The new trailer from Comic-Con@Home 2021 teasing the animation and story for Blade Runner: Black Lotus puts me in mind of many things. However, Blade Runner isn’t quite one of them.

This could be either really good, or really bad.

This new trailer for Blade Runner: Black Lotus debuted on July 23, 2021; right at the end of the panel featuring this CGI anime series at Comic-Con@Home 2021. The trailer basically teased both the story of the anime, as well as the animation style they will use. The anime will feature Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama as the directors. In fact, both directors appeared for the panel at Comic-Con@Home 2021. If you are curious about what they and the voice actress for the main character, Jessica Henwick, have to say about the anime, check it out here.

Blade Runner: Black Lotus Trailer ~ Analysis

Blade Runner: Black Lotus trailer.
While I have confidence in the directors, well…

To start us off: this trailer doesn’t quite feel like Blade Runner. It feels more like Battle Angel Alita to me. Even the main character Elle has heavy shades of Alita. It’s hard to tell whether she’s inspired by her, or if she’s a direct clone. I really hope it doesn’t end up being the latter. While I like Battle Angel Alita, I’m not a fan of cloning characters into another series aside from as cameos. It just feels a bit lazy to me.

The art style also throws me off. I don’t really like heavy use of CGI. I prefer hand-drawn, traditional animation. So seeing this liberal use of CGI in Blade Runner: Black Lotus already lowers my hopes for this anime.

I am confident in the skills of Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama though. The former is responsible for the Appleseed films and Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045, while the latter’s works include Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Eden of the East. It’s hard to see how they can mess up with those works behind them. So I am going to give Blade Runner: Black Lotus the benefit of the doubt despite how that trailer looks. At least, until I actually watch the anime.

Conclusion

The Blade Runner: Black Lotus panel at Comic-Con@Home 2021 dropped a brand new trailer for the anime right at the end. The trailer though may disappoint fans of the original Blade Runner. Given the directors’ filmography though, I would give this sci-fi cyberpunk CGI anime series the benefit of the doubt until we actually get to watch it on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll this fall.

Source: Adult Swim, Comic-Con International