It’s back, but this time The Terminator is coming to Netflix. After six films and a TV series (The Sarah Connor Chronicles), the new opus of James Cameron’s 1984 sci-fi saga now comes to us in Japanese anime form.
The peculiarity of this anime is that it is not directly related to other Terminator performances. Moreover, for the first time, the plot of the series does not take place on the American continent, but in Tokyo, a few days before August 29, 1997, the date of the nuclear apocalypse caused by the SkyNet computer program.
Terminator in a shell
Most of the production was done by Japanese teams. The show was animated by Production IG studio (Ghost in the Shell), and Masashi Kudô directed eight episodes of Terminator Zero. James Cameron, considered the creator of the universe, did not participate in the design of the anime.
The challenge for this series is to manage to stay true to the codes that made the franchise a success in cinema, while appropriating Japanese animation. James Cameron himself is a big fan of anime (and especially manga). Gunnmfrom which he created the film adaptation Alita: Battle Angel), so everything indicates that this marriage of two worlds will be successful.
Being independent from the Terminator movies, no characters from the movies appear in this production: neither Sarah Connor nor John Connor, nor the T-800 played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Instead, the series introduces a new character – Malcolm Lee – the inventor of artificial intelligence, Kokoro, who can harm SkyNet.
The terminator formula is protected
The formula that made The Terminator a success in cinema still applies. A machine is sent from the future to kill a scientist; But the resistance also manages to send a female soldier named Eiko to protect the scientist. Numerous revelations also reflect this fast story.
The series seems to have been created more as an initiation for fans of the Terminator saga to Japanese animation than the other way around. Which isn’t to say that anime fans can’t find what they’re looking for. In any case, it goes without saying that Netflix thinks highly of this production, which comes from one of the most popular franchises in cinema!
Six Terminator movies have hit theaters. The saga, which introduced James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the general public, grossed more than $2 billion at the box office. A seventh opus is currently in the works, directed by Cameron himself.
The Terminator Zero animated series is now available exclusively on Netflix.
Discover the list of series currently available on the platform!
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
