Great Pretender was and continues to be a hugely popular anime on Netflix, even though it finished airing in September 2020. However, many fans have pointed to some of the show’s story arcs being much stronger and funnier, and emotionally impactful than others.
This begs the question of which Great Pretender arc is the best — and, of course, what makes it the best. Here’s an overview of the anime’s plot and which story arc stands above the rest.
What Is Netflix’s Great Pretender About?
Great Pretender follows a group of con artists targeting wealthy individuals who participate in illegal activities like drug dealings, selling fake art pieces, and human trafficking. Together, they travel around the globe swindling undeserving people of their money while giving back to those who rightly deserve it. And if there happens to be some dough left over, they take a bit for themselves, too. Self-care never hurts, after all.
There are a lot of people needed to make each con work as well as they do, but the series focuses on four primary members. There’s Makoto Edamura, a small-time Japanese conman with a big heart, Laurent Thierry, a seemingly promiscuous charmer with a silver tongue, Abigail Jones, a short-tempered woman who’s stronger than her small build would have viewers believe, and Cynthia Moore, who’s usually the most level-headed unless alcohol is involved. Together they scheme, steal and ruin the lives of rich and horrible people.
How Each Arc Adds to Great Pretender’s Narrative
Each arc focuses on a specific member of Team Confidence. “Los Angeles Connection” focuses on Makoto, “Singapore Sky” centers on Abigail, “Snow of London” spotlights Cynthia, and Laurent anchors the “Wizard of Far East” arc. Each one is meant to add more depth and focus to its respective lead character, giving insight into their backstories and how they came to be where they are now.
In each arc — with the exception of “Los Angeles Connection” — the chosen target is also intertwined with the focus character’s personal history as well. This often makes the current con a way for them to effectively move on from whatever dark pasts are holding them back and allow them to develop into better characters.
These story arcs are a great way to give each character the spotlight while still moving the overarching plot along. It’s also an effective way to give each character proper development in an ample amount of time without it ever feeling ham-fisted or rushed. Aside from “Wizard of Far East” — which takes up Great Pretender’s entire second half — each arc is well-paced and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Which Great Pretender Story Arc Is the Best?
With all of the above in mind, Great Pretender’s best story arc would have to be “Snow of London”. It does an excellent job of realistically depicting fleeting romances as Cynthia falls in and out of love and comes to terms with her past grievances. But what makes her arc particularly outstanding is the way it all feels so grounded. Even when the ball for the con gets rolling, the centerpiece is still very much Cynthia’s own personal struggles; her past and present are woven together neatly to create a compelling narrative.
That isn’t to say that the series’ more bombastic tones aren’t as good. In fact, “Los Angeles Connection” easily takes the second spot as a stunning opener to the series. It’s the loudest, most vibrant arc of the four, matching Makoto’s personality perfectly. But “Snow of London” goes a step further by pitting the group against someone Cynthia has personal ties with, and is highly responsible for her losing a good deal of important things in the past. Meanwhile, the main target from “Los Angeles Connection” is someone whom Makoto has never had personal dealings with prior to the start of the series. This doesn’t make his downfall any less cathartic, but it carries less narrative weight compared to “Snow of London”.
At the end of the day, all the arcs in Great Pretender have their own unique charms, just like the main characters themselves. All 23 episodes are currently available to stream on Netflix.
