History Anime / GreatPretender

* MultinationalTeam: Laurent's crew hail from Japan, France, Iraq, South Korea, [[spoiler:and potentially the United States, given Cynthia's accent.]]

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The second half of the final episode shows what each of the characters goes on to after the final con. [[spoiler: Makoto is thinking of opening a café, Laurent is working for the President of the United States [[AmbiguousSituation (though whether he's conning him or acting as a diplomat is unclear)]], Abbie is off rock climbing in the United States, Cynthia [[HappilyAdopted adopted one of the children from the child trafficking ring]], and Shi-won and Kudo are hanging out in Seoul together.]]

The show was picked by Creator/{{Netflix}} for international distribution, and they released the first 14 episodes worldwide on August 20, 2020, with the remaining 9 episodes dropping on November 25, 2020. In March of 2021, it was announced that the series will have a [[https://www.greatpretender-stage.jp/ stage play adaptation in Japan]] that adapts the show's first arc. It's [[TheMusical a musical]] featuring live band accompaniment and several original songs, starring Toshiya Miyata as Edamame and former Creator/TakarazukaRevue ''otokoyaku'' Miya Rurika [[CrossCastRole as Laurent.]]

* HomoeroticSubtext: Laurent is rather affectionate towards Makoto, both in his manner of speech and his [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace physicality,]] and the show stops just shy of stating whether it's something he does [[TheGadfly just to mess with the kid]], or if it's because [[AmbiguouslyBi he's genuinely trying to flirt with him.]] The closest it comes to a confirmation one way or another is when Laurent tries to flirt with Cynthia, and she responds that she "thought Edamame was [his] favorite." But it's left ambiguous as to whether she's just teasing him back, or whether he's genuinely attracted to Makoto, keeping things as subtext.

* UmbrellaOfTogetherness: In one of Laurent's more [[AmbiguouslyBi openly flirty moments,]] in the "Singapore Sky" arc, when it starts to rain at the air races, he rather teasingly suggests that Makoto join him under his umbrella. Makoto gives him a "YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe" look before refusing in a huff.

** In particular, Makoto and Laurent have a... complicated relationship. Laurent freely admits that [[TheGadfly Edamame is an easy target to pick on]], and he ceaselessly manipulates his protégé without regard for Makoto's feelings. However, he also seems to genuinely respect Makoto, and it's implied that he genuinely thinks of Edamame as a friend. Makoto, meanwhile, depending on how recently he's been the victim of one of Laurent's schemes, ping-pongs between genuinely liking him, being his [[TeethClenchedTeamwork bickering ally,]] and outright hating his guts.

The show was picked by Creator/{{Netflix}} for international distribution, and they released the first 14 episodes worldwide on August 20, 2020, with the remaining 9 episodes dropping on November 25, 2020. In March of 2021, it was announced that the series will have a [[https://www.greatpretender-stage.jp/ stage play adaptation in Japan,]] featuring live band accompaniment and adapting the show's first arc.

* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Makoto is drawn into the world of Laurent (blond) and his closest associates, Abbie (brunette) and Cynthia (redhead).

* MidSeasonTwist: In the final episode of the first arc--episode 5--it's revealed that [[spoiler: the show's alleged SympatheticInspectorAntagonist, Pola Dickens, was actually one of Laurent's compatriots, Cynthia. This changes the show's dynamic considerably as she changes from an antagonistic role to a helpful, TeamMom-like one]].

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Makoto doesn't exactly get along with the other members of Team Confidence at first. Laurent is extremely untrustworthy, and Abbie is [[{{Jerkass}} downright mean]] to him. Even in later arcs, he has difficulty working with Laurent without bickering with him constantly.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Team Confidence swears that they're neither friends or family, and openly say that they'll dump anyone who screws up. In reality, they're thick as the thieves they are and clearly care deeply about each other. Even Makoto starts getting along with them eventually.

* AssholeVictim: The marks of each con are all unsavory types: mobster/drug kingpin Eddie Cassano, race rigger/saboteur Sam Ibrahim, and counterfeit art appraiser James Coleman.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Team Confidence swears that they're neither friends or family, and openly say that they'll dump anyone who screws up. In reality, they're thick as the thieves they are and clearly care deeply about each other.

* SillyLongSongs: Four of the show's five original songs are love songs. Two of them, "Someday" and "I'll Keep You," are the themes for past relationships had by the characters, while the other two, "Our Love" and "You Know," are used in more general contexts. "Our Love" in particular, despite its more romantic-sounding lyrics, is used as a platonic FriendshipSong.

* TheRoper: Who plays this part changes between each job, but it's usually Cynthia or Laurent.

* BrokenAesop: In ''The Wizard of the East'', Edamura learns to forgive his father, Oz, and is able to pull off a complex heist as a result. However, he decides to forgive him by remembering his mother was able to forgive Oz... for winding up in jail for trafficking ''children''.
** [[spoiler: Of course, given that Oz had visited Edamura's mother without his knowledge, it's likely she knew he wasn't actually involved in the trafficking.]]

* TitledAfterTheSong: "The Great Pretender" (most specifically the cover by none other than [[Music/{{Queen}} Freddie Mercury]]) plays in the end credits. The credits are even (mostly) a copy of Mercury's music video starting Mercury's cats.

