Crazy Criminals: A Touch of Relatability
Ever feeling like you could join a criminal group and be fine? Yeah… me neither…
When I first clicked on the ‘Watch Now’ button on Funimation for this anime, I didn’t expect too much. It sounded cool, pretty original and looked aesthetically pleasing. Bright color entice me.
What I got was a diverse cast of characters and immediate action. The first episode had my hooked from the moment Ordinary Person made an ordinary appearance in an unordinary city. It seems futuristic and, after finally reading the synopsis, it confirmed the setting as a dystopian future. Set in Kansai, which became a vassal state of Kantō (Wikipedia), the city runs rampant with criminals called Akudama. Ordinary Person gets roped into a mysterious, action-packed heist with five criminals who appear to collect a big payday at the Kansai Police Headquarters. There are some twists right off the bat and it was pretty entertaining watching this poor civilian have to lie her way to safety. Or, what she thought would be safety.
It does not take long for things to get messy and the criminals to prove they are all cut throat individuals ready to throw down for good pay. I enjoyed the action scenes as much as the winddowns where the characters would get to know each other. It is worth mentioning that the steampunk vibes give off a retro feel to the whole animation; beautifully crafted and adds to the plot. Many of the action scenes had great visuals, comparable to newish series like Demon-Slayer and My Hero Academia. The plot however, leans towards series like Akame ga Kill! and Juuni Taisen. The techy, punk atmosphere pulls the viewer in from the first episode, leaving you guessing if the setting is in an advanced utopia or something more sinister lying in the shadows of bright neon lights.
Without giving anything away, let me give you my rundown of the characters. Note, I will not be giving a synopsis of Brother — this would ruin the plot.
Ordinary Person gets her own criminal alias (watch to discover what it is!) within the first episode. Her whole thing is niceness and justice and being a good person. Pretty much the opposite of everyone she gets stuck with. Viewers can tell the girl has spunk, thanks to her sharp tongue and attitude towards meeting all the criminals. One thing I find interesting about her character is the flip flop she does between being nice and hardening up for the sake of pushing through tough stuff. She does not give up easily and has moments where she carries the team on willpower alone.
Cutthroat is my favorite character. Now, when you read his character description, do not judge me. He is an original characters whose depravity knows no bounds. He is someone I would expect to see in a really messed up episode of Criminals Minds. He is sadistic, a murderer with a huge body count and a proficient knife wielder. Not much else is known about him or his past, so the viewers have to go by imagination. What draws me in about his characters is the similarity between his bloodlust and Hisoka Marrow’s. The Hunter X Hunter antihero is well known for his bottomless pit of bloodlust and love for fighting. I think Cutthroat has the same thing going on, just way more sadistic and childish then Hisoka could ever be. Cutthroat kills because he thinks blood is pretty, whereas Hisoka kills because he likes defeat strong people.
Brawler. Now, here is a character I have seen in plenty of other shows and manga. He’s the strong guy; all brawn, no brains. Self-proclaimed beef head. But, he does have an interesting flair of personality that leans towards kindness sometimes. He is not bloodthirsty or likes to uselessly kill people. He just likes to fight. Like how a strong gym bro likes to lift the heaviest weight in the gym. Brawler balances out the team with comedic relief and hardcore determination to defeat an opponent he finds worthy of a good fight.
Doctor actually infuriates me. I don’t mind her design or personal plot. She the pretty, smart lady who kills for pleasure. Equal to Cutthroat in that sense, but way more mature and classy. What makes me mad is that she has such a cool power set and it is barely used in an exciting way. I want to see flying shots and less focus on dissection. Her view on being a doctor is skewed by low impulse control. At times, she will actually save someone with her medical knowledge. But, when she has a goal in mind or is going through some sort of killing spree, she uses her medical knowledge to kill.
Hacker is the required too-young-for-this character. He is the youngest of the group, but a genius at technology and hacking. Of course, everyone needs the guy that can open locks from his creepy, dark bedroom. How else would they conduct a successful heist? He seems to be the least bloodthirsty of them all. I feel that he genuinely enjoys causing chaos with his hacking ability and the pay that comes with it. Hacker loves challenges the same as Brawler; the more difficult something is, the more exciting it will be to defeat it. He and Ordinary Person get along pretty well the whole series, focused on getting out of their predicament and being done with it all.
Courier has the big brother role. He is aloof, super mature and does not like to have fun. He has one goal and that’s all the matters; get in, deliver the package and get out. Onto the next delivery, no questions asked. This makes him efficient and quick at what he does. Viewers will notice that he does not have any sort of powers. Most of his fighting prowess comes from his futuristic motorcycle, using the vehicle like Brawler uses his fists. Courier is a cool character because this never changes. He doesn’t unbecome a courier and have this magic moment where he can suddenly use swords and shoot laser beams from his eyes. We get some of his past thanks to a surprise viewers find out early on. Of course, it is tragic and spurs him to become the hardened criminal that he is.
Last, but not least, is Hoodlum. He is the closest to Ordinary Person in regards to ordinariness. He is a regular hoodlum with a low sentence, nothing like the other criminals he also gets roped into fighting with. He and Brawler form a very brotherly bond and it is fun to watch their comedy play out midst blood flying everywhere and constant fighting. Hoodlum has a soft side and did not expect to be part of something so sinister, which connects him to Ordinary Person. They understand the reality of their situation and playing along to keep themselves safe (relatively). I like Hoodlum because his grit shows through in many scenes. He may not have powers or any specialties like the others, but he will fight to protect the people he now considers friends.
So, intrigued yet? This series to worth the watch. It has 12 episodes and can be watched in one sitting if that’s your thing. Give it a try and see if it takes you on a drive like no other.