Ash!!1
[anime] So we just finished the great pretender and hoooly shit
Autumn Vasch
oh good
Ash!!1
TVアニメ「GREAT PRETENDER」（グレートプリテンダー）オープニング 「G.P.」ノンクレジ...
I FUKKIN LOVED IT
Ash!!1
shout out to ari puttin it on while i was drawing and OOPS I GOT SUCKED IN
Ash!!1
anyway i hate that at some point i will rp makoto because he is just anime apollo
Ash!!1
this poor boy needs a nap
Autumn Vasch
i have like a million screencaps and also icons if that day ever comes
Ash!!1
i enjoyed every case and the art style is sooooo good
Autumn Vasch
IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL
Ash!!1
IT'S SO PRETTY AND THE ANIMATION IS EVERYTHING I LOVE
Ash!!1
SUPER FLUID AND FRANTIC AND EXPRESSIVE
Ash!!1
weh it's so nice to watch something new and be blown away by it
Autumn Vasch
beauty ////
beauty ////
Autumn Vasch
YOU CAN ALSO SCREENCAP EVERY SINGLE FRAME THEY ARE ALMOST ALWAYS GORGEOUS THERE ARE LIKE NO UGLY IN BETWEEN FRAMES ANYWHERE IN THIS FUCKIN ANIME
Ash!!1
my brain like eeeh i guess we can make room for this on the shelf of dangan/ace attorney/motorcity/pokemon--
Ash!!1
THE COLORS ARE SO GOOD
Autumn Vasch
like this shit
like this shit
Ash!!1
i love it and her
Ash!!1
its so vibrant and expressive and just fun
Autumn Vasch
some beautiful trash cans in an alley
some beautiful trash cans in an alley
Autumn Vasch
sometimes i just look at my great pretender screencaps becaues they are all art and they just make me happy
Autumn Vasch
let more anime be vibrant
Autumn Vasch
anyway yes let edamura have a nap
Ash!!1
LET HIM HAVE A NAP and in a colorful room
Autumn Vasch
also let him make some of his own decisions without being manipulated into PTSD
Ash!!1
i just really enjoyed everything including laurent being the worst
Ash!!1
i enjoyed crime tamaki very much
Ash!!1
everyone was real good
Autumn Vasch
Laurent is very cute
Autumn Vasch
cute garbage
Ash!!1
THE ONE THING I WAS WORRIED ABOUT THRU THE LAST BIT IS 'OKAY BUT ARE THE KIDS OKAY???'
Ash!!1
but yes they get adopted
Autumn Vasch
YEAH THEY REALLY COULD'VE BENEFITTED FROM HAVING A FEW FRAMES OF SHOWING HOW THEY KIDS WERE SAVED
Ash!!1
all is well aside from the many people traumatized along the way
Autumn Vasch
I WAS VERY IRRITATED BY THAT
Ash!!1
its fine!! its fine! its fine!!
Autumn Vasch
but the kids are fine
Ash!!1
Autumn Vasch
: YEAH OZ SAID THEY RESCUED THEM, AND CYNTHIA IS SHOWN WITH THE OLDEST ONE THAT TALKED TO EDAMURA
Autumn Vasch
and they don't actually made edamura's knowledge of everything clear but I have rewatched recently and feel valid in 'i refuse to believe Edamura was not acting for that whole part and honestly probably for the whole two months'
Ash!!1
i fully believe she was like 'hm i better take this kid before laurent does and traumatizes him'
Autumn Vasch
cries
Autumn Vasch
keep him away from laurent smh
Ash!!1
oh he was absolutely not acting for at least the two months lolo
Autumn Vasch
YEAH I MOSTLY JUST FIND IT ANNOYING THAT LIKE. THEY DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS NARRATIVELY IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO SHOW HOW THE KIDS WERE SAFE AS PART OF THE ILKE 'REVEAL'
Autumn Vasch
LIKE COME ON
Ash!!1
cuz his dad didn't show back up until later like i lived bitch
Ash!!1
THANKS FOR THE TRAUMA
Ash!!1
AND YEAH LOL
Ash!!1
i forgive the other bad guys showing up cuz its like
Ash!!1
at least they aren't human traffickers
Ash!!1
this is the bar here folks!!!
