Superheroes for an older audience have become very popular in recent years. Gen V, The Boys, and Invincible are popular examples. On Netflix, there is an anime that goes in a similar direction and combines many entertaining heist elements.
What is Super Crooks about?
- The series is based on the comic of the same name by Mark Millar, who has worked for DC and Marvel and also created masterpieces like Wolverine: Old Man Logan
- In Super Crooks, it is about Johnny Bolt, a villain who pulls off smaller heists
- His ability is the manipulation and creation of electricity
- Now he wants to pull off a bigger heist with his great love Kasey and a crew of villains, but things don’t go according to plan
- The series was released on Netflix in 2021 and has 13 episodes
The anime was created at Studio Bones, known for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Soul Eater, and My Hero Academia. The anime series mixes, similarly to Great Pretender and Cyberpunk Edgerunners, many elements of Japanese and American productions and styles.
More about Cyberpunk Edgerunners can be found here: The Netflix series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is high-quality insignificance
The Boys meets Ocean’s Eleven
The world of Super Crooks resembles that of The Boys. A certain number of the population has superpowers. Among them are classic abilities such as strength or electricity, but also quirky and interesting ones like control of the weather or bad luck
. The focus of Super Crooks is on the perspective of the villains, who try to make money with their abilities. For example, one criminal makes it rain to sell his umbrellas.
However, there aren’t many villains left in this world since there are countless superheroes in America who want to become famous. If villains want to succeed, they have to join a syndicate that assigns jobs and takes a large share as commission. Johnny Bolt doesn’t want that, and after unfortunate events, he and his team must pull off a big, but above all, self-organized heist.
These heists are the big highlight of the series. Like in movies such as Ocean’s Eleven, each member of Johnny’s team has a specific task that is necessary for the well-structured plan. As a viewer, you often wonder how the villains are going to escape a tight spot.
For this very reason, the heroes
use their abilities in interesting situations very creatively, and it’s not just about brute force. However, the anime is not for the faint-hearted; there are brutal fights and the 16-rated
logo is there for a reason.
The characters are as colorful as their abilities themselves, and especially Johnny and Kasey have an irresistible charm that makes each of the 13 episodes entertaining. The many heroes are, like in The Boys, the less likable characters who also have a lot of dirt on their hands. Unlike someone like Butcher, the leader of the Boys from the live-action series, Johnny always acts according to a moral code. This makes him very relatable for the audience.
The design of the characters and the story is influenced by American superhero ideas. The animation style and the fights offer entertainment at a high level, even by anime standards, and are well-choreographed. Watching it is truly enjoyable.
For fans of Invincible and The Boys, the series is recommended, even if you are not an anime fan. Classic tropes are avoided here. Due to the length of the series and episodes, you can binge-watch Super Crooks over a weekend.
If you want something different from Marvel, you shouldn’t miss Super Crooks. You can find 5 other series in this list: 5 superhero series that are not for children
