Series Review: Great Pretender

Great Pretender started as background noise. It was something I threw on randomly while I worked. Instead of something I glossed over, I ended up binging the series far quicker than I wanted. This anime has beautiful art, a great story, and a fantastic soundtrack. If you enjoy watching heist movies, this series should be next on your watchlist.

Edamura was a lowly scammer in Japan, preying on the old to get by. His life changes when a mysterious blond French man recruits him into an elite group of con men. This group of ethical con men preys on the shadiest figures that plague the planet to rob them of all their money for personal gain. But despite Edamura’s natural talent as a scammer, he doesn’t want to be a conman. As hard as he tries to live a normal life, Edamura keeps finding himself on another job. Can people like Edamura ever find peace?

This series captures everything I loved about heist movies. It has unique and charming characters to fall in love with, high stakes, and a very colorful art style. This series is full of deception and misdirection. Every time I thought I figured out the mystery, I found myself being scammed. What sets this series apart in the genre is Edamura’s constant struggle with being a con man. He doesn’t want to scam anyone, even when they deserve it. Watching this struggle as he tries to figure out what kind of man he wants to be made for a powerful narrative. Watching the cast grow with Edamura was even more powerful still.  

The crew that Edamura joins isn’t perfect. They never execute a plan perfectly, and they find themself having to constantly improvise. This gave the series a much-needed sense of tension. I liked that despite the crew being made up of gifted individuals, they are all flawed. I loved watching them work through their flaws and grow from their experience. It makes for a very good narrative. One that I am sure you will enjoy. 

Great Pretender is a fantastic series with beautiful art, terrific music, and a fun story. If you haven’t done so already, check it out on Netflix.

Image By Wit Studio – https://twitter.com/GrePre_anime/status/1258671653195706368, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62918104