English Dub Review: Blade Runner – Black Lotus “City of Angels; All We Are Not”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

A Replicant named Elle wakes up with no memories in Los Angeles in 2032 and begins her journey to uncover what happened to her, along the way killing a State Senator who apparently hunted her for sport.

OUR TAKE

It’s that time again for another Adult Swim and Crunchyroll Original series, this time taking place in iconic and influential Blade Runner universe. Blade Runner as a franchise is mainly known for its two films, “Blade Runner” (and its various director’s cuts) and “Blade Runner 2049”, both of which are big cult hits, but also for its influence on the development of the first Ghost in the Shell film, which would in turn influence the Matrix film series, continuing this ping pong of artistic communication with a full blown anime about the story between the two Blade Runner movies. This is not the first time there has been anime Blade Runner, as famed Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe created a short film “Blade Runner 2022: Blackout” to promote 2049. So, it’s all pretty interesting timing that Black Lotus is releasing around the time of both a new Dune movie by 2049’s director, Denis Villeneuve, as well as a live action Netflix television series based on Cowboy Bebop. Basically what I’m saying is that this show has a good animation pedigree, made better by the directors working directly on Black Lotus, Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama, known for their works on the Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell franchises…though unfortunately their most recent contribution to the latter, SAC 2045, got very mixed perception when it came out last year.

As for how Black Lotus itself is starting out, the most I can really say at this point is that it is quite the slow burn so far. Elle herself is learning about herself about as fast as we are (aside from her being a Replicant, which was obvious from the jump but took her until near the end of the second episode to find out), as per usual with amnesia stories. Though as much as that sort of story has been done and dusted, it is certainly not one I’ve seen Blade Runner do before, plus memory and identity have always been pretty prevalent themes across what installments I’ve seen. It also presents the possibility that the memories we see flashing in Elle may not be her own, as Replicants are often given implanted memories. It is also kinda neat to see certain characters who appeared in 2049 appear in younger forms to highlight the show’s placement within the timeline, including Jared Leto’s character Niander Wallace (though obviously not voiced by Leto himself here). That said, I do worry that the references will get too indulgent, not to mention the first episode had a distinct impression of feeling like cut scenes to a video game I couldn’t play (and not just because it was in CGI). But hey, let’s see where this show takes us, and if nothing else, it’ll give me a reason to rewatch 2049.