Where did L.M. Montgomery's story go? I had high hopes for this series, and boy were they dashed. I'm not sure whose idea it was to take out most of the heart-warming nature of the books and replace it with annoying melodrama, but they ought to be kicked. I'm not sure just what this series is meant to be, but Anne of Green Gables it is not. I've rarely seen Character Derailment this egregious (Marilla sending Anne back to the orphanage would be derailment enough, but by herself? Have the writers even read the books?) Almost all the characters took at least one level in Jerkass — even Anne, though she's oblivious about it rather than actively malicious. In cramming melodrama wherever it would fit, the writers just succeeded in creating a soap opera (that was given the Man of Steel color palette treatment in many places, to boot. Seriously, the poster has greater color saturation than 90% of the series.)
The popularity of the Anne of Green Gables books has endured because they have the right balance of sweetness, drama, interpersonal relationships and conflicts, always buoyed by Anne's optimism in the face of all her life's adversities. The series has...drama. Lots and lots of drama, with myriad interpersonal conflicts played solely for, you guessed it, more frigging, predictable, tiresome drama. Sweetness is rather sparse, and Anne's flights of fancy and almost feverish exclamations of optimism make her come across as mentally unstable rather than imaginative. I found it completely off-putting; when I think of Anne of Green Gables, attempted abductions by pedophiles do not spring to mind.
Which is unfortunate, because the casting is fantastic. Anne, Marilla, and Matthew in particular are well-cast, though it just makes their jarringly OOC actions stand out all the worse.
Maybe the series will get better — and truer to the text — by the second season, but I'm not tempted to find out. As someone who grew up reading and loving the Anne series, this thing has left a sour taste in my mouth, and I'm really not surprised so many critics trashed it.
Just...why?
Where did L.M. Montgomery's story go? I had high hopes for this series, and boy were they dashed. I'm not sure whose idea it was to take out most of the heart-warming nature of the books and replace it with annoying melodrama, but they ought to be kicked. I'm not sure just what this series is meant to be, but Anne of Green Gables it is not. I've rarely seen Character Derailment this egregious (Marilla sending Anne back to the orphanage would be derailment enough, but by herself? Have the writers even read the books?) Almost all the characters took at least one level in Jerkass — even Anne, though she's oblivious about it rather than actively malicious. In cramming melodrama wherever it would fit, the writers just succeeded in creating a soap opera (that was given the Man of Steel color palette treatment in many places, to boot. Seriously, the poster has greater color saturation than 90% of the series.)
The popularity of the Anne of Green Gables books has endured because they have the right balance of sweetness, drama, interpersonal relationships and conflicts, always buoyed by Anne's optimism in the face of all her life's adversities. The series has...drama. Lots and lots of drama, with myriad interpersonal conflicts played solely for, you guessed it, more frigging, predictable, tiresome drama. Sweetness is rather sparse, and Anne's flights of fancy and almost feverish exclamations of optimism make her come across as mentally unstable rather than imaginative. I found it completely off-putting; when I think of Anne of Green Gables, attempted abductions by pedophiles do not spring to mind.
Which is unfortunate, because the casting is fantastic. Anne, Marilla, and Matthew in particular are well-cast, though it just makes their jarringly OOC actions stand out all the worse.
Maybe the series will get better — and truer to the text — by the second season, but I'm not tempted to find out. As someone who grew up reading and loving the Anne series, this thing has left a sour taste in my mouth, and I'm really not surprised so many critics trashed it.