Konnichiwa Hivers, it's me, your ridgette again! For today, I'm going to share an anime that I just finished last Monday. Supposedly, I'm going to make a review about it on Tuesday, but unfortunately I had a pressing matter to finish, and then the night before Wednesday another pressing matter came, and this time I can't procrastinate it like the previous one. It's my enrollment schedule, so I had no choice but to comply to get myself enrolled—so much for that little venting; I'm really glad that I finished this anime in just a day! It's been a long time since I seriously binge-watched an anime—only that it only came back the moment my classes were about to start!
Anyway, let's get back to the anime I'll recommend to you today. You'd probably heard it since it's an anime that aired like years ago. Unlike the other anime that has a superpower theme, this one focuses on the supervillains. I had really weird fetishes for villains because I somehow find their backstories more intriguing and interesting than the superheroes. Also, some of them were really attractive—and I'm guilty for adoring red flags ('cause why not?). So without further ado, let's take a peek at the lives of these supervillains the Super Crooks.
About the Anime
Super Crooks is a Netflix anime series that aired on November 25, 2021. It was animated by Bones, and its genres are action, drama, and suspense. The main themes were adult casts and superpowers. It's really a mature-themed anime, so viewer discretion is advised. It has 13 episodes, and it's an adaptation based on the comic book series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu.
Living an unimpressive life with his mother, Johnny grew up idolizing heroes, and with that, he also yearned to be a hero some day. Upon discovering his own powers, Johnny immediately decided to make himself known, and together with his best friend, they planned his debut as a hero. All seem to go according to their plans, but certainly not all powerholders became heroes. His supposed debut day caused a great tragedy in the neighborhood. Staring at the chaos that he had caused, Johnny realized that maybe he's not really meant to be a hero. But seeing the other things he can do with his powers, he realized that maybe he will become a real deal—only that it isn't for being a hero.
After serving his eight-month sentence in Supermax, Johnny was finally out of it to continue his normal life as a citizen with superpowers. With his girlfriend, Kasey, he now has a pretty decent life, but as the saying goes, a lion cannot go through life pretending to be a mouse. Being a superhero isn't an occupation but a lifestyle, and so is being a supervillain. Extraordinary people need extraordinary thrills to feel they're alive—and that's what Johnny and his other crook friends were up to. Just one last big heist, and all of them can retire to the lives they wanted.
However, the thing is that no one had ever done that before; well, many supervillains tried; that's why the Supermax is filled with them. But a supervillain, no matter how decent one's life is, can never feel alive doing the ordinary, and that's why they are out again to do another big heist. Only that—it's far more dangerous than they thought. Robbing from the legendary supervillain seems like a suicide, but the Super Crooks are definitely out for the loot and thrill! So if you wanna know what happened next, get ready to watch it now and chill.
This anime has, basically, one of the most satisfying endings I've watched. It's not the usual everyone-gets-a-perfect-ending ending, but I think they're happy and content in a way they want to be. The start of the anime was quite dragging, but it's definitely a slow burner because, as the plot goes on, the stuff gets good and entertaining. The first episode really gave me second-hand embarrassment, to the point where I hesitated if I'd watch the next episodes. My decision to continue it was definitely worth it because it made me feel the thrill and fun of watching an action anime again. It's been a long time since I watched an anime with a superhero theme, and seeing it from the villain's perspective is really refreshing.
I really loved how diverse and crooked those villains are. I mean, it's good that they aren't the villains who have the usual sad and traumatic backstory. Well, some of them do have traumatic and sad experiences, but they definitely had a choice to start a new life. But they are plainly crook villains, and I guess it isn't just a means to live or an occupation for them; it's their lifestyle. They lie, steal, and kill because that's how they choose to live. They live not by principles; instead, they live by their own styles. As for the heroes side, well, it's not the first time I find them annoying because I've read some comics about vigilantes before, so I liked how this anime highlighted that even heroes aren't perfect; they may be extraordinary beings with a high sense of justice and morals, but again, they're human, and like a normal human being, they make wrong decisions and mistakes.
The visuals were really cool and eye-pleasing, though the color palette of the anime adaptation looks paler compared to the comics. Its art style kinda reminds me of Great Pretender. I was really curious about how the characters looked in the source material, so I read its comics. I was searching for its comics when I found out that the illustrator was a Filipino comic book artist, and that motivated me more to read its comics. After reading it, I noticed that some character designs were a little, or maybe more, different from the comics. Well, it's an anime adaptation, so I didn't expect characters' designs to look exactly like the comics (but I'm a wee bit disappointed that they didn't make Gladiator's villain get-up pink, the same as the one in comics).
Anyway, the animation was really smooth, especially the action scenes. The background noises and effects were placed adeptly, thus making those fight scenes more engaging and exciting to watch. As for its official sound track, the opening and ending songs are laid-back and jazzy, which for me complemented well with the fast-paced action in the anime. The gag and gore were really there, and they are even sometimes mixed up. I'm glad that they didn't censor those limb-tearing scenes because the animation in those moments was commendable.
Overall, my personal rating for this anime is 8/10. Like I've mentioned, it's a slowburn, but its approach to portraying the villains' point-of-view in a hero's world was compelling. Also, I like how they didn't go with usual black-and-white moral stereotypes; instead, they portrayed the characters' moral obscurity, thus making the characters distinctive. Further, I'm glad that the anime somehow added depth to Kasey and Johnny romantic relationship. This anime series is indeed an engrossing narrative of villains' perspectives in a world of successful heroes. It may be a little and even somehow rushed, but it was definitely an enjoyable series that will keep you on the edge of your seat with its suspense. So if you're up for an action-packed anime with an intriguing plot and impressive animation, then you definitely need to watch Super Crooks.
Before I end this review, I gladly share with you its trailer, so—
That's all for now, Hivers. I hope you enjoyed reading my anime review. See you on my next blog!
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne minna-san~
The pictures that didn't have a source were screenshots from the anime's episodes, while the first and last picture were edited in Canva.