Great Pretender: Season One Review
Netflix has been scoring hit after hit this summer when it comes to their anime shows. Fans have already been treated to some brilliant new titles from some of the most recognised and acclaimed studios across Japan, including Dorohedoro, BNA: Brand New Animal and Japan Sinks: 2020 just to name a few.
With summer coming to a close, the studio behind the Attack on Titan series, Wit Studios, have arguably given us their most unique title to date with their heist comedy Great Pretender to send off an already impressive seasonal line up for the streaming service. And I am happy to say that they have pulled it off once again as their most colourful and unique show to date.
Makoto Edamura
The series follows a young Japanese swindler named Makoto Edamura (Alan Lee/Chiaki Kobayashi) as he finds himself unexpectedly tricked and pulled into a series of high-stakes heists by the confident French gentleman thief Laurent Thierry (Aaron Phillips/Junichi Suwabe) and his team of international conmen who steal from corrupted and wealthy individuals across the world. All fourteen episodes take place around three heists that are all equally captivating: taking down a drug operation in Hollywood; an international air race in Singapore; and retrieving a priceless painting from an art auction in London.
But what makes these storylines so engaging is the change in character perspective among the conmen and how much you grow to care for them from their initial introduction. We learn how Edamura himself ended up in the world of crime with a surprisingly sad backstory that makes his motivations and reasonings empathetic. And the shift in focus on the other characters and their backstories in relation to each heist make them a lot more endearing rather than the archetypes they first appear to be.
Thierry and Edamura
As for the animation, this is Wit Studio’s most colourful production, as well as easily being one of their best productions.
The use of colour changes across each of the three story arcs, creating a different mood and feel for both the locations and what the characters are dealing with. From the warm orange and yellows for Singapore to the cold blues and browns in London, the patterns and shapes used in the backgrounds with the combination of the colour palettes make the show feel beautifully detailed and a unique look that never makes the same episodes feel the same.
The character animations and emotions are brilliantly expressive as the stories progress, whether it’s the subtlety of their actions or the overly emotional facial expressions. Even the characters who you would expect to react and develop in a particular way often go in some unpredictable ways, adding more depth and growth that isn’t really seen in other heist films and television shows.
Wit Studio’s most colourful anime yet.
Great Pretender is easily one of the most colourful and unique heist productions out there, making it even stand up to the Hollywood hits that inspired it with it’s gorgeous art style and relatable characters. This is without question one of the best Netflix anime to date and I hope we get to see Edamura, Thierry and the gentlemen thieves again.
Great Pretender is now available to stream on Netflix in the UK.