This show wanted to be great, unique, new, cosmopolitan, entertaining, endearing, smart and touching. It fell flat in all of that: the story is full of cliches, tropes, stereotypes and big fat nonsense. The only thing that stands out is the animation, very artistic without being out of place.
LONGER REVIEW This show plot can be summarised as follow: A very mediocre Japanese con artist is conned to work for an international con artists organisation called Confidence Team. They believe to be decent human being because the con rich scumbag, but all they care about is the money and not the possible good they could do. Each of them as a tragic past, which we get to know during their arc, but that in the end is not brought up again let alone explored. Each of them also has a different nationality, which should make the group very international, very inclusive, but in the end is just a tag and not part of their characterisation. Because, hear hear, the characters have no characterisation whatsoever, they are copied pasted from other anime without any change, but the authors forgot to link it to their tragic past and their nationality. So, go ahead, and watch them con scumbags with very ridiculous, water leaking plans, because no matter what they are heros and they deserve to win.
There, that's closer to actual story-line, but what really really bugged me and made me want to write this review is not even the god-awful plot. No, it gets worse. All the shows have a scope and a meaning, whether we notice it or not, some series just want to entertain (Case Closed), others want to entertain and send a message (Death Note), others want to just entertain and end up being very meaningful to the reader/watcher. Then there are those series that, without wanting it, end up sending a very bed message. It's the case of this one. It takes on heavy subjects, go full psycho 101 on them and the discard them. Remember all the characters have very tragic past, but that does nothing for the plot, doesn't add anything. Giving them a tragic story doesn't give them layers!! It doesn't make them more interesting! And treating their past like something amusing is not entertaining, it's not endearing and it's certainly not interesting. And what's worse is that the authors know and they make fun of it. The main character goes through so much psychological abuse that by the end of the series he gets to be Light Yagami, (and I was hoping he would kill them all), just for it to be brushed under the rug because of friendship.
I called that not only terrible writing, but terrible psychology and a terrible message to pass on: "you can abuse people all you want as long as they are good human beings, they are so good that they won't mind, even if they get mad, they'll forgive you because they are good, so don't worry".
For the record, I think that without Edamura the show would have gotten a 6 from me, his character was put only for comedy relief, but really brings nothing to the plot.
LONGER REVIEW This show plot can be summarised as follow: A very mediocre Japanese con artist is conned to work for an international con artists organisation called Confidence Team. They believe to be decent human being because the con rich scumbag, but all they care about is the money and not the possible good they could do. Each of them as a tragic past, which we get to know during their arc, but that in the end is not brought up again let alone explored. Each of them also has a different nationality, which should make the group very international, very inclusive, but in the end is just a tag and not part of their characterisation. Because, hear hear, the characters have no characterisation whatsoever, they are copied pasted from other anime without any change, but the authors forgot to link it to their tragic past and their nationality. So, go ahead, and watch them con scumbags with very ridiculous, water leaking plans, because no matter what they are heros and they deserve to win.
There, that's closer to actual story-line, but what really really bugged me and made me want to write this review is not even the god-awful plot. No, it gets worse. All the shows have a scope and a meaning, whether we notice it or not, some series just want to entertain (Case Closed), others want to entertain and send a message (Death Note), others want to just entertain and end up being very meaningful to the reader/watcher. Then there are those series that, without wanting it, end up sending a very bed message. It's the case of this one. It takes on heavy subjects, go full psycho 101 on them and the discard them. Remember all the characters have very tragic past, but that does nothing for the plot, doesn't add anything. Giving them a tragic story doesn't give them layers!! It doesn't make them more interesting! And treating their past like something amusing is not entertaining, it's not endearing and it's certainly not interesting. And what's worse is that the authors know and they make fun of it. The main character goes through so much psychological abuse that by the end of the series he gets to be Light Yagami, (and I was hoping he would kill them all), just for it to be brushed under the rug because of friendship.
I called that not only terrible writing, but terrible psychology and a terrible message to pass on: "you can abuse people all you want as long as they are good human beings, they are so good that they won't mind, even if they get mad, they'll forgive you because they are good, so don't worry".
For the record, I think that without Edamura the show would have gotten a 6 from me, his character was put only for comedy relief, but really brings nothing to the plot.
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