This show, like any piece of media, can technically be judged on its own. However, when one makes an entry into a series/franchise, it would be illogical to not consider that entry in relation to its series/franchise; otherwise, why not make it an original work? By this line of thought, I will primarily be reviewing Blade Runner: Black Lotus as a Blade Runner work; only light mentions will be made as to how this show stands on its own as independent media (There will be a dedicated subheading for this section, so you can skip to that if that’s all you want). (Extremely Minor Spoilers).
Like many of the great science fiction worlds out there, the world of Blade Runner has a distinct and unique style and feel. While Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) have several stylistic distinctions, they ultimately still maintain the “DNA” of the world. So, what is the “DNA” of Blade Runner, and does Black Lotus contain it? The answer to this my vary per person, largely depending on how much they gleaned from/connected to the world, but my answer is this:
-Blade Runner is quiet; at times there is noise, but it remains the background to loneliness and isolation.
-Blade Runner is pensive; great stretches of time are dedicated to building ideas and emotion in the audience and characters.
-Blade Runner is beautiful; life and desolation, mood and atmosphere, color and light.
-Blade Runner has signature questions; What constitutes life? Do we make choices? What is the value of a memory? What makes love real? Who are you?
Black Lotus has some of these genetic sequences; it’d be hard to make anything resembling Blade Runner without them. Unfortunately, Black Lotus’ engagement with these ideas and stylistic signatures largely remains surface level and, at times, is completely absent.
-Music-
While some of the tracks present within Black Lotus connect with the distinctive score of Vangelis, the vast majority of tracks (especially the end of episode stings) are a complete tonal departure for the series. The music ends up not just out of place with the larger world, but also a jumbled mish mash that fails to help this entry form a concise identity of its own.
-Action-
Action in Blade Runner is typically fast, efficient, and highly lethal, with action only being drawn-out when it is punctuated by long segments of tension building (ultimately again met with a rapid conclusion). Action in Black Lotus is often sluggish and floaty, failing to convey the decisive brutality that usually punctuates combat with Replicant and Blade Runners. Even when an action scene is “quick” in duration, the fighting itself usually remains somewhat slow. The most “showy” action ends up seriously straining credulity; one such scene ends with an huge explosion that sees both characters caught in the blast completely unscathed, one of whom flies out of a skyscraper-high building.
-Characters-
Between the original, 2049, and Black Lotus, all three have largely remained focused on their protagonist, with room for a handful of interesting side characters. Thus, there is something of a significant burden on this main protagonist, as they have to guide us not only through the world, but make us interested in their journey. Not much is known about them prior to the events of each story, but their journey and conclusion is meant to leave a mark. Trying to understand and connect with Deckard and K is part of the appeal of Blade Runner; they are themselves, but we could be them, too. Elle is a character with no memory; considering the importance of memories to the Blade Runner world, this is a fairly interesting set up. Unfortunately, even by the end of the anime, Elle has very little to show for herself. According to Black Lotus, not having any memory means you have no character traits, personality, or capacity for reflection and thought, leaving us with a character who has nothing to connect to and little to offer the narrative beyond a killing machine who pushes the plot along at a snail's pace. Additionally screen time in Black Lotus is haphazardly allocated among the cast, with characters like Officer Davis taking up a significant amount of the story, only to ultimately be so inconsequential that removing her from the story would legitimately have no impact whatsoever.
-Themes and Questions-
Does Black Lotus address the themes and questions of Blade Runner, or at least pose ones of its own? Barely. While some questions return in some form (ex. Memory, love, choice), nothing new or memorable is espoused on these topics. Further, the show fails to consider much about itself; Black Lotus’ ideas only exist to service events in the narrative, not the other way around.
-Lore and connection-
How does Black Lotus fit in between the two main films and incorporate the world? Eh. It doesn’t need to exist, and the incredibly short (15min) animation “Blade Runner: Black Out 2022” actually does a better job of being a connecting piece if that's important. On another note, some aspects of the Blade Runner lore are either underplayed, absent, or straight up incorrect; To name a couple, the effects of the Blackout are largely unexplored, despite only being a decade prior, and the show straight up retcons/gets the source of Niander Wallace’s blindness wrong (in 2049 he was born blind, in Black Lotus he has normal vision until being slashed with a sword). You may consider these things largely inconsequential, but to me it suggests little diligence and care in creating a fitting entry into the Blade Runner world.
—On its own—
Black Lotus is a largely boring, barely thoughtful, tedious piece of science fiction. It’s fairly tasteless, and can really only be enjoyed if you appreciate it at surface level, which is coincidentally the only level it offers. If you want cheap action, skim the episodes for the fight scenes, determine if you like them, and dump most the rest. The only mood this show created in me was apathy, and the only atmosphere stale air. There are a couple of redeemable moments, 1 character, and maybe one whole episode, but this show is largely a monotonous mess where life is meaningless and you’ll be wishing for the death Black Lotus is dealing out.
I could have said more, about Blade Runner, about the performances, even about positives, but we both know this is long enough. TL;DR, avoid this show if you see something special in Blade Runner, and avoid it if you have taste in science fiction. If neither are applicable to you, perhaps you’ll find some morsel for your consumption.
