Disclaimer: Children, prepare for a reality check on your childhood ‘happily ever after.’ Adult supervision is recommended. For adults, be ready for a truly Grimm situation.
Anime fans, spoiler alert for you!! Netflix’s latest release, ‘Grimm Variations’, is not some kind of beautiful anime version of classic folklore but has a modern touch to it. The series has set up its own version of classic stories like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and many others. Themes like a damsel in distress, a knight and shining armor, etc. have been perfectly broken in passing episode.
An epic reality touch given popular children’s stories. After watching this 6-episode series, chances are that your picture-perfect fairytale childhood stories, will no longer serve the purpose of entertainment. Three siblings reside in a picturesque locale, weaving tales for their sister, each narrative devoid of conventional happy endings but filled with dark humor and survival instincts.
Let’s review each of the episodes of ‘The Grimm Variations’-
Episode 1: Cinderella
For centuries and beyond, we have known what happens in Cinderella. A stepmother and her greedy daughters take over Cinderella’s house and wealth and treat her like a servant. A man with high morale and love for true beauty sweeps Cinderella off her feet, and we see a happy ending; the Netflix version says something different.
A Japanese-European touch given to a household back in the era, sets the tempo of the episode, and an Annabelle-kind of situation is hinted at to the viewers. The stepsister is just the same, but the overly sweet Cinderella herself becomes a pawn to her stepfamily.
Portraying a picture of a ridiculed sister and using coax and cajole to make the sisters believe she is on cloud nine to have a family; she weaves a series of lies and allegations, ultimately turning the prince charming into her support.
A doll and the not-so-damsel in distress, Cinderella, fill their lives with games of manipulation and pulling out a picture that has nothing but grim intentions. Haunting, isn’t it?
Episode 2: The Little Red Riding Hood
A classic story of a little girl and wolf miraging her sick grandmother, gets a tit for tat in the end. The anime version fabricates a utopian world where illusion is the new reality. A man lures a beautiful women into something more pleasurable and turns out to be a wolf in a man’s clothing. Reality is what he craves, but his cravings for hunting something real gets in the way of a billion-dollar company.
He wants to taste fresh blood without the drops of reality, and he meets his prey, Scarlet. A red-hooded woman pretends to be a damsel in distress, but it is not what it looks like. The prey is a predator who manipulates a man’s game into her own, the same in compassion but cunning as a fox. It’s now a woman taking over the man’s game!!
Episode 3: Hansel and Gretel
A witch who tried to make the two siblings chocolate, gets a taste of her own medicine. We all know this story, but this grim version has something more than a moral value. Two kids (one real and the other imaginary) live a life devoid of every pleasure and happiness and find a broken house that is filled with luxuries. A moth to a flame, these two try to find out the truth of the world.
Just like the forbidden apple, they wish to break the boundaries of discipline, and what comes next grips the audience to their seats. Seeing, there is a world outside their school, they get nearer to the truth and find out they are in a different dimension. The coming-of-age story will truly touch your heart, when innocence goes out and experience comes in.
Episode 4: The Elves and the Shoemaker
This is another classic tale of a poor yet honest shoemaker who gets a gift of abundance when he sees beautiful shoes made by someone or something; eventually quenching the growl of his empty gut. The grimmer version has a similar touch to it.
A writer who is experiencing writer’s block, is on the verge of losing his dignity and touch when a mysterious girl appears. She calls his work disavowed from reality and imagination, making the best-seller writer grumpy.
The next day, he wakes up to a manuscript of self-introduction. This short story becomes a sensation. Now, the publishers are bussing around him for more. The more he sleeps, the more writing he does, or so we see… His success again takes over his best until he sees what is right and what is not.
He succumbs to his dilemma of reality and illusion, ultimately shocking everyone. So, was it writer’s block or a schizophrenic shock?
Episode 5: The Town Musicians of Bremen
There is an irony to the title!! This story hints at the social detachment of these three women. Unwilling to move according to social norms, they set off to places where they could rest their feet. There is no trouble on their side, but trouble does find them. An ex-sheriff, an ironsmith or iron woman, and a courtesan travel to places until they meet the Wade Bullies (brothers).
Terrorized by these bullies, these women became the she-heroes, but what is next for them? That’s the question.
Episode 6: The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Lastly, the Pied Piper and his flute swayed anything and everything out of his way. With this theme, a young woman named Marie lives in her dreamland, unlike others who are focused. She is seeking something more, but her village has to offer something else: Power. Again, in a place banning anything amusing and alluring, Marie finds euphoria in nature, love, and life.
Longing for epiphany is what we can say; she explores the unexpected and uncovers the truths of life. The man’s gaze and desire are infused to possess Marie, but she sways in the colors of self-love, breaking the barriers of matriarchal norms.
Conclusion
Throughout the series, every episode breaks the shackles of a happy ending and pushes the definition of what is right and what is not. From the concept of bildungsroman to embracing happiness, all these themes must have enticed the viewers. It looks like more is being craved by them, yet less is said.
To review it, I give it 4.5 stars out of 5 for the series. It is an absolute eye-opener, reviving classic folklore with a modern kick. It’s a must-watch series, peeps!!
Also Read- The Greatest Hits Review: Torn Between Illusion and Reality
Keep it surreal 
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