Another week, another introspective piece on anime. This time, I’ve got my eyes set on a trailer for an upcoming anime called Great Pretender.
Great Pretender is a new original anime airing in July 2020. It’s about Edamura Makoto, the self-proclaimed best conman in Japan, being outmaneuvered by Frenchman Laurent Thierry. Now forced into a partnership, Edamura must do all of Laurent’s dirty work while being chased by Special Investigator Paula Dickins of the FBI. Will he make it out or will he get caught up in the con’s game? We’ll just have to find out in the summer.
What makes this stand out
From the very beginning, we’re greeted with our main character hanging from the iconic Hollywood sign screaming for help. I’m immediately hooked; I want to know what lead him to this situation. It makes you wonder how in the world he is going to get out of it. Directly after that, you are bombarded with very snazzy jazz music and wonderfully composed shots of the show’s setting.
These scenery shots make me excited for this anime. They are the perfect fusion of watercolor and modern anime aesthetic; each piece is visually stunning, and I would hang each of them on my walls. More than just the art, it’s also the setting of Los Angeles that’s interesting. I absolutely love it when Japan makes content that’s based in the USA because seeing their interpretation of different places is fascinating. As someone who has been to L.A. before, I can say that [+Ultra] did a fantastic job at capturing it in all its glory.
Although I’ve never seen Ocean’s Eleven, the whole trailer gives off a vibe that feels very reminiscent of that movie. Because I’ve never seen it, or really any heist-related media, this has my attention. I want Great Pretender to succeed because it can be mine and many other’s gateway into the heist genre.
In Conclusion
Great Pretender is shaping up to be a stand-out hit in the Summer 2020 anime season. It’s got a unique art style that beautifully clashes the modern anime aesthetic against the gorgeous watercolor backgrounds. The soundtrack is a wonderfully composed piece of high-octane jazz that serves to put emphasis on the fact that our characters will be dealing with some high stakes gambling; after all, they’re trying to swindle money away from high ranking criminals while being hunted down by the FBI. The voice acting is on point, paring each character up with an excellent actor who can perfectly capture the feel of each character.
All in all, I am thoroughly excited for this anime and I hope you are too. Then again, I’m just a guy with opinions. I could be right… or I could be wrong. That’s for you to decide. When July 2020 rolls around will you choose to watch Great Pretender, or will you decide to fold?
Animation: Art in Motion 