5
8
1
1
1
2
1
I've never been so ambivalent about a series
I didn't know anything about this series when I started watching it years ago. And to me, personally, it was hard to get into every single time I picked it up again. But after the first half episode, I watched several episodes in a row, because something about it had me hooked. Just to then forget about the series again for a while.
So, will I watch the second season? Honestly, I don't know, but since it's only 8 episodes, I might, simply because I like the initial concept.
Most important to say is this: this is not about revenge. Or justice. It's just like real life - outsiders and innocents get their share of consequences, too. . But that is also where the series failed to catch me.
In general, I liked the idea behind it. It was to show that anyone can be manipulated into doing horrible things, it was about group dynamics, social pressure and the lenghts some people would go to to preserve what's important to them - as well as digging into people's fake facades and their reasoning behind it. But even though the message mostly was very clear and hence delivered well - it wasn't convincing.
With messages like that, they can only leave a long-lasting impact if people identify with the situations. If they feel like "oh, that could have been me" or "I probably would have acted the same", but I never thought that with any episode I watched.
1) Nanno was the catalyst of all the scenarios, which I would have been fine with, but
2) At times, the outcomes were so unrealistic, they had to give her mysterious magic powers to explain the escalation of a situation
3) These mysterious magic powers in itself were weirdly inconsistent between and in episodes so everything could go as the writers wanted it to
4) Which added a ton of smaller and bigger plotholes and incomplete settings, making the whole scenario pitted like swiss cheese
5) Yet the writers often shunned away from happy ends just as much as sad endings - and while sometimes this lead to a great open ending to make up your own mind, some endings felt very people-pleasing (like "choose whatever ending you'd prefer")
The quality of the episodes differs vastly and so does the acting. While "Nanno" is doing a great job throughout, many of the side characters don't. The horror elements and special effects often were terrible, even for me, and I hate violence and gore anyways and prefer my series to go light with these if needed for the story.
As I had a four year gap between watching the first and the last episode, I realised that I barely remembered any of the episodes I watched four years ago, which is highly untypical for me. There couldn't be better proof on how few impact it was able to create on me.
Do I recommend watching it? If you like the concept in general and don't mind a... questionable execution, absolutely. If you are looking for a high-quality production in terms of consistency, I'd say you could only enjoy watching if you are able to ignore a ton of plotholes and incomplete settings.
So, will I watch the second season? Honestly, I don't know, but since it's only 8 episodes, I might, simply because I like the initial concept.
Most important to say is this: this is not about revenge. Or justice. It's just like real life - outsiders and innocents get their share of consequences, too. . But that is also where the series failed to catch me.
In general, I liked the idea behind it. It was to show that anyone can be manipulated into doing horrible things, it was about group dynamics, social pressure and the lenghts some people would go to to preserve what's important to them - as well as digging into people's fake facades and their reasoning behind it. But even though the message mostly was very clear and hence delivered well - it wasn't convincing.
With messages like that, they can only leave a long-lasting impact if people identify with the situations. If they feel like "oh, that could have been me" or "I probably would have acted the same", but I never thought that with any episode I watched.
1) Nanno was the catalyst of all the scenarios, which I would have been fine with, but
2) At times, the outcomes were so unrealistic, they had to give her mysterious magic powers to explain the escalation of a situation
3) These mysterious magic powers in itself were weirdly inconsistent between and in episodes so everything could go as the writers wanted it to
4) Which added a ton of smaller and bigger plotholes and incomplete settings, making the whole scenario pitted like swiss cheese
5) Yet the writers often shunned away from happy ends just as much as sad endings - and while sometimes this lead to a great open ending to make up your own mind, some endings felt very people-pleasing (like "choose whatever ending you'd prefer")
The quality of the episodes differs vastly and so does the acting. While "Nanno" is doing a great job throughout, many of the side characters don't. The horror elements and special effects often were terrible, even for me, and I hate violence and gore anyways and prefer my series to go light with these if needed for the story.
As I had a four year gap between watching the first and the last episode, I realised that I barely remembered any of the episodes I watched four years ago, which is highly untypical for me. There couldn't be better proof on how few impact it was able to create on me.
Do I recommend watching it? If you like the concept in general and don't mind a... questionable execution, absolutely. If you are looking for a high-quality production in terms of consistency, I'd say you could only enjoy watching if you are able to ignore a ton of plotholes and incomplete settings.
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