like chimes ringing in response to the wind

hi!! my fave is definitely culhwch ac olwen and the mabinogion as a whole. the mabinogion is a collection of welsh medieval stories (that draw from oral tradition). there are eleven stories and not just arthuriana related ones. in fact the first four: the four branches of the mabinogi don't have a link whatsoever to arthuriana. anyway going back to the subject: i love culhwch ac olwen (culwhch and olwen) because it's so different from later arthurian stories. arthur is not a king but a war chief and his warriors have all sort of superpowers. look at cai for example:

ngl i've been pondering your question for a while. do i truly recommend it? i think you probably already have a good idea about the show given how popular it is even after a decade.

it was one of the first pieces of media to introduce me to arthuriana and it definitely significantly fueled my obsession. so a pro would be the fact that it might help pique your interest in all things arthuriana. now, there is the fact that it keeps infuriatingly going in circles. what i mean by this? whenever a character seems to progress all that progression is taken away in the next season/episode. i guess there are some counter examples. i mean we see gwen going from being a servant to a queen and we see her speaking her mind more and more as the show goes on. moreover at some point after/during s2 it's like the episodes have the same formula: there is some threat, merlin saves the day and arthur doesn't really learn anything. there is also some unchecked misogyny and racism. i can leave a post that details this more and judge for yourself but you're gonna get spoilers.