Ash!!1
wheeze
Autumn Vasch
we'll probably have to disagree there IT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT TO ME that Edamura would not actually participate in child trafficking even if traumatized
Ash!!1
I THINK HE WAS JUST IN A REAL BAD PLACE TBH
Ash!!1
like survival mode
Ash!!1
but yeah EITHER WAY
Ash!!1
PTSD ALL THE EWAY
Autumn Vasch
and i don't feel like he was THAT surprised his dad was alive which means he probably had the thought preivously like 'yeah this is maybe just a scam'
Ash!!1
oh yeah by the time his dad shows back up he's just like
Autumn Vasch
the fact that NO ONE ELSE FROM THE GANG REACHED OUT TO HIM INCLUDING LAURENT but nor did he track down laurent even tho he has him on his phone
Ash!!1
where is that pic
Ash!!1
smoking keaunu or whoever
Ash!!1
'yeah this tracks'
Ash!!1
BUT YEAH HE PROBABLY REALIZED but also slightly cracking
Ash!!1
cuz that was like, two months of bullshit and he did not deserve that
Ash!!1
mostly plz let him just have a normal 9-5
Autumn Vasch
I think he was legitimately traumatized but more like... 'that was still traumatizing even if I am like 70% sure it was a con, and im kind of broken by the fact that you bastards woudl do this to me'
Ash!!1
he just wants a job with benefits
Autumn Vasch
but like SELLING OGF CHILDREN TO BE USED AS SEX SLAVES IN CHILD TRAFFICKING IS REALLY REALLY BAD
Autumn Vasch
and i just don't buy he would do that if he didn't trust that this was part of the con
Ash!!1
I MEAN TBF EVEN IF HE TRUSTED IT he couldn't guarantee all the buyers were in on the con
Ash!!1
so like EITHER WAY, HE WAS COMMITTING TO THE BIT, whether he believed in it or not
Ash!!1
FUCKED UP EITHER WAY, THANKS LAURENT
Autumn Vasch
yeah it's shitty either way but also like 'staffing a room full of buyers' wouldn't be hard they did that already in con 3
Autumn Vasch
i was able to identify one of the buyers as an extar who was used in con 1 as well lol
Autumn Vasch
(I WAS DEPSERATE0
Ash!!1
THEY TECHNICALLY DID THAT IN THE ORIGINAL PLAN but also this was like, 2 months of selling so
Ash!!1
LIKE I ALSO WANNA BELIEVE IT and i take Oz's word All the Kids were safe
Ash!!1
just also that was some dark times there
Autumn Vasch
I don't think he was selling thruought those two months, when they pick up the kids the mafia lady is like 'we will sell them in 2 months'
Ash!!1
I ALSO DID NOTICE AT LEAST ONE PLANT but yeeeeah
Ash!!1
Yeah but we saw at least two auctions with makoto
Ash!!1
tho he wasn't a real participate in the first one
Ash!!1
so it's like 
how many slipped thru the cracks
how many slipped thru the cracks
Ash!!1
fucked up!!!
Autumn Vasch
Yeah...
Autumn Vasch
IT'S BAD NO MATTER WHAT
Autumn Vasch
and Laruent and Oz are garbage
Autumn Vasch
and I do think he was actually traumatized
Autumn Vasch
but i also feel like 'there is literally no reason that if Edamura ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WAS FOR REAL that he wouldn't have contacted Laurent'
Autumn Vasch
like 2 days prior to that he was rolling around in his bedroom complaining to laurent that he didn't like having to pretend he was ok with child trafficking
Autumn Vasch
laurent's garbage but they had still gotten pretty close
Ash!!1
I MEAN, AFTER THAT POINT A LOT OF SHIT HAD HAPPENED
Ash!!1
he had a lot on his mind, and also like
Ash!!1
again even if he was pretending, THE KIDS...DID NOT KNOW...
Ash!!1
THE KIDS JUST THINK THIS ASSHOLE IS YELLING AT THEM TO SMILE
Autumn Vasch
Oh yeah like I DO THINK CON 4 IS IN A LOT OF WAYS
Autumn Vasch
'Here is how we broke Edamura to the point where he is just as fucked up as the rest of the cast which is a necessary component to being a true con artist'
Ash!!1
so like no matter how you waggle it makoto did some fucked up shit and was in a dark place but
Ash!!1
ITS FINE...ITS FINE....
