What’s Truly Ugly at Midnight in the Red Garden of Teen-Angst City

Liz's blinking! SPOILERZ!

Red Garden continues to be a compelling watch for me. I admit, I have a soft spot for angst-girl protagonists. I’ve been always a huge fan of girls like Priss and Robin…

But Claire, Kate, Rose and Rachel are not really like those prima-donna lead figures. In fact, I think they’re really the split personalities embodied by a Priss-type character. The interpersonal drama and the internal drama going on between the gang as well as with each gang member seems to be the expository pie we’re served.

With Rachel acting like this, she’s definitely leading the pack in … something.

So what’s ugly? It’s the fight scenes. Remember Uchuu no Stellvia? There’s this awesome episode about 2/3 of the way through the show, where the girls have a pow-wow and cried a lot? Now imagine that, but you have it every episode, and instead of self-acceptance and coming to terms with one another, you have psychotic terror involved with life, death, and coming to terms with existential implications.

It’s way worse than any complaint you can leverage against its visual style or art form, IMO. In episode 4, Rachel goes nuts a bit; that’s as expected. But episode 6? Sigh. The only relief I have is that they’ve gave away to that Gantz-like, shock factor; the subtle conspiracy is beginning to set in, and aside from the incessant wailing it is actually not too terrible.

Sigh, who am I kidding? It’s still over the top. Like their dresses.


2 Responses to “What’s Truly Ugly at Midnight in the Red Garden of Teen-Angst City”

  • GreatSG

    I don’t see how you are watching this, I gave up after episode two, it was so overwrought and sill I couldn’t help by laugh at it’s ridiculous premise. The song number in episode one was still one of the best ‘WTF were they thinking?!’ moments i’ve seen ever. You need an intervention! :P

  • omo

    I thought the song thing was a great reason to keep on watching BECAUSE it’s so over the top. Safe to say I manage to enjoy Red Garden both ways: as a campy B thing as well as something original.

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