A 50-second teaser for Japan’s ‘Suicide Squad’ is already better than David Ayer’s appalling effort

A few days ago, Warner Bros. Japan dropped an announcement trailer for yet another Suicide Squad movie. But before you start rolling your eyes (we see you), let’s take into consideration that this 50-second teaser is already leaps and bounds beyond whatever 2016’s abysmal attempt was. We’d presumably have to blame David Ayer for that slip-up, especially as James Gunn’s 2021 adaptation was — for the most part — miles better, but we can already estimate that Suicide Squad ISEKAI will be the cream of the crop.

From the studio that brought us Attack on Titan, Wit Studio, Inc., as well as Ranking of Kings and Spy × Family, Suicide Squad ISEKAI will retell the age-old story of DC’s team of anti-heroes, who are forced by Amanda Waller to partake in dangerous missions to reduce their prison sentences. All members are chipped with miniature explosives in the back of their necks that will detonate at the push of a button if they step out of line.

Aside from Ayer and Gunn’s efforts, the Suicide Squad first rose to prominence with the animated feature film Assault on Arkham, which has been cited as one of the best page-to-screen adaptations. This, in turn, adapts a long-running comic book series that began with The Brave and the Bold #25, an earlier version of the team excluding the members as we know it now.

Ayer’s Suicide Squad is notorious for all the wrong reasons, namely Jared Leto’s shocking portrayal of Joker, Will Smith’s one-note role as Deadshot, plus some muddled plotlines, thinly written characters, and overall inconsistent directing. Gunn’s was better, but not by as much as one would think.

It’s becoming clear that Japan is one of the leading countries in entertainment. If it isn’t the plethora of anime, it’s Parasite or Squid Game; I dare say Japan rules the roost as far as the film and TV industry. And that’s not an exaggeration by any means, so it only makes sense that Japan would also be providing the best comic-book adaptation. If neither Ayer nor Gunn could do it, I have full confidence that Eri Osada can.

Although we only see glimpses of Joker, Harley, and Amanda Waller in the teaser, Suicide Squad ISEKAI boasts vibrant art, seemingly flawless animation, and characters whose personalities shine through even without a single line of dialogue. No voice cast has yet been announced, but does that even matter all that much? Joker and Harley look amazing, feel amazing, and there’s an air about them that’s fresh, fun, and vibrant. Could you really go wrong with the voices?

Margot Robbie was the saving grace of both 2016 and 2021’s Suicide Squad adaptations. She went on to star in Birds of Prey and has since taken a break from Harley Quinn to pursue Barbie and Babylon. We hope to see her return again, but if she didn’t, we could rest easy knowing she pulled her weight. Everyone else… not so much. Even John Cena wasn’t enough to save 2021’s The Suicide Squad; his solo outing, Peacemaker, was far more worthwhile.

Now, we won’t jump the gun too much from a measly 50 seconds, but if there’s any truth to trailers, it’s that they save the best for last (usually), and if this is the first impression we’ve gotten of Osada’s turn as director, this is gearing up to take the Suicide Squad to a whole new level.

We have yet to get a release date for Suicide Squad ISEKAI, but we’re hoping it’s soon.