may be your "straight white boy main character gets together with straight white girl character."
Even though they may be that, this does not mean that they are bad. Those affiliated with that cliché unfortunately tends to have no chemistry and is solely based on lust. There is no such thing as a bad trope, as a trope is good or bad depending on how it's executed.
Percy and Annabeth, however, are quite the opposite, as they genuinely care and support the other person, with a great deal of chemistry that makes them so loveable.
They have a realistic amount of problems but not to the point of where it is unhealthy, as it is solved or never occurs again.
They have amazing buildup and chemistry during the first series, AND chemistry after the relationship is established during the second series. Holy shit. Hats off to you, Rick Riordan. Your couple in a children's/ young adult novel series managed to be superior to the vast majority of relationships in adult media.
Surprisingly with my age, I haven't seemed to outgrow their relationship. I've also seen the older fanbase say the same. A lot of the older readers still have an emotional attachment to Percy and Annabeth. Of course, we were practically raised by Percy and Annabeth since quite a lot of us grew up with them. All of these elements just make them very endearing to us.
Perhaps I am blinded by nostalgia, but they are by far my favorite fictional couple.
I like Frank and Hazel best because they're my favorite characters. But I read HOO first so I have more nostalgia for it. Percabeth is 2 for me because I live with someone like annabeth and one is enough. I still really like her though and they are my second favorite ships.
I don’t see how most “straight white” relationships have no chemistry. I can see how badly written relationships can be bad but a relationship should not be judged heavily by race or sexuality. That goes equally for every race and sexuality and to categorize that most “straight white” relationships are bad, is just as bad as people saying they don’t enjoy relationships of color or different sexualities.
I'll be honest, I'm almost 20 and I haven't finished the HP series. I liked it while I was reading it but I just lost interest during the 4th book, Percy Jackson however is my boi. I grew up as a kid with pretty bad dyslexia and ADD, so I always felt like I was super dumb and had no place in academics or really much of anywhere. Percy Jackson helped me realize that just because I wasn't good at school didn't mean that I was bad at everything. Finding a way to creatively tell kids with these learning disabilities that they have strengths in different places was crucial to me and I'm sure almost every other kid like me. HP is fine and all, but it's not Percy Jackson which to this day, is still my favorite series and is my most reread.
A reason i personally prefer Riordan as an author to Rowling just in general is largely because I respect how the original series was written for his kid who had learning disabilities and as he became more widely known began to pack so so much representation in to give a voice to communities in his books- especially in Magnus Chase. And while I really love harry potter and i will always respect JK Rowling for her own journey and creating such a massive universe, the way Rowling handled Cho Chang, one of her very few characters of color, was something I found disappointing. And as a child, I can't begin to explain how important this kind of rep was. I used to always want to be the character with the black hair when playing pretend and my other chinese friends and I would fight over who got to be them, so seeing cho (i think the only actual asian person in the entire main series) as kind of a stereotype and plot device used to boost ginny and harry in a huge universe taking place in one of the most multicultural countries in the world was not great, per say. so seeing so many proud and incredible poc and lgbt characters in riordan's writing is really really touching- oops this became an incomprehensive flaming pile of trash so ill end it here, but thats my take on it :)
Liza Johnson she was put into the ‘smart’ house and that’s just one example there are plenty more
I love both of these series but I have noticed that as I've aged my enthusiasm over Harry Potter has toned down a bit where as my love for Percy Jackson has only grown. Also the romance between Percy and Annabeth is handled so much better than pretty much any romance in Harry Potter where all the pairings just seem to kind off come out of nowhere.
I think the Percy Jackson book’s most American elements are probably the homebase being a summer camp, a purely American institution, and the road-trip-ness of every “episode” of Percy’s adolescence, also a very American idea since many other countries aren’t both large enough, developed enough and focused on the individual enough for it to be common. And then the HP homebase being a boarding school is all too British and if you compare their different adventures you’ll see that they tend to stay more or less in the same place (Hogwarts) until the final book where they actually travel(interestingly enough the final PJO book is the only one where for the most part it’s in one place, NY).
I also thought it was worth mentioning that while Grover and Ron differ in that Ron’s “comical” failures lead him to jealousy and Grover’s lead him to stress about never achieving his goal(because he and Percy aren’t eligible for the same accomplishments unlike Ron and Harry), Annabeth and Hermione also differ in that Annabeth is not new to the world like Hermione is and is perfectly capable of providing factual knowledge, logical reasoning AND cultural understanding like Grover. Annabeth also doesn’t jump to physical action more out of necessity than desire and Hermione does so out of choice. Annabeth is far less physically powerful than most of her opponents while Hermione often rivals or is superior to them in terms of spell casting ability, and even so Annabeth being more temperamental often rushes in dagger first even while she considers the repercussions.
I’d also like to say that reason behind the conflict of every book is either Luke acting on behalf of Kronos (books 1, 2, & 4), the actions of another one of Kronos’s subordinates(Atlas in book 3), or Kronos himself (book 5); so the Percy Jackson series is very tied together around the over arching conflict.
Also to add onto my already repulsively long comment, the thematic villains that Percy and Harry respectively face fit well with their respective cultural identities. Percy being the all American kid, America being the country all about independence and crises of the individual, he’s trying to get the gods to respect and recognize their children and do the very minimum of claiming them so that they can each put together their identities without missing pieces. Harry being a purebred son of England has to fight prejudice, which his nation as a former empire brought to all corners of the world and now is rampant in their homeland. Wizards and Muggles, Englishmen and Immigrants, Harry’s story is deeply rooted in the past like you say in this video so it makes sense that the ultimate evil in the series is a very old problem indeed.
@@lighthousecreature2841 Harry’s mom was Muggle-born, making him half-blood. Absolutely hate that terminology, but I see what JKRowling was doing there, lifting a magnifying glass to British society and attitudes by making the concept of purity so central to the main conflict. And your comment is long, but well worth the read.
Both series could do with a Netflix adaption at some point. Make it so things aren't missed or, in Percy Jackson's case, completely messed with.
try Disney plus (ahhhh future knowledge)
One thing that really stands out to me in Percy Jackson is character motivation. You can see this very well in the first book; Percy, Annabeth and Grover all have their own reasons for being on the quest to find Zeus's lightning bolt, as well as the general idea to not have the end of the world. Annabeth wants to stand out, be recognised for her talents and find the real world. Grover wants to protect his friends obviously, but also wants to prove himself as a protector to be able to get a searcher's license to go and find the great god pan. Percy, very obviously, wants to save his mom that Hades has taken away, and seems to kind of want to make is dad proud too.
In Harry Potter, the main reason why the characters do things, try to save people etc is just to, you know, save the world. And that's great and all, but they don't really have any personal motivations for it. I mean, Harry wants to not get killed by Voldemort, and I guess Ron has a hint of wanting to stand out from his brothers, but firstly it's not really expanded on, and secondly it doesn't really explain why he goes on those specific adventures. Hermione really doesn't have much motivation, except wanting to stick with Harry and Ron.
I mean it's no big deal, but to me those personal motivations really add depth to the characters. Overall, I think that Percy Jackson has better developpment in the characters, who have more developed personalities.
I still love both series though, and I think they're both amazing, but I just wanted to point that out.
Personally, I found it really hard to finish the Harry Potter books and didn't enjoy much of them, If it wasn't for Hermoine, Ron and Luna I would've stopped. However, I managed to read the Percy Jackson books much quicker and enjoyed them much more. A reason could be because of how engaged the main character seemed. Harry seemed to not care much and all danger, antagonists and such came to him (except in the 7th book) while Percy finds the enemy himself. Another reason however, is the journey, Percy Jacksons joueney is enjoyable and fun and takes you to different places and gives you space to widen your imagination while Harry Potter almost keeps you in a box? You don't leave the castle often and you don't really get to visit anywhere new. I like the exploring part of fantasty which Harry Potter didn't give much of, while Percy Jackson does have places that they stay at often they do leave and show more of the world. This might not make any sense and it could just be me who feels this way, oh well. Sorry for rambling!