Autumn Vasch
and he does A LOT OF SHIT he is not able to commit to in all the previous cons
Ash!!1
it all worked out 
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and one of those things is like 'ABLE TO TRULY ACT THE ASSHOLE TO STAY IN CHARACTER EVEN IF YOU TRAUMATIZE OTHER PEOPLE AS A RESULT'
Ash!!1
P MUCH
Ash!!1
gawd i was wheezing when he got the gun
Autumn Vasch
edamura cons 1-3 absolutely would have not been able to hold characterw hile selling kids or would've tried to reassure the kids prior
Ash!!1
OKAY KIDS EVERYONE GET UP I HAVE A GUN
Ash!!1
makoto plz
Autumn Vasch
and in con 4 he's just like
Autumn Vasch
gonna traffick some kids, gonna make this lady think of me like her son then take her for all she's worth and never look back
Autumn Vasch
gonna scare the fuck ot of my dad and laurent and also ALL of my compansions
Ash!!1
he is Done with everyone's shit sob
Autumn Vasch
and it was all... justified by the end of the results but also
Ash!!1
JUST GONNA DO THE DAMN JOB
Autumn Vasch
REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE NEARLY FUCKED UP A CON BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH DRUG TRAFFCKING EDAMURA
Autumn Vasch
REMEMBER... THAT...
Ash!!1
L O L
Autumn Vasch
anyway my first watch of Season 2 I was real disappointed because I REALLY WANTED EDAMURA TO GET TO LIKE. HAVE AGENCY... OVER WHETHER OR NOT HE CONNED PEOPLE
Autumn Vasch
INSTEAD OF THIS PROGRESSIVELY MORE RIDICULOUS 'HOW DO WE FORCE HIM INTO BEING A CONARTIST TO THE POINT WHERE NOW HE'S JUST DOIGN IT OUT OF PSTD'
Ash!!1
he's come so far 
Ash!!1
we binged it all in the last two days so i mind it less but also i love apollo types
Ash!!1
long suffering young adults with asshole manipulative authority figures u say
Autumn Vasch
but on rewatch I do think it fits pretty well HOWEVER i like. don't trust season 3 to be like 'ok now that we broke Edamura and have established he is actually a good con artist in his own rights, even enough to con laurent, he will get to have his own agency in season 3'
Ash!!1
give me that shit
Autumn Vasch
but who knows if we will get a season 3 i am really happy with the two we have overall
Autumn Vasch
Edamura and Laurent are SO good
Autumn Vasch
they also just have such a great complicated dynamic
Autumn Vasch
it's like Apollo if you actualy got to see Apollo and Phoenix interact more
Ash!!1
alfkjadlfj
Ash!!1
LISTEN, THEY INTERACT MORE IN OTHER GAMES but it's basically that lolo
Ash!!1
dad issues and all oops
Autumn Vasch
TO BE FAIR I HAVE NOT PLAYED APOLLO'S GAMES IN LIKE.. A DECADE. i just rememberbeing like why is there not more of this
Autumn Vasch
Anyway yes you are correct
Autumn Vasch
proteges with issues with their asshole mentors
Autumn Vasch
and Laurent is a HIGH LEVEL asshole
Autumn Vasch
and there is alsot he general dynamic of Oz was at least semi-Laurent's mentory and then Laurent im pretty sure deliberately chose Oz's son
Autumn Vasch
which is just like
Autumn Vasch
Laurent why
Ash!!1
LAURENT JUST LIKES FUCKING UP PEOPLE'S TRAUMA TO COVER HIS OWN TRAUMA
Ash!!1
sends a video to yakuza mom's son
Ash!!1
why laurent!!!
Ash!!1
LEAVE FAMILY'S OUT OF THIS BUDDY
baby gremlin
Oh my god anime Apollo lol
chilly pepper
GUREPURI GOOD
baby gremlin
Down to the balls to the walls wtf is this backstory
chilly pepper
its so beautiful...
