A lovely story with high potential that cycles between too simple and overly dramatic
As far as acting and production, I want to give props to Studio Wabi Sabi and New for bringing the world of Cake and Seeiw to life. Wabi Sabi has a smaller budget than the big studios, and they used many young/rookie actors. However, all of the early 2000s scenery, costumes, etc. were done very well and the acting was top notch. Especially this breakout role for Santa!
As far as the story line and pacing, I wonder if it was better developed in the novel than in the series. While the whole concept of the narrative was cute, engaging and suspenseful, it was actually carried out in ways that were either boring or jarring. Particularly the last few episodes had way too much unnecessary drama that took away from all of the story development that had been done leading up to the end. And unfortunately the first few episodes drag a little too slowly to be truly engaging. The middle episodes have the best balance in my opinion.
despite these issues, the character development and portrayal by all of the actors, especially Earth and Santa, is top tier. All of the boys who played their school friends did a great job moving the plot along as well. At several points I was moved to tears by Santa and Earth’s acting, and it was these two who prompted me to finish the whole series.
As far as the story line and pacing, I wonder if it was better developed in the novel than in the series. While the whole concept of the narrative was cute, engaging and suspenseful, it was actually carried out in ways that were either boring or jarring. Particularly the last few episodes had way too much unnecessary drama that took away from all of the story development that had been done leading up to the end. And unfortunately the first few episodes drag a little too slowly to be truly engaging. The middle episodes have the best balance in my opinion.
despite these issues, the character development and portrayal by all of the actors, especially Earth and Santa, is top tier. All of the boys who played their school friends did a great job moving the plot along as well. At several points I was moved to tears by Santa and Earth’s acting, and it was these two who prompted me to finish the whole series.
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