Summary
- The series initially struggles with pacing and introductions but improves by the third episode, offering entertaining dynamics and twists.
- With a talented Japanese voice cast, Suicide Squad Isekai has the potential to be a successful adaptation, possibly setting a precedent for other Western comic adaptations in anime.
- The anime format allows for creative portrayals of characters like Clayface and provides new fascinating powers for DC's villains.
Suicide Squad Isekai is another of DC's rare ventures into the anime medium, and while its story featuring Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, and more in a fantasy world has a slow start, by the end of episode three, the new series has the potential to be one of the Suicide Squad's more enjoyable adventures. From Wit Studio (Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga) comes the wildest quest that DC's unlikely team of criminals has encountered onscreen yet.
While it's debatable which Suicide Squad is the best version, the franchise has seen its share of ups and downs in the past decade. Despite its increased popularity, almost no one would have guessed it would get its own anime series, especially one that features beloved characters like Harley Quinn gaining magical powers to decimate knights and orcs.
As the title suggests, DC's collection of expendable villains is sent to an alternate dimension filled with magical abilities, dangerous creatures, and a fantasy-based society that doesn't exactly welcome otherworldly visitors. While the most interesting sections of the plot and the charming dynamic between the cast take a couple of episodes to present themselves, Suicide Squad Isekai's first three episodes set up a series that fans of the squad should not miss.
The Squad's Personalities Are Bigger Than Any Fantasy World
The Suicide Squad Isekai Anime Series Will Consist Of Ten Episodes
Across the Suicide Squad game and movies of varying entertainment value, the collection of DC villains has been thrown into deadly situations in even more dangerous locations. The series has shined the most when the group interacts and bounces off each other's extreme personalities. However, in Suicide Squad Isekai, the team is thrown into a completely foreign land where they are able to stretch the limits of their already formidable abilities and exude their charismatic personalities to a level the franchise has not shown before.
Many of the best Isekai anime storylines throw their cast into a new dimension filled with mystery and wonder, where they either try to change the world to their liking or alter themselves to their new surroundings. Suicide Squad Isekai strands its cast and separates them from their formidable handler, Amanda Waller, almost immediately. This clever choice helps the characters flourish in a way they've rarely been shown in the past. It's a dynamic that unfortunately overshadows the presentation of the fantasy realm the plot hinges on the audience caring about.
Previous Suicide Squad adaptations have had difficulty giving its cast the room to be villains because of the risk of making them difficult to root for. It would be hard to sympathize and support characters like King Shark if he was shown devouring innocent civilians. Suicide Squad Isekai subverts that expectation by giving the squad a new world filled with violent monsters that do not require holding back against. It also takes advantage of the anime medium to more effectively portray shapeshifting characters like Clayface in a way that'd be nearly impossible and expensive to do in live-action.
While The Beginning Stumbles, The Pacing Picks Up At A Magical Pace
New Episodes Of Suicide Squad Isekai Release On Thursdays
The writing in Suicide Squad Isekai's first three episodes makes several odd choices that rob the series of compelling introductions. One of the first sequences follows Harley Quinn and The Joker as they attempt to escape from the police in a fascinating vehicle controlled by piano keys. Harley is inevitably captured, and the story wastes little time by almost instantly dropping her and other convicts into a fantasy world. It's the last time viewers see The Joker in the first chunk of episodes and one of the first times an Isekai devotes almost no time to introduce its grand setting.
Unlike most traditional storylines, Suicide Squad Isekai doesn't seem to follow one particular protagonist. Instead, episodes #1 - #3 spend much of their time showing convicts Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Clayface, Peacemaker, and King Shark together, giving the characters vital time to build up their dynamics instead of splitting them up. This clever decision leads to several entertaining moments of both comedy and action that seem to take center stage until the series plot begins moving more effectively in the third episode.
Suicide Squad ISEKAI's announcement has been met with a lot of attention, but before it comes out, isekai fans need to watch Batman Ninja.
As mysteries begin to unravel and more of the classic fantasy Isekai world is explored, other surprising DC characters present themselves in some of the anime's best twists. Suicide Squad Isekai excels the most when DC's well-established characters are shown taking advantage of the new magical world to expand their iconic abilities in fascinating ways. By the end of episode #3, viewers will likely be hooked and interested to see what other characters may show up and how the Suicide Squad's newfound powers develop.
Taking DC's Villains and Audiences To Another World They May Want To Stay In
Suicide Squad Isekai Is Directed By Eri Osada (Jujutsu Kaisen, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable)
Although the series' main plot takes some time to get going, Suicide Squad Isekai does a fantastic job of showing off each of the main cast's strengths, especially the thespian Clayface, who is a significant highlight. His abilities and personality get an overhaul in an anime series that dares to make one of DC's more grotesque villains into a suave and stylish character who eats up almost every scene they are in. This may also be partly thanks to the talented Japanese voice cast, who does a great job of bringing the characters to life.
Details about Suicide Squad Isekai 's English Dub and its release date are currently unknown. However, it's unlikely that the live-action actors like John Cena, Margot Robbie, and Ibris Elba will return to voice their iconic roles.
Within its first three episodes, the latest DC anime successfully adapts several fan-favorite characters in a new setting and story that would've been nearly impossible to produce in another format. Although it has a slow start, Suicide Squad Isekai improves significantly after the first few episodes. If the anime continues to expand its cast, its powers, and the mysteries of its new world, Suicide Squad Isekai could be a blueprint for how to adapt beloved Western comic characters into an entertaining anime.