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If you’re into exciting heist-related content and a crazy fan of shows like Ocean’s Eleven and Breaking Bad, The Great Pretender is your best anime version of those shows. Leave it to these con artists to make swindling seem so funny and entertaining to watch. With all the cunning tricks and an appealing plot, this incredible series has a lot to offer!
The Great Pretender does justice to the conman genre really well.
SYNOPSIS
The series revolves around Japan’s greatest swindler, Makoto Edamura, and his fellow partner, Kudo. They both are like the Robin Hoods of the 21st century. Many unfortunate events in their past have led them to this point in life, where now, they use their deceitful skills in scamming criminals, tourists, and other local men, and make a living out of it. Makato had held on to his title of being the greatest conman for quite a long time now, and had planned on doing so; however, things took an unexpected turn for him when he crossed paths with Laurent Thierry, a real-world-class crook.
Makoto got more than what he bargained for. He made a sneaky attempt to scam the French tourist only to realize later that it was he who got scammed instead. To regain his reputation and get his title back, Makoto challenged his rival in a competition to become the best conman. Hence, he decided to leave with Laurent. Moving from city to city, they both embarked on an adventurous journey full of swindling.
IS IT WORTH IT?
With a lot of heart, humor, and thrill, the show displays mockery of society and law. It makes certain crimes like criminals getting ripped off, super fun to watch. The show is split into three arcs that span 23 memorable episodes.
The captivating story is very fast-paced, exciting, and engaging. The plot is pretty predictable; however, its good execution and humor make up for that. The art and aesthetic of the show is worth every second. It’s very colorful and unique. The animation is beautiful and very fluid. The different landscapes, cities, and countries shown in the anime are surprisingly very accurate and pleasing to watch. The show’s jazzy OST and soundtracks are among its other strong points.
The ending song, especially, is personally one of my favorites. Last but not least, the characters in the show are very solid. The backstories of the characters shown in the anime put more meaning to their developments as the show progresses. The anime is packed with comedy, mainly because of their hilarious personalities, which make the characters’ interactions very entertaining.
The show is the work of a great and well-known studio, Wit studio.
Their previous groundbreaking projects like Attack On Titan and Vinland Saga already set the bar intimidatingly high for this show. Hence, it’s safe to say that you CAN expect this anime to be GOOD, if not equally as great as their previous ones.
CONCLUSION
With all that said, I would say, YES, it is worth it!
Since it is an internationally licensed Netflix Original Japanese crime-anime series you can easily find it there and binge-watch it. This show is great if you are looking for something that’s not too long or too short. It has a perfect combination of action and comedy to offer. I think this series gets the attention that it deserves and that’s sufficient and acceptable. This con artist adventure anime is probably one of the best anime that came out of 2020. The Great Pretender will take you on a thrilling ride down a series of many exciting and emotional events. It is a show you that cannot afford to miss.
