7 SEEDS (Part 1)

((summary adapted from Wikipedia))

When a catastrophic future is predicted by astronomers, world leaders meet and develop a backup plan for human survival called the Seven Seeds project. Each country will cryonically preserve a number of healthy men and women, allowing them to survive the devastation of the impact until a computer determines that Earth is once again habitable.

In Japan, five groups of survivors are scattered across the country, named, Winter, Spring, Summer A, Summer B, and Autumn. Each group consists of seven members as well as an adult guide who has knowledge of the project, and is trained in wilderness survival. Since most of the "seeds" are not told what will happen before they're put in cryonic preservation, they awaken to find themselves amidst a hostile environment bare of any human life, their entire world irrevocably changed. Now, completely alone, they're forced to depend on themselves for survival.

Watch or Download: NETFLIX



My Rating:


I'm approaching this review as someone who adores this author, who's read the entire manga, and has been anticipating this adaptation from its inception. So beware, I may be a bit bias towards certain things compared to people who are going into this blind and approaching this story for the very first time.

So let's get to it.

If you've seen the trailer, then you already know that the animation is absolutely stunning. There was obviously a lot of care put into styling the background and the scenery, from the way water glistens off leaves and rocks, to every shrub and blade of grass - so in that way, at least, they really managed to capture the beauty (and terror) of this new alien world. Especially with the use of bright colors, and how green and lush everything appears, which makes sense considering plants have overtaken the Earth thanks to the absence of humans. The contrast really is breathtaking.

I just wish the same could be said for the character designs.

In the manga, Yumi Tamura's distinct art style could capture the subtlest of emotions with the use of wide, expressive eyes, and fluid art. When a character cried, you felt it. Here, with the anime, I'm not sure if it's due to the blandness of the character-style or just the constraints of the story, but emotion doesn't hit quite as hard as it should. They almost feel washed out against the grandness of the background, and barely resemble their manga-counterparts. Even the dogs, who are characters in their own right, don't carry the same emotional weight as they do in the manga. That, and going back to the character designs, I have no idea what they were thinking when they decided to add random streaks of color to their hair that "pops" out of nowhere. I've never wanted a magical eraser as badly as I did while watching these 12 episodes.

One thing I did appreciate, however, was how they didn't hold back when it came to the darker aspects of the series. They showed much more blood and death than I expected them to, and because of that, the stakes always felt high, and the world, dangerous - just like its supposed to.

There was just one tinyyyyy issue that kept the story from reaching its true potential.

THE PACING

IS

TERRIBLE.

Rather than take their time and let the viewers get to know and appreciate these characters, they rush through 16 volumes/83 chapters, in like, twelve episodes. That's like cramming more than an entire volume into thirty minutes!

It. Just. Shouldn't. Be. Done.

As viewers, it's impossible not to feel how forced and rushed everything is. There's barely time to pause and breathe, and take everything in, before they send us hurtling into the next major catastrophe. So getting attached to these characters is nearly impossible since you're never with any of them long enough to actually see what makes them so endearing and so memorable - all we get are brief flashes of insight which barely skims the surface. Even Team Winter's flashbacks didn't do their story justice. This frustrates me on soooo many levels because I've already spent that time with these characters, and I know how amazing every single one of them is . . . so to see them restricted to one bland line or stereotype was insulting and incomprehensible to me. Especially since every one of them transforms and grows throughout the course of their journey, yet with the rate we're going, we'll be lucky to see growth from even a handful.

I'm not sure why this decision was made, since anime is known for its lengthy seasons and 7 Seeds would have definitely benefited from that kind of time and commitment, even if it was only one season more. So it pains and infuriates me to see how they took such a special, powerful, and inspirational story, and ruined it by forcing it into a tiny, constrained box.


That's not the way 7 Seeds was supposed to be experienced!

Even the beautiful, touching moments felt rushed and hurried. Maria's inspirational song is the perfect example - right when I started getting teary eyed and drawn into the moment, we were yanked forcefully back into the story before I was even emotionally ready (and of note: in the English Dub she was still singing in Japanese. I actually watched the whole series subbed, but seriously? You couldn't find an English voice-actor who could sing beautifully? Not one?). But honestly, there's so much to be gained from a lingering shot, a musical note, or an emotional beat... yet instead of giving us those moments, all we get are brief flashes of brilliance, of potential, before it's ripped away as we're pushed onwards to the next understated beat.

It's mind-numbingly stupid and I don't understand it.

But hey, at least the voice-actors and scenery were decent?

One thing I will say about this adaptation though, is that even a mediocre adaptation is better than no adaptation at all. At least this way, it exposes people to characters and a story that may inspire them to seek out the source material. And honestly, if this series manages to convince just one person to go out and read the manga, then it's done its job.

So if you aren't familiar with the manga or Yumi Tamura's work (I can't recommend Basara enough), and still found the story and these characters intriguing, then do yourself a favor and go read the manga that inspired it all. I promise you won't be disappointed, and then you can see for yourself what made this story so memorable and powerful.

That being said, despite my gripes, I still plan to stick around for Part 2, simply because I love these characters and this story, and I want to support the source material in any way that I possibly can. My only hope is that those who came into this series blind weren't chased away by the crazy fast pace, and confusing writing, and stick around long enough to see it to its conclusion.

Unless they mess that up too.