It is hard to meet the high bar set by the television series Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) and movie classic Harry Potter (2001) much less go over it. In this instance, this much more light-hearted version of youthful magical events is bouncy and almost a parody of these original classics. There is a lot of derivative material used for a new generation minus the intelligent wit of Buffy and the sophisticated seriousness of Harry Potter.
The first episode does impress with its well-done and concevied flashback. Ordinarily most screenwriters and directors do not know how to use flashbacks effectively appearing to do so just to impress. In this case, though, the use of the magic of flashback it made perfect sense and edited just right to have the intended conceptual, plotted impact.
Another impressive milestone here is the lead character whose mother is Singapore-Chinese mother and father is Japanese. To cast an Asian in this production reflect a mature, multi-racial attitude that promotes a non-discriminatory component to the television industry. There is no overt effort to emphasize cultural differences unnecessarily.
The discontinuity of this series appears to be the target audience and the low level of age sophisication focus of the directing and script. Instead of high school students which these characters are supposed to be like Buffy and the casting of older actors, the characters' behavior and simple scripted dialogue actually make them appear more like a junior/middle school students.
Overall this a light, upbeat, and more simple version of these classics.
The first episode does impress with its well-done and concevied flashback. Ordinarily most screenwriters and directors do not know how to use flashbacks effectively appearing to do so just to impress. In this case, though, the use of the magic of flashback it made perfect sense and edited just right to have the intended conceptual, plotted impact.
Another impressive milestone here is the lead character whose mother is Singapore-Chinese mother and father is Japanese. To cast an Asian in this production reflect a mature, multi-racial attitude that promotes a non-discriminatory component to the television industry. There is no overt effort to emphasize cultural differences unnecessarily.
The discontinuity of this series appears to be the target audience and the low level of age sophisication focus of the directing and script. Instead of high school students which these characters are supposed to be like Buffy and the casting of older actors, the characters' behavior and simple scripted dialogue actually make them appear more like a junior/middle school students.
Overall this a light, upbeat, and more simple version of these classics.
