100https://www.kotaku.com.au/content/uploads/sites/3/2020/07/18/xdssltozb6q8ekf8orok1280x702.png Ever ran into the problem of sharing anime with people who dont watch anime? I did too. If you cant tell by my stupid username Im a pretty big fan of these cartoons. However there are some localized quirks and tropes that would turn potential weeblets from giving anime a shot. How do I introduce friends to this cool catalogue of shows without them getting too big of a shock to their system and distancing themselves from me? Unless you grew up watching Pokmon or a Big 3 show I wouldnt know many titles that would make for a good entry point into the medium. But ask me that same question today and there will be one name right on the tip of my tongue. Spoilerfree coverage of both halves of the show skip ahead to my TlDr if you prefer to go in blind. 100https://pbs.tw.com/media/Ef5B1MXXkAkh0h6.jpg Great Pretender GP begins in medias res with our main characters world literally turned upside down as he dangles off the Hollywood Sign tethered by his feet. Such an opening is probably one of the more memorable ones Ive seen recently yet thats not even the most ambitious of this storys intentions. Director Hiro Kaburagi previously demonstrated his Western sensibilities with 91 Days. But with GP he trades that grimy noir tale for a homage to heist films. Hes playing a wildly different ball game like a traveling team playing Away at the home of a foreign sport. Theres no falling back on familiar shounen tropes or localized references the show is decidedly a Western and an underdog at that. Yet GP punches far above its weight and proves itself morethancapable to sit right up there with the very best in the genre. Against insurmountable odds not unlike those Laurent and his crew face GP cooks a perfect plan for success rooted in style and confidence. 100https://lostinanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/GreatPretender040565.jpg The series structure mirrors the tightlywound cons themselves theres more to this show than meets the eye. As to be expected with your caper story the show has tricks and twists aplenty. Laurents Band of Merry Men and Laughing Ladies take money from the rich by turning their own weapons against them. With millions of dollars on the line there is no room for error One mistake and youre gone. 100https://lostinanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/GreatPretender020347thumbthumb.jpg Anticipate ingenious ideas enigmatic escapes and gambits galore on this wild journey. Ill leave to your imagination the wacky plays our misfits come up with as its an absolute joy to discover the many ways GP pulls the rug out from under you. Really respectable is how the show actually explains the secrets behind the many illusions while adhering to the tropes it commits itself to and common sense. Shows along a similar vein like No Game No Life for example do this only when its convenient still liked it quite a lot DW. GP plays by the rules but still carries a plethora of tricks up its sleeve. Whats fun is that on the offchance you see the outcome a mile away putting twoandtwo together is still an engaging exercise likely to leave you with a goofy grin on your face. 100https://media2.giphy.com/media/H6Elj2c13TWEdAPMNy/giphy.gif Controlled chaos is GPs MO. The show teeters on a tightrope walk between the improvised and the calculated. A frantic energy dominates adrenalinepumping action ranging from car chases to dogfights. But the show never gets distracted with insane antics instead meticulously building towards cathartic climaxes that cumulate in further excitement. Theres hardly a dull moment throughout the show with a measured momentum that few stories can effectively match. Each episode provides a substantial sense of progression that Id be hardpressed to find anywhere else. GP achieves this with its brilliant use of parallels foreshadowing and motifs. Elements throughout the show can both hint at how the various cons will work while depicting a deeper picture of our characters a story nested within a story. Be it the small capsule toys Makoto picks up or the fiendish criminals Laurents Merry Men and Laughing Ladies encounter every detail in the plot says something about the direction our story is headed. As such almost all the scenes feel weighty and purposeful in a way as if every step is going according to keikaku. 100https://lostinanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/10/GreatPretender2024.jpg Set dressing is also a strength akin to the many fronts setup. The music is memorable stuff. Its OP is the second coming of TANK and few shows can brag about the great FreddyfrickinMercury namedropping the series title as their ending theme. Also notable are the specific music choices for each arc which fit nicely as the story progresses. GP art style is easy on the eyes while showing more love for the genres it emulates. The show doesnt shoot for hyperrealistic composition or lighting effects choosing instead to derive its distinct look from clear straight lines and a diverse color palette. Neonlike backgrounds hammer home the vibrant pulp aesthetic its going for and it makes sense. GP isnt the most grounded of shows with its globetrotting escapades and zany twists. Such an offkilter atmosphere revels in that playful tone and looks fantastic. GP maintains its creative liberties while being flexible in its approach 100https://lostinanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/GreatPretender131403.jpg Much like the costume changes our cast pull on a regular basis GP puts on a new skin with each of its arcs. L.A. Connection introduces Makato Edamura the selfproclaimed best conman in all of Japan as he steps into