Summer Ralls I agree I never finished the series because I got really bored. I stopped at The Order of the Phoenix. Percy Jackson is just so fun to read but it knows when to be serious. And books later on include inside jokes from previous books but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment.
Physicalanxiety that’s dam right
Get it?
@@mattcalderon138 Who said I wanted to read something that's "happy happy" as you put it with your excellent grammar skills. All the best stories have at least a little bit of tragedy. Also are you insisting that Percy Jackson is all just happiness because they go to literal hell multiple times. You've also never have read the original Cinderella then because it isn't "happy happy" as you claim so shut up and go read The Order of the Phoenix or something.
@@mattcalderon138 You don't have the right to lecture anyone especially with your poor excuse of a paragraph. You didn't even make any good points if any. Telling me that you read The Order of the Phoenix and that you know what the word if means isn't even a good comeback. This just goes to show that you have writing skills of a third grader and the wit of one too.
I totally feel you. I STILL haven’t finished Goblet of Fire after two years where as I sped through all three Percy Jackson book series in a few months. I started reading it last summer and the books got me back into reading!
I can't really compare the two since Harry Potter was my childhood, but Percy Jackson was my teenage years. What I think you have to consider is that to me, Percy Jackson isn't just 5 books. I have like 20 Rick Riordan related books on my shelf, and all of them are related to Percy Jackson, but I would count at least the Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo books,, I just can't isolate Percy Jackson in my mind anymore lol
Ultimately I do also prefer the Percy Jackson books just because the story still continues to me today and I grew and still grow with the characters
Gloomy Pen Plus personally to me at least the characters seem to act like actually people
I preferred the percy jackson series mainly because of how its written and because its based on real stuff people used to believe in (greek and roman myths) , while the writing is sarcastic and humorous you'd still walk out of the book have had learned something new , english isn't my first language so PJO was much easier for me to read and listen to its audiobook , and PJO had much more diverse characters.
A lot of people dont like that rick keeps writing in the same universe , bringing annabeth into the magnus chase , slightly referencing PJO in the kane chronicles , or either the trials of apollo (especially that character rick killed in the last trials of apollo , still didnt forgive him) , i still dont get why continuing on it is bad , i mean.... how can u get enough of percy?
I agree to an extent, though I would argue that a lot of the witchcraft in Harry Potter people once believed in too!
I honestly only read a few of the HOO books and then stopped with the extended universe, but I don't see why that would be a problem. I guess it's just a taste thing!
HebaTun I know ! How could he do that ?
HebaTun At least Rick continues the stories organically. I mean, you can read the Kane Chronicles or the Magnus Chase books without having read the Percy Jackson series.
That’s my issue with Cassandra Clare and The Mortal Instruments. Ignoring the fact that the last three books in the saga were obviously product of a contract, the heavy connections she made with The Infernal Devices had me scratching my head thinking “did I miss something?” There are so many references that take you out of the book if you don’t get them
HebaTun I was more worried about it not being in the same universe lol
I do hope that when Rick does finish writing for this universe, he ends it with the character that started it all.
I'm really disappointed how the movies portrayed Ron, especially the last ones. They took every strength that he had, put it on to Hermione and just left him as an useless sidekick.
IKR
Well our movies SUCK
I guess because of having a weird relationship with my father, ADD and having a hard time reading growing up (probably dyslexia, but never got it checked) Percy Jackson resonated with me more. I'm 19 and I'm still reading Riordan's works because of how much I can relate to some of the characters.
The magical items being modernized in PJ I think, is based on how the myths were told/written. The Greek gods of old like Apollo rode chariots, statues of the goddesses are seen with popular hairstyles of their respective time, they all wore the chitons.
The modernized versions of the gods (wearing designer suits/clothing, driving sports cars etc) was just Riordan's way of showing parallels of the gods and the culture they reside in. I think that's more of why the gods were modernized.
Yet, I read the HP series first other than PJO. I've grown out of HP and onto PJO when I was grade 5. I'm gonna be completely honest with you, I wasn't really intrested into HP at all. I've been obsessed with greek mythology, epic quests and things similar to it. PJO is still my favorite series right now. The day that you're reading this comment, it'll always be my favorite. Even if somebody tries to change my mind, it wouldn't work. Looking at both HP and PJO. I've always wondered how Harry and Ginny's relationship built up in all of the books and movies I've read. Looking at PJO, Annabeth started to 'fall' for Percy---
Yeah personally I like things in phases my Harry Potter phase lasts a month when it surfaces or resurfaces whereas I read Hoo 2 years ago and still reread it my Rick Riordan book phase never really ended and still has no end in sight
Very interesting discussion! Personally, I don’t really have a preference, although Rick Riordan’s books have probably had a bigger influence on me as a kid as I stumbled upon them before reading Harry Potter. Besides, as I was a rather young non-English speaker (I’m from Denmark :-D), Rick Riordan’s books helped me develop my English skills and were a stepping stone for me to read more complex literature in English. Therefore, Rick Riordan’s books will always have a special place in my heart.
I also find the world of Percy Jackson equally intriguing as the world of Harry Potter because of Rick Riordan’s way of using Greek ideals in a modern setting. You can for example draw parallels to hubris/nemesis or the fatal flaw (Annabeth’s pride and Percy’s abiding loyalty), the hero’s journey (the dangerous quests), anthropomorphic gods and goddesses (Rick Riordan’s comical way of “normalizing” Greek mythology in the 21. century) and the Apollonian view of life with the Oracle in Delphi (obscure prophecies, inescapable destinies and omnipotent gods).
True! I think all of those facets are what make the story so interesting. And as you mentioned, it harks back to the original myths and storytelling. I think it's brilliant :)
i like the percy jackson series a lot more, mostly because while i grew out of liking the harry potter series as i got older, i never grew out of percy jackson. hell, i still buy the other books rick riordan writes for that universe. i'm not sure what did it for me, but any book i read as a child and haven't grown out of is a book(or series) i respect.
i also feel the characters have a better voice in the pjo books, and with all the representation that comes with each book riordan writes, instead of him saying "oh this character was gay all along lol" after all the books of that universe are finished... i just find that universe in general better - though pjo of course was never as diverse as the later books riordan has written
(i will say i headcanon percy as latino though ahha, the same way i headcanon harry potter as a poc character)
For me, I think each series has its share positives and negatives. Harry Potter has better villains and side characters. Whereas Percy Jackson has the better world building, romances and main character. (Since I still think Harry is just a super bland every-man character with very little personality outside of that trope. Percy is more of a unique character with more character flaws and develops more throughout the series. Percy also kinda reminds me of Finn from Adventure Time. If you count the other series, the other MCs are all unique and each have their own distinct voice, being vastly better written characters than Harry was in my opinion).
Percy Jackson also has the better written POC and queer characters; and a lot of them are main characters. If you count the Percy Jackson spin off books, they blow Harry Potter out of the water even more when it comes to representation. (While I think it can be debated whether or not representation is needed for a piece of media, I think everyone can agree that characters like Cho could've been written a lot better and the whole "admitting Dumbledor was gay after the series was complete" was poorly handled.)
As for what I like more, I enjoy Percy Jackson far more as a series. I never got into Harry Potter and I don't like it. Harry Potter is a great series, it just isn't my cup of tea.
Aqua Burst07 saaame!
