A few months ago, Adult Swim gave us a delightful treat in the form of a moody samurai story with just enough excess and weird science to feel authentic. Well we’ve got another, and this one’s even more chaotic.
In “Rick and Morty vs. the Genocider,” directed by Takeshi Sano (Tower of God), the duo face down time paradoxes, a mysterious cabal of murderous Mortys, and a vibrant Tokyo on the verge of destruction. This short is longer and more complex than the last one, with a twisty plot that I would have trouble recapping even if I tried. You should just watch it.
Compared to the show, these shorts have tended to take themselves fairly seriously and strike a more earnest tone, which is refreshing and works to flesh out the universe. Rick appears, at least to an extent, authentically”¦ heroic? Which, while probably not the best gloss to take of Rick by and large, is a fun twist here.
Rick and Morty is currently between seasons, with the fifth and sixth seasons in various stages of production during quarantine. According to a San Diego Comic-Con panel appearance by Dan Harmon, the fifth season is currently being animated, while the sixth is in the writing stages. We’ve got no date yet for the next season, but when it airs, it’ll be on Adult Swim.