Ahead of Anime NYC this weekend, a second season of 2020’s Great Pretender was announced. The new season seems to be focused on Dorothy, the thought-deceased ex-lover and partner of the first season’s Laurent.
This news comes after it was announced a new project in the series would be shown off at a November 18 Anime NYC panel featuring series director Hiro Kaburagi, WIT Studio president George Wada, and Production I.G. producer Hitoshi Ito. Those in attendance will get to see an advance screening of the second season, but it is unclear how much they will be able to see.
In the announcement trailer for the second season, which as of writing has not been subtitled, we see a small glimpse of Laurent and Makoto from the first season, but the lion’s share of the 45-second trailer is focused on a quick recap of the story so far and the re-introduction of Dorothy and new characters who have yet to be introduced. It’s currently unknown if the first season’s cast will make a significant comeback or if it’ll primarily be Dorothy-focused.
This season’s subtitle, “Razbliuto,” is, according to Crunchyroll News (via The Free Dictionary), a word that means “the sentimental feeling you have about someone you once loved but no longer do,” though the word is not present in other dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster’s.
Knowing what the word means could hint at what we can expect from a second season of Great Pretender. For example, could Dorothy’s presumed death have been intentional on her part? It could be that she planned to ‘disappear’ and part of that meant Laurent would be left in the dark about her “death.”
I personally interpreted the ending of season 1 as her having amnesia, but it could be that it was all part of her master plan — it certainly wouldn’t be the first time this series has surprised me.
Great Pretender: Razbliuto doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, though we know it’s planned for release in 2024.
