Blade Runner: Back Lotus comes from directors Shinji Aramaki (who is known for the Starship Troopers movies, Appleseed Ex Machina, and the Halo Legends animated movie) and Kenji Kamiyama (known for Eden of the East and the Ghost in the Shell animated movies). This new entry into the Blade Runner world will be a promising take on the beloved cyberpunk franchise.
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Set in a future Cyberpunk Los Angeles, this anime series offers an original story and follows a replicant that was created in secret. The first two Blade Runner movies followed the side of the law, with its protagonists being agents. However, this anime seems to take an alternate route with a character that isn’t the franchise’s typical protagonist archetype. Adult Swim is reportedly airing the English version of the anime for its Toonami block and Crunchyroll will be streaming the Japanese version, which of course will come with subtitles for its “dubbed” version.
They also gave a list of the voice cast and their respective roles per credit of the creators (both English and Japanese talent) which is as follows: Elle, a female replicant created in secret (Jessica Henwick / Arisa Shida); Joseph, a mysterious figure that owns a spare parts junkyard (Will Yun Lee / Shinshu Fuji); Alani Davis, a fresh LAPD recruit (Samira Wiley / Takako Honda); Niander Wallace Sr, founder and CEO of the Wallace Corporation (Brian Cox / Takaya Hashi); Niander Wallace Jr, a brilliant scientist working for his father (Wes Bentley / Takehito Koyasu); Marlowe, a deadly Blade Runner (Josh Duhamel / Taiten Kusunoki) Josephine Grant, the wife of the police chief (Peyton List / Yoshiko Sakakibara); Earl Grant, Police Chief of the LAPD (Stephen Root / Hochu Otsuka); Doc Badger, a black market dealer (Barkhad Abdi /Takayuki Kinba); Senator Bannister, a politician with strong feelings on replicant production (Gregg Henry / Masane Tsukayama); Doctor M, a brilliant doctor and professor of medicine (Henry Czerny / Akio Nojima); Hooper, a journalist in the pocket of the Wallace Corporation (Jason Spisak / Kazuki Yao)
Blade Runner is known for its incredible visuals, cinematography, and really making the viewer feel as if they’re a part of this world. The cyberpunk setting is very appealing to many people as it’s set in a far future that still has a very ugly and gritty side. The setting is very alluring to many because it offers a wide variety of complex and intricate storytelling, which is why the cancelled Star Wars 1313 project was a hard pill to swallow for many fans.
By now, many know of the tragic beginning of the recent Cyberpunk 2077 game, where both the developers and gamers played a part in its reputation plundering. Hopefully, we see a revival of the game that the developers spent years working on, so both gamers and developers alike can get the reality they saw when it was first pitched. Because as of right now, it feels like the desire for a cyberpunk story is shifting away. Then again, with the recent release of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, many are getting that itch to return to the future once again.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus will be available to watch on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll later in 2021.
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Source: Collider
