Story:
We open with our hero, Edamura Makoto, carrying out some scams with his partner in con artistry, Kudou. After some shenanigans he takes up with Laurent, a con artist who only targets people who deserve it. From that point onwards, we follow the various capers that Laurent drags Makoto into. Such as targeting a pair of brothers who rig air races for money and don't seem to care who gets injured in the process.
Let's get into the big problem with the writing of this series. And it's all part of the final arc. Basically, this arc strives to redeem all the antagonists we've had throughout the series. No matter how horrible they've been demonstrated to be. No matter what they've done, including child trafficking, this arc tries to show that they're all human and capable of redemption.
To an extent, I can appreciate the sentiment behind this. Because, ultimately, even the worst human beings do have humanity and they have moments where they can be good to their friends and relatives. And it is important to acknowledge that an individual can't be defined solely by their worst traits. However, it's also important to be aware that some people are irredeemable pieces of shite who don't deserve forgiveness and people who buy and sell children are definitely on that list. Just like literal fascists and those people who feel the need to be arseholes to minimum wage workers for no good reason. And in trying so hard to demonstrate the humanity of these people, the series neglects to acknowledge the severity of their crimes.
Now, that final arc aside. This series is really strong. It's good at building up its scenarios, putting all the pieces in place for the groups' scams and showcasing how well they can overcome unexpected adversity. Which often involves a lot of clever thinking and showing how Laurent, or someone else in the group, anticipated the possible contingency. It's also very good at establishing personal connections betwixt members of the main cast and the most recent caper. Which they frequently use to showcase exactly why the target deserves to be scammed.
Characters:
The series does spend a lot of time showing where the characters come from, how they joined up with Laurent's group and why running cons for the greater good is important for them. Even with the antagonists, we see a lot of why they went down a dark path and what they've done to deserve being targeted. At least, outside of the last caper where the series just messes itself. There are also a lot of compelling dynamics amongst the main cast that get some solid development.
Art:
The character art is pretty solid. Maybe a little indistinct at times but still solid. The backgrounds have this weird, trippy look to them. Almost like Wit's staff watched Yellow Submarine for inspiration. Initially, I didn't know what to think about it but the aesthetic did grow on me as I watched through the anime.
Sound:
The performances are great. Kobayashi Chiaki, Fujiwara Natsumi, Sonozaki Mie, Suwabe Junichi and the rest of the cast give excellent performances. The music is also really good, even though they use Freddie Mercury's Great Pretender in a context it doesn't quite work in solely for the name. Aside from that, the music has a very spy thriller type of aesthetic that works really well with the tone of the series.
Ho-yay:
There are times where Laurent and Makoto's dynamic comes across as a bit homo-erotic but not many.
Areas of Improvement:
1. If you're going to redeem a villain, you need to put some effort into it. Not just have them make up with the protagonists off screen. Especially if they've done something truly heinous.
2. I know this is largely a more light-hearted series but they could still woman up enough to keep some of heir tragic elements instead of trying to undo them at the end.
3. Just because there's a song that shares the name of your fictional work, doesn't mean it actually suits your fictional work. Black Sabbath's Iron Man doesn't suit Marvel's character of the same name. Nor does Freddie Mercury's song fit this anime.
Final Thoughts:
This one is almost excellent. The problem is the last arc and its highly misguided attempt at redeeming everybody. Without that arc, this could be a 9/10 anime easily. With that arc and how much it absolutely fucks things up, this series is a 7/10. It's still good but it has the misfortune of ending on a very sour note. If you're a fan of protagonists who visit clever, karmic punishments on terrible people you'll likely enjoy the series overall but be disappointed by the last arc.
