One of the most anticipated anime of 2024, Suicide Squad ISEKAI, has finally started this season in an epic way, premiering 3 episodes on the first day!
First Impressions: It’s Utterly Hilarious!

First of all, the title. The English title has the word “ISEKAI” at the end, whereas in the Japanese title (異世界スーサイド・スクワッド) it’s placed first. I don’t get why it’s like that. Anyways, the anime starts with a montage of the DC heroes as the “preroll,” and it’s present in all the episodes. The first thing we hear is Harley Quinn’s voice as she talks about a new world. Little does she know that her words will soon become reality. Then we see the Joker, who is probably the most handsome Joker design ever. They make a run for it after getting chased by cops in a car that has piano keys for handles. After shaking off the chase, Harley decides to stop at a bar where they get ambushed. Harley gets captured by Katana, and the Joker is nowhere to be seen.
On the other side, we see Amanda Waller experimenting on something or someone, which is undeniably cruel, that’s going to open up the doorway to another world. For some reason, her English VA sounds like she’s about to fall asleep. I just don’t seem to feel the authority and power in her voice as I did in the Japanese dub. Harley and the rest of the members are brought together to be sent to another world and it’s their first meeting—forming the “Suicide Squad” with this group: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Peacemaker, Clayface, King Shark, and Rick Flag, who appears later on.
The anime starts out in a subtle way, introducing the characters and the world. Mainly for those who are new to the Suicide Squad and DCVerse, if I had to guess. It works best being like anime, if that makes sense. I mean, there are anime that almost don’t feel like anime because they are set in “not Japan,” for example, The Great Pretender, Redline, Baccano, Ninja Kamui. They take a different turn in direction, pacing, dialogue, etc., and give a different feel. But Suicide Squad ISEKAI feels like anime anime despite being adapted from western comics. It has the long pauses, staredowns, looking at the background scenery, dialogue, expressions, and, most importantly, the art style.
The power system here has rules it must abide by, and it’s not the overpowered BS we see in almost all anime. I’m glad they are taking a careful approach to this, as it might end up being chaotic without any substance. The squad even starts to pick up magic after being transported to this fantasy world. I’m intrigued to see how this is handled.
The Art Style & Animation



It’s top-notch, thanks to Wit Studio‘s brilliant delivery. The show is directed by Eri Osada, with series composition and screenplay by Tappei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara, character designs by Naoto Hosoda based on drafts by manga artist Akira Amano, and music by Kenichiro Suehiro. The fight scenes are very well choreographed, and the squad fighting as a team feels dynamic and fluid with masterful storyboarding and camera movement. It feels like a Western action show with all the bang and explosions.In some scenes, the animation changes with the lighting, shading, line art, etc., giving off a different feel. It’s a jam-packed collection of different goodies, providing the best experience.
Although, one complaint I have is that it suffers from the same issue as Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, at least partially, as the fight scenes are dimmed or darkened when too much action takes place. It’s not a huge issue but feels distracting. However, the screen brightens up and adds a glow filter during the characters’ introductory scenes. The glow filter returns later in some scenes. But the glow and high-contrast scenes aren’t as distracting as the dimming.
Another thing I can’t help but mention is how much this show glosses over Harley. Most of her shots, whether just posing or fighting, are from low or high angles. I get it; she is the poster girl, after all, who is also a Manic Pixie Dream Girl with twintails. If she’s the center focus in a scene, you know you’re getting the fanservice.
The Characters

The characters are a bit different from their comic counterparts. Joker feels more stoic and calculating instead of the unhinged madness we are all used to. But, he bursts into chaos like in the opening scene. Deadshot is more comedic and fun-loving rather than a stoic, cool-headed assassin. It felt weird to see this version of him. Rick Flag is as you would expect him to be but looks wimpy. It was hilarious that he meets the squad while he is behind bars. I am not entirely familiar with the rest, but I guess they are also slightly altered to fit this story.
Harley Quinn is by far the most accurate representation of the comics version. She steals every scene she’s in, even overshadowing Joker in the beginning. She longs for him after being trapped in the other world. The Joker and Harley chemistry is given ample care, and we see glimpse of the moments they shared. It’s rare to see their romance depicted like this. Both the Japanese and English voice actors, Anna Nagase and Karlii Hoch respectively, nailed the role perfectly. Every line delivered hits hard in the ears and awakens something in everyone’s heart. This might be the best Harley Quinn version ever, aesthetically speaking.
The interaction between the squad members is just hilarious, and it’s fun to see them just being themselves. Their dialogue fluidly bounces off each other during arguments or when they share the same brain cells to complete a mission efficiently. Deadshot takes the role of the straight man and is often dense, King Shark is innocently savage, Clayface is eccentric and often breaks the fourth wall. Some of his dialogue literally comments on how such stories typically play out (all braindead predictable plot), and it’s great to see that the writers are keeping a keen eye on such aspects. Peacekeeper isn’t seen much except for causing mayhem. It’s a ragtag group of people making the best of what they have.
Isekai Done Right with Suicide Squad ISEKAI

Now, onto the main part of this review. “Isekai” is the term used to refer to a parallel world. Typically in anime, characters get transported into a fantasy world where they use modern-day knowledge to solve or cause different issues. They rise up the ranks, break every rule, possess overpowered abilities, seduce all the hos females, and become the alpha. Suicide Squad ISEKAI is none of that BS.
The fact that the DCVerse has multiple iterations, timelines, and a multiverse within itself makes sense with the term “Isekai”. Then they proceed to open the gates to another world in this anime, and it’s not just another fantasy world. The parallel aspect is used carefully and written well. The most obvious examples are: the Queen mirrors Amanda Waller, both strong and ruthless female leaders. Their main soldier, Cecil, parallels Rick Flag, and the Princess mirrors Harley Quinn, albeit in an opposite way. Both Cecil and Rick have strict bosses and have to deal with troublemakers. The Princess, however, reflects how Harley used to be, and we see a glimpse of that and how much she is irritated by it.
In terms of world-building, both worlds are stuck in a never-ending war with no moral compass to guide them. Soldiers who fight in the name of justice are pawns of greedy, power-hungry authorities, and civilians are mere casualties brushed off to the side. Another aspect is that the squad is also treated as expendable and thrown in jail right after their mission is done, sealing the deal that we are dealing with the same dark world as before. This anime embodies the concept of parallelism in every aspect.

After Thought
We look forward to where this story is going. It’s a new take on Suicide Squad and anime. There have been many anime adapted from comics but this by far has the most effort put into. I’ll be absolutely thrilled when Joker bursts into the scene and starts overtaking the world. I haven’t mentioned the OP and ED; you can take a look for yourself. The ED is cursed BTW.
The show is being aired weekly on every thursday on Hulu, Max Amazon Channel, and Max.
Thank you for reading ♡. Let us know your thoughts and what’s your watchlist this season. Keep an eye out for more first impressions. Join our Discord server & Telegram chat for the memes and check out our YouTube channel for extra content. Take care y’all 👋.














