"Terminator Zero" Animated Series Talkback (Spoilers)

[Yojimbo]

The war for the future will be waged in the past.

A warrior from a post-apocalyptic future travels to 1997 to protect an AI scientist being hunted by an unfeeling — and indestructible — cyborg.

1. Model 101

In 1997, a haunted scientist brushes his family aside for an all-consuming project. In 2022, a renegade fighter battles a powerful robot for vital data.

2. Model 102

Eiko and the Terminator arrive in 1997 with identical missions: find Dr. Malcolm Lee. Meanwhile, Lee's three children sneak out of their apartment.

3. Model 103

Malcolm confides in Kokoro about his recurring nightmare. The three children continue their underground trek, unaware of looming danger.

4. Model 104

As a desperate Eiko attempts to elude the police, Misaki's mysterious past comes into focus. Malcolm wrestles with the nature of fate.

5. Model 105

Malcolm brings Kokoro online. The boys disagree about Misaki's motivations. Eiko realizes she's entering unknown territory.

6. Model 106

The Prophet debates the paradox of time travel with Eiko. Malcolm shares a painful memory with Kokoro as the children hope to reunite at Cat Town.

7. Model 107

Malcolm recalls past efforts to thwart the machines — and his desire to build a god. With Kenta captured, the Terminator prepares for the endgame.

8. Model 108

Kenta wrestles with a brutal choice and the Terminator reveals a shocking truth as the future of humankind hangs in the balance.

Related Links
-Terminator Zero News & Discussion (Spoilers)
-Terminator Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Terminator 2: Judgment Day Talkback (Spoilers)
-Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Talkback (Spoilers)
-Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season One Talkback (Spoilers)
-Terminator Salvation Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Terminator Genisys Feature Talkback (Spoilers)

External Links
-Netflix page

 

[Yojimbo]

Bit of a missed opportunity. Didn't really latch onto any of the human cast. Most of them were insufferable. But there was some interesting themes to brood about. Definitely along the lines of the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Two AIs at odds with each other was a lot more fun that them retreading the Terminator hunting a target in the past formula.

Makes sense that different factions of the Resistance would have their own John Connor/messiah figure and on that day, there had to be least one country that was able to resist Skynet's opening salvo. That's definitely the appeal of this one - away from the USA and a new set of characters. Malcolm turning out to be from a future past the point when Eiko goes back in time, Misaki being a machine with memory wiped, what would Kokoro do, would Kenta trigger the EMP, Eiko being Malcolm's mother.

Time travel stuff. The explanations they presented about how time travel works and the parallel branch timelines is a pretty good compromise for trying to rationalize all of the inconsistencies in all of the other Terminator movies and shows.

I did chuckle at the reveal of why Skynet wants to eliminate humanity seems to only because of bad programing - a series of if else statements in its programming that brought it to the conclusion to eradicate humanity almost immediately. The philosophy echo chamber between Malcolm and Kokoro killed the pacing and my focus though. I understand the reasoning for those scenes - nature vs. nuture for AI. Malcolm probably saved Japan by raising an AI and trying to teach it.

They were kinda pushing the suspension of disbelief with the capabilities of Eiko and even the Terminator though. Eiko was really making use of her plot armor, lol. Animation was ok to solid but I thought they played it too safe. Really great 80s retro techno score. I couldn't watch the English dub, didn't like the cast. All in all, you probably don't need to watch the whole season. By episode 4, I was not sure if I wanted to bother. It's not a good binge show, don't try to watch it all in one day.

 

[wonderfly]

The News Teams' "The Overlord" has a new review up on the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"Review: Terminator Zero: An Anime Twist On A Tired Old Franchise"​

"In full disclosure, I have seen almost every Terminator movie, except for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Terminator 1 and Terminator 2 are some of the best sci-fi movies I have ever seen. Terminator Salvation, Terminator Genisys and Terminator Dark Fate are some of the worst sci-fi movies I ever seen (it’s my understanding “Rise of the Machines” has more in common with the later films, not the first two films). The first two Terminator movies are movies I revisit from time to time and introduce new people to them. I have never bothered re-watching any of the other Terminator films.

When I saw the trailer for Terminator Zero, I was mildly optimistic. Perhaps a sci-fi franchise that failed to produce an interesting film since 1991 would fare better in the world of animation. This series rewarded me by exceeding my expectations. Set in Japan in an alternate 1997, one day before Judgment Day (the day the evil AI Skynet destroys most of humanity in a nuclear apocalypse) it features a different setting and characters than the films. So, no John Connor, no Sarah Connor, no Arnie T-800 and no California and frankly I am glad. The Terminator films focused so much on the Arnie version of the T-800 and the Connors family, that the Terminator universe felt small, focusing on a limited number of characters. Changing the setting and the characters helped a lot.

The main characters in this series are Malcolm Lee, his assistant and housekeeper Misaki and his 3 children: Kenta, Hiro and Reika. Malcolm has developed his own AI, Kokoro to counter Skynet. Malcolm and Kokoro spend several episodes debating the nature of humanity and whether Kokoro should save humanity from Skynet or not. Some people may find these conservations dull, however, I found that they lent this series some intellectual substance, making it something other than an action-filled slugfest."

Read the full review here.

 

[Chris Wood]

Thanks for the review! Interested to check this out, but Netflix anime tend to be so talky and uberserious that I have trouble getting into them. I would expect a Terminator anime to be quite serious, but I hope there's a little space for Arnie-style wisecracks.

Not sure how I feel about the limited weaponry aspect. Seems like if a Terminator wanted a gun, it isn't going to be stopped by domestic laws about gun possession.

But overall it sounds interesting so I'll take a look.

 

[Yojimbo]

Not sure how I feel about the limited weaponry aspect. Seems like if a Terminator wanted a gun, it isn't going to be stopped by domestic laws about gun possession.

10/21/24: I'll just hint the Terminator gets "creative" in this respect.

2/13/26: Mattson Tomlin confirms the series is cancelled.

Tomlin got as far as writing all season 2 scripts and outlining season 3 but had plans for five seasons.

Netflix did offer him 2-3 episodes to wrap it up but he declined, feeling the season 1 finale left things in a good place.

 

[Frontier]

10/21/24: I'll just hint the Terminator gets "creative" in this respect.

2/13/26: Mattson Tomlin confirms the series is cancelled.

Tomlin got as far as writing all season 2 scripts and outlining season 3 but had plans for five seasons.

Netflix did offer him 2-3 episodes to wrap it up but he declined, feeling the season 1 finale left things in a good place.

My condolences to anyone who felt that they wanted more explicit resolution...

 

[Scofisticated]

I really liked it. It had that anime flair, within what might expect from a Terminator movie. It didnt push too much from one to the other. Wish I could have gotten more. It was a wild ride. Terminator mixed with some Stand Alone Complex.