Now, I say. Don’t be tempted to commit to international fraud after watching this…
Anyway, as per usual, I’ll start with the story.
Now I should say, this series is split into 5 to 9 episode groups. All are very good, though “Wizard of the Far East” can become a little wayward, at times, but I guess that is sort of the point. Because half the time you’re as confused as the ones being conned, it forces you to be engaged with the story and keeps you entertained. Though sometimes you can get a bit lost and have no idea what the fuck is going on, but then again, that’s really just me not reading the subtitles fast enough (but then that’s better than listening to some Americans with proper thick accents butcher the whole thing in the dub). One great thing is that they all offer something a bit different, and to be honest, don’t seem as childish as one may think. It is clear that a lot of thought has gone into getting the stories right, which is good to see. But yeah, they travel around a lot and do some cool shit, and, well, all the ‘groups’ are rather different, and the fact they are so short means you can simply enjoy them far more!
The graphics, one must point out, in this series, are, err, abstract. Though in a good way. I am not entirely sure how to describe it, but it’s just very colourful. I don’t know why it works, but it really does. I guess is it was all grey and monotone, it would give a more dull and somewhat sinister vibe to the whole thing, but the colour just adds the fun that is necessary. It really helps present the whole notion of international fraud as a bit of fun, a laugh as it were, which really helps bring another dimension to the series and the whole notion of international fraud (don’t get any ideas).
You also have the character design, which is a little different. They are far more angular in there appearances, which may come across initially as unimportant, but it really does have the effect of giving these characters an edge, I mean after all, they are major criminals, so they need a bit of that natural cartoon cuteness taken away from them. As a result, they seem far more realistic (seriously though) and apt for the atmosphere.
So the soundtrack. OK. Well this is where I have some mixed feelings.
The opening track I have to say I like, and it goes well when they use it in scenes as well. Bettering this though, I mean, you can’t complain; Freddie Mercury concluding each episode with “The Great Pretender.” Dude, I doesn’t get much better than that.
But…
The rest of the soundtrack is shit!
It’s all just really naff and properly cheesy. Like you’ll have a flashback scene or something, and it’ll just have this God awful song over the top of it. And the worst bit is that they are all in English, so when I hear the lyrics, it makes me want to stick a screwdriver in my head.
And if it’s not this naff crap, it’s some shit gangster rap, which you could argue works for the nature of this series, but I don’t care. I fucking hate it.
So, as I said before, I have mixed feelings for the soundtrack, but, I’m sorry Freddie, your singing just can’t pull back the rest of the crap soundtrack.
Now; the characters were really a strongpoint for this series. Touching on graphics again, I’ve already talked about character design, but the more colourful and fun graphic style rubs off onto the characters too. Because it’s more fun and all, the characters become somewhat more relatable. I’ll explain. If the vibe was dark, the characters would seem distant to your average dudes like you or I (or who I expect you to be, for all I know you’re in a mentalist), but because they’re presented in a more fun way, you could in some ways compare it to just pissing around with your mates, just on a much larger scale. That concept may sound a bit odd at first, but if you think about it, it makes sense.
Another thing that’s great are the character arcs. All the way through the series, the characters vary their personality, and it’s actually good as well. You grow to really like the characters and understand who they are on a deeper level. For a series like this, I feel that’s really important, because as I have iterate before, it is easy to see the characters as distant due to their rather niche ‘profession.’
So, enjoyment? I certainly did enjoyed it, but, I wouldn’t say that it’s a series that has deeply resounded with me at any point. I liked it, a lot even, and I don’t doubt for a second that it is a very good series that is (for the most part) very well executed; but for me, it’s merits came from execution rather than sheer enjoyment.
But just to reiterate as to make sure you don’t get the wrong idea, I did enjoy it, just more as a series to have a bit if fun with on the side, rather than deeply immerse myself with.
And so, will you enjoy it?
Ha, that’s easier than usual! Yes, I don’t see why not. It’s not niche in any way, so pretty much anybody can enjoy it, perhaps even people who don’t normally watch anime.
It’s well executed, it’s a bit quirky at times, bags of character, not a lot to hate really (except for some of the soundtrack).
So yeah, watch it. Knock yourself out.
7.8
