Eric
here
A Fascinating Premise with Something Crucial Missing
I had very high hopes for this drama as a show that could be quirky and strange in an interesting and unique way. In truth, I guess it did follow through on those fronts, but still I couldn't find myself enjoying the vast majority of it. It didn't dawn on me until the end of the story, when every mystery was revealed (or at least supposed to be revealed), that I discovered what was missing. Execution. An incredible premise with an honestly very good story was completely ruined by flat acting, unclear information, and a basic lack of chemistry between the characters. It was a confusing and in the end, very disappointing experience.
The vibe of this show is not at all what I expected, or what I hoped, for it to be. A cover poster and trailer filled with outlandish colorful creatures and a school nurse wielding a light up plastic sword gave me the impression of an off-the wall, lighthearted, and occasionally funny tone, but what we got instead was an unexpectedly dark feel only made worse by bad acting. Although I don't despise a show with a darker tone, it's hard to take it seriously with all the aforementioned oddities. What's most confusing is when a plot point seems entirely meant to be played off as a joke or over emphasized in it's own absurdity, but then is portrayed as another normal development by our perpetually depressed characters.
The chemistry, in my opinion, is one of the most egregious failings off the show. There is none. And I mean NONE. It's romance without the love. Friendship without the friendliness. Banter without the jokes. Our two main leads are- as revealed by dialogue- supposedly falling in love, but you'd never guess that without them telling you. They never seem happy to be together (I think I saw the female lead smile a total of three times in the whole six hour runtime), the female lead is perpetually pushing away the male lead, and there is no sexual tension whatsoever. From a big picture plot standpoint, I can see all the elements which would lead to a romance (with maybe a few missing, but still doable), and yet the love just isn't there. And this doesn't just go for the romance, as bonds between friends is known only by who isn't outright bullying each other. Acts of kindness happen seemingly out of nowhere when you suspect there should've been something leading there. It's payoff without the setup, and frankly, the setup would've been the most interesting part.
Oh boy, was the story confusing. I felt like I had to run my brain on full power to try and puzzle out what the heck was going on. I'm pretty sure there was a twist at the end but I can't for the life of me figure out what it was. It's always unclear who knows/believes the female lead can see jellies (they're basically ghost creatures no one else can see, and I love the name and design of them). Relationships between characters is often unknown, and this isn't helped by the complete lack of chemistry between them. I really can't explain too much else for fear of spoilers, but if you end up watching this just... good luck.
I'll mention real quick that I liked episode five. It was the first time I really understood the lead's emotions (and was able to tell she had them), and it dealt with some really powerful topics and what to do about them. You could almost watch that episode alone, but it isn't really it's own self-contained story so some things won't make sense or will feel unfinished. In the scope of an ideal production of the show, I imagine episode five to be the one where our typically upbeat and wacky main character is shown dealing with tougher issues and making difficult choices. Instead she just finds a better reason to be depressed.
This drama is like if someone made a really great mold for some metal sculpture or something and then poured sad, lame, lumpy metal into it. It looks great from afar and on the outside, but get a little closer or take a look within and you'll find a sloppy mishmash that isn't quite cohesive enough to be considered good. I'm actually really disappointed with how it turned out, especially with how much potential the premise had. I'm going to have to recommend against watching this, as it's probably not what you were expecting or looking for.
The vibe of this show is not at all what I expected, or what I hoped, for it to be. A cover poster and trailer filled with outlandish colorful creatures and a school nurse wielding a light up plastic sword gave me the impression of an off-the wall, lighthearted, and occasionally funny tone, but what we got instead was an unexpectedly dark feel only made worse by bad acting. Although I don't despise a show with a darker tone, it's hard to take it seriously with all the aforementioned oddities. What's most confusing is when a plot point seems entirely meant to be played off as a joke or over emphasized in it's own absurdity, but then is portrayed as another normal development by our perpetually depressed characters.
The chemistry, in my opinion, is one of the most egregious failings off the show. There is none. And I mean NONE. It's romance without the love. Friendship without the friendliness. Banter without the jokes. Our two main leads are- as revealed by dialogue- supposedly falling in love, but you'd never guess that without them telling you. They never seem happy to be together (I think I saw the female lead smile a total of three times in the whole six hour runtime), the female lead is perpetually pushing away the male lead, and there is no sexual tension whatsoever. From a big picture plot standpoint, I can see all the elements which would lead to a romance (with maybe a few missing, but still doable), and yet the love just isn't there. And this doesn't just go for the romance, as bonds between friends is known only by who isn't outright bullying each other. Acts of kindness happen seemingly out of nowhere when you suspect there should've been something leading there. It's payoff without the setup, and frankly, the setup would've been the most interesting part.
Oh boy, was the story confusing. I felt like I had to run my brain on full power to try and puzzle out what the heck was going on. I'm pretty sure there was a twist at the end but I can't for the life of me figure out what it was. It's always unclear who knows/believes the female lead can see jellies (they're basically ghost creatures no one else can see, and I love the name and design of them). Relationships between characters is often unknown, and this isn't helped by the complete lack of chemistry between them. I really can't explain too much else for fear of spoilers, but if you end up watching this just... good luck.
I'll mention real quick that I liked episode five. It was the first time I really understood the lead's emotions (and was able to tell she had them), and it dealt with some really powerful topics and what to do about them. You could almost watch that episode alone, but it isn't really it's own self-contained story so some things won't make sense or will feel unfinished. In the scope of an ideal production of the show, I imagine episode five to be the one where our typically upbeat and wacky main character is shown dealing with tougher issues and making difficult choices. Instead she just finds a better reason to be depressed.
This drama is like if someone made a really great mold for some metal sculpture or something and then poured sad, lame, lumpy metal into it. It looks great from afar and on the outside, but get a little closer or take a look within and you'll find a sloppy mishmash that isn't quite cohesive enough to be considered good. I'm actually really disappointed with how it turned out, especially with how much potential the premise had. I'm going to have to recommend against watching this, as it's probably not what you were expecting or looking for.
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