If you’re like me, you probably grew up with Grimms’ Fairy Tales, or at least the Disneyfied versions. I never read the originals, which I understand were actually written for adults. Well, for a new twist on your favorite childhood stories, comes The Grimm Variations. And yes, this is not for children.

This is a six episode anime series with each episode lasting around 45 minutes. Each episode begins with the Grimm brothers conversing with their younger sister as a means of introducing the chapter’s tale. When we get to the feature story, it is not what we expected. These fairy tales take the original theme and twist it about.

In Cinderella, an orphan girl is taken advantage of by her older step sisters – until we get to an unexpected climatic twist. The human wolf in Little Red Riding Hood gets tired of stalking his young victims in the virtual world and gets the chance to play his game in the real world. But does he stalk the wrong victim? Hansel and Gretel becomes a sci-fi adventure with another unexpected twist. The Elves and the Shoemaker replaces the shoemaker with a once celebrated writer whose talents have long since diminished. The Town Musicians of Bremen becomes a tale of three female outcasts who you’d better not mess with, and who take on a gang of thugs. And finally The Pied Piper of Hamelin becomes a story of a school teacher obsessed with one of his students.

The artwork is pretty good, and most scenes are well animated. As for the stories, they are interesting, and since they do not follow the traditional narrative, for the most part leaves you guessing. Except of The Town Musicians of Bremen – that was predictable.

I recommend The Grimm Variations. I think you will find it interesting.