Summary
WhileRick and Mortyseason 8 was always guaranteed to be a highly hyped comeback, there is much more pressure on the show’s return after the dispiriting reception ofRick and Morty: The Anime.Rick and Morty’s season 7 endingsaw the series bow out on a high note. Although season 7’s reception was somewhat mixed, episode 10, “Fear No Mort,” received the show’s highestIMDbrating in years. This trippy existential nightmare was hilarious and its Morty character development provided something the show has lacked for years. This madeRick and Mortyseason 8all the more exciting.
Since then,Rick and Morty: The Animehas expanded the world of the series further. Developed by Takashi Sano,Rick and Morty: The Anime is set between seasons 5 and 6 in an alternate universe’s version of the Smith home. As the first spinoff ofRick and Morty,Rick and Morty: The Animewas highly anticipated. The show’s setting allowed the series to offer a fresh look at familiar characters, while the creator’s earlierRick and Mortyanime shorts drummed up excitement by introducing a radically different art style to the show’s world. However, the show’s arrival was less enthusiastic.
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Rick & Morty Season 8 Can’t Come Soon Enough After The Disappointing Anime
Rick and Morty: The Anime Failed To Wow Critics And Fans
Rick and Morty: The Animedidn’t impress reviewers or viewers upon release, earning a mixed reviews fromSlantand a negative review fromCrackedas well as anIMDbrating of 3.0. In contrast,Rick and Mortyboasts a rating of 9.1.Rick and Morty: The Anime’s cold reception means that there is more riding onRick and Mortyseason 8, since the spinoff clearly won’t be a viable replacement for the original show. This was somewhat clear from the shorts, butRick and Morty: The Anime’s arrival made the tonal disparity between the two projects more obvious.
The tone of Rick and Morty: The Anime is fundamentally different from the original show.
While someclassicRick and Mortyepisodesare very silly and goofy, the tone ofRick and Morty: The Animeis fundamentally different from the original show. Most reviews cite the tonal differences between the two projects asRick and Morty: The Anime’s biggest problem, since the show’s humor is less meta and self-referential than the original show.Rick and Morty’s balance between dark, gruesome violence and absurdly silly self-awareness is a tricky one to replicate, andRick and Morty: The Animegoes for a broader, more cartoony style. Some appealing visuals did little to make up for this.
Why The Rick & Morty Anime Doesn’t Work
Rick and Morty: The Anime Doesn’t Share The Show’s Usual Tone
Simply put,Rick and Morty: The Animedoesn’t feel likeRick and Morty. This wouldn’t be an issue for many spinoffs, since most shows are intended to feel different from their predecessors. Successful spinoffs likeYoung SheldonandFrasierintentionally changed their style to feel less like a continuation ofThe Big Bang TheoryorCheers. The issue is that, thanks to the show’s multiverse,Rick and Morty: The Anime’s main characters are literally different versions ofRick and Morty’s established heroes. Technically, they’re an alternate universe’s Smith family, but this only makes the uncanny feeling even worse.
Rick and Morty: The Anime comes across, unfortunately, as a copy.
In retrospect, it would always have been tough forRick and Morty: The Animeto adapt the same characters and premise into a new medium. This is the same reason thatRick and Morty’s movie adaptationhas taken so long since jumping from one medium to another can result in an end product that feels slightly off. Some ofRick and Morty: The Anime’s more negative reviews compared the show to expensive fan fiction and this is exactly the worry that comes with taking existing characters and reinventing them.Rick and Morty: The Animecomes across, unfortunately, as a copy.
SinceRick and Morty: The Anime’s creators aren’t involved inRick and Mortyseason 8’s production, there is not necessarily any reason for viewers to worry about the show’s future.Rick and Morty: The Anime’s poor reception won’t impactRick and Morty’s season 8 storiessince the two shows should theoretically have had completely divergent plans in the first place. That said,Rick and Morty: The Anime’s reviews do highlight a broader issue with the franchise.
The creative team that thoughtRick and Morty: The Animewould work are still involved with the franchise, so the direction of the IP as a whole might be less than ideal.Rick and Mortyalready mocked the cameo that the two title characters made inSpace Jam 2, but the fact remains that they did put in an appearance. At some point, that widely derided cameo was seen as a good idea. Similarly,Rick and Morty: The Animeproves thatRick and Mortyseason 8’s creative team may not have the best judgment when it comes to spinoff projects.
