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Note: This review contains very minor spoilers for plot points in episode 3. Readers wishing to avoid any spoilers should read at their own discretion.
Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about Rick and Morty The Anime. After I posted my previous review on the first two episodes I went to read some reviews on this show to see how much they differ from my perspective. For the most part, I saw reviews calling the show mediocre and I only saw a couple that were openly positive yet still critical of it. One that stood out to me was Swimpedia’s review where they had this to say on it, “Ultimately, comparisons to the main Rick and Morty series are expected and warranted. This anime is clearly riding the coattails of the Adult Swim show, and should be judged accordingly. It would be wrong to compare a totally original show to Rick and Morty, but it’s a fair assessment to see how the anime stacks up to the American series. However, despite Rick and Morty: The Anime hoping to appeal to fans of the flagship series by drawing on the core elements of that world, it is not trying to perfectly replicate that experience.”
After sitting on it and thinking about it for a couple weeks I get that director Takeshi Sano isn’t trying to do the same thing as the main series. Trying to compare this to the original is like trying to compare karaage to Kentucky Fried Chicken. They are different, they may have some similarities but they are not one of the same. That being said, not all karaage is equal. Same can be said with KFC. Just because you have a recipe in hand doesn’t mean that it’ll turn out delicious. While I respect the attempt of Rick and Morty the anime, it is a stumbling mess of a show that even after watching three episodes I still cannot pinpoint down who this is for?
This episode is back to being a Morty centered one as the viewer is stuck back in the virtual world. There is some Rick in this episode but it’s mostly Morty focused as he protects a whole VR planet from invaders. To give credit where credit is due I did crack up a couple times during this episode but mostly that came from them dropping the F bomb. My face was mostly dead watching it which even if I take into fact that yes this isn’t trying to be like Rick and Morty it still lacks some type of focus. For example, the show just juggles around different conflicts between Rick and Morty but it never feels like it serves the purpose of the narrative. It feels like Rick is there by force just to meet an arbitrary quota of having Rick in an episode. I get that this universe of Rick introduces Morty to Ele but honestly, did he need to do that? Couldn’t Morty find her himself? Which they do show Morty looking for her but having Rick be the one to have the answer isn’t compelling nor builds up anything. Wouldn’t that make the conflict more interesting that Morty finds her through the resistance and we get some sort of backstory for Ele that can tie in nicely with the themes of the episode, rather than Morty finding Ele thanks to Rick and then him getting involved in a resistance to take out the threat. I think they could’ve done more with Morty as a savior of the planet. He just is seen when the missile hits the ship and everyone doesn’t question it but it also doesn’t explain why Morty is being targeted and killed even by people on the planet. Did he become a dictator? Are the people who are trying to kill him a part of the Galactic federation? It’s never explained. I guess he has a bounty on his head but having people inside the planet he saved to kill him without any explanation is really poor storytelling. This entire episode was really dull to sit through because they stretched out what could’ve been an eight to eleven minute short into a twenty-minute episode without really expanding on the idea.
I respect the attempt, but so far Rick and Morty the Anime has an image problem. It isn’t trying to be a comedy but more so a drama with comedic elements. Which is a choice, but my question is this, you do know you are Rick and Morty right? Rick and Morty may have its emotional moments but at its core it is a wacky sitcom-esk series. Getting rid of that aspect of the show and making it more action drama focused loses its appeal at least to me. The truth is Rick and Morty cannot do action drama or at least not well. If you aren’t going to make it funny, then you have to have it be compelling fiction which after three episodes it just isn’t. I will give it that it is certainly unique but just because you are unique doesn’t make you good.
6/10
