BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS
Cyberpunk- Dystopia In 2032 From Japan
Toonami and Adult Swim have been the home for Japanese animation (anime) in America since the late 90s. When Cartoon Network went off the air on Saturday nights, a kid like me was introduced to shows like Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, and Naruto. The programming block continues to premiere anime in America and next month it will premiere a new anime, Blade Runner: Black Lotus.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus is a collaboration between Adult Swim and anime streaming service Crunchyroll as well as Alcon Entertainment. As the name suggests, the show takes place in the Blade Runner universe, more specifically in the year 2032. It will also feature a female protagonist and characters from the Blade Runner universe. The show is the second Blade Runner anime project as Blade Runner Black Out 2022 released in 2017 on Crunchyroll.
The English cast for the series features some pretty big names. Josh Duhamel, Brian Cox, and Peyton List will all voice characters in the series. From the latest trailer released, our protagonist seems to be a replicant. If you haven’t seen the original Blade Runner film or its 2017 sequel, replicants were robots made for servitude and if they started showing a hint of free will, they were hunted down and destroyed.
Every Blade Runner film and short so far has had this plot element so it’s not surprising that it returns in Black Lotus. There hasn’t been any information on how long the season will be or if it will receive another one. I’m sure if the show is successful enough, it will get renewed. I honestly hope it is as I’m a sucker for anything with a cyberpunk-dystopia aesthetic. You can catch Blade Runner: Black Lotus when it premieres on November 14 on Toonami.
