Rick and Morty The Anime: Worth the Watch? (Review)

(image courtesy of Amazon Prime and IMDB)

WGHS Students give their honest opinions on the Rick and Morty anime which was released August 15, 2024. 
​by Robert Arizmendi, Lochlan Chastain, and Cheyenne Seagraves

Ryleigh Fox (Senior), gave her opinions on the shows, “I didn’t like the different voice actors. I like the original voice actors way more. Their voices perfectly match the characters. The art style sucked, the lines were a really ugly color. They should’ve made the lines less like the original and went for a more traditional anime art style. I would’ve never made this show, it never needed to be made. The show was also way too fast, I didn’t understand anything! Space Mom was my favorite because she was the coolest looking, she was the only one drawn well, The other characters were drawn terribly. Rick and Summer looked so bad. Rick was drawn so well in the Original and they messed him up.”

James Burke (Senior) agreed with Ryleigh on many points, “I mean the animation looked weird, but it feels like they’re trying too hard to mix anime with Rick and Morty. The art style looked gross and was like a worse version of the original. The original’s art style wasn’t great but it was meant to be that way. I thought the anime would have a better style but it looks like they tried to make Cartoon characters realistic. One thing I would change is the jokes. The jokes weren’t even funny, so I would make sure they were 'cause that is the whole reason I liked Rick and Morty. Another thing I would change is the teeth. The teeth of the characters looked weird and like a cat. It’s still chaotic, but not in a fun way like the original. My favorite character is Rick. He is just a cool sci-fi grandpa. He is super smart and just so funny with all his references.”

While Ryleigh and James both agree, Vianney Peña (sophomore), said “I feel the different voice actors added diversity and depth to each character, instead of it being the same guy voicing every character. I definitely do feel like it is the same animation style but with its own added twists, so it's very refreshing to watch. If I could change anything in the show it would definitely be the airing time for each episode. I feel some of the episodes were rushed and others were stuck on the same thing for too long. Personally, I feel if the episodes were paced evenly it would positively change the narrative flow. Some things I would like to stay the same would be the voice actors because I feel the actors are perfectly crafted for each character and I wouldn't want that to change. I would say the humor, and how witty each character is what surprised me. A lot of the characters definitely say out-of-pocket stuff but it's still funny. Rick is my favorite because he's a very funny, and developed character.”

Aligning more with the opinions of James and Ryleigh, Alyssa Baldwin (sophomore) continued with a review saying, “I didn’t like the different voice actors because they sounded unenergetic and like they didn’t care. The first voice actors were perfectly fine and matched the characters so well. I liked the art style with the colors and objects but I think the bodies and faces just seem weird and off-putting. It didn’t really remind me of anime either. I would change the body shapes and faces. They made them seem too long and lanky than the original. What surprised me was the new character, Elle, because like where did she come from? Other than that, I think I expected the show to be bad. It wasn’t a good idea to make an anime version at all. My favorite character is Morty because he’s just always scared and it makes me laugh with the situations he gets into. Morty is so funny too. ”

Whether you like the show or not, we can all agree that it offered a unique vision into the world of Rick and Morty. Rick and Morty: The Anime has 4 episodes out at the time of writing this article with many more being made. Although the show's reception has been poor inside and outside of WGHS, we can’t wait to see what the show does next.

​We give the show a 2.3 pickle brokRick’s out of 5.

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