Terminator Zero is an impressive Japanese animated series based on the popular Terminator franchise, created by Mattson Tomlin (Batman: The Imposter, 2021) and directed by Masashi Kudô (Bleach, 2004-2012). The story takes place in 1997, on the eve of 'Judgment Day', the day when the war between man and machine begins. Malcolm Lee (André Holland, American Horror Story), an experienced scientist, desperately tries to find a solution and develops a new artificial intelligence called Kokoro (Rosario Dawson, Ahsoka). Malcolm firmly believes that she will help him prevent the Holocaust. But which side is this entity on since it knows itself not to be human?
Meanwhile, in the future, a resistance fighter named Eiko (Sonoya Mizuno, House Of The Dragon) is being prepared to travel to the past using a time machine. What she doesn't know is that the exact same thing is being done in another place, but with an android. Their purpose remains unknown for now, but it is their actions that will determine the fate of all humanity.
In this series there is clearly more emphasis on the philosophical and human aspect of the events surrounding Judgment Day.
At first glance, this story looks like yet another Terminator scenario. Make no mistake, in this version the typical cat and mouse game between robot and human is no longer the central theme. In this series there is clearly more emphasis on the philosophical and human aspect of the events surrounding Judgment Day. A large part of the story is devoted to conversations between the main character Malcolm Lee and the artificial intelligence Kokoro, in which they both delve deeper into topics such as humanity, destiny, free will and of course how they can put a stop to this impending war together.
These conversations in themselves are very interesting. They show what is going on inside Malcolm and in this way expose his doubts, fear and powerlessness. On the other hand, it feels a bit excessive at times (which is often the case with sci-fi anime), which can sometimes make you lose the thread of the story.
The whole thing is provided with impressive animation. The Japanese drawing style, combined with sublime 3D effects, brings both Kokoro and the laboratory they are in to life in a unique way. A dark but intriguing world is also created outside this research center. The heavy tones in the soundtrack once again accentuate the darkness and despair of this story.
The series contains a number of breathtaking action scenes in which the artists certainly did not shy away from blood and severed body parts. Of course, it contributes to the unabashedly violent world of this franchise. By effectively showing the consequences of a holocaust, the viewer is made very aware of what is at stake.
What this series also succeeds in portraying not only Malcolm but also his children as worthy characters. The children all behave recognisably, have personalities and they also play a clear role in this story. By paying them the necessary attention, the story becomes much more human than that of its predecessors. Misaki (Sumalee Montano, Transformers Prime), the nanny, will also play an important role later in the series.
The makers have clearly chosen to tell a story that focuses more on the people around this event. Less time is spent on the well-known T-800, but that in itself is not so bad. There are plenty of scenes where he is hot on the heels of the protagonists, but in this case he is slightly less prominent because he is ultimately only a key player in this whole thing. Judgment Day is, as it were, the actual main character and the plot is based around the many questions you can ask yourself about such a holocaust.
Because the story deals with time travel, there is a nice explanation of how to best view this. But no matter how well you want to explain time travel, it remains a subject that is not easy to grasp once you want to put it into practice. It is a theory that raises many questions. In this story too, it takes some getting used to how this is all beautifully woven together. It may be a bit of nitpicking, but we'll mention this as the last point of this review.
Despite everything, this is a beauty of a series. The focus on the human aspects and the Holocaust, the great anime tones and the many underlying layers will continue to challenge you as a viewer until the end.
