The Great Pretender Review
One of the Best Original Anime of All Time
Over the years, we have seen many jazzy, cool anime like Cowboy Bebop, Kids on the Slope capture our attention with their catchy storylines. But even in this “cool group,” The Great Pretender stands out as a modern classic, unlike any other anime out there.
Wit Studio is known for making phenomenal anime like Attack on Titan and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. And with their first Netflix Special, The Great Pretender, they have once again set themselves apart as a veteran animation studio. They took inspiration from the 1987 song by Freddie Mercury, first sung by The Platters in 1955, and turned the whole tune into this extraordinary piece of bombastic animation that you can't help but fall in love with.
Plot
Fundamentally, the Great Pretender is a show about a group of thieves pulling off elaborate heists to con bad people. The show's main focus is a small-time Japanese con man, Makoto Edamura, who gets tricked into following a French gentleman, Laurent Thierry, into Los Angeles. There, Edamura Learns of Laurent's plan to con a powerful Don/Producer out of millions of dollars through a fake drug deal.
Story Progression
Just from reading the plot, you would be inclined to think that The Great Pretender has a very simple and to-the-point premise. But that is a gross misunderstanding of what the Great Pretender is actually about. The anime has taken inspiration from old, classical heist movies like Ocean's 11, Now You See Me, and more. And takes the audience on a deceptive trip where they will think they know exactly what is going to happen. But contrary to their beliefs, the anime surprises everyone with a twist at the very end.
And here, Edamura is the audience surrogate in the show. He is also fairly new in the world of cons and slowly learns about the heist's background as it is revealed to the audience.
Surprisingly, the anime leaves you in awe with every new heist. In just 23 episodes, the Great Pretender tells a remarkably well-paced story, with exceptional animation to go along with it. Aside from the heists, the characters in the Great Pretender are not only endearing but also quite relatable. As we go through the past of the main cast, find out their motivations, what led them to this line of work.
Characters
Our main focus, Edamura, is an oblivious bean sprout. Then we have Laurent, who plans everything, Cynthia the charming big sister and Abby, the jack of all trades and the muscle of the party. Other than these 4, there is a huge cast of other interesting characters that we get to meet in The Great Pretender. The show thoroughly focuses on each and every one of the characters in the story and never leaves the viewers in the dark.
Conlusion
In all and all, The Great Pretender is a show that is just as vibrant as Freddy Mercury's cover of The Great Pretender; it has a satisfying story and pretending characters who we can't help but love. Personally, I’d give this show a rating a 9/10, and I believe that every single anime fan needs to check it out!
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