Young con man Makoto Edamura calls himself "Japan's greatest swindler," but in reality, he's still got a lot to learn about conning. One day, he attempts to pickpocket what he assumes to be a guillible French tourist. But that "tourist" is actually Laurent Thierry, confidence man ''par excellence,'' who specializes in conning [[JustLikeRobinHood rich and horrible people]] out of their money. Nicknaming Makoto "Edamame," Laurent drags his new, not-entirely-willing protégé into the world of high-stakes confidence games against powerful and immoral people. With the help of Laurent's muscle-woman Abigail Jones, the group embarks on globetrotting escapades as they seek to con the world's worst.

* StoryArc: The show is built around 4 story arcs that take place in different locations, in which Laurent and his team take aim at a [[TheMark certain mark]] as part of a [[TheTale long con]].

The anime tells the story of 25-year old con artist Makoto Edamura, self proclaimed as “Japan's greatest swindler” who gets in over his head when he attempts to pickpocket French confidence man Laurent Thierry and gets dragged into a far larger con.

The show was picked by Creator/{{Netflix}} for international distribution, and they released the first 14 episodes worldwide on August 20, 2020, with the remaining 9 episodes dropping on November 25, 2020.

* BrokenAesop: In ''The Wizard of the East'', Edamura learns to forgive his father, Oz, and is able to pull off a complex heist as a result. However, he decides to forgive him by remembering his mother was able to forgive his Oz... for winding up in jail for trafficking ''children''.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The Vegas con involves Abigail defeating opponents twice her size to trick a mark into betting all his money on her in the next match where she is supposed to go down to make him lose his money. [[spoiler:When Abigail loses her temper and goes all out on her opponent, she's beaten to a pulp in seconds.]]

* RealityEnsues: The Vegas con involves Abigail defeating opponents twice her size to trick a mark into betting all his money on her in the next match where she is supposed to go down to make him lose his money. [[spoiler:When Abigail loses her temper and goes all out on her opponent, she's beaten to a pulp in seconds.]]

* HazyFeelTurn: [[spoiler: Eddie Cassano, Sam Ibrahim, and James Coleman agreed to make a deal with Makoto in the fourth arc where he would give at cut of the profits in exchange for any of their assistance, and are allowed to stay for the celebratory party afterwards. Commenting how revenge isn't as profitable as business.]]

* AerithAndBob: Abigail, Sam and Clark are all Middle Eastern but have western sounding names. While this would be completely unremarkable if they were Middle Eastern ''Christians'', Jewish or Druze (there is even a Lebanese singer [[https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Clark named Sami Clark]]), Sam and Clark's last name of Ibrahim and status as ex-princes coupled with the fact there are no Christian, Jewish or Druze monarchies in the Middle East mean they would more than likely have Islamic first names. Abigail herself is an Iraqi with the last name of ''Jones'', and heavily implied to be of Muslim origin, making it unlikely she'd have either name. There is of course a possibility that Abby is using a fake name and the Ibrahim brothers are using Anglicized names.

* FakingTheDead: A favored tactic of TeamConfidence is to fake their deaths in front of their marks in order to escape them. [[spoiler: Poor Makoto mistakes it for real the first time Abbie and Laurent get gunned down in front of him.]]

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* BrickJoke: During their time in Los Angeles, Abbie wonders why they didn't just pick up some Taiwanese guy to pretend to be the scientist responsible for Sakura Magic, claiming no one can tell the difference between Japanese and Taiwanese anyway. Later in France, the owner of the restaurant where Makoto is working seems to need to be reminded repeatedly that Makoto is Japanese, not Korean.

* RealSongThemeTune: The show's theme is the same song it's named after--"The Great Pretender," specifically the Freddie Mercury cover.

* FriendshipTrinket: Makoto has a tendency to buy or give capsule toys to people when he likes them. He gets a cops-and-robbers themed capsule toy for Salazar's son, and he gives a UsefulNotes/ToyotomiHideyoshi]] toy to Laurent. [[spoiler: Considering that Laurent holds onto it until the end of the series, even after chucking his TragicKeepsake, it clearly meant a lot to him.]]

* TitledAfterTheSong: "The Great Pretender" (most specifically the cover by none other than [[Music/{{Queen}} Freddy Mercury]]) plays in the end credits. The credits are even (mostly) a copy of Mercury's music video starting Mercury's cats.

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The second half of the final episode shows what each of the characters goes on to after the final con. [[spoiler: Makoto is thinking of opening a cafe, Laurent is working for the President of the United States [[AmbiguousSituation (though whether he's conning him or acting as a diplomat is unclear)]], Abbie is off rock climbing in the United States, Cynthia [[HappilyAdopted adopted one of the children from the child trafficking ring]], and Shi-won and Kudo are hanging out in Seoul together.]]

* MoodWhiplash: The show is a generally light hearted crime caper for the first 4 episodes and then at the climax of the heist, [[spoiler:the FBI swoop in and Laurent and Abigail get gunned down, Edamura gets his face beaten in by the target, and then said target is able to bribe the seemingly just FBI agent off to get away. But then subverted when all of the above (face beating aside) was actually all part of the scam all along. Laurent and Abigail are just fine and the FBI agent was another one of their teammates, and after taking the massive bribe from the target, they leave him high and dry with no more money to bribe his way out of jail time.]]

** The English dub approaches this by keeping all the main Japanese dialogue from the original version intact as well as Edamame and Laurent's accented conversation but performed by the dub actors instead and uses the transitional note to instead have Edamame and Laurent drop their accents entirely.