Great Pretender
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Great Pretender
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Great Pretender is a drama-comedy anime about a group of conmen who work together to steal and inflict their own brand of vigilante justice upon their corrupt targets. Themes include justice, greed, and morality vs. legality. There's some fantasy violence (gunfire, explosions, physical fights, and car crashes). One scene shows two dead women in a trailer nude after overdosing on drugs. Language includes "f--k," "s--t", "a--hole," "bitch," "hell," and "bastard." There's some nudity (exposed breasts and backside) and sexually suggestive images and language.
What's the Story?
GREAT PRETENDER is an anime series about Team Confidence, a group of con artists who work together to take down corrupt and evil targets. The series primarily follows Makoto Edamura (voiced in the English dub by Alan Lee), a young man ostracized from society after his father was sent to prison for corruption. Edamura's family reputation and own unfortunate circumstances prevent him from finding work to help pay for his sick mother's medical treatment. Edamura decides to turn to a life of swindling and sets his sights on becoming the greatest conman in all of Japan, eventually joining Team Confidence.
Is It Any Good?
This anime features an entertaining criminal cast of roguish heroic outlaws bent on delivering vigilante justice in the manner of Robin Hood. Great Pretender has an intriguing story that focuses on morally gray characters and their equally gray choices. The con artists are thieves but are portrayed sympathetically. Each member of Team Confidence has a somewhat tragic backstory that drives them to become a heroic vigilante figure, and while the team isn't good the people they go after are even worse. The team still has a roguish code of honor that prevents them from targeting average people; instead they target only greedy, evil, and corrupt individuals who've been able to use their power, money, and influence to escape justice. The art and animation are beautiful, and the diverse locations and characters are fun to watch, especially in tense situations. Overall Great Pretender offers a lot of entertainment value, it's well made, beautifully animated, fun, and funny, but also serious and sympathetic at times. It's hard not to root for this group of outlaws.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the conmen joined Team Confidence. Are the members of Team Confidence heroes, villains, or something in between?
Does the context of why the conmen use theft and lying change the moral implications if their motives are seemingly good?
TV Details
- Premiere date: December 2, 2022
- Cast: Alan Lee, Aaron Phillips, Kausar Mohammed
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: December 15, 2022
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