namopanik
How come this gem has no reviews is beyond me. It's an excellent piece of suspense drama worth every single one of its 61 episodes.
I wouldn't recommend it to people who are only into 1. straightforward romance, 2. lots of physical action. It has regular outbursts of action every few episodes alternated with strategizing and processing. It doesn't have many quests neither, only one overarching search of a McGuffin file. (Boy, was The Emperor and his jar a good preparation for this one.)
Just like Nirvana in Fire, Sparrow throws the viewer headfirst into already ripened events and flows like a chapterless novel. It has arcs when a new character is introduced or a focus shifts, and they have consequences afterwards.
The show belongs to Reveal rather than Develop school of character writing. The characterization is rough around the edges at first (it starts from a bulletpoint list of traits - for example, MC drinks Kvass, can't shoot due to a past trauma and puts an act of the playboy and gambler who'd rather be a barber than an agent), but turns into something alive and humane thanks to giving characters an opportunity to form alliances and bond. You can tag it with 'bromance' etc, but it's far beyond it. MC doesn't monopolize the screentime. There's a love triangle/square/meandering hexagon (with tentacles - you should see my chart) at the core, but it's not used as a plot propeller and a sole source of conflict. Close antagonists are humanized. It's chock-full of layered, multifaceted characters with their own mannerism. A line between faked and real relationship is blurred. I'm afraid to say anything more not to get into spoilers.
The first half (one third perhaps?) is mostly devoted to damage control and it lulls the viewer into thinking danger can always be redirected to scapegoats, and then things get real, breaking that expectation. The plot is stretched between an urge to maintain the status quo and a sense of urgency, making this desire impossible. Having spent so much time with all the characters and seeing their circumstances, it's hard to condemn those who on the scale of greyness fall into lukewarm/opportunistic territory or tilt toward derangment (especially since they're so charming or have grand entrances…). As if they weren't already, things get so tangled and tensed no single solution can fix them satisfyingly. The file is just an excuse to watch it all happening. Save yourself the frustration and don't expect more from it.
The show is beautiful to look at, crafted with an attention to detail and the use of music greatly improves the experience. More than once I was just spacing out looking at the colours changing or rewinding little pieces of fun editing of facial expressions/general movement like a cat pulling out tissues out of the box. It's definitely a rewatch material for me, both for just enjoying it visually and for re-immersing into that world. Highly recommended. Safety first!
I wouldn't recommend it to people who are only into 1. straightforward romance, 2. lots of physical action. It has regular outbursts of action every few episodes alternated with strategizing and processing. It doesn't have many quests neither, only one overarching search of a McGuffin file. (Boy, was The Emperor and his jar a good preparation for this one.)
Just like Nirvana in Fire, Sparrow throws the viewer headfirst into already ripened events and flows like a chapterless novel. It has arcs when a new character is introduced or a focus shifts, and they have consequences afterwards.
The show belongs to Reveal rather than Develop school of character writing. The characterization is rough around the edges at first (it starts from a bulletpoint list of traits - for example, MC drinks Kvass, can't shoot due to a past trauma and puts an act of the playboy and gambler who'd rather be a barber than an agent), but turns into something alive and humane thanks to giving characters an opportunity to form alliances and bond. You can tag it with 'bromance' etc, but it's far beyond it. MC doesn't monopolize the screentime. There's a love triangle/square/meandering hexagon (with tentacles - you should see my chart) at the core, but it's not used as a plot propeller and a sole source of conflict. Close antagonists are humanized. It's chock-full of layered, multifaceted characters with their own mannerism. A line between faked and real relationship is blurred. I'm afraid to say anything more not to get into spoilers.
The first half (one third perhaps?) is mostly devoted to damage control and it lulls the viewer into thinking danger can always be redirected to scapegoats, and then things get real, breaking that expectation. The plot is stretched between an urge to maintain the status quo and a sense of urgency, making this desire impossible. Having spent so much time with all the characters and seeing their circumstances, it's hard to condemn those who on the scale of greyness fall into lukewarm/opportunistic territory or tilt toward derangment (especially since they're so charming or have grand entrances…). As if they weren't already, things get so tangled and tensed no single solution can fix them satisfyingly. The file is just an excuse to watch it all happening. Save yourself the frustration and don't expect more from it.
The show is beautiful to look at, crafted with an attention to detail and the use of music greatly improves the experience. More than once I was just spacing out looking at the colours changing or rewinding little pieces of fun editing of facial expressions/general movement like a cat pulling out tissues out of the box. It's definitely a rewatch material for me, both for just enjoying it visually and for re-immersing into that world. Highly recommended. Safety first!
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