2032 AD. Ten years
after “the Blackout”, a young girl named Elle wakes up in Los Angeles with no
memory of who she is or how she got there.
Her only clues are an encrypted camera and a series of violent images
involving a massacre in the desert beyond the city. Elle’s search for answers may bring her more
than she bargained for when she discovers deadly abilities of her own,
abilities far beyond those of a Human.
Indeed: Elle is a Replicant, her very existence a crime on Earth. It isn’t long before the authorities discover
her and a man hunt begins.
From a visual standpoint, the CG laden Los Angeles in
2032 still looks and feels like the LA we’ve come to know in Blade Runner. It’s still very much in that transitional
period between the original film and Blade Runner 2049 but feels more closer to
the original. There’s lots of smoke and
rain to make you feel like you’re choking just taking a single breathe. The streets aren’t super crowded but
considering the events of Blackout 2022, I can see why everyone might be opting
to stay in doors. Sirens are blaring at
all times of the day as the Police are in constant action. Even the music hues closer to Hans Zimmer’s
Blade Runner 2049 score rather than the OG Vangelis score, which isn’t bad, the
music is great (save for the opening pop song).
Point is, this looks and feels like it takes place in the Blade Runner
universe. When it comes to the
characters though, it’s a bit more uneven.
Shinji Aramaki, of Appleseed fame, serves as Co-Director on Black Lotus,
alongside Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex’s Kenji Kamiyama (theyre both
also working on the SAC_2045 series but we’ll get to that in 2023). You’d think that after spending most of his
career in the realm of CG Anime, he could make his characters look more expressive
and less stiff when they aren’t in action sequences. Save for Elle, most characters have the same
expressions on their faces locked in place.
There seems to be a bit more effort with Elle since she’s the main focus
and has plenty of reason to show more emotion.
Still, the progression of the Appleseed film trilogy shows Aramaki’s
gotten better breathing life into CG characters so why does everyone here feel
like a doll?
Elle is our main character, our titular Black Lotus
(named because of a cool tattoo on her back shoulder). Elle’s design stands out from her physique to
her outfit, quite eye catching.
Personality wise, we’re still kind of getting to know her but Elle isn’t
one who wants to sit around and wait.
Impatient and prone to trouble, these do help Elle stand out from the
other protagonists we’ve seen in Blade Runner so far. Granted the other key element to this is Elle
being an amnesiac Replicant. Aside from
the short but brilliant Blackout 2022, we haven’t had a full story with a rogue
Replicant at its center (though you could argue classic Blade Runners
antagonist Roy Batty is an exception and I’d agree the movie is as much his as
it is Deckards). That said:
Amnesia? Young and Impulsive? Cute outfit with a penchant for Samurai sword
combat? Does this sound a little
familiar? If so, it’s because I am
getting some serious Battle Angel Alita vibes from Elle’s story. Ok, I’ll admit, I haven’t read the Manga or
seen the Anime (I have seen the Live Action Movie and love it), so someone else
will have to correct me as to how much of Alita’s story is a revenge tale. Still, point is, Elle’s story doesn’t feel
very original, which is something Blade Runner has always had going for it. Not saying it doesn’t make her current plight
any less compelling, being the sole survivor of a Replicant massacare in the
desert. But maybe once we get the full
story of what happened to her in the next episode, maybe Elle can become more
than the classic tropes that make up her character right now.
Supporting cast wise, no one really stands out just yet
save for one or two familiar faces.
There’s J, a drunken techie who is slow on speech and long on awkward
pauses. Then we have Davis, a no
nonsense LAPD Officer who looks nice and kicks so much ass I’d assume she was a
Blade Runner. But probably the biggest
surprises are those aforementioned familiar faces. One of Elle’s first allies in LA is a young
Doctor Badger, who played a small but important role in Blade Runner 2049. We even get the return of his original actor
,Barkhad Abdi, to do the voice. It’s a
nice bit of connective tissue to the larger world of Blade Runner and Badger
left a good impression in 2049 so it’s exciting to see more of him. And then there’s good old Niander Wallace
Jr., the genius with a God complex so high the building he resides in isn’t
nearly big enough to match. Strangely,
Jared Leto doesn’t reprise his villainous role from 2049, instead he’s voiced
by Wes Bentley. While he’s still the
holier than thou jerk he is in the Blade Runner sequel, this version of Wallace
is still in his rise to power, living in the shadow of his father, played by
Brian Cox (helluva voice grab if you ask me).
Chances are Wallace Sr. might not be long for this world if his son is
speaking cryptic scripture and still high on his “I helped save Humanity so I
am a God,” mentality.
I was thinking about whether or not I should do this for
these reviews but considering all the references in the first three episodes
alone, I think I’m gonna dedicate at least one part of each review to those
references. So what did my eagle eye
Blade Runner fandom eyes see? Well for
starters, the apartment complex where Badger and J reside, the interior looks
eerily like the Bradbury Building where JF Sebastian resided in the first Blade
Runner, complete with the searchlights flickering in from the ceiling. The Voight Kampff machine also makes an
appearance and, wont lie, I got really excited to see it again. It's the test used by Blade Runners in the
original film to help identify Replicants, success may vary. While J claims Elle passed her test, I know
he’s hiding something. We know Elle’s a
Replicant but what model? We get
references to the Nexus 6 models from 2019 and J notes if Elle was one of
those, she’d be long dead since they had a 4 year life span. He also check’s Elle’s eye for a serial
number just like Ryan Gosling’s K did with Dave Bautista’s Sapper Morton in
Blade Runner 2049. There’s also lots of
City Speak (the mishmash language of the future), Spinners and Noodle Bars in
the rain, just enough to make Black Lotus feel right at home in the Blade
Runner universe.
So yeah, it might not be the strongest, or fastest start,
but Blade Runner: Black Lotus has my interest thanks to some good visuals,
decent action, and potential in Elle’s story.
There’s also plenty of Easter Eggs for a longtime fan like me to keep an
eye out for. Right now, though, Black
Lotus needs to spend more time tightening it’s narrative and escaping its
rather tropey story directions with Elle.
There’s plenty to be mined from her being an unknown Replicant model,
one that’s supposed to be totally subservient to Humans, and what her existence
could mean for the future of Replicants before their status quo change by
2049. The mystery is there, let’s see
where it goes. See ya Next Monday for
more Blade Runner: Black Lotus right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.
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