The tales by the Brothers Grill are probably the most world renowned of all time, with titles like “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Hansel and Gretel” and “Cinderella” having been integrated into various myths across the world, essentially being cultural phenomena. Now, Netflix, in collaboration with Wit Studio and six different filmmakers, presents new versions in an original anime omnibus, all of which take a rather darker approach to the originals, frequently including supernatural and sci-fi elements.
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Each episode begins with Charlotte, younger sister to the Grimm Brothers, asking for a particular type of story and them coming up with one in their repertoire, although, as just mentioned, the original stories are turned into something completely different.
In “Cinderella” directed by Yoko Kanamori, the titular character finds herself in the midst of her new step mother and her stepsisters, who treat her as cruelly as they do the servants. Soon, however, the true villain is revealed to be someone else. The combination of baroque setting, as exhibited in the dolls that appear throughout and the mystery that permeates the story is quite appealing to watch, in a great start to the omnibus.
In “Little Red Riding Hood” by Yasuhiro Akamatsu, Scarlet is actually the one taking revenge from the Big Bad Wolf, who is a predatory man, part of a cult of vampires of sorts, with the help of her witch grandmother. The episode is quite brutal, including scenes of torture, and in general one that aims at entertainment through exploitation.
In “Hansel and Gretel” by Junichiro Hashiguchi, the two orphaned siblings find a house filled with candy deep in the woods, and an elderly woman who leads them into questioning what exactly is happening in their orphanage. The episode moves into sci-fi territory eventually, although in a way that seems clumsy, in one of the weakest segments here.
“The Elves and the Shoemaker” by Yumi Kamamura is the most “serious” in the collection, with a struggling artist meeting an elf who gives him a complete book for him to give to his editor, utterly turning the company’s declining attitude towards him. The comments about how the particularly industry works and the concept of creativity, inspiration and plagiarism work quite well here, in a rather grounded segment.
“The Town Musicians of Bremen” by Masato Takeuchi goes into western territory, having a group of three girls taking on a gang of men, with a local prostitute eventually becoming the catalyst. The segment is definitely the most action-oriented, in a style that will remind many of “Trigun” although the feminist tones here are quite prevalent. There is also a sex scene, in a rather unusual tactic for an anime.
The last segment “Pied Piper of Hamelin” by Shintaro Nakazawa is probably the darkest, with a young maiden’s future being handled by an elderly lady who is the leader of a small community, promising her to the most powerful and trustworthy male. Her teacher seems to want to save her from her future, but he obviously wants something else too. The pragmatist attitude of the girl is as shocking as the state of mind of the people around her.
In general, it is easy to say that the creators succeeded in reinvigorating the stories, although not to the same level, something that also applies to the quality of each episode, as is usually the case in omnibuses. There are times, however, that they seem to try too hard to make the stories more adult-themed, in an effort to entertain a different audience, while the supernatural elements do not always work. Some episodes, however, particularly “Cinderella”, “The Elves and the Shoemaker” and “The Town Musicians of Bremen” definitely stand out, even if for various reasons.
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The artform is also quite appealing, with the intros and the outros featuring the Grimm siblings looking as if they jumped out of a children’s book, a tactic that also appears throughout the episodes. The character design by Naohiro Oosugi and Yonekawa Mai varies throughout the segments, in an approach that definitely works in favor of the series, although a certain ‘flatness’ does appear in a number of characters. The second episode features probably the most impressive artwork, both in drawing and Wit Studio’s animation, while the diversity “The Elves and the Showmaker” offers, in a more fluid style, is also great.
All in all, “The Grimm Variations” definitely deserves a watch, even by people who have not read the original. On the other hand, the differences in quality and the heaviness of the episodes prevent it from being binge worthy, while the sense that the creators tried too hard is evident throughout. These elements essentially prevent it from being among the best of the year, although it is close by.