The Grimm Variations

I am not someone who has ever written a review before but I am watching this rn and was curious to peoples reactions, so I decided to check this page out and I just really felt like saying sum so...

I am really liking this series so far and I am on ep5 rn (as I am typing this tbh) and maybe it's not something groundbreakingly astounding it's still nice and a fun concept/show. I enjoy that they dont just take the story and copy it but that they rather take core elements of the specific Grimm stories and put them in a different context.

I really dont want to spoiler, but small warning maybe like idk I just need to explain myself...I definetly see how ep1 had the most original approach with just changing the story and power structures around.

For episode 2 I also see the whole hunter and the one supposed to be hunted but where the victim manages to outsmart in the end concept which was present in the most known variation aswell

for ep3 definetly liking how the story goes, just think that the impact in the end is more there when you try to think of everything and put yourself in that situation, not the animation / storyline itself like it was kinda anti climactic tbh but i also feel like they tried to go like super artistic (?) with this episodes like it was really calm and like super technological stuff with a Middle Ages (?) visual so I think that definitely impacted the end and overall story but ja

For ep4 I feel like that same artistic kind of approach was taken as in episode 3 where everything was like rather muted and everything put super specific and sophisticated with a small 80s kind of touch (I'm genz so if I have the year wrong please don't hate me) but I genuinely don't understand what was going on but on its own it's was still a cute watch

Episode 5 is really going nice so far with the connection being that the main cast is basically 4 different types of people but working together to survive in the bitter world which I really like because making the citylife from the original into a western style movie is really funny but lowkey accurate like we just trying to survive out here

We shall see how it ends and what the next episode will be... again it wasn't groundbreaking our anything but it's still a cute watch ^^

Also I wasn't allowed to use apostrophes for some reason.

CLAMP collab? Definitely here for it. The artwork is lovely, the character designs are whimsical, the Pied Piper episode was stretching into Ghibli-esque territory with their visuals, and some of the themes and elements were downright chilling.

First episode sets you up thinking everything will have this subversive twist. The last episode almost does the same thing, but you are more along for the ride on the subversion train rather than blindsided by it.

But none of the other episodes reach a satisfying level of "unexpected," instead, leaving you with a feeling of wondering what it was trying to represent. The source fairy tales themselves already had their moral lessons and with rare exception, it didn't present any "variation" to the tales or moral lessons. Much of it felt like an artist's rendition of an already known work. Not a copy, but how they see it. And while that can be appreciated for what it is, I felt dissatisfied, wishing it was for the reason of wanting more. But I didn't.

I was presented with a six-course meal and while I didn't leave the table hungry, none of the dishes were anything I would necessarily order again.

The first episode is perfect bait to keep you watching. A new perspective on the original story and characters. It's a representation of what this series should be. All the remaining chapters use almost only the names of the stories and characters. In them, it seems like they did it not to produce a variation, but to push the concept as much as they could from the original. And the places they bring the stories just feel forced.

'Cinderella' is so good. 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' had good ideas for the subtext in which they wanted to shift the focus of the story, but they could not implement it very well. In the remaining three, they simply threw story ideas at the audience that they thought would look cool, without giving them any serious thought.

I think they handled a child abuse element very wrongly in the last story, and that bothered me most.

I've got shelves of Reminaginings for fairy tales so going into this series I was open to just about anything.

It's not an exact match but the title is the best way I can describe how this show felt to me. It's like each fairy tale story was prompted to be mixed with a Sci-fi anthology series and the sound track was sourced from classical composers, though not always in a classical style.

And yeah the tones here all over the place while also being similar. It's really best to view each episode as it's own because really the only thing tying them together is the short openings with the Grimm siblings discussing the original fairy tales, and eventually having some small cameo in the story of the episode. So very " Rod Serling" or Alfred Hitchcock.

As others have said with no spoilers Cinderella is closest to the source material with a 'dark twist' so I'd say it best matches Night Gallery

I found a special fondness for Red Riding Hood which had shades of Hannibal and Black Mirror

Hansel and Gretel feels more Twilight Zone still a little twisty but nowhere near as dark as either of the previous tales.

Elves and the Shoemaker totally lost me I'll be honest, I won't even pretend to understand what happened there but then even the Main Character didn't even get it so maybe that was the point XD.

The Town Musicians of Bremen would be right at home as an entry for Love Death & Robots.

The Pied Piper Of Hamlin is rather Tales of the Darkside or maybe one of the more mild Master of Horror episodes.

As a regular anime watcher, I found The Grim Variations to be a refreshing and enjoyable watch. Despite some criticism, I believe that sometimes, simple anime can be just as entertaining and engaging as those with more complex storylines. While some may argue that the show could have taken a different approach, it's important to remember that there are limitations when adapting famous fairytales while still trying to be original and engaging. Instead of setting high expectations, it's best to watch and appreciate the show for what it is. Don't let reviews or others' opinions influence your own enjoyment. Give it a chance and form your own thoughts and feelings about it.