Title: Blade Runner – Black Lotus
Director(s): Aramaki Shinji & Kamiyama Kenji
Screenwriter(s): Eugene Son, Alex de Campi & others
Studio: Sola Digital Arts
Released: 2021
Runtime: 13 episodes, ~23m each.
Starring: Shida Arisa, Fuji Shinshuu
Set in Los Angeles in 2032, a young woman wakes up in the back of a truck with amnesia and in possession of an encrypted data device that vaguely looks like a camera. She recalls fragments, including where she might live and her name Elle. She also has a black lotus tattoo and some combat skills.
Near what she thinks is her home, she meets Doc Badger, the local dealer and repairer, and asks for help. To complicate matters as expected, people are after her. Doc introduces her to Joseph, the “detective” figure of the series who tries to help her. The plot is Elle’s quest to find her identity, the circumstances leading up to her amnesia and the implications.
Set in between Blade Runner (1979) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), this series loosely bridges the world depicted in the two films in that the plot involves Wallace Corp, particularly Niander Wallace Jr (played by Jared Leto in the 2017 film). Other than that, it is a standalone story.
In terms of storytelling and visuals, it aims to be dark and gritty like the 1979 original rather than the more polished and arty-minimalist look of the 2017 sequel. In my opinion, whilst there is nothing wrong with the latter approach in itself, it is not a good fit for Blade Runner so it is just as well that Black Lotus is more like the original.
The questions of whether the main character is a replicant and which of their memories are real or implanted are obviously taken straight from the original film. Whilst there is nothing wrong with that in itself, the plot and thematic intrigue surrounding this kind of premise only work once. If one can accept that, then what follows is generally well-written.
One can criticize details and the series can be a little tighter—it can be 12 episodes instead of 13—but overall, there is nothing outright wrong with it. To compensate for the fundamentally similar premise, there is little question of whether Elle is a replicant. Even her name is seemingly generic—elle in French and ella in Spanish means “she”. The mystery is about her background and the possible involvement of Wallace Corp. In this regard, there is still moderate intrigue.
Visually, it is CG which the environment takes full advantage of. The interior and exterior designs and rendering are excellent and true to the original film. The character designs are decent but, as usual with CG anime, it is their execution that is the weakest link. To a degree, it is a matter of taste. The animation (motion) is sometimes very good but sometimes awkward. One either accepts that or not.
Shot compositions are good, containing details and details in the right place. There is the measured use of high-angle shots in the street, sometimes with the rain falling which, again, is true to the original.
The music is updated to include some soft R&B rather than the old-school detective noir and the distinctive synths of Vangelis. Personally, the R&B is not to my taste but it doesn’t ruin the work.
If one is looking for something brilliantly mindblowing, then one will be disappointed. But Black Lotus attempts to be in the spirit of the original film and, to a great extent, does achieve the look and feel of it. This is more difficult that it seems so it does well by still being moderately engaging and entertaining.
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