I agree with with a lot of your thoughts!! However, I would have to respectfully disagree with many as well. One being for me that Harry is far from a bland character. As the HP series progresses, I viewed Harry to be the more nuanced and flawed character, while for me Percy was always a bit too much of an idealism. Not to say that he wasn't interesting ofcourse. Plus for me, the world building of Harry Potter has always been more complex in terms of the emotional depth centered around themes such as death/discrimination/trauma, etc. Just my thoughts, though I'm aware that we all perceive and connect to things differently :)
Shine On+ Don't worry about it. As for why I think that...
Harry is the embodiment of the Everyman trope.
Basically, the idea that they are a stand in for whatever the author sees as an average person. They aren't super exceptional in any area, really. They tend to have "relatable" flaws like being a bit too narcissistic or being too clean, but nothing all that huge or deal breaking. In the case of fantasy stories, they start off as a normal person, having a tragic past, and travel to somewhere magical.
The problem isn't that he falls under this trope. All characters fall under a least a few different tropes. Even everyman characters can be great characters and have distinct personalities. The problem is that there's little else to Harry and he is _just_ the Everyman trope and has nothing to set him part from any generic fantasy protagonist personality wise. What little flaws he does have he never truly grows out of like being self righteous, his anger and his black and white world view (like him hating Slythreins and it being justified in the narrative, but that's another gripe I have with the series that I don't want to get into).
Harry also doesn't go through that much of an arc. He starts off as a heroic leader and ends the story being a heroic leader.
And he is rather passive sometimes, needing the supporting cast to nudge him and move the plot along, rarely coming up with any big ideas himself. I can only think of a few times where Harry took down a foe himself without the help of others.
To be fair, "audience surrogate" protagonists are popular in children's media, because the young audience can imagine themselves in the same situation a lot easier. I don't think JK is a bad writer for writing Harry the way he is. Everyman protagonists in stories like these do serve a purpose and have a place. But I think someone like Neville or Hermonie would make for a far more engaging protagonist, since they have much more distinct personalities and grow a lot more as people throughout the series.
While Percy is idealized, there is a enough to set him apart as a character that he is more distinct. He's laid back, brave and loves adventure. He has plenty of flaws that he grows out of like his temper and blurtnig things out without really thinking about it. He's a lot less impulsive and reckless in the later series. His actions carry a lot more weight than Harry's and he's the ones that drives the plot forward when he's the MC.
I don't think Percy is the best protagonist that Rick wrote, because he is rather idealized a lot of the time. But I think the MCs get better with each series Rick's wrote after he completed the OG series and become less idealized.
I also have some massive gripes with the world building, but I don't really want to get into it.
That's just my two cents. Like you said, we all have different tastes and see things differently.
Honestly while I will agree for the most part on the representation, I have a tiny problem. Now, for the most part Rick writes diverse characters well. Leo is latino, but that isn't all his character. Nico is gay, but that isn't all his character. Heck, he had a defined character way before he was revealed to be gay. However, I have a bit of a problem when it comes to Alex. I have no issue with a trans character being written in one of Rick's stories. My issue is that Alex being trans and perfect is really all we see. There is really no other defining character traits other than sassy, loves pottery, and trans. Also, there's how much Rick has to mention that Alex is trans. If Alex just brought up being trans once and they moved on, I would be fine, but Rick had to hammer it in every chance he got. It just felt really preachy. I liked Hammer of Thor, and Ship of the Dead more because it was toned down, but Alex kind of kept me from fully enjoying them. I hope I don't sound like a transphobe, that's just how I see it. I just hope that if Alex does have a short story in the 9 from the Worlds book and it makes her a more well-rounded character.
Nah, I don't think so. You're good. I admit I never read some of the later book series, so I really can't comment about whether or not it's good representation. But with that said, hopefully he develops Alex more in the future books.
Even though Harry Potter was the first real series of books that I read, and I mean, ITS HARRY POTTER, I think I love the Percy Jackson series even more.
The Percy Jackson is just so good. It helped me go through a hard time of my life (teenagehood is never funny) because I personally think it portrays teenagers better, their relationships, how they overcome hardships, etc. The characters all feel just, so real. Not that HP characters don't, but I feel like the characters in PJ are more diverse and charaterized. The main cast is also a lot bigger, if you count the Heros of Olympus characters, and huge when you take in account the characters from Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase series. And every character feel their own person, even if they appear not that much (when in HP Im sometimes frustrated not to see enough of a character).
Im also a sucker for ancient myths, so the Percy Jackson series (and later the whole Rick Riordan universe) was amazing.
I really love both series with the bottom of my heart, but PJ resonates more with me.
Also I can't wait to see both of you rip the PJ movie to shreds.
Ilona I agree with most of your points, although I feel like the Harry Potter series handles the minor characters much better. They make sure the show you what's going on with each character.
I have ADHD and i am obsessed with everything that includes Greek mythology-so i loved everything about Percy Jackson. The books got better and better.
Well first of all I never read the Harry Potter Books.
I tried and I finished the first book when I was a child around 7/8.
But everything in the book was so completely difficulty written for me that I really lost interest.
Also it was given to me with the introduction of it being the greatest book of all times and that I had to read it and so on. No pressure at all...
The Percy Jackson series however were completely different for me.
I got to read it in grade 5 or 6 because a student in my class did a presentation on it. Nobody appart from her knew the books but by the way she talked about it I was captured.
An when I read the first book... I got sucked into this world full of danger but excitement, Greek mythology and fleshed out characters.
When people compare the books one feature that vastly differs always sticks out to me.
Harry Potter is a story with characters in it.
The Percy Jackson series however gives us characters that stumble into the story.
What Rick Riordan really exsells is character writing.
Even though Percy is the protagonist that doesn't mean he is a bland foil for the reader to insert himself into.
Percy is shown to struggle and to lack some knowledge on the world, he's a terrible planner and he has to catch up to a lot of things but he also has a strong sense of justice, is ambitious to get better, he strives to be better, he's a living character with a fable for blue food.
Annabeth is so much more then just smart, she isn't just book smart, she's a planner, a thinker and she knows how to prepare herself but she also has her flaws, she struggles to confront and fight against Luke because he was like a big brother or potential love interest to her, she is stubborn and hates it when things don't go her way.
Grover is a Satyr trying to be the best help he can, after what must have been a devestating loss of his fist child to protect: Thalia.
He is at a loss for the pollution the world causes an he seeks out pan only to return with mediocre results. He's a dreamer and a character that never gives up no matter what trials may come his way.
Clarisse although first being a typical bully has such a deep characterisation and changes throughout the series. Being frustrated with Ares and how she deals with her dad's desire for people to just kill each other with brute force. How she wishes to live up to expectations she thinks people and her father have about her, how she's surrounded by the dead constantly.
And how she grows into a different characters with a lot more acceptance and love in her life.
Luke was also formidably written.
A boy longing for the love and affection of his father and never recieving it, seeing how others struggle with the same problem, seeing his friends die without the gods ever intervening or showing to care. He loses faith in the goods and fueled by anger and frustration he joins Kronos, where he is treated greatly, where he is recognised and respected, he finally gets what he wanted.
But at what cost.
Riordan truly captures how teenagers struggle with themselves and their lives.
He writes flawed but deeply understandable characters.
He tackles uneasy topics like single parents raising children. Siblings being left alone in the world with no family left.
With children having to struggle with being raised alone, being frustrated with their parents.
It deals with abusive step fathers and let down expectations.
The story surrounding the character is always great and so interestingly connected to Greek myths but the characters and how they grow as characters how they interact with eachother and how they make mistakes and regret them, how the deal with loss and how they bond together is what makes the series exsell.
what an awesome, well-written summary of everything i love about pjo
@@nailahhuq1238 ikr
You know.......you just made me cry.😭😭😭
For me, it's Percy Jackson. I grew up on it while others were with Harry Potter. I tried reading Harry Potter, but it just isn't my cup of tea. Just my opinion. I think Harry Potter's a bit overrated.
