by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Anime is a huge blind spot for me. I don’t get very many chances to watch it, nor is it something I actively seek out. Deciding which to watch is always daunting. As a genre, anime can encompass so many types of stories. As a TV fan, time is hard to come by when prioritizing what to watch. So when I heard there would be a Terminator anime series, I was cautiously excited about dipping my toes into something familiar in a different style.
The Terminator franchise has been in limbo since Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Since then, not all the movies have been well received, even though I at least tolerated and enjoyed them. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is not as alarming as everyone thinks it is, along with Terminator: Dark Fate. Terminator: Salvation and Terminator: Genisys are the train wrecks we’ve all come to know. I’m even a fan of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which was the first attempt to bring the franchise to TV.
But Terminator Zero tells a whole new story about the war between machines and humans, as a new group of characters fights to save the future from destruction. The series takes place pre-Judgement Day and focuses the story on Malcolm Lee (Yûya Uchida), an AI programmer doing everything he can to prevent Judgement Day from becoming a reality. Seeing a chance to save humanity, a fighter from the future named Eiko (Toa Yukinari) arrives during Malcolm’s time to confront him about the growing dangers. Unfortunately for both, a Terminator is hot on their tails.
Anime brings some fascinating aspects of the Terminator series that make it refreshing and exciting. The colors are vibrant and the action scenes are stellar. It did make me wonder what else I’ve been missing since I haven’t watched much in the name of anime. In addition, the animation style makes the Terminators pop with brutal violence and graphic imagery. Not many franchises suit anime well, but the Terminator series might be on to something by hitching itself to anime.
I loved that there were no legacy characters from the original Terminator series. This allows the new characters to thrive in a way that has hampered all the other Terminator movies. Malcolm is such an interesting character because you have no idea if he is a good guy doing bad things or a bad guy who believes in his mission so much that you can’t help but root for him. Complicating matters are his children, Kenta (Hiro Shimono), Reika (Miyuki Satô), and Hiro (Shizuka Ishigami). They are not just a group used to get the Terminator to Malcolm (although that does happen). His children also represent a level of humanity needed to empathize with Malcolm enough for us to be on board with what he wants to do with Kokoro (Atsumi Tanezaki), the AI he built.
As Skynet is heading towards Judgement Day, Malcolm built Kokoro to counter the deadly program. Skynet deals in absolutes like a lot of AI programs do. Once it decides that humanity isn’t worth saving and needs to be eradicated, there is no going back. Kokoro is built differently, and the story behind what makes it different is one of the best episodes of the series. Malcolm did a fantastic job building it, but it’s also viewed as a threat to the future.
The Terminator and Eiko are both from the future and sent back in time to deal with Malcolm. Opening the series is a fight between the two that showcases how anime does a service for the franchise. Once the Terminator gets to the past, it’s as brutal as others in the series. This version of the Terminator uses manipulation as one of its weapons, making it unique from some of the other versions in the movies. It uses some of Malcolm’s children in a way that also has implications for the future. Eiko also has connections to this family, a sly way to tie things together.
Eiko presents some challenging philosophical questions as she deals with the consequences of time travel. Terminator Zero talks about the consequences of time travel more than any other Terminator content, which I certainly appreciate; it acknowledges the dangers surrounding time travel. This is one of the many philosophical questions that makes you think. Another question presented is about the nature of humanity. Can an AI program ever be convinced that humanity is worth saving? With so much knowledge that an AI program can access via the internet, how can humanity prove they have a compassion capacity? The final question revolves around self-awareness and how well you truly know yourself, even in the face of danger. This is what sets Terminator Zero apart from all the other movies.
Terminator Zero is a gorgeous show with unique characters, outstanding visuals, and complex questions. This is honestly the most excited about the Terminator franchise in a long time, and I hope the series can breathe new life into one of Hollywood’s most desperate series that needs a win. It has also caused me to seek out more anime shows. Netflix has a track record for successful anime shows, so I’ll be excited when Season Two comes out.
Rating: Liked It
Terminator Zero is currently streaming on Netflix
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