Come with me if you want to watch a Terminator anime.
No spoilers! General thoughts only.
Not really sure if this qualifies as a “hipster” series, seeing as it’s based on a popular movie franchise, but I’ll allow it this one-time because there’s never been a Terminator anime project.
Quick Opinion: I really liked it.
Terminator Zero is an anime set in the Terminator universe, but after watching all eight episodes, I don’t think there’s any required viewing of previous Terminator movies to enjoy it, but doing so will enhance your experience. This is because The Terminator franchise involves time travel and time travel is…messy.
Because of this, Terminator Zero takes place in an alternate timeline. This gives the show room to be as crazy or subtle as it wants to be without having to worry about stepping on previous continuities. And, I think, the creators took full advantage of it. Time travel shenanigans is directly addressed in the show and I think it helps accept this version at face value while posing an interesting question about whether time travel benefits the machines or humans more.
The story builds over its eight episode run. The more you watch, the more is revealed about character motivations and plot specifics. No spoilers, but I feel eight episodes is the right amount of time to tell this story. There’s definitely too much plot to fit into a two-hour movie. My only pacing issue with Terminator Zero are Malcolm Lee and Kokoro’s conversations. The payoff at the end is great, but I felt at times Malcolm was being a little too secretive for the sake of holding info bombs until the later half of the series for no other reason than that’s what the showrunners want.
I enjoyed all of the main characters. They all serve a purpose to the story—some more than others—but all, I felt, were necessary. It was interesting watching a Terminator on a mission in a country with major firearms restrictions such as Japan. But, make no mistake: This series is gory. Terminator Zero doesn’t pull punches. You don’t name a show after a killing machine and have it not be.
Being more of a fan of anime than the Terminator franchise (Although, I have seen the first and second Terminator movies and enjoyed them.), I highly recommend this series. It gives you everything Terminator fans love about the franchise, all the while telling a dark story starring characters you want to root for.
Except for the Terminator. Don’t root for him. He’s evil.
Whoops! I just spoiled the series. Sorry.
Mammoth Base Opera Castle 