There's a lot of great new anime series making their way to streaming this year, and one of the highlights of that roster is Terminator Zero. With studio Production I.G. manning the helm, we get a sharp and stylish looking series that's highly sympathetic to the source material, which is to say the first two films.
There are elements that grate a little, especially the action-packed opening scene that shows the one remaining resistance fighter, Eiko (played by Sonoya Mizuno) holding her own against a Terminator unit. Honestly, I don't care how many flips and rope jumps she manages, a cyborg with a gatling gun should get at least one hit when aiming at her, especially when she runs down a straight corridor with no obstructions and the shots are all hitting the floor behind her. Cameron understands (or at least, he used to) that you can't sell a threat if it's shown to be incompetent, or that the hero has plot armour. His heroes are usually very battered by the end of his films (or dead), but for this one renegade to escape missing only a boot? It's a bit ludicrous.
However, let's look aside the Hollywood action physics for now and concentrate on what episode one did right. Firstly, it's an interesting idea; that a man in 1997, Doctor Malcolm Lee (voiced by Andre Holland) can see the inevitable coming and is developing his own counter-AI system that he must convince to stand on the side of mankind. The system, Kokoro, is a lovely design too - a luminous iris floating in the centre of a domed room of screens, it feels like an eye of judgement watching a man who knows his fate but is trying to escape it. Honestly, the interactions between Malcolm and his creation were the best part of the episode, certainly more engaging than the violent opening. It also teases the idea of a Terminator multiverse, that humanity has faced judgement many times before and always loses. It's too early to tell if this line of thought will go anywhere, but it's an interesting idea if handled right.
By the end of the episode, our future players are on their way to the past, their mission unrevealed at this point. We get to see some lovely Terminator production procedures and what appears to be Skynet itself, a very impressive and oppressive glimpse into the heart of the machine.
In terms of atmosphere, Terminator Zero nails its opening salvo. It's very moody, it draws on a lot of the earlier imagery from the films, whether it be terrified human survivors, damaged Terminator units or nuclear explosions, there's a great deal of love shown for the source material, and Production I.G. can clearly sort the good from the bad when it comes to the franchise.
By the end of episode one, the series still has many cards unrevealed - the involvement of Malcolm's family, the specific mission being undertaken by Skynet's forces and just what the remnants of humanity hope to achieve, but it's an enjoyable and moody outing for a franchise that really lost steam quite a few entries ago. I'll certainly watch more of the show to see where things go, and I hope we can keep up the intrigue and pacing for the full season.
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