Blade Runner is a sci-fi classic that forever has a place in cinema history. Though the film and its sequel, Blade Runner 2049, failed to be a success at the box office, it’s a feature that was very insightful as it tackled its themes about oppression and corporate power with intelligence. The world is incredibly rich with unique characters and environments so naturally, Blade Runner feels like a world that deserves to be explored in more depth. Enter Blade Runner: Black Lotus, which follows a young woman with amnesia who searches for the truth about her brutal and bloody past.
First things first, the futuristic environment remains as gorgeous as ever. While the character designs feel generic and lackluster, everything else feels realistic and is a gorgeous sight to behold. One of the great things about Blade Runner is that it seems like a perfect open world to explode. Focusing on the future leaves open to a wide array of interesting possibilities. Unfortunately, based on the pilot, Blade Runner: Black Lotus ends up being a “been there, done that” type of experience. How many times have we seen a movie or television show about X trying to uncover the truth about their past? The Jason Bourne series is the most notable one here. The pilot doesn’t do anything that really entices you to move on to the next chapter. The story beats are predictable, and the characters introduced so far aren’t anything special. Elle is fine. When you’ve seen one chick who’s a butt-kicking warrior then you’ve seen them all. Other than losing her amnesia, there’s nothing particularly special about her personality, nor is the mystery surrounding her amnesia interesting.
The show opens decent enough. We get the first clue about the overall arc of the series and Elle not being aware of her surrounding. From there, the story beats are highly predictable from beginning to end. When she gets to Los Angeles and tries to question the chef at the vendor restaurant, two creeps end up following her behind the alley, and what do know, she’s an elite fighter. The gangsters typically act like perverts before she takes them down with ease. To be clear, Blade Runner: Black Lotus isn’t bad per se. It’s just a show that feels 20 years too late. Nothing is surprising in the pilot, though the fight scene in the middle of the series is pretty sweet. The play with cinematography and colors really pays off in this scene and it’s truly the only stand out moment. Other than Elle, there’s no characters that truly stand out, though the pawn shop owner, Doc Badger, is a nice personality in contrast to the world.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus didn’t need to be unorthodox or outrageous, but it needed a solid hook that warrants why the showrunners didn’t dive into the scandal and corrupt politics that the world thrives in. When exploring the show you do wonder what could’ve been: The bright neon lights and darkness showcase a world that’s more complex and intriguing then what’s being given. The secret about the locked data device and Elle’s black lotus tattoo is the glue that the writers want you to gravitate towards, but the clues that have been given seems that Elle was likely a secret spy/assassin for some type of organization. Sound familiar? Perhaps I’m being too harsh on Blade Runner: Black Lotus since this could ultimately turn out to be an amazing show, but the pilot is the episode that every series needs to knock out of the park. We must be enthralled by these characters and story in order to want to continue to follow Elle’s journey. Had the world been flooded with memorable characters then it would’ve made up for the lackluster mystery that the show relies on. Instead, the dialogue is on-the-nose and as bland as the story arc that proceeds it. Considering the abundance of shows on television and the fact this is under the Blade Runner name, this should’ve been high quality stuff. Check out the pilot if you want but don’t expect anything out of the ordinary. Whether you’ve seen the Bourne Identity series or the countless other content that focuses on a character trying to remember their past, this doesn’t stand out in any way shape or form. Obviously, the season can get stronger as not everything is given away in the pilot, but based on what’s presented then you won’t be enticed much to check out the second episode. Despite the lush and gorgeous environments that remind you of the original counterpart, Blade Runner: Black Lotus is a forgettable anime.Blade Runner
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