Autumn Vasch
sdfks
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LAURENT STOP TOUCHING PEOPLE'S ISSUES
Ash!!1
baby gremlin
: EVEN DOWN TO HIS CRIMINAL FATHER-WHO-ISN'T-A-CRIMINAL
Autumn Vasch
Cynthia: 'you basically arranged all of this os i would have to deal with my trauma didn't you? fuck you'
Autumn Vasch
(who is actually definitely a criminal just a different type of criminal)
Ash!!1
A DIFFERENT TYPE OF CRIMINAL
baby gremlin
Yeah like the last case I am very mixed on because of the kids trafficking and the whole brining back all the scammees from previous arcs is just like “well, this doesn’t hurt the 1% at all which kind of takes away the Robin-hoody fuck the rich”
Autumn Vasch
Yeah
Ash!!1
YEAH HONESTLY I BOTH APPRECIATED AND HATED THE REALISM THERE
Ash!!1
'why is cassano back--oh wait he's rich and american that tracks'
Autumn Vasch
I think the choice to bring back the previous criminals combined with Edamura clearly actually caring about the child trafficking mafia boss lady really like, cements into the whole... 'actually the conartists are themselves just criminals in a world where criminals reign'
Autumn Vasch
they are more charming and maybe less destructive to innocennts but uh
Autumn Vasch
they are not actually out here to make a difference or fuck the system in any meaningful way
Ash!!1
yeah lol dorothy straight up calls them games in the backstory
Ash!!1
AIN'T NO HONOR HERE, THE CREW WAS JUST BORED
PHONY
yaaaay more people finally watching
PHONY
the most beautiful anime ever made
Autumn Vasch
it's a show that is VERY UNINTERESTED in like actually. talking about systematic injustice it just wants to tell stories utilizing it
Autumn Vasch
and that's just how it be
Ash!!1
Anyway also felt call out cuz dorothy and laurent are just c and silver and i'm not sure how to feel
Autumn Vasch
and the end of the day edamura will in fact workw ith murderers and just be like 'well ok i got mine' v
v
v
PHONY
i still have a million feelings re: edamura not being allowed agency or an arc but talking to AV has alleviated a lot of it
Autumn Vasch
I FEEL LIKE SEASON 2 IS FINE ACTUALLY i just worry that i don't trust season 3 to allow him to have any agency still if there was one but /hand weighs. i'd still take it it's so pretty
only goes to 11
yeah Great Pretender is for pretty art and soundtrack, Leverage is for actual feel good karmic justice and competent heist planning of criminals who want to do good
PHONY
it's pretty
PHONY
continue to turn off brain and enjoy wacky cons
Autumn Vasch
it' ssoooo pretty
Autumn Vasch
i just want to paint my walls in their background style
baby gremlin
I’m just :/ stop trying to make me sympathize with a child trafficker because she has ~mom~ vibes
baby gremlin
Im also very “wait Edamura trusts that these people want to stick it to Laurent enough not to fuck up his plans?”
PHONY
nobody think too hard about great pretender, just enjoy it
Autumn Vasch
IT'S SO FUNNY HOW THE SHOW LIKE. WILL REPRESENT THE 'REALITIES' of child trafficking like 'these are children with no where to go beacuse their parents sold them and they are absolutely being purchased for sex work' but completely disengage from dealing with the moral reality of any of that
Autumn Vasch
SIMPLY NO
baby gremlin
Painter arc best arc
Autumn Vasch
like they don't romanticize it they ajust also. want to not actually deal with it
baby gremlin
LMAO RIGHT
Autumn Vasch
which honestly is very like heist movies in general i think
PHONY
rofl
Autumn Vasch
so i guess GENRE ON BRANDEDNESS CONTINUES
PHONY
everything is a prop for the cons, is my read on it
PHONY
even the children
Autumn Vasch
yeah i think that is exactly it
PHONY
unfortunately
Autumn Vasch
A WELL RENDED PROP
Autumn Vasch
but a prop none the less
baby gremlin
Yeah I do like heist movies and I like the approach of per-character arcs, there’s enough to like here
Autumn Vasch
Eddie's background about how he runs a drug ring and lures women into it, fucks them and leaves them to die from OD >> anyway Eddie is charming and loves Edamura because Edamura loves his movies and stealing a hundred million dollars is all water under the bridge because lo he's still extremely powerful and the law doesn't actaully care to stop him
Autumn Vasch
vv TRUE
v TRUE
PHONY
i love great pretender for its art and freshness and lovable characters and heists and then i turn off my brain or i Suffer
Autumn Vasch
HONESTLY I DO LIKE WHAT IT ULTIMATELY SAYS ABOUT EDAMURA'S CHARACTER tho it's also. sad...
Autumn Vasch
But there is definitely an element of like 'Oz and Laurent successfully broke the idealistic part of Edamura that was not ok with this shit'
PHONY
but it's still one of the most enjoyable and fresh things i've watched in the past two years, so
PHONY
Autumn Vasch
:
baby gremlin
Autumn Vasch
vv
v
Ash!!1
sorry i got distracted by pork chops BUT YEAH P MUCH
Ash!!1
I am not too bothered overall cuz yeah these are not good people and they not trying to save anyone lolo
Ash!!1
really the only reason on a meta level they help the kids is because if they didn't the audience wouldn't root for them oops
Ash!!1
so they had to REALLY JUSTIFY A LOT OF SHIT AND LOWER THE BAR LOL
Ash!!1
hey guys its fine his dad isn't an ACTUAL trafficker!! see!! its fine!!