That's fair! I love both, but Percy Jackson was definitely more dear to me growing up!!
Oh boy I can't wait to hear what you have to say about the Percy Jackson's adaptation!
Frea Her sass level will be higher than ever
Santiago Macedo but it will never hit Persassy levels
*grits teeth* What Percy Jackson adaptations?....there are *no* movies...movies of PJO don't exist....its only the series...
@@marley8498 I think they are talking about the Peter Johnson movies
@@kage3069 the Perry Johansohen movies?
if you count 'The Heroes of Olympus' there are technically ten Percy Jackson books, or more even since there are several series in the same world.
I don't count them as the same series, I count them as a spinoff series, but yeah :)
Jordan Harvey Heroes Of Olympus is not a spin-off, it is a sequel.
Xeno Raider yeah it’s a direct sequel and like Magnus interacts directly with Percy and the Trials of Apollo are a sequel of HOO
I think there's a massive difference in terms of how the danger or antagonist in each series is approached. In Percy Jackson, it's very much like in Greek myths, where the heroes venture out in search of the antagonists, or they are given a quest. In a sense, the Percy Jackson characters are initially more proactive in that they willingly go out and hijinks ensure; whereas in Harry Potter, the danger is brought to them. In every book, the villain is defeated (or not, in the case of Half-Blood Prince) either in the castle, or in close proximity to it. There's a much greater sense of Harry being dragged into the story, which often conflicts with his general desire to fit in.
There's definitely a strong metaphor for the whole concept of British isolationism that was quite prominent in the 20th Century (in Goblet of Fire it's a bit more overt since everyone starts hating on foreign people, because reasons). The commonality in the villains of the series is that they breach Hogwarts in some way - the last two books of the series literally has it first invaded, and then occupied by pseudo-Nazis! The impact of this is that Harry tends to feel a little less proactive, particularly in books 1 - 4.
Or something...
#1AMThoughts
I agree, books 1-4 do have the villains, come to them. Although in books 1-4 the villains worked more behind the scenes,since Voldemort hasn't risen yet.
Personally, I enjoyed Percy Jackson and in general, Rick Riordan's books, way more than HP. I read PJ before HP so it had a bigger impact on me than HP.
I read all 7 books (of HP), yet I can't seem to remember a detail, or feel attached to a character/s. I still remember parts of the PJ series and how I enjoyed the humorous tone and narration as well as the protagonists. The romance in HP felt forced and sudden, and I didn't really connect with the friendships or mourn the death of Fred. Grover was more independent as a character than Ron, such that Grover eventually went down his own path to achieve his own goals, while (I think) Ron remained as a side character (can't remember what he ended up becoming).
Also, the PJ books were more relatable cultural-wise. Even though I come from a country that values culture and how 'people in the past used to do things', I find boarding schools and strict rules to follow 'tradition' a old fashioned. Time moves forward, people change, culture changes, no use trying to dwell on how things used to be without phones and internet. Technology exists whether you like it or not, so we also have to move forwards. I find the modernized approach to Greek mythology refreshing. Interpretations of myths also change and adapt to modern times while still maintaining the essential elements of the story.
to me, pjo has so much more charm than hp. there’s something really authentic about it that spoke to me as a kid, and while i loved harry potter when i read it, it never quite measured up for me.
Percy Jackson is better for me because it has,
More representation
A better supporting cast
Better female characters
A better main character
Better romances
And a more compelling villain.
Harry Potter has better world-building and a good plot but Percy Jackson has the BEST characters.
I feel like Percy went through so much more than Harry. Like sure a lot of people in his life died but he literally only fought like Quirrel in the first book and he didn't even fight him Quirrel died just by touching Harry and not much interesting happened other than us learning about the stone and some characters while in Percy Jackson so many things happen:
Percy fights the Furies twice, Medusa and a god. He literally went to the underworld. He stopped a war from happening and did so much more in his journey in just the first book. Also I feel like in Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione literally exist just for them to be friends with Harry there is no other character motivation or anything like that the only traits we really get are that Ron wants to stick out from his family I guess and Hermione is... idk trying to prove mudblood are as good as purebloods like Idk. I have read the book twice and I still don't understand it. Grover wants to be a searcher and Annabeth wants to create something great and like they have better character motivations. I think even if percy didn't make it to camp half blood we could still have a story with Grover and Annabeth and maybe Nico or Bianca or some other half-blood but without Harry there is no story to tell honestly.
Same. JK has more complex plot and worldbuilding, but Rick Riordan rules in humor and characters. As a huge character-reader, a person who enjoys humor, and a person who has some trouble focusing, it makes sense for me to like Riordan’s books better. Also, JK style of writing and books are a little tedious to me.
This is so true.
Ummmm, yo do realize that harry had it waaayyyyy harder. As in, percy had his mother growing up, but harry? His aunt abd uncle and cousin mentaly abused him for 16 bloody years. Percy also had the support of his father, and never realy felt the pain of permanent loss. Meanwhile harry had to face the death of his godfather,mentor and both is parents. As well as losing his loved ones in a war an insane madman caused.
@@someoneb7077 Percy hasn't experienced permanent loss? Do you remember when Charles Beckendorf died? Silena Beauregard? Zoe Nightshade? Luke Castellan? Bianca di Angelo?
Sure, he never had a parental figure die (unless you count the "death" of Percy's mother and how he felt when that happened), but he still felt the impact of deaths from people he ardently cared about.
Especially Bianca, when she died it impacted Nico, and since Nico reminded Percy of himself when he first arrived at camp, he could relate to how he would feel if his own sister died.
Percy has indeed gone through more hardships than Harry.
He fought for his life several times and without any knowledge of the somewhat 'fantastical' world for some of them, for example the Minotaur fight, unlike Harry.
I feel percy jacksons final fight was better than harrys. I mean percy jackson really made it feel like a battle in a war. You know?
Percy Jackson is the less popular (but still valid) American version of hp in that they were coming of age books for both America and England respectively
I disagree, they are very different from each other
Eh, the similarities between them either don’t matter to one story or the other or are common tropes from the Late 90s and Early 00s.
Two Booktubers I love talking about one of my favourite book series of all time?? I am a simple man, I see the notification and I click.
wait....
*goes to dance a silly victory dance*
PJO vs. HP! Yaaaas!
TBH, HP is what got me into fantasy genre in general, but I somehow prefer PJO more. I don't know is it because I'm a total Greek Mythology freak, but Percy as a person really changed my perspective of a hero. You don't necessarily need to be in the right place at the right time (or wrong place at the wrong time, depending on how you look at it), you can go out and look for the adventure of the lifetime - if you have the guts, of course. Harry seems more like a victim of circumstances, no offense.
Also, I loved the relationships between kids and 'adults' in PJO (IDK about Apollo, he seemed pretty childish :D) - from mommy and daddy issues in the camp, to wonderful relationship Percy has with his mum and terrible relationships Thalia and Annabeth had with their families (don't get me started on Luke's clusterf**k of family!), it just seemed so natural and real. I mean, for all the surplus of adults in HP, they are the clear authority figures - I mean, you can argue Dumbledore and Harry had a sort of grandfather-grandson relationship, but aside from Molly Weasley, Augusta Longbottom, Dursleys and Malfoys, we don't see families, just individuals! (Yes, this girl is salty about lack of Black and Tonks family interactions.)
About the settings: HP is mostly set in old England & use old English things because the magical community chooses not to adopt the modern Muggle technology. Either the technology interferes with magic or they outright reject it. They don't want to be more Muggle which really is an addition to the major conflict of the series. Voldemort is wanting to commit genocide to all Muggle born witches & wizards because he believes in magical superiority. Majority of his Death Eaters are pure bloods from strong magical families. HP is all about classism & racism! Witches/wizards > Muggles, Pure bloods > Muggle borns.
