Among the plethora of viewing options, finding a series that feels fresh and brilliantly executed is rewarding in itself. Great Pretender is one such series, anime which takes us into the glamorous world of high-end con artists in unbeatable style.
Story Synopsis
This story introduces you to Makoto Edamura, a young man who considers himself the greatest con artist in Japan. However, his fortunes take a drastic turn when he tries to scam a tourist named Laurent Thierry. Unbeknownst to him, his target is an international fraud maestro who then drags Edamura into a much larger world of international fraud.
Together with Laurent's team of eccentric con artists, Edamura travels the world to execute elaborate schemes to defraud corrupt wealthy individuals.
WARNING! Article contains spoilers.
Fraud Scheme in Great Pretender
Great Pretender is an excellent example of the genre CON GAMEs. If Ocean's Eleven can be thought of as a genre blueprint heist with Hollywood style, then Great Pretender is the more emotional and flamboyant anime version.
The story presents a series of deceptive actions (hijinks) the con artist that will keep you guessing. Every plan is complex, full of intrigue, and often goes against expectations, which only adds to the excitement.
Take “Case 2: Singapore Sky” for example. Here, the team organizes an international fake airplane racing event. However, amidst the excitement of the scheme, the story cleverly inserts a dark flashback of one of the team members, Abigail “Abby” Jones.
The revelation of her traumatic past is what elevates the narrative. Great Pretender to higher levels, indicating that each CON GAME is not just about money, but also a stage for the characters' inner confrontations.
Character Dynamics in Great Pretender
Where Great Pretender where it really shines is in its character development. It's not just a story about scams, but about the scammers themselves.
Makoto Edamura is a very relatable protagonist. He is not swindler Cold-blooded; his basically good heart is often in conflict with the criminal world he enters. Edamura's journey is about the search for identity and morality amidst lies.
As a counterbalance, there is Laurent Thierry, confidence man a charismatic and mysterious classic. The character is very well voiced by Junichi Suwabe, whose appearance manages to capture both charm and danger at the same time.
The dynamic between the naive Edamura and the cynical Laurent is the emotional heart of the series, proving that the best stories are those about people, even if they are master liars.
High-end Visuals and Audio
Technically, this anime features a very solid production quality. Produced by WIT STUDIO, The animation quality is smooth and dynamic. The visual style is very eye-catching, where the city background is depicted with a bright and intense color palette that adopts a style of pop-art.
The details in it create a setting that feels so real. This visual strength also comes from the character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion), which gives each character a distinctive expression.
On the audio side, composer Yutaka Yamada presents a jazz and funk soundtrack that is stylish and became the identity of the series. However, the highlight is the closing song, which is a historic moment in itself.
For the first time in Japanese TV anime history, a song by Freddie Mercury was used as the theme song. The choice fell on “The Great Pretender”, the legendary song performed by the Queen frontman.
The closing visual, which features the characters in cat form, is a clever metaphor. To see how this iconic song is combined with these unique visuals, you can watch it below.
The connection between the song and the story goes much deeper than just the title. The lyrics, which are about someone pretending to be someone they are not to hide their loneliness, perfectly reflect the mental landscape of the characters. They are the confidence man who have to be ‘great actors’ every day.
To fully appreciate the masterpiece that is the soul of this anime finale, here is the official video of the remastered Freddie Mercury.
The use of this song is not just a patch, but a powerful thematic statement. The song becomes a silent confession underneath all the lies and glamor, providing a deep emotional resonance every time an episode ends.
Pros and Cons
Of course, no anime is perfect. Major pluses Great Pretender is a combination of intelligent narrative, deep characters, and a very slick audio and visual presentation. The anime is highly entertaining and satisfying from start to finish.
However, if we had to point out one flaw, some viewers might feel that the schemes sometimes feel too perfect and seamless. There are times when luck seems to be too much on Laurent's team's side, which may dampen the tension a little for those looking for a more realistic crime story and gritty.
Conclusion
Great Pretender is a very well-executed anime. It's a joy to watch, drawing you into its stylish world that feels so real, even with all its amazing schemes of deception.
By plot twist that will take your breath away, Great Pretender is a smart and entertaining watch that's hard to miss. The good news is that you can watch the whole case right away because Great Pretender officially available at Netflix.
Great Pretender (Anime - TV)
Summary
Great Pretender doesn't just serve up intrigue Con Game that will keep you guessing, but also deepen it with complex character drama and classy audio-visual support that makes the world feel so alive.