Ash!!1
BUT OOPS HERE'S REAL CHILD TRAFFICKING ANYWAY WAKA WAKA
Autumn Vasch
yeah
Ash!!1
Autumn Vasch
there's a lot of narrative heist decisions that are clearly just like 'LOOK IT'S NOT THAT DEEP IT'S A HEIST ANIME'
Ash!!1
YEA
Autumn Vasch
that are like 'well this is what i have tow ork with if i want to RP this character'
Ash!!1
the important thing is makoto is so tired i just want him to be happy
Ash!!1
let him work at starbucks jeezus
Autumn Vasch
I ACTUALLY THINK THAT BREAKING EDAMURA IN SEASON 2 WAS JUST FOR THE DRAMA OF TRYING TO TRICK THE AUDIENCE BUT
only goes to 11
this is why I would never rec it for people who aren't fully down with convoluted assholery and writing that prioritizes twist over coherence
Autumn Vasch
as a result you gave Edamura PTSD and implicated im in child trafficking
Autumn Vasch
o k a y
baby gremlin
If they just didn’t bring back those old guys I think I would have 80% less iffiness about this
Ash!!1
i can accept it as Laurent being that much of a tool for his manic pixie dream girl
Autumn Vasch
Laurent's bad
Autumn Vasch
Oz is VERY bad
Ash!!1
BLAMING LAURENT IS THE ONLY WAY I ACCEPT ANY OF THIS NONSENSE
baby gremlin
I was so :/!!! at the fact turns out that lol not a mechanic after all because HE WAS HAPPY
Ash!!1
Basically this anime can be summed up as 'look at him, you ruined a perfectly good boy, not he has ptsd and anxiety'
Ash!!1
now* even
Autumn Vasch
yeah if we get a season 3 what i REALLY WANT TO SEE is edamura getting to actually make his own life choices and start up his own con specifically because he runs inot needing o problem solve and his only problem solving skill lying
PHONY
like i told av, edamura is just the audience pov character, which means his function is to always get tricked
PHONY
bc the audience wants to get tricked
Ash!!1
BUT YEAH ULTIMATELY NO ONE IN THIS SHOW IS GOOD
PHONY
that's why we watch heist media, right?????
Ash!!1
WE JUST LIKE THEM SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN THE CHILD TRAFFICKERS
PHONY
Autumn Vasch
like I THINK HE WOULD ULTIMATELY NOT SUCCEED IN BEING JUST A NORMAL GUY because as soon as his life gets complicated he's going to tr y to con his way out of it
PHONY
FOR THE TWISTS
Autumn Vasch
but he's never given that chance
Autumn Vasch
like LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE FINDING WORK BUT DOESN'T BECOME A CONARTIST AS A RESULT I guess that is the one validation we have there
Autumn Vasch
edamura age 22 'fuck it i'll just do the crime afterall'
PHONY
chjccgj
baby gremlin
I think also heist movies don’t really spend that long developing characters over the heist. Even the first outta water character doesn’t get that much focus bc movie vs tv series
Ash!!1
JUST DO THE CRIME
Ash!!1
tbf he had a lot of circumstances tho
Ash!!1
like, his father's fraud background kept him from getting hired, and then being set up with pyramid scheme company and going to jail for that
Ash!!1
IT IS LEGIT HARD TO GET A JOB WITH ANY MARKS ON YOUR RECORD
Ash!!1
like when i was at the the vet the reason my co manager leaned on me so much is because he had a criminal record and this was the only job that would hire him so he was desperate to impress to do anything to keep it
so he was desperate to impress to do anything to keep it
Ash!!1
like, for all the show does not want to get into the systematic reasons it's all fucked, a lot of it is presented very realistically
Ash!!1
and i find that fascinating for edamura especially because he is literally a victim of circumstance and laurent and his dad fucking with him
Ash!!1
and it's really fucking sad and oh no i just realized this fits in my pattern of lowkey depressing shows
Ash!!1
slides it in next to bojack sigh
Ash!!1
BUT YEAH EVERYONE IN THE SHOW IS BAD, THESE ARE BAD PEOPLE, USING OTHER PEOPLE
Ash!!1
edamura not having any fucking agency is infuriating but in line for the show itself