Let's be real. If you walked into a room of die-hard fans and mentioned Rick and Morty: The Anime, you'd probably get a mix of confused blinking and immediate, heated debates. It’s a weird project. Honestly, it’s one of the most polarizing things Adult Swim has done in a decade, and that’s saying something for a network that once aired a live-action show about a talking fish.
The show isn't just a "skin" or a filter over the original series. It’s a total reimagining directed by Takashi Sano. You might know him from Tower of God, but here, he’s taking the nihilistic DNA of Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon’s creation and shoving it through a psychedelic, Japanese lens. It’s fast. It’s confusing. It’s deeply, deeply strange.
What is Rick and Morty: The Anime actually trying to do?
Most people expected a direct translation. They wanted the same snappy, improvisational dialogue of the Western show, just with big eyes and speed lines. That is not what this is. Sano, who previously directed popular shorts like Rick and Morty vs. Genocider, decided to lean into the "multiverse" concept by making the tone entirely different.
The pacing feels like a fever dream. While the original show is built on a foundation of 1990s sitcom structures subverted by sci-fi, the anime feels more like a philosophical meditation on identity that occasionally explodes into hyper-violence. It’s produced by Telecom Animation Film. They’ve got a pedigree, but they aren't trying to mimic the "noodle-arm" aesthetic of the US version. Instead, we get these flowing, almost liquid transitions.
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Some fans hate it. They really do. They miss the rapid-fire cynicism. But if you look at the ratings and the streaming data on Max, there's a specific subset of the audience that finds the earnestness of the anime refreshing. It’s a gamble. Adult Swim is essentially betting that the brand is strong enough to survive a complete tonal shift.
The voice acting shift and the "Original Language" debate
If you’re watching the English dub, you’re hearing Joe Daniels and Gabriel Regojo. They aren't trying to do impressions of the original cast. This was a deliberate choice. In the Japanese version, Yohei Tadano and Keisuke Chiba bring a certain gravitas that changes how the characters land.
- The Japanese Rick feels more like a weary samurai than a drunk scientist.
- Morty’s anxiety feels more like "shonen protagonist" dread than "awkward teen" stutters.
- Summer actually gets more development in some of these arcs than she did in the early seasons of the flagship show.
Why this matters for the future of Western-Eastern crossovers
We are seeing a massive trend. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners proved that you can take a Western IP, give it to a Japanese studio (Trigger), and come out with a masterpiece. Rick and Morty: The Anime is the next step in that evolution, even if it’s a bit more "indie" in its execution. It’s not trying to be a blockbuster. It’s trying to be art.
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The plot involves a lot of "Space-Time" stuff that makes the original show look simple. There’s a girl named Alice. There’s a lot of talk about the "Great Galaxy." It’s dense. Honestly, you might need to watch episodes twice to catch the emotional beats because the visual style is so distracting.
Addressing the backlash: Is it actually "bad"?
"Bad" is subjective, but "different" is a fact. The main complaint is that the humor is gone. Or rather, the American humor is gone. Japanese comedy relies heavily on timing, puns, and physical absurdity, which doesn't always translate when you're used to Rick calling everyone an idiot every five seconds.
The series also suffers—or benefits, depending on who you ask—from a lower frame rate in certain scenes to mimic classic 90s anime. It looks "choppy" to the untrained eye. To an anime fan, it looks like a stylistic homage to the era of Serial Experiments Lain.
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It’s important to remember that this isn't replacing Season 8 of the main show. It’s a side dish. A weird, fermented side dish that you might not like the first time you taste it. But it adds depth to the franchise. It proves that Rick and Morty aren't just characters; they are icons that can be reinterpreted by different cultures.
Key differences you'll notice immediately:
- The Intro: It’s a full-blown J-pop opening. It’s catchy, but it feels surreal if you’re used to the synth-heavy original theme.
- The Violence: It’s more poetic. Less "splatter," more "existential erasure."
- The Philosophy: It leans harder into the "nothing matters" vibe but adds a layer of "but we're here anyway" that feels very Eastern.
How to actually watch and enjoy it
If you go in expecting a laugh-out-loud comedy, you will be disappointed. Stop. Don't do that. Instead, watch it as an experimental sci-fi series that just happens to star characters you know.
Check out the Japanese audio with subtitles first. The performances feel more "at home" with the animation style. The English dub is fine, but there’s a disconnect when you hear English slang coming out of character models designed for Japanese mouth movements and emotional tropes.
Actionable steps for the curious fan:
- Start with the shorts: Before committing to the full series, watch Rick and Morty vs. Genocider and Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil) on YouTube. These were the proof-of-concept pieces. If you hate those, you will hate the anime.
- Adjust your expectations: Think of this as a "What If?" comic book run. It’s non-canon—mostly—so don't worry about how it fits into the Rick C-137 timeline.
- Watch the background: The detail in the alien landscapes is where the budget went. It’s gorgeous in a messy, chaotic way.
- Give it three episodes: The first episode is a disorienting mess on purpose. By episode three, the rhythm starts to make sense.
The reality is that Rick and Morty: The Anime is a sign that the industry is changing. Networks are no longer afraid to let creators take massive risks with their biggest IPs. Whether it's a "success" depends on if you value consistency or creativity. If you want more of the same, stay away. If you want to see Rick Sanchez through a prism of neon lights and existential Japanese dread, this is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.