Toei Animation’s Spring 2023 Suspense Series: Run For Money: The Great Mission, slated for release in spring 2023, has been receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews. However, it remains to be seen whether the criticism is justified or not.
The current anime season is jam-packed with thrilling shows, but Toei Animation’s Run For Money: The Great Mission seems to have gone unnoticed. It doesn’t receive much attention from Western anime fans and some who have watched it have voiced their dissatisfaction on social media. But, is the show truly deserving of the negative feedback, or has it simply suffered from insufficient marketing?
The Great Mission is a television show based on a real-life game that has been airing on Fuji TV since 2004. The objective of the game is straightforward: participants must complete tasks while evading a group of hunters as they roam the streets of Japan. If contestants can outlast the hunters, they stand to win a monetary reward.
What Is The Great Mission of Run For Money?
The anime adaptation of the Japanese game show introduces a science-fiction element by setting the story in the future where humans now reside on the moon. In this new society, there is a significant divide between the rich who live in the white area and the poor who live in the gray area, which resembles a slum. Sawyer Tomura, a delivery boy working in the gray area, is in a desperate situation as his younger brother Haru is seriously ill and needs expensive treatment. To raise the funds required, Sawyer manages to secure a spot on the Run For Money show. However, this version of the game features a virtual reconstruction of Shibuya in 2023, where the hunters are now powerful androids. Moreover, the virtual world is fraught with perilous monsters that threaten the city as well as anyone in their way.
Is the anime Run For Money Really That Bad?
The program, Run For Money, boasts several positive aspects. The animation is top-notch, particularly in the chase scenes, which feature captivating Parkour-style movements. The characters skillfully utilize their surroundings, resulting in numerous exciting and adrenaline-pumping moments as they execute daring feats. These scenes are unforgettable and suspenseful.
Although Sawyer’s status as an underdog is clichéd and the first episode overemphasizes it, he is an intriguing protagonist. Once he enters the game, he exudes plenty of charisma and comes across as authentic, causing viewers to root for him. Regrettably, the rest of the cast is a mixed bag. While Luna and Maurice are fascinating and undergo significant development in the first seven episodes, others are one-dimensional and lack sufficient screen time to make an impression or appear as fully-developed characters. Additionally, their excessively stylized costumes detract from their credibility.
The main problem with the anime is that it fails to replicate the essence of what makes the original game show so entertaining. The show’s unscripted nature allows viewers to cheer for their favorite contestants and react loudly when they do something funny. It also promotes discussion and speculation among friends about how they would have handled a particular mission or avoided being caught. While the chases in the show are not as physically demanding, since the contestants are ordinary people, they possess a delightful “anything can happen” quality that the anime’s exaggerated, meticulously choreographed action sequences lack.
Although Run For Money may be well-executed, it can come across as attempting to accomplish multiple objectives simultaneously. It is simultaneously an adaptation of a game show and a shonen action series. Due to this, the program frequently feels like it is at odds with itself, resulting in a disjointed and cluttered experience. The two plotlines do not blend well and frequently detract from each other’s effectiveness.
Regrettably, the television series “Run For Money” lives up to the negative reviews it has received. Although it is not downright terrible, the show appears to be uncertain of its identity. The program’s minimal advertising campaign has not done it any favors either. There are most likely anime enthusiasts who would appreciate the series despite its drawbacks, but they may have difficulty locating it due to its lack of promotion. Nevertheless, even if the show had the most exceptional marketing strategy, it would still probably receive mediocre reviews.
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