For anyone not in the know, there’s a newBlade Runneranime premiering this weekend on Adult Swim and the latest behind the scenes look atBlade Runner: Black Lotusdoes a great job at selling the show as the perfect entertainment for fans of the cyberpunk genre.
Blade Runner: Black Lotuswas announced earlier this year, and unlike the first of the prequel shortsmade afterBlade Runner 2049,Black Out 2022, it ditches hand-drawn animation in favor of a hyper-modern CGI art style that’s a first for the franchise. Unlike the previous shorts,Black Lotusis a Japanese production that will be available with English dubs, so there’s a lot of intrigue regarding what directors Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama can bring to the table.
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The interviews include series executive producer Joseph Chou, who talks about theBlade Runnerlegacy and influence on the cyberpunk genre, including on anime titles such asAkira,Ghost in the Shell,orCowboy Bebop. Chou’s name is synonymous with the anime scene, owing to his first steps in the genre withThe Animatrixas well as the more recent takes from Netflix onKnights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya. So, here he’s sure to highlight how CGI can influence the final product.
As for Aramaki and Kamiyama, both directors addressed the challenge of working on what is already sucha masterful adaptation likeBlade Runner.They aim to explore places and themes unknown to Rick Deckard and K. Judging from some of the shots seen here, they’ve taken a couple of cues from Denis Villeneuve’s style too. The behind-the-scenes video was dropped alongside a new trailer that takes more after the Japanese promotional footage forBlade Runner: Black Lotus
This new anime will be released on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll this week, with the former catering to the American market and the latter covering the rest of the world. Luckily, those wanting to catch up onBlade Runnerlore can find the three short films readily available on Warner Bros. Pictures’ YouTube site, all of which feature brief intros from the man that made them possible in the first place,Blade Runner 2049andDunedirector Villeneuve.
Blade Runner Black Out 2022,2036: Nexus Dawn(starring Jared Leto and Benedict Wong), and2048: Nowhere to Run(Dave Bautista) have all won the praise of franchise fans and critics. So it’ll be interesting to see ifBlack Lotus’Elle can do the same as the series’ first female replicant protagonist.
Blade Runner: Black Lotuswill premiere on June 12, 2025, only on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll.
