After a series of misfires with unnecessary sequels, the Terminator franchise has decided to move back to the past with an anime adaptation, Terminator Zero, produced by Netflix, and it does look promising. Without delving into the technicalities or narrative, the most exciting aspect of the anime, which anime fans will find interesting as well, is the fact that the series is directed by Masashi Kudō, who was instrumental as the animator and character designer of the Bleach anime. The trailer itself hints at showing a different aspect of the Judgement Day in-universe event, and from the retro 90s anime visuals vivid in several sequences, the dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi series seems to have found a perfect match. We would like to briefly discuss everything viewers can expect from the series and share possible plot details highlighted in the trailer.
A Different Perspective Of Judgment Day
The trailer introduces a scientist, likely based in Tokyo, Malcolm Lee, who shares a warning about the inevitable uprising of Skynet, the hyper-interactive superintelligent hive mind AI that is responsible for the total eradication of humanity in the future, and the creator of all the Terminator variants and prototypes, as shown in all Terminator media. Created by Cyberdyne Systems for Central Air Defense, Skynet gained unrestrained access to every technological sphere on a global basis, and as a result, when it eventually gained sentience, humanity tried to turn it off, fearing severe consequences. However, Skynet ended up creating a global nuclear holocaust, destroying human civilization in the process, and the particular day in 1997 when all hell broke loose is known as Judgment Day in the Terminator Universe. However, in the distant future, John Connor staged an uprising that ended Skynet’s reign. To prevent this event from happening, Skynet relentlessly sent its fearsome cyborg enforcers, known as Terminators in the past, to kill John and his mother, Sarah Connor. Terminator Zero will focus on the events leading up to Judgment Day, and the release date of 29th August, which matches with the in-universe date of Judgment Day, cleverly conveys this aspect.
However, this time round, viewers probably won’t see the same old Connor family shenanigans, as the trailer reveals that Malcolm Lee and his children are the new targets of the T-800s and T-1000s. Apparently, Malcolm has designed another intelligent AI to rival Skynet, which is probably going to challenge Skynet’s dominance in the future. Terminator: Dark Fate showcased an alternate timeline where Skynet was annihilated, and in its place a new AI known as Legion took charge of the decimation of human civilization—and it will be interesting to see whether elements from the movie get adapted into the anime as well, given both involve a different AI that replaces Skynet. Having anime as medium, the series has all the freedom to delve much deeper into the complex AI and time travel related scenarios, matching up with the likes of Pluto, Steins; Gate, or perhaps we are expecting a bit too much and the series will focus more on the action-horror side of things.
Everything Else to Look Forward to in The Anime
Aside from Malcolm Lee and the Terminators in his pursuit, a future John Connor-like character, Eiko, is going to play a key role in the series. Just like John took on the role of leadership by forming a resistance against Skynet, Eiko is revealed to be a resistance soldier in the future (in the context of the series timeline), who has arrived in the present to stop the Terminator and rescue Malcolm. Aside from Eiko, the leader of the Resistance, the Prophet, will feature as an important connector between the past and present timelines. Details of other major characters have not been revealed yet, and it’s unclear whether the series takes place in an alternate timeline. However, the trailers released so far make it seem that the series is canon to the main overarching saga and merely takes place on the other side of the planet. Shifting the setting from the States to Japan is an interesting narrative choice, as the difference in gun laws will change the context of much of the scenarios. Speaking of firepower, the brutal, gory massacre orchestrated by the murderous cyborgs is shown in all its bloody glory, a much-needed update to the Terminator series, which had seemingly forgotten its horror undertones. The tone of the series is once again a callback to the first two gritty installments, a welcome change in the context of recent releases of the franchise. The animation style looks very 90s retro, which combines cyberpunk-esque elements with graphic violence, and a touch of grim, realistic spectacle.
And hopefully fans won’t have to bear with another Arnold Schwarzenegger T-800 cameo and will get something new instead. The Terminator franchise will truly be back when it lets go of tedious nostalgia pandering and offers some new sci-fi concepts to explore new possibilities. Terminator Zero is the first positive step that the franchise has taken since Terminator: Salvation, and if everything works well, the makers can opt for such a new perspective and try new combinations more often, even in the live-action adaptations as well.
