Pacific Rim: The Black

Ignore the bad reviews here. This is another great edition - Hope they do alot more too. Acting is good, animation is awesome, characters are great too. Im glad this was made. And I to see more.

This show was an unexpected surprise and the trailers and promotional material do it a great disservice. I was expecting something average, maybe a 6 out of 10 but I am glad to say this show is much more nuanced than I know most will give it credit for. And certainly more thought and effort into making it good than the atrocity that was Uprising.

But what was even more unique is that there isn't as much Kaiju fighting as I would've expected which is actually not a con against it as the story it chooses to tell is very much a character one. And I am glad the writers weren't lazy and took the extra mile to actually flesh out these characters properly to the point you really care if something bad happens to them.

Another aspect I really appreciate is that it doesn't ignore the existence of the previous entry Uprising. It demonstrates that Uprising had potential great concepts but this time they'll actually use it. While it doesn't mean Uprising is any better it at the very least justifies it's existence in the lore and expands upon it in many creative ways I did not see coming.

In a way it's kind of like what the Clone Wars show was to the prequels.

As a massive fan of Guillermo Del Toro's first Pacific Rim who was then let down by the disappointing sequel Pacific Rim Uprising, I quite enjoyed The Black. It is a solid step back into the world of Pacific Rim.

The Black is refreshingly told from a civilian's perspective. So far, we have only seen stories from the military's perspective. The writers do keep the stakes high and the characters consistently disadvantaged to keep the story interesting. Civilians simply do not have the same resources as the military and that naturally freshens things up story-wise. The situation feels less Top Gun and much more Mad Max with a touch of A Quiet Place. The dramatic moments the characters spent out of the Jaegar were equally enjoyable as when they were piloting the Jaegar brawling with the Kaiju.

Taylor and Hayley, the main characters, are teenagers and are angsty. Normally that would be annoying. However, the writers rightfully take advantage of this by having them convincingly make mistakes as any teenager would in these overwhelmingly epic situations, which have real consequences. Even though it is about giant robot fighting giant monsters, the overall approach in how the story deals with its character is realistic and grounded.

What's gone from Pacific Rim: The Black is the sensation of scale. What was fascinating and mindblowing about seeing the first Pacific Rim in theaters was Guillermo Del Toro's sheer commitment to selling how hulkingly huge the Jaegars and the Kaiju were in every frame. It was nail-biting how slow the Jaegars moved and you could feel every gear inside the Jaegar straining to make it through the fight. Every punch mattered. Every punch that landed felt like a World Cup championship victory.

This sense of scale was completely missing in the disappointing sequel Pacific Rim Uprising and it comes and goes throughout The Black, where the Jaegars occasionally move with the dexterity of Olympic gymnasts, but in other moments, that sense of scale and weight is there and that sense of awe comes back, even if it's half the time. I wish this was more consistent throughout the show. There's real cinematic magic when that works and it just raises all the hairs on my arms.

My quibbles aside, the fights are still pretty darn fun. They are well choreographed and rightfully build on details from the Pacific Rim films. There are some exhilarating action moments that will make fans cheer. I particularly enjoyed how the writers further explore the Drift and like the first Pacific Rim, uses it effectively as a story device to develop the relationships between the Jaegar pilots and intensifies the battles.

The first season for The Black does end abruptly, as if a producer came in andlopped off half of the show with a machete and deemed a mid-season cliffhanger as the new shortened season finale. When it happened, it had me doing a triple take going, "Wait, what? That was over?"

Regardless, I do intend to watch the second season to see what happens. The show was better than expected and it did win me over.

Overall, I'd recommend The Black to Pacific Rim fans. Fans who enjoyed the first film and was let down by the second and still have unfinished business in this universe are keen to enjoy this show.

Binged this series of one of my most favorite franchises. In my opinion, it surpasses both the movies. It is really complex yet fun to watch, and the characters are very memorable. I had a blast! Can't wait for season 2!

This show could have been a 9 or 10 but nope they had to have a stereotypical girl written into this.

Haileys character annoys me so much that often i forward some of her parts, her whining tantrum voice and her character personality is so annoying.

But onto the good things is that this anime gets to do things that the movies couldnt do in battle scenes or storylines. Wonderful Plot along with amazing visuals makes this a must see anime show.

It would be nice if their were more Jaegars in the show but sadly we dont get to see that. Theirs alot of room for improvement definitely like bringing variety of Jaegars for all to enjoy after all its a Pacific Rim show.