Intro to Terminator Franchise
Released in 1984, The Terminator is an all time favorite sci-fi franchise. James Cameron directed the blockbuster film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The franchise explores a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence, and the struggle between AI and humans.
In 1991, James Cameron made an even better sequel (according to IMDB ratings) Terminator 2: Judgement Day. This marked the final film he would direct in the franchise. The next five films underperformed or flopped at the box office. In fact, FOX even canceled the TV Show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Now the Terminator franchise is back with something entirely new to the franchise, an anime series.
About Terminator Zero
Masashi Kudō is the director of this new Terminator anime with the help of showrunner Mattson Tomlin. Masashi is best known for his work on the Bleach anime series.
Production I.G. with the help of Skydance Television produced the anime. Production I.G. have worked on the Haikyu!! series and their recent film.
Terminator Zero has both a Japanese and English cast. Who consist of:
English / Japanese:
- Malcolm Lee – André Holland / Yuuya Uchida
- Terminator – Timothy Olyphant / Yasuhiro Mamiya
- Kokoro – Rosario Dawson / Atsumi Tanezaki
- Misaki – Sumalee Montano / Saori Hayami
- Eiko – Sonoya Mizuno / Toa Yukinari
Synopsis of Terminator Zero
To clarify, John Connor does not appear in this Terminator series on Netflix. This is a notable departure, as the character has traditionally been a central figure in the franchise.
Japan is the setting of Terminator Zero, on two different timelines. Starting with a Terminator chasing a woman named Eiko, a resistance fighter, in 2022.
Then the two are sent back to 1997. The year where Skynet launches an attack on humans.
In this timeline though, a scientist named Malcolm Lee built an AI system “Kokoro” to fight against the Skynet attack (which hasn’t happened yet). Malcolm is traumatized as he has nightmares and foresees the war. His goal is to prevent this Skynet attack from happening. As viewers, we question why he has these nightmares.
Misaki, Malcolm’s housekeeper, and Eiko are on the run while protecting Malcolm’s children from the Terminator sent from 2022. This Terminator received the task to find Malcolm. This was all a plan so that he takes down Kokoro, and Skynet can proceed with their attack. Eiko wants to find Malcolm as well, but to help him.
What I Enjoyed in Terminator Zero
Art Style
If you are familiar with Haikyu!!, you will notice a similar art style here. The character designs for Misaki and Eiko closely resemble those of the female characters from Haikyu!!.
The art style remains consistent throughout the show, though there are instances where the artists cut corners, which is common in anime.
Voice Acting
I watched the show in Japanese with English Subtitles and I would have to say it’s good. The voice acting is what should be expected coming from Production I.G.
Terminator Zero English Dub Cast looks amazing on paper. If dubbed is what you prefer when watching anime, I have no doubt this dub is good.
The Story Itself
Having only watched the original film, The Terminator, as my sole reference. It would appear that Terminator Zero focuses on the emotional aspects of the story.
Don’t get me wrong there is still a lot of action throughout the series, and it’s quite gory for an anime. But the conflict is character and story driven. Such as Malcolm wanting to save his family from the attack, or Misaki having an existential crisis.
Story Elements
One thing I adored in the first half of the series is that the Terminator and Eiko have a difficult time looking for weapons. (I’m not familiar with the carrying rules in Japan, but as it is one of the safest countries. I’m assuming it is difficult to own a firearm, especially in 1997)
The Terminator has to make a makeshift nail gun in his arm for a weapon. Meanwhile, Eiko has to steal a revolver from a police officer. It made the early fight scenes unique. It’s a small element in the story, but it is something noticeable.
Terminator Zero leans into the horror/thriller aspect of the story. For this reason, as a horror fan, I was pleased with it. Scenes where the Terminator is chasing the main characters or where AI robots are killing civilians are done well. Thus, you can feel the tension of the scenes as a viewer.
What I thought could have been better
Sometimes the animation was lacking
I find CGI in anime to be somewhat unappealing. There are a couple scenes where the CGI doesn’t look the best, (in the final episode) but I’m just nitpicking.
Dialogue goes on for too long sometimes
My favorite anime of all time is Bakemonogatari, which is known for being dialogue-heavy. Especially in the scenes with Malcolm and Kokoro, where I feel like the dialogue is going in one ear and out the other. I was not that invested in the Malcolm and Kokoro talking scenes.
Will Terminator Zero Suffer the Same Fate as Non-James Cameron films?
I personally don’t think it will suffer the same fate. It isn’t a continuation of the franchise, it is more like an add-on. You can view this series as a standalone science fiction series that is still part of the franchise.
Will it ever top the first two James Cameron films? Definitely not, but it for sure won’t flop like the rest of the franchise.
Could there have been more than eight episodes? Certainly, they could have fleshed out the characters and story more. But they set up the finale, like they expect a renewal for a second season. If they announce a second season, I’ll update you.
Some final thoughts: I think the Terminator Netflix series is definitely worth the watch. It consists of only eight episodes, making it quite manageable and easy to consume. For this reason you could complete it in one or two sittings, as it is likely to keep you thoroughly engaged.
