The Terminator franchise began with James Cameron's 1984, the Terminator, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and was a huge hit in the action and science-fiction genres. After almost six years, the sequel, Terminator 2 (1991), was released, and it was even more successful than the original. After the first two films, the franchise went downhill. Now Netflix has now picked up this franchise, this time as an anime adaptation with eight episodes.
Positive
This time, the story is set in Japan in 1997, offering a fresh take by moving away from John Connor and Arnold's Terminator. The show only briefly references the other movies with a short bit of the iconic Terminator theme but stays separate from the rest of the series.
The Terminator films always included time travel, but the franchise hasn't dug further into how time travel works in this reality, something the films haven't thoroughly explored. But this show explains how time travel works in this universe, which allows the series to remain in a separate timeline from the franchise.
I like how The story starts with a lot of mystery, and slowly reveals answers as the story progress.
Malcolm is a father of three who is attempting to prevent Skynet from wiping out humanity. He develops his own AI, Kokoro, to prevent the horrible future he has been dreaming of. Malcolm hasn't fully activated yet as he is concerned that his AI will turn out to be similar to Skynet. The chats between Malcolm and Kokoro address serious questions about human nature, particularly concerning conflict, devastation, and if humanity is really worth rescuing. The debate between them is really intriguing, revealing the darker side of humanity.
Malcolm is so focused on stopping Skynet that he isn’t much of a father to his children, leaving them in the care of their maid, Misaki. The emotional side of the story comes from the bond between Misaki and the children. Although the kids are a bit annoying at first, they become more likable later on.
In the future, after Judgment Day has happened and Skynet is hunting down the last human survivors, we meet Eiko, a soldier. She finds information from a Terminator that reveals Skynet’s plan to travel back in time and change the future. Eiko is a tough character who can stand her ground against the Terminators, unlike most other humans.
The animation is stunning, with a Tokyo backdrop that adds to the atmosphere. While there isn’t a lot of action, when it does happen, it’s intense and gory, showing just how ruthless the Terminators are. The way the Terminator is animated, with their robotic metal skeletons, looks very lively. I watched the series with the Japanese dub since it fits the setting and characters.
Negative
Despite the fact that the Terminators are terrifying, the show doesn’t focus much on them or evil A.I Skynet. Since action isn’t the main focus, the story can feel a bit slow and boring at times. It doesn’t capture the excitement of the first two Terminator movies, which might be a disappointment for some viewers. However, aside from that, this show met my expectations and even exceeded them in some areas.
My Screen Times Score - 7
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