Sunday, September 29, 2024

The Rick and Morty Anime Series is an Absurd Fever Dream (Honest Thoughts)

Well, that is certainly interesting. Much like the parent show it spun off from, the discourse is quite exhausting even as someone who likes it. So, with all the ballyhoo, let's talk about Rick and Morty: The Anime and why I enjoy it in spite and because of being an absurd fever dream.

The anime is helmed by Takashi Sano, who previously did the one-shot where the title characters faced a monster known as the "Genocider." There was also the short where Rick bemoans his lab in Akihabara has been overrun with maid cafés and video game stores (not to mention one spoofing the classic Lone Wolf and Cub); so there is precedent at least for this becoming one of the many timelines the title characters have traversed.

Like a great many episodes of the main show, this anime has gathered something of a love it or hate it reputation; with not much of a middle ground. As you might expect, I fall in the love camp. I'm not one to say no to a pilot where Morty gets a VR game that functions as both an existentialist experience and an over the top combat encounter straight out of a Ryu Ga Gotoku game.

I definitely would not put this on the same pedestal as Scott Pilgrim Takes Off or Terminator Zero; but I can certainly do worse as a lead-in for One Piece and Demon Slayer. Admittedly, it's actually quite interesting to see how it remixes elements from the main show; especially concerning Jerry. His inclusion in this anime sees him identify with the mythical Sisyphus, gain a superhero transformation that resembles the infamous Chargeman Ken; and undergo endurance training that I'm fairly certain would make up at least a tenth of someone's "Kinktober" art prompts. Yes, I am well aware of the Justin situation; and I totally understand why they had to let him go (even the characters' appearances in MultiVersus were recast).

Though I do not know what will happen with this anime going forward (the most recent episode had a lot to take in, and not just because of the story and concepts it contained); it certainly is interesting to think about and give my honest thoughts. Of all that's happened; I'm not one for giving a canned answer to a topic- I'm one that gives you my actual takes; and I do not address something unless there's something I can contribute to the conversation. With that in mind, I have much to celebrate come October; but first, I have unfinished business with a topic I've dealt with before. That's all for now, take care.


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