I had been a while since I've read this, but it did seem somehow less impressive than I'd remembered it. Your comparison makes it clear that this is a low effort adaptation. Sad to see, but I'll still probably watch just to see where the story (roughly) goes. Aside from the reduced fights, the characterization and world building are about the same so its not like there is nothing here; just that the best part of this series, the action, we can expect to be phoned in.