PJ is more modern because the Gods move from one dominant nation to the next and to stay relevant and have people who worship them they need to adapt to the modern times. We see this with the God Pan in The Battle of the Labyrinth. He fades away because his domain of power is decreasing and less beings believe in him.
I can not find a single comment that says that they like Harry Potter more than Percy Jackson. And tbh Percy Jackson is better
there are a lot of comments that says hp is better than pj too what are you talking about?
@@aaryaamore1449 percy jackson has a simple story harry potter is way more sophisticated and complex with better themes and moral really close to reality, also hp has a lot of complex characters that are top notch writing i would say that jk rowling is only second to tolkien harry potter and percy jackson are only compared because both series have teenagers but they have nothing in common lol don't even know why this comparison exists
@@domenicocozzi7318 We should have a nice talk about character motivation or in Harry Potter's case the lack there of. It's okay to disagree obviously but I want to know why you think what you think. It's all about what you value in a story I personally value relationships that are positive and negative, emotions, humor, complex villains, how I relate to characters, character development, character motivation , characters with flaws, in other words I like a character driven story more than world building and plot I still care about those things but not as much, as for Harry Potter having a 'complex plot' can we talk about convenience:
Dumbledore: Slytherin should win the house cup this year but Harry gets 7 bajillion points for breathing.
@@justanotherfangirlontheint4084 that is your personal opinion i don't think that it is necessary to start a discussion from your profile picture i can understand that you already have your mind made up , there is no need for a conversation. my personal opinion tho is that harry potter is a series with much more depth and detail in literally everything and the things you said about pjo i think the same for harry potter but exponentially better and the evidence of plot convenience is the most irrelevant and minor thing that you can find, it doesn't make sense i need an example with a context also pjo also has many plotholes, don't get me wrong i like pjo but i prefer harry potter for a lot of reasons that i don't have the time and will to express here
@@domenicocozzi7318 I understand that and you're free to your own opinion, at the end of the day it's personal preference. I know I sometimes joke about things that not everyone else finds funny and can be seen as inconsiderate to say the least, that example I used was meant as a joke as I saw it a few months ago and it made me laugh. Yes Pjo definitely has plot holes and I know that. I tend to talk a lot when something gets me excited so sorry about that. Hope you had a nice day.
I was waiting for either of you to point out that Percy Jackson is literally the modern version of the Iliad.
Debbie the minion yeah basically
Harry Potter was my whole childhood and i read PJO with 18. And I preferred PJO
I feel like Percy Jackson is better because Harry Potter is pretty much them in the school doing pointless things until the very end where they go on a short journey or something that's hard to follow, followed by a long explanation by Dumbledore. Percy Jackson is fun because the books are about quests he goes on, and take me to whole different places leading up the the main climax, not just the main characters doing school stuff until the end
I read both series around the same time. When I was younger Percy Jackson resonated more with me; however upon reread in the present I’ve found Harry Potter to be to extent more well written. However I will always love Percy Jackson for the impact it had on my childhood.
Personally, I much prefer Percy Jackson. The books are SO DIVERSE, especially when you factor in Heroes of Olympus in addition to PJO, while Harry Potter just isn’t, let’s be honest. PJO gave me my interest in mythology, but as much as I love HP, reading them didn’t really affect me that much as a person. I love both, but PJO will forever stay in my heart as my favorite book series
Especially if you also factor in Toa
Percy Jackson forever ❤️
I love both series! Really interesting to compare the two!
I think Harry Potter's world and story is more thought out. It seems as if every little detail was considered and fits into a larger puzzle. Rowling also has more attention for the normal day-to-day lives of the characters in between big important scenes, which leads to more complex relationships and in depth character development. Moreover I love how the Harry Potter books have philosophical messages that really make you think (e.g. love being the most powerful magic of all, etc.).
On the other hand, I simply love the Percy Jackson books. The humor in them is really well done and Percy himself is such a great character! It's refreshing that he can sometimes enjoy and be proud of his powers and destiny. Also, his romance with Annabeth is beautifully built up throughout the series. Apart from that, Riordan did a really good job giving the ancient Greek mythology a new life.
I was a little reluctant to click on this video because I really love both series and didn't want to see them put against each other, but I'm so glad I watched it in the end. Both of you made really interesting points, and I look forward to seeing the next collab! 🖤👏
This is the a very interesting video to make because many times, people will compare the two. Personally for me, both have positives but I might be biased here because Percy Jackson was the books that got me into reading. Up until the age of ten, every book I read had this perfect main character/hero. They always did everything right and perfect which didn’t help a kid with terrible self confidence. So seeing this character, the main hero , who was known to do stuff right, felt so real to me. People make mistakes and there are reasons for their choices. As much as I enjoy the characters of Harry Potter, I feel like everything always works out for them.
And even though, the stereotypes of the trios are similar, each of them have different things. Percy and Harry are both the hero and both can be sarcastic but Harry has a temper and Percy is quick to act. Hermione is more of the classic smart girl but Annabeth is what more would think of stereotypical blonde at the time. Ron and Grover are loyal but Grover is more kind and caring and Ron is sarcastic and sassy, and sometimes be seen as rude (even though Ron is my favorite character).
Harry Potter though has more of a complex plot, there was a reason that Percy didn’t because it adapted from Greek myths. Harry Potter was based on Rowling’s own ideas (even though I dislike her as a person, I do give her credit for creating this amazing world). With the carbon copy step quests, Rick based on myths that he taught during his English job.
Both of the series though, I feel grow and change and become with the serious problems.
I CANT WAIT FOR THE BASH OF PERCY JACKSON but please also rant how the marauders backstory never came up in the Harry Potter movies.
areadersworld Is it ok if i ask why you dislike Jk Rowling as a person.
areadersworld yeah, J.K Rowling is such a lovely woman who works so hard. I’ve never known anyone to dislike her as a person :)
J I know I’m not the person you asked I can say I agree with the credit her for the original 7 books but dislike her as a person. A few reasons are that she allowed the cursed child to exist ( it’s pretty obvious she didn’t write it )
also the whole Dumbledore was gay all along thing - like if you wanted him to be gay put in in the books. She could have easily put a scene when they are dancing at the ball for Dumbledore to be dancing with a guy. To me it feels like a cheap way to make up for the lack of any representation in her books that she gets criticized for. I also think she does this with saying Hermione could be black too. Not saying she couldn’t be, just that I think that’s the only reason she said that. Personally I see nothing wrong with a black Hermione to clarify.
Another ( and this isn’t all but I’m tired of typing and can’t really think of it all right now so this will be my last point ) is less of a clear objective reason to dislike her and more of a personal opinion. I really hate how she keeps adding different things and confirming or denying things and overall trying to build on the series but not in a proper way. Like she does is in tweets and movies and plays and it really wastes the talent she showed in writing the 7 books. To me it feels like she’s just doing anything she can to stay relevant in the quickest easiest way possible rather than a) focus on moving on from the series and starting something new with the same effort and talent as the 7 books b) writing in the same world but different stories and characters. Again the key here is with the same effort skill and talent as the first 7. Or c) writing more books about the characters we know again very important here is I mean with the same effort skill and talent as the first 7.
Sorry for writing a whole novel on you it just felt nice to get my thoughts out. Hopefully that made sense if it didn’t I’m sorry but it’s very late when I’m writing this.
Amy D. Also the whole transphobe thing.
Victoria Rose Oof, then you haven’t seen the Twitter drama with her.
