Terminator 0

As a massive fan of the terminator franchise who’s watched all the movies dozens of times growing up with my dad, I can say this was the best instalment since T2 Judgement Day. It’s thrilling, engaging, thought provoking and a great evolution of the franchise. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Terminator Zero starts off clearly reminiscent of earlier instalments of the series, borrowing concepts from the first two films, the spin off tv series and more, but by the halfway point it establishes itself as something unique. While yes it has cool fights and action scenes, the character drama and philosophical questions ... the series poses are much more important. Rather than focus on Arnold Schwarzenegger beating up another terminator to save humanity, we get asked the question of whether or not humanity is even worth being saved. The other entries have always treated this as a given. As if humans have some divine right to the planet, as if we can take whatever we want with no consequences. If you left that judgement to one of our own, the answer would always be “yes, we deserve to live” but in reality this is a simple self preservation instinct rather than objective truth. Throughout the course of its 8 episode run, Terminator Zero has humanity judged by a non biased third party with the core objective being convincing this third party that it should aid humanity in the struggle against skynet. I loved this so much and found it very refreshing.

This is very much a character driven story. I quickly grew attached to the kids and Misaki especially. I think the one downside I’d have here is that Eiko felt a little flat, I wonder if that’s intentional because they want to flesh her out in future media given some circumstances in the end of the series. Other than that, I was on the edge of my seat every episode hoping everyone would make it out of this alive. I’d encourage you to really pay attention to the characters’ subtle behaviours and idiosyncrasies as well. There’s some cool twists at the end that are foreshadowed throughout and it was so cool when we got there and I was able to look back and be like “ah, that’s why__” for 8 episodes, there’s quite a bit of good stuff in this one.

Production IG are no strangers to sci fi and they brought their A games here. Visuals and soundtrack are incredible, character designs as well. The few big fight scenes we have looked awesome too. Show is well paced and pulls you in from the get go.

Highly recommend this as a must watch for any terminator fan or sci fi fan in general. Honestly for younger people who haven’t seen the OG films(you need to ASAP since they’re legendary), this could serve as a good entry point for the franchise. Very happy with what we got.

Terminator Zero gets 9, out of 10.

"Terminator 0" is an anime TV series available on Netflix that attempts to bring the iconic franchise into the world of animation.

Story/Plot: 6/10
The plot follows the familiar Terminator formula, which is enjoyable at first but becomes predictable about halfway through. The minimal payoff is disappointing, as key questions are left unanswered for a sequel. Character development feels inorganic, and the plot relies too heavily on creating shock value instead of building a cohesive narrative. One of the biggest issues is the inconsistent portrayal of the Terminator. It feels artificially weak to serve the plot, which ruins any stakes the story tries to create. There’s ... a scene where a human tank blows from the Terminator, even though it had been established as far stronger than humans. This lack of consistency damages the believability of the plot.

Animation/Design: 7/10
Production I.G.’s animation is as good as expected, but the unnatural highlights on characters in situations where there shouldn’t be a light source are distracting. The action scenes are visually solid, but the way the Terminator’s skin deflects bullets without damage takes away from the immersion.

Characters: 5/10
The characters were not likable, and their development was shallow. Many decisions they made felt like plot devices rather than reflections of genuine personality. The relationship dynamics had potential but were underdeveloped. The father and eldest son were particularly disappointing, with the father speaking in riddles and avoiding crucial answers. The world felt empty, as if the main cast were the only characters with any importance, and the Terminator itself was weakened to the point of losing its menacing presence.

Audio/Soundtrack: 6/10
The voice acting in the English dub was good, but the soundtrack didn’t leave an impression. The lack of iconic music or sound from previous Terminator entries was a missed opportunity, which might have helped elevate the experience. Nothing about the audio stood out as memorable or unique.

Enjoyment: 5/10
While some elements were enjoyable, the show ultimately fell flat. Poor character development, a predictable plot, and a Terminator that felt inconsistent and weak made the overall experience lackluster. The stakes never felt real, given how poorly the Terminator was handled in terms of power and danger. The weak portrayal of the Terminator, like being pushed back by a regular human and failing to land a finishing blow, undermined the excitement of the action sequences.

Overall: 6/10
"Terminator 0" introduces some interesting ideas but falls short due to its weak portrayal of the Terminator and an incoherent plot. The Terminator’s inconsistencies significantly hurt the tension, making the human vs. machine dynamic feel unbelievable. While the sequel may resolve some of these issues, it’s not a series that leaves you eagerly anticipating the next installment. Rewatching it after the sequel might make for a better experience, but at this point, it’s lacking in too many areas to fully enjoy.

This show starts off with a lot of promise but quickly spirals into a mess, becoming almost unwatchable with each episode. The director and writer seem lost, unable to decide if they want to recreate the cat-and-mouse chase and time travel elements from *The Terminator* or put their own spin on it with a new AI concept. In the end, they fail at both, creating a chaotic disaster. The community has already pointed out issues like incorrect subtitles for the Japanese version and how the Terminator moves awkwardly like a drunk zombie, so I won’t dive into that. However, one thing that's not often discussed ... is the ridiculous plot armor.

The resistance hero, Eiko, somehow gets to bring her gun back in time, but for some reason, Skynet sends a lone T-800 model without any equipment, forcing him to make a generic bow from scratch. Even after the massacre at the police station, the Terminator stubbornly sticks to this bow and fistfights, refusing to pick up any weapons. The kid characters also benefit from ridiculous plot armor. Each one is forgettable, bratty, and annoying. Kenta, who is supposed to be interested in robotics, acts xenophobic and racist every time he sees a machine. The twist with him undermines Skynet’s calculations, making no sense at all. Hiro is a chubby kid whose only personality trait is constantly eating. Reika’s actions are baffling; she forms an attachment to a cat robot that’s quickly discarded after a few episodes, then becomes obsessed with going to an amusement park for no logical reason. Misaki is the only somewhat decent character, but her identity reveal is too predictable.

The worst character by far is Malcolm Lee. It feels like the writer tried to copy Grisha Yeager’s personality and made it worse. Malcolm talks big about understanding AI but ends up just wanting to sleep with a robot. He’s so foolish that he even travels back in time, marries a new wife, and the show conveniently kills her off in a traffic accident to avoid dealing with any potential conflict. His rise to power and creation of his company are never explained, showing how little the show cares about addressing its plot holes.

The dialogue between Malcolm and Kokoro is the worst part of the show. Before Skynet’s launch, Kokoro raises valid questions that Skynet would have considered before deciding to destroy humanity, but instead of giving meaningful answers, Malcolm just clings to the AI and ignores the looming threat of the Terminator hunting his children. His big reveal is nonsensical too. If he was waiting for Skynet to awaken before telling his story, why did he waste so much time with Kokoro, hiding in a room like a creep? Kokoro’s decision to side with humans comes after seeing Malcolm’s family protect one another, but then Malcolm completely neglects his own children, despite claiming he wants to show Kokoro he cares about them.

This show is a lazy cash grab, leaving multiple unfinished plotlines to milk another season. The writing is disrespectful to its audience, and I hope it gets canceled because it truly deserves it.