What's better than love, death, and robots? All of them put together, which is what Netflix aims with their animated series, featuring 18 tales of science fiction and fantasy rendered in various animation styles. Each episode runs under 20 minutes and can be watched independent of the other stories. Despite the brevity of the episodes, life is busy for everyone and there's really not enough time to sit through all 18 tales, especially since some of them could be hit or miss.
So if you're looking into exploring the "Love, Death, and Robots" series, here are four episodes where you can mark your journey:
1. Sonnie's Edge
Set in a dystopian world where "beasties" controlled by handlers fight in a gladiator-like arena, we follow the undefeated Sonnie in one of her battles and learn about her motivations for fighting. The animation is top-notch, reminiscent of a Japanese role-playing game and the story compelling. Some might flinch at the graphic violence (warnings for dismemberment and excessive blood), but the creative storytelling and twist to the tale makes up for it. Sonnie's Edge could very well be expanded into its own stand-alone series.
2. Zima Blue
A journalist follows the famed artist Zima, and discovers the motivations for his paintings all featuring a distinct blue square. Just like its artistic subject, Zima Blue's animation is a thing of beauty, with strong graphic lines and a striking blue color palette. Unlike many other episodes which end on ambiguous notes, I consider this episode to be the most "complete", with a twist ending that wraps up the story yet leaves you pondering questions on humanity and artificial intelligence.
3. Good Hunting
If you've never seen a steampunk fantasy version of ancient China, now's your chance. The premise of merging the traditional tale of a huli jing (similar to Korea's gumiho) with robots and machinery may seem outlandish, but the story makes it work. Weaving commentary on Western imperialism, sensuality as a tool, and preserving traditions despite the technological innovations of our world, "Good Hunting" is sure to take you on a thrilling chase.
4. Three Robots
A welcome humorous break from the rest of the more dramatic entries in this list, "Three Robots" explores a future where humanity has completely obliterated itself, following the speculations of our main characters, who are (yep, you guessed it) three robots. The dialogue is witty with snide commentaries on humans and our pitfalls, and the animation is spectacular. Kudos to the character design team for the unique make of each robot fitting to their personality (plus, it's rare to see a female robot not being designed with breasts).If you've got time to spare and still want to watch more, here are some honorable mentions -- episodes that don't completely satisfy story-wise, but serve as a visual treat.
The Witness
The animation in this thrilling tale is mind-blowing -- possibly my favorite animation style in all the series. I would honestly love to see a full-length movie done in this rendering. However, the story falls flat and there were way too many gratuitous sexy shots for me. Still, it's worth watching for the visual feast.
Beyond the Aquila Rift
Once again, gorgeous animation and intriguing world-building (I actually spent a good second wondering if this was a live action film). However, the "twist" in the ending felt a bit unjustified and the gratuitous sex scene in the middle came off as funny, not sexy. Nevertheless, it's worth a watch for the intriguing story.
Lucky 13
I love a good ole futuristic trigger-happy scenario, and I definitely enjoyed the set-up of the "unlucky" fighter jet finally being tamed. I was, however, expecting a more unusual ending, so finishing the story was a bit of a letdown. Perhaps this would be better as a game spin-off; nevertheless, the battles were enjoyable to watch.Did your favorite episodes make it here? What would you add to this list?