I read nearly all comments and that's the results: Most of all ok with HP but prefer PJO. They like HP but love PJO. That doesn't mean HP is bad but it means something missing in the books. Most of all say the world including Hogwarts is amazing but they can't feel close the characters and their life purposes. On the other hand, in PJO they just fell in love the characters and their developments. After that, they think about the or Camp Half Blood or Riordanverse. HP was known with its world but PJO was known with its characters even the supporting and minor ones like Charles Beckhendrof, Silena Beauguard, Ethan Nakamura etc... I think that's the main point of their differences.
Okay so I prefer Percy Jackson but both stories are amazing and have great messages. One thing you kind of talked about is how Rick kind of randomly adds mythology stuff in there. Well, it kind of shows history constantly repeats itself, which is a big theme. Also Percy was 12.
Percy Jackson. I like Harry Potter. But I like Percy Jackson better.
I wasnt as interested in the hp world as in the characters and their struggles. In pj, i love the universe, the humor and the characters equally. Im biased, though, because i read pj as a kid, and hp when i was 20
I've all ready read Harry Potter, I really want to read Percy Jackson especially since he wrote those books for his son who was dyslexic. I always want to support an author who makes a book for their kids lol.
have you read them yet
Slight correction. Percy was 12
HIPEOPLE1887 finally someone else bring it up
Percy Jackson is really better than Harry Potter. Percy Jackson is changed my life
Name a more iconic duo, I'll wait...
percy and annabeth
Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson
I think I won
Spongebob and Patrick
Conner and Travis and George and Fred
Narnia and LOTR
I love Percy Jackson more because I kinda grew up on it? The last HP book came out when I was in 4th grade, and HOO started coming out when I was in middle school and around the time I read PJO. I read both series for the first time in the 6th, but I read all of PJO (in one weekend) and 6 of the HP books over a couple of weeks (maybe a month or two; I don't remember) and skipped over book 6 because I just wanted to finish. I've read PJO like twice and wanna reread it after watching this, lol, whereas I have no desire to reread HP nor have I watched the movies in years (my sisters and I used to binge them a lot, and I would spend a Saturday watching 4-8 here and there). PJO got me involved with fandom/fandom slang, and Rick Riordan was the push for me with writing? After I read PJO for the first time, I started to think of myself as a writer and started putting the stories in my head on paper. Looking back, I probably only liked HP because my sisters did, and we occasionally talk about it or share did-you-knows in our little text group chat thing. Anyway, it's always a reflief to find others who like PJO more than HP (to some extent).
I read both several years after they were written that only books I had to wait for were Tyrants Tomb and Tower Of Nero
The collab we needed but we did not deserve.
As a gal who grew up on both series I love this so much. Thank you for your in-depth look at the books I can't wait to see you two tackle the trainwreck that is Percy Jackson films.
I read them both as an adult and for me personally I enjoy Harry Potter much more. I think it's the world building and tone of writing and humour that really got me.
I'll agree with that. While I think Percy Jackson can sometimes resonate much more with tweens and young teens, if you are not in the target demographic when you first read it, Percy Jackson can seem young, whereas Harry Potter is more accessible and relatable to a wider age range.
For me it's Percy Jackson. I still love Harry Potter though.
First, I would rather be a part of Percy's world than of Harry's world. Maybe, it's the fact that I love this whole camp, late summer night feeling that I get while reading of Camp Half-blood.
Second of all, I sympathise more with the Percy Jackson characters than I do with the Harry Potter ones. In both series they're well written, but in PJO they seem nicer. In real life I would much rather be friends with Percy and Annabeth than with Harry and Hermine. Ron is the only HP main character, who is as nice as Grover from PJO. (In my opinion) I said before that in both fandoms the characters are equally written but in one point this isn't true: In PJO every characters has a personal reason to fight. Grover wants to follow his dream and search for Pan, Percy wants for example his mother back. In HP we don't really see this reasons.
Third of all, I love hiking and road trips and that stuff. I also love books where people do that. So I loved the PJO storyline.
The last reason for my favour of PJO is Percabeth. They're the first pairing in any book which I totally fell in love with. This pairing which wasn't even the main part of the books was better than a lot of pairing I've seen in real romance novels where it is the main part.
All in all I love both but PJO is my all time favourite book series.
I love Percy Jackson, my 13th birthday is coming up, and I just thought it was funny that I thought of myself going to camp half blood (or camp jupiter) and being claimed son of Poseidon/Neptune
Edit: I’m such a nerd
My two favorite tubers talking about my two favorite books? Hell yes.
I read Harry Potter first but I like Percy Jackson a lot more, the Greeks are so cool...
One thing I must pinpoint. I feel like a major part of potterheads were attracted to the entire harry potter franchise because of the films and films only. There are literally so many fans who haven't still read the books or had started but did not finish them. I feel like, in that sense, Harry Potter rode on the tide of the films mainly wheras the books themselves don't provide much enjoyment. In contrast to that, percy jackson fans depend on the books only and pretend the movies don't even exist.
I'm team Harry Potter :P I like Percy too, but Harry Potter makes me think more, it's a little more difficult to predict. And all the details has an important role by the end, every single thing has meaning. Like Harry sparing Wormtail in the third book and that has an important role in the last book.
I agree with you
@Username 123 I will ignore what you said about the jokes, but your opinion is valid. HP makes the villains as evil as possible while PJO uses a subtler method of shades of gray morality rather than the just as effective black and white approach. If you couldn't connect with the characters, there is a good chance you were simply in the wrong age group when you started reading or couldn't find their experiences relatable in anyway. The writing style is not for everyone and that's fine, it just means you prefer writing to be a bit more complex or "adult". I love both the series and they both have their strong and weak points so I just wanted to address one of the few comments that sided with HP
the frog card has on the whole 5 movies after the series ended, the wand shop and goblet of fire, i am team harry potter
I read both of them but i will always go for peanut butter#Tyson
Percy was 12, and Grover is only a main character un the first book, in the rest the only main characters that stay main are Annabeth and Percy
ok......your point
Harry Potter is one of the best series to be ever written
yaah unarguabe but percy jackson is also good)
I always look forward to your videos, especially the collaborations with my other favourite Booktuber. Both of these stories have a special place in my heart.
Me too! I love both of these book series and it was so much fun chatting about them!!
And from the sky came two goddesses, bearing some of the best commentary on both of the series. I really love it when you two collaborate together, it honestly makes my day to see a new video from either channel.
I've only ever read the Harry Potter series, and this did really spark my love for them again, but also made me curious about the Percy Jackson books that I may just have to give a try.
There's also a big difference with the villains thematically.
Rowling made Voldemort and the Death Eaters completely despicable and the definition of evil. She even wrote Voldemort to have been born evil and incapable of love because he was conceived through the use of a love potion (yet these potions aren't banned and can be sold to teenagers). They reflect Hitler and the Nazi's, making a clear division between _good_ and *bad.* There's no sympathy towards the death eaters because they're so obvious about their ideology, boasting about how they feel that they're superior to others based on their blood status.
Riordan on the other hand made the villains more sympathetic. Most of the monsters may be evil who's sole purpose is to hunt down and kill demigods, but there are others that you actually feel bad for. And then there's Luke and his army of Half-bloods. They aren't written to be evil out of prejudice or for the sake of being evil. They understandably feel hurt, abandoned, and cast out because the gods give so few shits about their kids unless they need them for something. And even then, Kronos is the villain who manipulated them, amplifying the resentment they already had. While Kronos is pure evil, everyone else is more a victim of the gods arrogance. We sympathize with Luke and understand why he's doing what he does. All of this ties into the Greek Tragedy that the books are inspired from
having just finished percy jackson my mind is on percy now and i love the books so much
You two together in a video is like a dream! Well, aside from the fangirling side of the whole discussion, i believe Harry Potter has a much deeper impact both in children literature and literary critiques.
