This animated series is centred on Alma Winograd-Diaz, a young woman whose life changes after a car accident... it isn't that she doesn't recover from her injuries; instead she sees her late father who tells her that she has the power to manipulate time. He wants her to discover the truth behind his death; everybody thinks it was suicide or a tragic accident but he believes he was murdered, if they can find the truth Alma might be able to save him. Over the course of the series Alma learns more about her ability and gradually learns more about her father and other family members... her mother is convinced that she is schizophrenic, like her father and grandmother. Is she really able to manipulate time or is she mentally ill?
Usually animation aimed at adults, at least in the west, is fairly crude comedy rather than something serious... this is a welcome exception. The rotoscope animation captures the actors' performances and adds an air of unreality. The story is touching and gripping; most of the time I believed Alma's story as we saw it was real but there are moments when I had to consider whether her mother might have been right. The main characters were nicely nuanced; each had their own flaws without anybody being obviously bad. The cast is impressive; most obviously Rosa Salazar and Bob Odenkirk who are great as Alma and her father. I enjoyed the somewhat ambiguous ending; if the second season is made it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody looking for something rather different.
Usually animation aimed at adults, at least in the west, is fairly crude comedy rather than something serious... this is a welcome exception. The rotoscope animation captures the actors' performances and adds an air of unreality. The story is touching and gripping; most of the time I believed Alma's story as we saw it was real but there are moments when I had to consider whether her mother might have been right. The main characters were nicely nuanced; each had their own flaws without anybody being obviously bad. The cast is impressive; most obviously Rosa Salazar and Bob Odenkirk who are great as Alma and her father. I enjoyed the somewhat ambiguous ending; if the second season is made it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody looking for something rather different.