"Sandtower" is a series that is as convoluted as they come, with cheesy characters and dialogue, and surrealistic moments. However, it is terribly entertaining, the plot developments make it totally worth watching and the pace doesn't let the viewer breathe. In the end, the positives overcome the negatives and make the series a quite entertaining time. And, as with all these other Japanese TV series, at 10 episodes it is finished before it overstays its welcome.
The story is simple: we have the perfect-looking family that moves into an apartment complex: a huge tower where the higher your flat is, the higher your status. There are power struggles, jealousy and bitterness between the people that live in the tower, and all of it can be seen through... the housewives' relationships.
Yes, because "Sandtower" does not hide that deep down it is a little bit (cough cough) old fashioned: husbands and fathers are basically non-existent in the story (well, money makers and problem creating creatures), and mothers are the ones that love and are loved by their children. Even if the show raises some interesting topics about the subject (women are not just there waiting for the husband to come back home), men are basically on the sidelines while women are responsible for everything (cooking, cleaning, shopping, looking perfect, being friends with the rest of the women...). And if the children have a problem, the mothers are the ones to blame.
However, "Sandtower" is more than it seems on the surface. On top of being a show about family, community and status quo, it has decided to throw in some mysteries. We have a kidnapper of children ('The Hamelin Case'), which will keep the viewer on their toes for all the running time of the series. Who is the culprit? And we also have shady and more than a little bit creepy Nanako Matsushima's Yumiko, who lives on the flat just above Aki's one. Nanako Matsushima has a knack of making silences last forever and a tiny smile that will make the viewer shiver and have their hair raise. She has specialized in impenetrable characters and here she does a great job again.
The acting in general is good, even if the plot and situations make it easy to fall into overacting. Aki's Miho Kanno is the one that has more weight on her shoulders and she shows quite a lot of emotion (more than once overdoing it a little bit). At the same time the viewer may wonder sometimes why the characters do not talk to each other more and explain their feelings and problems. However, this is actually one of the points where the series shows its strength, as people are normally not so willing to explain their feelings and showing vulnerability as we would like to believe.
"Sandtower" is not especially original, and it is way over- convoluted (so many plot developments, a few of them risible, make the story bloated and sometimes head-scratching). It will also make the viewer want to shout at the characters penchant to keep silent and make a problem bigger and bigger. Nevertheless, it is so entertaining and interesting, and has so many twists and secrets that no one will be bored by it.