It’s not just about the complexity of the story. JK took the structure of the traditional fairy tale and fable, then took some elements from the traditional popular culture such as beliefs, traditions, folklore, magical elements and botanics etc etc and created a world apart, mixing modern and traditional culture.
I also personally love the fact that HP is not focused on romance but on relationships like friendship and family and it’s a coming of age story focused on the development of the character through stages of life and metaphors of them. Yes, it’s a series with flaws but it was written more than 20 years ago, in very different time and very different cultural background. The conversation about diversity etc started well later and i just believe that you cannot talk about children literature in modern era without mentioning Harry Potter (and not just because of its impact on society and movies) but because of its literary value.
I like Percy Jackson, it’s fine, but the style, the development and the background is not as strong as the ideas behind Harry Potter. I studied mythology like every italian student very deeply and i love the fact that Rick Riordan wanted to tell those myths in a modern perspective to help children get closer to ancient mythology but it still feels a bit weird to me sometimes.
That's totally fair that you felt that way!
I would argue that PJ took the structure of greek myths and storytelling and added elements from pop-culture and modern elements, so I'm not sure I can agree that Harry Potter is superior on that front!
I would also argue that Percy Jackson isn't overly focused on romance until around the same time that Harry Potter is, and it never felt to me like it took centre stage.
I understand why you may not like it as much as HP, but I do think that the specific points you made aren't entirely fair!
I see where your coming from and i believe that the mix between pop culture and greek mythology is really well made in PJ. But from my perspective it feels 'temporary'.
Like pop culture elements will somehow fade away and the writing style is really focused on the audience Riordan's talking to, while HP can be considered very differently (and i'm saying this from the point of view of an italian who reads in english that studied literature) like more fluid, without temporary or audience references. It's not Thomas Mann ok, but as easy as the writing feels, it's not simplified or degraded in any form. That's why a lot of universities are studying HP and are including the series in a lot of programs.
Plus, we quiet agree with the romance both in PJ and HP is not that strong and it's the reason why i liked it too but I never felt too attracted to the complete series like i did for so many other. It has a lot of brilliant points, like inclusivity, diversity, greek retelling etc.. but i don't know. Maybe this is my problem with the series, it feels so much like a retelling while it can't compete with the fascination of the original stories itself. Sorry, it feels difficult to explain this in another language without sounding weird or saying anything that could be seen as wrong, so apologies if you felt like it was but i hope i gave you a further insight on my perspective.
Again, I totally get that!
I think that if you've studied the Greek Myths and and classics, it won't hold up, but for me it was what originally got me interested in them. That's part of the reason I love the series so much :)
And i think it's perfectly understandable, i know a lot of people that chose to study classics, latin & greek after reading PJ and this is amazing. Anyway, i take this opportunity to thank you Jordan for your videos, they are always brilliant and inspiring and i really can't wait for any of your videos. Like, the fastest clicks ever on any video coming out. Keep up with the amazing work!
Thanks so much!! :)
For me personally Percy Jackson is the best book. That was the first book l've read and grabbed me so much that l cried when l read all the books. That book shoe me that there are books that I like because when l was a kid l HATED books. So that's why this book has a place in my hard.
Sory for the spelling 😁😁
I read harry potter during a difficult time in my life, so I feel more attached to the series. I haven't read the percy jackson books but I am going to give it a try.
I found both of your channels a few months ago and I really appreciate and enjoy both of them! Thank you!
Thank YOU!
Btw, I’ve read and love both series so it’s really interesting to listen to you because I agree with a lot of things and you bring up points that I haven’t really considered before this.
Oh good! That's great to hear :)
I honestly hate it when people just say, "Rick copied all of his stories from the Greek Myths. Nothing of him is original. JK Rowling had to think everything from scratch". To anyone who thinks like this, let me say-
1) Taking from imagination is great but it doesn't have any barriers. That is, JK didn't/couldn't have stopped. Whatever she thought of, she could pen it down. That is a whole lot easier than what Rick did.
2) Rick took the original myths, and transformed them. It is a lot lot harder to take something and change it while still being original. It seems a whole lot real. Even from looking at it, it could be possible.
In JK's books, even a child can understand that the thing is eventually a story/fake. Ok, she did add forgetting spells, making things invisible, but after all, its not taken very seriously. Whereas in Rick's books, he explained the concept of Mist/Duat/Glamour which tries to masks things from mortals.
After all, I could be babbling about this for ages but I'm gonna stop now.
Omg, my evening got a thousand times better now :D
In my opinion, I like the Harry Potter books. While Percy Jackson is a great series, also a big part of my childhood, I think Harry Potter has a better plot. The messages within the books really make you think. The character development of Harry vs Percy is also very noticeable. Harry changes a lot throughout the books. Percy, on the other hand, doesn't have a notable change in character throughout the books. I have plenty more reasons but I'll just end it here. In my humble opinion, the Harry Potter books are better.
That's totally fair and valid!
Jordan Harvey Thank you for the positivity in these comment!
I agree on some of your points but I overall think Percy was a better character all around- he was a more unique and developed character in comparison to Harry.
Hmm, yes that's fair
Delaney Marie I would have to respectfully disagree with that. Perhaps it’s how I interpreted Harry, but I found him to be much more complex and flawed than Percy. As the commenter on this post said, he changed throughout the books. Percy’s voice remains exactly the same. 16 year old Percy is not that different from 12 year old Percy. He’s basically sassy, funny, brave, and a bit dim. And he remains the same throughout the 5 books and the spinoffs. Maybe because the Potter books are much longer, Harry feels more developed. Along with being brave and sassy, Harry is also pretty dark. You see how he deals with being famous for something he does not remember, how he deals with having to be a Parcelmouth, and being similar to Voldemort. You also how he deals with losing people. The handling of grief is done much better in Harry Potter, than Percy Jackson. The books show Harry’s PTSD after the trauma of losing Cedric, and also how Sirius and Dumbledore’s death affect him. Each death teaches him something, and seems to give him different goals and purposes. For example, it was Dobby’s death that made Harry stop obsessing over acquiring the Elder Wand, and focus on destroying the Horcruxes. Percy felt fairly straightforward to me. You don’t really see him make mistakes, and pay for them and learn from them the way Harry does. Not as much anyway. I love the Percy Jackson books, but I think Harry is more interesting than Percy, because he is more complicated.
8.31 it's fine Jordan, millennia is the plural form of a millennium, so your usage and the sentence are both correct :) Wonderful video btw, both of these book series are such essential parts of my childhood and adolescence and this collab is precious
Dipannita Jannat Thanks so much! :)
I love your collabs together! Two insightful and clever as heck women discussing interesting topics, what more could we ask for?
I don't think I can really say which one I prefer because I'm yet to finish the Harry potter series, but I love the Percy Jackson series and always will!
Aww, you're so sweet! Thank you!!
As someone who has adhd, the less focused nature of Percy Jackson felt natural
I read HP first because one of my friends were obsessed with it (this was like when I was 11-ish). I remember disliking the first book but powered on as said friend had decided to buy me the entire series. My favourite was the last book, probably because it is the only one which I have a recollection on a specific scene (the final battle). The entire rest of the series seemed bland to me, with some of the books I ant even tell you what was the main plot.
PJO I read a few years later in eight grade. I remember being absolutely obsessed with it and bought the entire series along with the sequel series HoO. It got to the point where if you told me the chapter names for the first book, I could tell you what had happened.
I preferred PJO much more. It could have been because I read it at a older age and if I decided to read HP then I would have liked it more. It could also be because PJO is American, and as someone who lives in their neighbour to the north, was more relatable than HP which was based in Britain. It could have also been because I was very into FanFiction at the time I read PJO and that had an effect on how deeply rooted in my memory it was.
I think both series were great, but Percy Jackson would always have a much deeper place in my heart than Harry Potter.
