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(All episodes watched): Again, I had read the synopsis above before watching the first episode of Blue Drop, but there are so many new series appearing these days that I had lost track of which show the synopsis was referring to, and went into this episode having virtually no idea what to expect. The episode opens with a scene aboard some sort of futuristic passenger space shuttle, which implied that the series would be taking place in the not-too-distant future, but otherwise human technology seems unchanged (and the characters in this scene don't reappear), so I was left wondering why it had been included to begin with. If it hadn't, and the viewer had been as clueless as myself, you would think this was a school drama--until the final scene, that is. Early on I found the story to be confusing, and began to worry that this was going to be excessively avant-garde (artsy-fartsy) to the extent of doing more harm than good. What I mean is, some pretty strange stuff happens, but instead of reacting with "WTF was that?!", Mari just shrugs it off as if it's nothing she hasn't seen plenty of times before. I began to think that maybe too much weirdness was being included for a good OP episode; the story seemed to wobble back and forth between this weirdness and touches which I found genuinely interesting. Then, after a startling cliffhanger at the end, I found myself thinking "I want to see some more of this"! A decent intro had come together after all, and I am especially eager for the next episode. Whereas numerous new fall series have blurred together in my memory, the plot of this one remains fairly distinct, which is a testimony to it's quality and the interest it holds. Not everything in the synopsis above has happened after one episode, and I think I enjoyed the show more than I would have if I had known what to expect. Blue Drop wasn't bad after all; in fact, it may well be one of my favorite series of this season. Well into the series, I found myself still having trouble making sense of the plot--the machinations of Hagino's alien superiors, alien technology, i.e, what exactly "Blue" is, etc. I wish these elements had been explained sooner, or if they already have been and I missed them, more clearly. There's a proper balance to be maintained between giving away too much information and too little; I think Blue Drop tends towards the latter. Still, I like the developing friendship between Mari and Hagino, and am eager to see where this will go. In episode ten exactly what happened at Kamikakushi Island is finally explained for those (like myself) who hadn't figured every detail out by themselves. Exactly why things turned out like that isn't made clear, but definitely a step forward. The final episode includes a confusing but quite cool battle. As the alien main ship went into "Genocide Mode" I didn't know whether to laugh, to be thrilled, to be moved, or what. Right to the end I remained largely clueless as to exactly what was going on, but even a fool like me could tell what was happening in general. And I enjoyed it, so I don't mind too much. It's frustrating that this show is clearly a work of art, with more thought and originality devoted to the plot than usual, yet manages to be so confusing. I would have only a vague grasp of the plot--and then even weirder stuff would happen, leaving me even farther behind. Why were the schoolgirls more interested in the upcoming school festival than a major UFO incident? Why did Hagino consider her part in the play to be so important? For that matter, I still don't know why she tried to strangle Mari way back in episode one. But the reason I'm so frustrated is because the basic concept behind this show is clearly so good, and I wish I was able to enjoy it more thoroughly than I am. An intriguing and original story which unfortunately is told in a confusing and frustrating manner--definitely worth watching, though. Last updated Sunday, January 06 2008. Created Thursday, October 11 2007. | ||||||||
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Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Blue-Drop (Japanese) series web site | http://blue-drop.jp/ |
| Wiki entry regarding the Blue Drop series. | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Drop |
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