A great case of anime being better than a comic original.
Deconstruction has been a buzzword in the comic book industry since the 80s — thanks to The Watchmen by Alan Moore and the overall dissatisfaction with the entertainment industry that poisoned the decade. Over the years the concept of deconstruction has been deconstructed, warped, and abused in many ways by those who wanted to repeat Moore's success. Some attempts were good; others only scratched the surface of the concept and adopted the grittiness, the violence, the over-the-top disgust you are supposed to feel while rummaging through the pages.
But that's not what deconstruction is. Despite the focus on darker themes, deconstruction was born in a period of huge social turmoil and tried to focus more on understanding the whole superhero comic book genre by destroying the stereotypes that it was built upon, adding a glimpse of the current issues poisoning the world. The short comic book series Supercrooks, released in 2012, fits the original criteria — without skimping on violence. And its 2021 anime adaptation, done by studio Bones for Netflix, is even better.
The show follows a very unfortunate villain, Johnny Bolt, who is torn between the love of his life, Kasey, and his criminal mindset. It's understandable: if you never led a normal life without a crime, it's hard to abandon it because you don't know any better. Events take a wrong turn, and one day Johnny's mentor ends up owing a huge debt, so Johnny, naturally, decides to help him out. That leads to the formation of a ragtag team of villains with supernatural powers attempting a heist against the greatest supervillain of their time and his henchman, a corrupt superhero fueled by greed and power.
The series adds some events between the initial setup and the climax that are shown in the comic book, and this addition allows the story to dive deeper into the characters, making them feel more humane, and helping the viewers understand their motivations and reactions better. These few episodes in the middle of the show create substance, add little twists to the overall predictable story, some ups and downs that create a certain enjoyable texture — one that physically couldn't fit in a short four-issue comic book series.
And one thing the comics lacks is an amazing opening. Alpha by Towa Tei with characters dancing their souls off in this exaggerated style is something that properly sets the mood: neither the story nor the characters take themselves seriously. And you shouldn't, too: it's pure entertainment that tries to fit in the margins of genre-defying tropes. And it works.
A great case of anime being better than a comic original.
Deconstruction has been a buzzword in the comic book industry since the 80s — thanks to The Watchmen by Alan Moore and the overall dissatisfaction with the entertainment industry that poisoned the decade. Over the years the concept of deconstruction has been deconstructed, warped, and abused in many ways by those who wanted to repeat Moore's success. Some attempts were good; others only scratched the surface of the concept and adopted the grittiness, the violence, the over-the-top disgust you are supposed to feel while rummaging through the pages.
But that's not what deconstruction is. Despite the focus on darker themes, deconstruction was born in a period of huge social turmoil and tried to focus more on understanding the whole superhero comic book genre by destroying the stereotypes that it was built upon, adding a glimpse of the current issues poisoning the world. The short comic book series Supercrooks, released in 2012, fits the original criteria — without skimping on violence. And its 2021 anime adaptation, done by studio Bones for Netflix, is even better.
The show follows a very unfortunate villain, Johnny Bolt, who is torn between the love of his life, Kasey, and his criminal mindset. It's understandable: if you never led a normal life without a crime, it's hard to abandon it because you don't know any better. Events take a wrong turn, and one day Johnny's mentor ends up owing a huge debt, so Johnny, naturally, decides to help him out. That leads to the formation of a ragtag team of villains with supernatural powers attempting a heist against the greatest supervillain of their time and his henchman, a corrupt superhero fueled by greed and power.
The series adds some events between the initial setup and the climax that are shown in the comic book, and this addition allows the story to dive deeper into the characters, making them feel more humane, and helping the viewers understand their motivations and reactions better. These few episodes in the middle of the show create substance, add little twists to the overall predictable story, some ups and downs that create a certain enjoyable texture — one that physically couldn't fit in a short four-issue comic book series.
And one thing the comics lacks is an amazing opening. Alpha by Towa Tei with characters dancing their souls off in this exaggerated style is something that properly sets the mood: neither the story nor the characters take themselves seriously. And you shouldn't, too: it's pure entertainment that tries to fit in the margins of genre-defying tropes. And it works.
