There's a new anime that's come to Adult Swim and those with a Max subscription, and it features a cast of very familiar characters. Rick and Morty: The Anime is something totally different than the original Rick and Morty, which CinemaBlend currently considers one of the best animated shows of all time. Some may assume that I mean the spinoff being a departure is a bad thing, but I'm really digging the unique direction this series took the acclaimed show.
It turns out the Rick and Morty formula isn't just adaptable, it can thrive in new mediums in a way I hadn't expected. It's definitely different from what I was expecting in a lot of ways, but I'm imploring all fans of the franchise to check it out, because this is a series worth keeping up with for the following reasons.
The Series Skews More Anime Than Traditional Adult Animation
It's worth noting that if you identify as an otaku or weeb, Rick and Morty: The Anime comes with some serious clout. It hails from Takashi Sano, who has worked on a wide variety of anime in his career, including serving as director of the first season of Tower of God. Some people may immediately write this off as Rick and Morty with an anime art style, but they are off-base here; there's far more to it than you'd suspect.
In fact, I would argue that the anime spinoff slightly tones down the irreverent humor and wildly NSFW terms we need to Google after episodes to fully understand and replace it with more typical anime tropes. Almost immediately, Morty is intertwined with some mysterious girl, and Summer plays an elevated role as Rick's sidekick in at least the first two episodes. I liked seeing Summer in a more inflated role, especially since it gave Morty a chance to at least start off this adventure doing his own thing apart from Rick.
It sounds stupid to say, "It's like an anime set in the Rick and Morty universe," but that's the best way to describe it. It feels like this series is more anime than it is the core of what Rick and Morty is, and as a longtime viewer of the flagship show, I'm down with that. I needed a reason to be invested in this show and not just more of the same while I wait for Rick and Morty Season 8, so I'm completely on board.
The Spinoff, Seemingly, Follows The Exact Same Smith Family As The Main Show
One of the most intriguing reveals of Rick and Morty: The Anime in its first two episodes is that we learn this is indeed Rick C-137 and the most current iteration of the Smith family we've seen in the primary series. That would certainly explain why Space Beth is already involved with the family, and we didn't have to see her re-introduced via a different storyline. I still do find it strange, though, that the original voice cast isn't lending their voices to the dub, especially when the Japanese voice cast of the original seems largely reprising their roles for the subtitled version.
Honestly, the voice changes aren't a huge thing to overcome for Rick and Morty: The Anime, especially after coping with the new voices added after Adult Swim fired Justin Roiland. Similarly, I expected the anime to follow a Rick and Smith family from elsewhere in the multiverse in order to spread its own wings and tell a fresh story, but I realized while watching that it's better for me to see it remain consistent with the same family. It could've gotten a little messy throwing in a variant family the more I thought about it, so I'm down with following the same Smiths.
Plus, for those hoping for more Ricks and Mortys, it's looking like this story will delve heavily into the multiverse. It's looking like we'll see a ton of variants throughout this story, but that's not really anything unique to the franchise. For now, I'm just thrilled I don't have to learn more about another Rick's backstory.
It's More Rick And Morty, But With A Different Vibe That Leaves Lots Of Possibilities
To be 100% clear, Rick and Morty: The Anime is not Rick and Morty. Those tuning in for more of the same are going to leave feeling let down, but those interested in seeing the lore tackled from a different perspective are in for a real treat. There's something legitimately interesting about seeing an iconic American series approached from a foreign perspective and how the characters change through that.
I think what's most interesting about this story, based on the two episodes sent to the media, is that it feels like a setup for what will be a more serialized story than Rick and Morty fans are used to. That said, fans have asked for that exact thing for quite a while, and it's looking like they'll finally get it in a way they may not have been expecting.
Assuming the series goes another season, I'm 100% down for serialized storytelling with the Smith family that could deepen the lore behind specific characters. Like, I would love to see more with the Meeseeks and other side characters the franchise has had to move on from in the main series to keep on rolling. Rick and Morty: The Anime could thrive in the pocket of diving into stories that the other series doesn't have the luxury of telling, and I would watch the hell out of something like that. Of course, it remains to be seen what the future holds and if the rest of the fans will feel the same way I do.
Rick and Morty: The Anime airs the English dub episodes on Thursdays at midnight, and the subtitled Japanese version during Toonami on Saturdays at the same time. Of course, those with earlier bedtimes are free to catch it the following day on Max, where they can also find the previous seasons of Rick and Morty to enjoy.