Tell me you have ADHD without telling me you have ADHD 💀
I read both series a few months apart, when I was 12, and I can decidedly say that I loved both of them just as much. They're very different, I think, and both very special to me in different ways and I think it's mostly because of the narrative voice, because otherwise the themes and characters are quite similar. I still love both series!!!
Agreed that PJ has much better representation in terms of diversity, and the romance progressed more naturally and was way more developed. Yet I personally enjoyed HP a tad more because they felt more real. Despite enjoying PJ more as a character, I appreciate how flawed and real Harry feels. There is a greater emotional depth and darkness that is explored in HP, which for me, adds more nuance and complexity to the story, as well as to the main character.
Well said!
I mean to be fair to jk rowling Britan is far more white then America so it might not come to her head as easily to make the character say black as she grew up around less non-white people so it would not occur to her as easily.
Percy Jackson also is the only one out of the two series has three Kaiju level size monsters. Talos the giant humanoid robot as tall as a skyscraper, the two hundred foot long Lydian drakon and Typhon a monster so big it can use the Chrystler building as baseball bat.
I personally love the Harry Potter books far more. Percy Jackson is a very enjoyable series, but doesn't really compare to Harry Potter. I actually love Percy Jackson a lot, because I have my childhood associated with it, and nostalgia and stuff, but objectively, Harry Potter is definitely a much better series. The plot is more complex and interesting, the messages are more thought-provoking, the world-building is more intricate. The series made me question my worldview, it challenged certain beliefs, confirmed certain beliefs. The characters are more complicated and well-developed, the supporting cast, as well as the main characters. Harry is such a life-like character. He has flaws and makes mistakes, learns from those mistakes, and grows as a character in each book. You can see that his experiences shape his character and how he changes. But the changes are believable. It's not like you read one book, and then the next book he feels like a totally different character. You can tell that he has changed, but he's still Harry. Every side character is given flaws and story arcs, and provide an insight into human behavior. Percy Jackson, while being a very fun story, does not share the same complexity or character development. From what I read in the books, Percy feels like a bit of a Gary Stu, and never really develops throughout the series. His voice remains the same. 16 year old Percy from book 5 sounds exactly like 12 year old Percy from book 1. So, in my opinion, Harry Potter is definitely the superior series.
That's a fair point, though I would argue that the side characters in PJ are equally developed and interesting to the ones in HP. I do think that Percy is less flawed than Harry, though I think it being written in first person helps to make him just as relatable.
I do agree that HP is more complex, and I think it leaves a more lasting impression because of that. It definitely is more impactful. I think that PJ is potentially more relatable in a lot of ways though, at least it was to me. That's why I struggle to say one is definitively superior to the other.
I personally disagree with Percy not changing, especially if you're counting Trials of Apollo. Over the books we see Percy grow from and overexcited easy to please 12 tear old to a beaten down and tired hero. A character who used to be in awe of the gods is fed up with their egos and lack of care for mortals. He wants a normal life and definitely appears much more calm and settled, wanting college and time with his girlfriend rather than crazy adventures. We see him switch from a person being mentored to the mentor himself. While. HP is definitely better, don't discount the the RR got right with his books
Percy starts as a bitter kid mad at his dad but by the fifth book he comes to understand that hey, his dad isn't gonna be home for dinner, and that's okay. :) Sure, it's not as epic as the traumatizing story of Harry, but I think it's a great message and shouldn't be overlooked.
A Cote I’m not discounting anything R.R. did. Like I said, I enjoy the Percy Jackson books, but I’m still allowed to critique it. Just because I find a flaw, doesn’t mean I don’t like the books. The flaw being that I felt there is not *as much* depth to the characters as Harry Potter.
"His voice remains the same. 16 year old Percy from book 5 sounds exactly like 12 year old Percy from book 1." Honestly? Having the same voice doesn't signify non development or a static character. Not everybody's way of speaking changes in four years, and development doesn't require to have a drastic change in speaking
"Percy feels like a bit of a Gary Stu" You should probably read the books again. Percy jumps into action a lot, but he also fails a lot AND requires the help of others on many occasions. Not mention he's short tempered and naive. These are not the traits of a Gary Stu (it seems nobody even cares about the definition of this word anymore)
These AREN'T objective character flaws
Oh my sweet green eyed boys. Both were my childhood, I reread them regularly.
What if the myth world and wizarding world unites in a book?
That would be legit
So, I think that overall, Harry Potter is just the better series. It's written better, and it's better constructed. That being said, I think the one thing that Percy Jackson does more effectively is theme. Essentially, being a half-blood in the books means two things: 1) you come from a broken home, or at least an unconventional non-nuclear family (but usually a broken home), and 2) you have you have learning disabilities. In other words, the books are very specifically about children who feel out of place both in their families and in school, and continually explore how this affects them. Basically, the big conflict at the core of the story surrounds everybody's daddy/mommy issues, taking advantage of the rather incestuous nature of Greek Myth. Also, the book literally ends by Percy making all the gods promise that they'll try to be less shitty parents. At the same time, the books really do a great job of emphasizing and demonstrating how learning disorders do not make the people who have them less worthwhile human beings. While some of these themes also exist in Harry Potter, they're a lot less focused, and eventually give way to like a World War 2 allegory. So I would say, it's the one category where Percy Jackson really is better than Harry Potter.
Well, that and the fact that Riordan is way better at writing romance than Rowling is, and also, in the sequel series (which is, admittedly, not very good), he actually acknowledges that gay people and people of color exist, something Rowling has yet to do outside her twitter feed.
Y'all do such awesome videos together!
Thank you!!! She's so much fun to film with!
I remember for my first birthday, we had a Harry Potter theme and I think I was almost about finished with the series, but I was really, really excited to get the Percy Jackson book set.
Harry Potter is good but Percy Jackson is SO much good .Change my mind
Pjo team leave a like
While I adore both Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books I do prefer the HP series. I just think Rowling constructed a much more thought out wizarding world with their rules and their customs and their government and it was so easy to connect with this world. Also the HP books aren't just about the top 3. Every character has been treated with so much respect and many fans would tell you that their favourite characters are hagrid or lupin or sirius black or mrs weasley or malfoy because thats how well they are written which is not the case with Percy Jackson series. The PJ series is very top 3 centric. Also, harry Potter was just more sensible about harry's adventures. He went to school at an age where he was supposed to go to school and things were just happening there and he couldn't help becoming involved because of who he was, despite Dumbledore, Hagrid and Weasleys trying to protect him at all times. However, Percy was supposed to go on these incredibly dangerous quests from the age of 11 in his very first year at camp half blood. Surely they could have trained him for 3-4 years and then asked him to die. But thats just my opinion. However, I am a huge mythology buff and Riordan's retelling of greek mythology through these demi gods is brilliant. I would cherish both these books forever- they are some of the best children/ YA fiction written in a very long time.
That's totally fair, and I agree with you on your points! J K Rowling is masterful in the way that she crafted her world and characters. For some reason PJ just connected with me and what I was going through at the age when I read it. I think perhaps the first person perspective helped with that!
OH MY GOD
I love your videos! I was waiting for you to make a comparison of two bildungsroman and it's finally happening!!
Love your collabs! I was hoping you'd bring up how much you thought (or if you did) the Percy Jackson series was inspired by Harry Potter since it was already a worldwide sensation by the time the 1st PJ book was published and there are obvious commonalities.
Thanks!
And I didn't really want to go there because both follow the hero's journey pretty closely, so I didn't want to assume anything!
It's not like HP is the first coming of age fantasy novel.
When Hermione finds Ron and lavender kisses she attack him for doing nothing wrong. Plus The chamber of secrets when people are being attack guilt trip Ron and Harry to help her.
I clicked faster than possible when I saw this
haha