Crunchyroll revealed an incredible new action sequence from Blade Runner: Black Lotus today at Anime NYC. The clip offers a sneak peek from episode 3 and features LAPD recruit Alani Davis on the case in search of the series’ protagonist, Elle.
The 13-episode season is directed by Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama, with Shinichiro Watanabe onboard as a creative producer. Alcon Entertainment and Sola Digital Arts are creating the animation.
Along with the clip reveal, Aramaki joined Crunchyroll at its panel today as a surprise guest, where he shared his long-held love for the original Blade Runner. Aramaki, a legendary director known for his work on Appleseed, Evangelion: Another Impact, and Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045, discussed his admiration for the original film’s advanced technology, and how it inspired his decades-long work in the anime industry.
Love for Aramaki and his work wasn’t lost on Crunchyroll’s fans, either. The Black Lotus reveal was received with much excitement compared to the panel’s other announcements.
Black Lotus is a Crunchyroll original produced in conjunction with Adult Swim and is the second anime Blade Runner series. Blade Runner first made the jump into Japanese animation with 2017’s Blade Runner Black Out 2022.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus is set between the original Blade Runner film and Blade Runner 2049. The official synopsis reads:
Los Angeles 2032. A young woman wakes up with no memories and possessing deadly skills. The only clues to her mystery are a locked data device and a tattoo of a black lotus. Putting together the pieces, she must hunt down the people responsible for her brutal and bloody past to find the truth of her lost identity.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus is streaming now on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, with new episodes Saturday’s at midnight.