If you were wondering why season 8 of "Rick and Morty" took so long to air, you can blame "Rick and Morty: The Anime," which was released in 2024. The one-season experiment fell flat with both viewers and critics, mainly because it wasn't particularly funny, interesting, or even pleasant to watch. It was the sort of thing that should've been a five-minute short, not a 10-episode season of television. And judging by the series' abysmal 3 out of 10 rating on IMDb, I'm hardly the only viewer to come
to this conclusion.
Of the many qualities that hurt the series, a big one was the lack of any of the original voice actors of the main series. Neither Ian Cardoni (the new voice actor for Rick) nor Harry Beldon (the voice actor for Morty) provided their talents to the English dub for the anime; it's a creative decision that really cemented the idea that this wasn't a true "Rick and Morty" project, something that regular viewers of the animated sitcom would feel compelled to watch for completion's sake if nothing else.
In a 2024 interview, executive producer Joseph Chou explained the decision to go with a completely different cast for the anime series:
"It might have been discussed, but the thing is, [the anime] was standing on its own. We were also of the mindset of 'Look, let's do something that stands alone and see if we can do it.' Also, with the original show and creators, we made sure they were good with it and happy to give us their blessing and do our own thing. The only thing we were told because they're also quite busy producing their own shows was, 'These are the themes we are we were doing, so let's make sure we don't cross, so we're not doing two different takes on the same thing.'"
Read more: 5 Banned South Park Episodes You Can't Watch On Max
'Rick And Morty: The Anime' Wasn't Interested In Copying The Same Beats As The Original Show
"In terms of recording, we recorded Japanese first, and we dubbed it later," Chou explained. "It wasn't the process like we recorded in America, and then we met. We went through the traditional path of Japanese production, and then we dubbed afterward. It's anime, so we did that first. We haven't changed."
Although it may have been disappointing to some fans not to have Cardoni or Beldon return for the anime, ultimately, Chou's commitment to making sure "The Anime" was its own separate thing was admirable. The show embraced this new medium as much as it could, which also meant it focused on long-term arcs over the original show's episodic approach. The result was a show that simply didn't feel like "Rick and Morty," and that was the intention.
It was jarring for fans hoping for more "Rick and Morty" but with an anime aesthetic, but ultimately it was for the best that "The Anime" embraced the medium beyond its mere aesthetics. "Rick and Morty: The Anime" might not have been a particularly good anime show in general, but at least it was one that showed a healthy respect for anime overall. Still, when it comes to making anime versions of "Rick & Morty," Adult Swim should've left it on a high note with their 2020 Samurai Rick short:
If you're looking for the easiest way to keep up with all the major movie and TV news, why not sign up to our free newsletter?
Read the original article on SlashFilm.