the City of Dreams and the world of crime. In Singapore Sky Abby the de facto muscle of the crew risks everything the clouds and is asked why she welcomes danger with open arms. Snow of London sees the sophisticated Cynthia return to the titular town and the love she left behind. GPs episodic storytelling is takes on different appearances as a crafty chameleon would with each arc as tightlyconstructed as the cons themselves. Its not dissimilar to the Watanabe approach with the key difference being that Bebop and Champloo prefer to go allin with its stylistic influences. GP may not display that level of versatility but balances that out by giving its themes and characters just enough room to grow. The series places a great deal of narrative confidence in its confidence men/women compounding the stakes of their elaborate highwire acts. 100https://lostinanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/09/GreatPretender161766.jpg All these components thrills style twists and shock come crashing together in a jawdropping final act. Wizard of Far East was both the strongest arc in some aspects and the weakest in others. The few cons pardon the pun throughout the series rear their head in its last leg. Its the story arc that stretches believability the most and is built around the uncomfortable recurring gag of Makoto getting manipulated by his friends. But although GP looks the closest its ever been to falling completely off the rails its in these same conditions where the series performs its best. One might say the show takes on a fake it till you make it attitude but isnt that exactly how cons are meant to work? The series as a whole is the master plan and were its dumbfounded marks. GPs ambition lies not just in scamming rich crooks but in playing tricks on the audience as well. Every arc strives to surprise and this last arc is more of the shocking same. The schemes more intricate than weve ever seen the stakes as high as ever the buildup deliberately paying off thematic threads introduced within the arc and revisiting story beats from prior cases the presentation wellhandled the central conflict dark and compelling all culminating in an explosive conclusion an Abbyesque middle finger to anybody expecting any less. 100https://64.media.tumblr.com/5757b9942bae9a49a931970d9ccb9002/8463da90268380267c/s500x750/0b84ab43d9a325db338abee2d52f6ccf878ba9fa.gifv TlDr: Great Pretender is masterful in execution. With the chips stacked against it GP effortlessly translates Western story conventions over to anime in convincing fashion. A pastiche of the caper pulled off with panache GP pays faithful homage to Hollywood. The team behind the project make their love for these Westerns known while creating a fantastic piece of fiction of their own. Expect countless surprises and much more in store effective storytelling themes and pacing make this 2020 offering a mustwatch. GP my hands are up. You got me. Oh yes 9/10 STRAY RAMBLINGS SPOILERS: Exception being the rap track reused for Case 1. WIT just couldnt get the rap right it was just cringe that I was sad to revisit when they replayed it in Case 4. I expected something more complex for the final act like pitting Makoto against Laurent. I think the show had time to get to that point given that Laurent went a step too far by forcing Makoto to literally fall in his fathers footsteps. The direction they went with instead doesnt ask too many questions about its morality again speaking to the fake it till you make it writing. It sure worked on me though heh. 100https://lostinanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/GreatPretender060764.jpg I can attest that no event as the Pathfinder Airrace will ever take place in a place as conservative as Singapore. Id be surprised to find anyone crazy enough to sign off on the idea of having planes zooming so low above the ground and dangerously close to tourist attractions and infrastructure. Also there were like 20 more Supertrees in the show than in real life that scene with the planes weaving around that fake forest had me laughing the first time I saw it. Other than that props for nailing the look of the city cool stuff 100https://lostinanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/GreatPretender131402.jpg In Snow of London Cynthias tin box is labelled Farrahs Toffee. James Coleman the art appraiser manipulates a wealthy lady named Farrah Brown into building up his private art collection. In short it is reasonable to infer that our boi James literally had a sugar mommy. Lets talk about the English: I know yall found it pretty grating in the pilot episode but I thought it was a rather neat concept. It got overbearing in Wizards though all the linguistic switchups were embarrassing at times. I will say they got the Chinese VAs spoton really captured that Hong Kong police show vibe. 100https://lostinanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/GreatPretender0805thumb.jpg BEST GIRL: Cynthia. CyntheeUH. Plenty of idiots in the show give her flak for being an old hag but shes SMOKIN. Also her role in Snow of London made the Case closely edge out the other arcs as my favorite throughout GP cheesy pick I know. 100https://i.ibb.co/V9q1DkW/GreatPretenderS01E23Case49WizardofFarEast1080pWEBDLAAC20H264aKraamkv20201002.jpg Well played. And thats a wrap Calling this a little early but Im pretty confident we have a great contender for AOTY in Great Pretender. Heres a fun idea: take a shot for every time I used alliteration in this article. Ill send you two cups of coffee and a hug once your hangovers over. If you happen to like my verbose rants feel free to check out my other reviewshttps://anilist.co/user/AnimeDweeb/reviews for seasons past and present peace