My grandchildren, who are either in their mid-thirties or close to it, have introduced me to Manga and Japanese anime many years ago. My granddaughter had actually lived in Japan for a few months to incorporate Manga into her fashion designs, and the boys were always encouraging me to watch the Japanese animation cartoons like Dragon Ball Z. It will surprise them that I not only watched the amazing Grimm Variations, but totally enjoyed the limited series.
The Grimm Variations
The Grimm Variations, which can be watched on Netflix, is a beautiful yet haunting remake of the original Brothers Grimm Fairytales. The limited series, produced by Wit Studio, was directed by Grant George.
Each animated episode is introduced by the Grimm Brothers, Jacob (Tatsuhisa Suzuki), Wilhelm (Kenji Nojima) and their little sister Charlotte (Misato Fukuen). The series covers the story of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Town Musicians of Bremen, and the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The artwork is fabulous, the story telling impeccable and frightening, but this granny is giving a little warning…these stories are not suited for young children. There is a lot of nudity and violence.
In Little Red Riding Hood, a human named Grey and the members in his Gentlemen’s Club use AR to hunt and kill women…but this wolf soon meets his match with Scarlet. My favorite was the story of Cinderella. In this twisted tale, the stepmother and stepsisters need to watch their backs because Cinderella is freaking scary. Each fairy tale that we grew to love as children, will now, in The Grimm Variations…leave you wanting to do some major investigating into the source of every single fairytale that we ever heard.
Conclusion
As I said in the beginning of this review, I totally enjoyed this limited series. I have always equated Manga with Japanese anime, even though Manga specifically refers to Japanese-style graphic novels, and anime consists of shows and movies…but…there is a dark side to both Manga and Japanese anime. When my granddaughter was going to Moore College of Art for fashion design in Philadelphia, she became interested in Manga. She began designing these beautiful outfits called Lolita fashion, which resembled Victorian children’s clothing in a Geisha vibe.
It wasn’t until we went to a book store together that she pointed out the X-rated section of Manga books. I am not a prude. I went to Steampunk events with my granddaughter. I am the persona of Women’s Lib. I believe in sexual freedom…but there was something unsettling about Manga. I felt that Manga was sexualizing little girls. I could be mistaken, but my Granny Spider Senses are never wrong. If it smells like pedophilia…it’s pedophilia.
In The Grimm Variations episode of Little Red Riding Hood, there were some violent scenes against women…so I will use my Granny voice and remind parents to not allow small children to watch this series. In fact, maybe you should watch it with your teenage children and explain how different cultures around the globe view women.