Good news, all you Great Pretenders out there: Netflix JP included English subs when they uploaded episodes 15-23, which means the entire series is now available for the reading. I plan to view the supersized fourth arc, Wizard of Far East, in three-piece chunks (this being the first). After three episodes, my initial impression is mixed – we’ve got the same excellent dialogue and background art as ever, but the plot seems to be progressing at 1.2x speed, and Laurent has reached omniscience levels that shouldn’t be possible. We’re still waiting on Dorothy (the woman whose name he uttered in the final moments of Case 3) to appear, so until she does, I’ll refrain from criticizing this arc too thoroughly. In the meantime, though, there are plenty of minor props and slops to award these episodes, so hit the jump if you’re ready.
Starting off with a recap of the last 14 episodes wasn’t a bad idea, given Great Pretender’s two-phase launch. Japanese audiences have been waiting a little over three months for the show’s second half to appear online, though the first part’s availability means a refresher wasn’t strictly necessary. Still, it was woven into the story via Edamura’s character, as he relayed his recent escapades to his deceased mother. A series of graveside flashbacks works here, because our protagonist’s parentage is a big part of this arc – his child smuggling father Seiji Ozaki has returned to Japan, and endearing himself to his estranged son isn’t high on his priority list. Starting off with a monologue from Edamura to his mom, whose passing closely followed his dad’s conviction, prepared us for his rush of emotion upon meeting his father again. Knowing what we do about Ozaki, though, I’m not sure Makoto’s anger is appropriately directed.
My working theory is that Ozaki, who currently goes by the name “Oz,” is working to take down the Suzaku Association’s human trafficking organization from the inside. Edamura’s memory of his father emphasizing moral virtue has appeared on screen more than once thus far, and while it’s obviously intended to heighten the shock of his subsequent arrest, a big part of me believes that his sense of justice was established early on so that he could be vindicated in the end. Makoto’s mother believed in her husband’s innocence until her death, and proving the conviction of one’s deceased parent is a big fictional trope. Additionally (and this has less to do with my expectations for the text and more to do with its universe), Oz returned to the Suzaku Association after his release from prison, even though his activity there was what got him locked up in the first place. Some ex-cons go back to their old haunts because they’ve got no other prospects, but as a former lawyer, Ozaki could have found work with any number of grimy organizations. So why return to Suzaku, unless you’ve got a personal mission to complete?
I should probably explain what the Suzaku Association is, since I’m mentioning it in every other sentence. Briefly: it’s a criminal syndicate whose dummy corporations include the Scarlet Trading Company and Shanghai Longhu-bang, its Chinese branch (which is where Oz has been located for the past few years). It’s also Edamura’s current place of employment thanks to Laurent’s meddling in episode 15. Meddling is an understatement, actually – “predestination” is closer to the truth. After his protégé’s departure for Japan, Laurent arranged for an airplane conversation, a series of cosmetics posters, and a carefully-placed magazine ad to influence him on his way home. With these subliminal traps laid for Edamura, it was inevitable that he would end up an employee of Scarlet Trading Company, right? No, not right – in fact, that’s the dumbest thing Great Pretender has dreamed up in 17 episodes, and that’s quite a feat. Suited as he might be for the job, given his multilingual abilities and shady past, Edamura could have simply decided on a different line of work, and that would have been that. Is this a stealth sequel to Death Note starring Laurent as the master manipulator? It certainly feels that way sometimes.
The show’s brisk pacing means there’s no time to get sidetracked by logic, however, so Edamura is quickly whisked off to various parts of the world for various trading ventures. There were two benefits to this part of the story: our main character got to make use of his newfound worldliness, and we got to feast our eyes on a variety of awesome backgrounds. From Hong Kong to Cairo to Hanoi, Great Pretender’s globe-hopping tendencies haven’t slowed down just because we’re in the final arc. As a matter of fact, we also visited the United Arab Emirites at the end of episode 15, and were rewarded with an appearance from Clark Ibrahim! His presence was required to con Scarlet Trading into believing that Abby was his little sister (a plan with about fifty holes in it, the largest of which would be a simple Google search) and then he was gone again. Before he left, though, he managed to sneak in a line about pretending to be wheelchair-bound so Laurent would sponsor his air racing team – a snarky reference to the events of Singapore Sky. You love to hear this kind of banter in anime, especially when it’s coming from somebody as easygoing (and easy on the eyes) as Clark. Spinoff series when?
With Abby posing as an Ibrahim princess and Cynthia posing as her captor and seller (and adopting a dynamite English accent for the role), Laurent and company get a fat payday while Abby awaits her ransoming at Suzaku HQ. But there’s a wild card in all this: the child slaves that Edamura picked up in Vietnam, who are now being held in Tokyo. I found Makoto to be far more reserved than normal in the face of this injustice, especially given his father’s involvement in human trafficking. His immediate resignation to Laurent’s plan (which will likely culminate in the complete dissolution of the Suzaku Association) was uncharacteristic, but appreciated nonetheless. Great Pretender is the type of show that likes to get on with its story, and Edamura’s stabs at righteousness sometimes hinder that mission, but here it took quite some time before he went off script and tried to release the kids from their confinement. His first attempt ended in failure, while the second seemed to be going well before he was ratted out by Oz, landing the main cast in their biggest pickle yet.
I’ve already done plenty of talking about Edamura’s dad, but at this point he seems to be the key to the story – far more of one than Laurent, at any rate, who you’d expect to be all over this thing. His silhouette decorates the title card for the arc, and a flashback to his Northern Lights viewing date with a mystery woman (likely Dorothy) was the first post-recap scene of episode 15. Plus, he’s the only one of the four main characters whose origin story is still a mystery. That may be because he’s linked to Oz somehow, a card which the show would want to hold until its final few episodes. A connection between Laurent and Ozaki would also explain why a world-class sting operator like the former would tap a small-time con artist like Edamura – Laurent might have needed the kid for his connection to his father. I haven’t a clue what shape that need might take, but it’s certainly a tempting thought, since it would circle around to the events of the premiere in a satisfying manner. Will any of my crazy Great Pretender theories come true in the next six episodes? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
