Pacific Rim: The Black

Last updated

Season 2 (2022)

Pacific Rim: The Black
Pacific Rim The Black poster.jpeg
Promotional poster
パシフィック・リム: 暗黒の大陸
(Pashifikku Rimu: Ankoku no Tairiku)
Genre Mecha
Produced by
  • Jack Liang
  • Bill E. Miller
  • Ken Duer
Written by
Music by Brandon Campbell
Studio
Licensed by Netflix
Legendary Television
Released March 4, 2021 (2021-03-04) April 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
Runtime21–29 minutes
Episodes14 (List of episodes)
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [20]
81"Boy"Susumu SugaiGreg Johnson
Craig Kyle
April 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
Hayley, Taylor and Mei reel from the fact that Boy is a Kaiju. Though he returns to human form, Mei departs while the siblings argue about keeping Boy around, only to chase after him when he runs off. Boy is lured into a trap by the Sisters of the Kaiju, who attach a Kaiju tick to him. Hayley and Taylor take Boy back to Mei hoping for a solution. She kills the tick but cannot help with its poison, though she points them to a Kaiju fanatic who may know how to treat him. Taylor convinces Mei to replace a frantic Hayley as his co-pilot, and the group travels to the fanatic's home only to find it is a valley overrun with Kaiju. At the same time, Shane chases after Atlas Destroyer, determined to recover Mei with Spyder's help.
92"The Never Never"Masayuki UemotoPaul GiacoppoApril 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
Atlas Destroyer reaches Never-Never Valley, which is filled with too many Kaiju to sneak past or fight. Taylor and Mei refuse to enter, but Hayley insists on pressing forward. The argument is cut short when an Acidquill knocks them into the Valley. They kill it and are saved from the other Kaiju by the fanatic, who buys time for Atlas to hide. The one-armed Kaiju whisperer, who calls himself Bunyip-man, studies Boy and offers to try an antivenom he designed to counter the tick's poison. The Sisters of the Kaiju enter the valley and kill the Rippers Bunyip-man captured as food for the Valley's denizens, agitating them. He is eaten by a Category I Trespasser along with the antivenom dose. With nothing holding the Kaiju back, the group boards Atlas and narrowly escapes the Valley, only to find that their exit was also the entrance to the evil Sisters' domain.
103"Divide"Susumu SugaiNicole DubucApril 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
The Sisters of the Kaiju corner Atlas Destroyer and demand that the Kaiju Boy be turned over to them, leading to an argument between the Travis siblings and Mei. Mei wants to keep Boy as leverage over the Sisters, Hayley wants to fight to protect him, and Taylor wants to turn him over without fighting. While working on Atlas Destroyer alone, Taylor secretly turns over Boy in order to protect his sister, although he shows remorse for his actions. The next morning, the Sisters send five Kaiju hybrids to destroy the Jaeger. Taylor and Mei manage to take out two while Shane and Spyder unexpectedly come to their rescue, knocking out the Sisters controlling the hybrids, causing the remaining three hybrids to back off. Shane and Spyder then approach the group with a Sister that they've captured who is revealed to be Brina Travis, Hayley and Taylor's mother.
114"Sisters of the Kaiju"Masayuki UemotoNicole DubucApril 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
In exchange for being given Atlas Destroyer, Shane offers to Drift with Brina in an effort to free her mind; the siblings reluctantly agree, but argue over what to do about Boy and Taylor's unilateral decision to trade Boy for their safety. Shane is chased through Brina's mind by the Sisters who delete everything around him, threatening both Shane and Brina's lives. Using personal information that he'd learned from Drifting with Taylor, Shane manages to gain Brina's trust and ultimately sacrifices himself to get her out. Mei is devastated by Shane's death while Spyder realizes that Shane knew that he wouldn't be coming back and did it to redeem himself to Mei. Spyder provides Mei with a data key Shane had given to him. The data key contains Mei's true memories which Shane preserved after removing them, thus restoring to Mei what he had stolen from her. Hayley and Taylor are finally reunited with their mother, but she doesn't know what had happened to their father after she sacrificed herself to keep Ford from being killed by the Sisters.
125"Mind, Body, Soul"Susumu SugaiGreg JohnsonApril 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
Brina struggles against the control of the Sisters' High Priestess while her children argue about rescuing Boy. Brina reveals the Sisters plan to use a transfusion of Kaiju blood to erase Boy's memories and turn him into their messiah. Mei and Spyder bury Shane: the latter offers to take the former with him, but she chooses to stay with the Travises. Hayley is still determined to rescue Boy, so she convinces her mother to help them infiltrate the Sisters' base. Brina gets inside, but is taken over by the High Priestess, who sends her after the others. While Mei grabs Boy, Hayley gets through to her mother, but not before she stabs Taylor, lightly wounding him. The group escapes, but Brina is badly wounded by a Ripper while slowing the Sisters down. They return to Atlas, but are unsure if Boy is still on their side.
136"The Twilight Run"Masayuki UemotoGreg JohnsonApril 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
The group makes it to Sydney Base and the Travis family is reunited again, but this turns out to be an illusion created by Hayley and Loa to help a mortally wounded Brina die peacefully. To help a grieving Taylor, Loa reveals the fate of her old crew and her guilt for not being able to save them. After burying Brina, the group resumes the trek to Sydney, but the Sisters catch up and bewitch Boy, forcing him to attack Atlas. Taylor and Mei try to defend themselves, but Hayley interferes, leaving them vulnerable. Apex, who had sensed Boy's distress, arrives and attempts to restore his memories; but the Sisters push back and turn Boy on the mech. Apex is heavily damaged and cannot fight back, but Atlas recovers and buys the crippled hybrid enough time to finish restoring his friend's memories for them to escape. Boy is upset over the harm he caused Apex before leaving with Atlas for Sydney, which they hope to reach before the pursuing Sisters catch up.
147"Final Approach"Susumu SugaiGreg JohnsonApril 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
Chased by the Sisters and the Breacher, a Category VI Kaiju, Hayley, Taylor, Mei, Boy and Atlas Destroyer make a final run for Sydney Base. Detecting their approach, the PPDC's sentries destroy the evil Sisters and most of their forces with a missile barrage while Boy shields the Jaeger from a missile; after Taylor identifies the siblings as the children of Rangers, Marshall Rask calls off the barrage. The High Priestess abducts Boy, but he brutally kills her when she continues to send the Breacher after his friends. Outmatched, Loa ejects Taylor and Hayley and sacrifices herself to use Atlas Destroyer's self-destruct to obliterate the Breacher. The PPDC rescues the group and Hayley and Taylor are finally reunited with their father who welcomes Mei and Boy into the family. As they mourn Brina, Rask explains that the PPDC had found Boy wandering the desert alone and they had learned what he really was shortly before Meridian fell. Hayley reassures Rask that Boy is no longer a Kaiju weapon and the family commemorates the sacrifices of those who got them home.

Release

Pacific Rim: The Black was released on Netflix on March 4, 2021. [7] A teaser trailer was released on February 1, [21] followed by a full trailer on February 5. [22] A final trailer was released on February 26. [23]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 71% approval rating, based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.10/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "While The Black carries over all the grit but little of the humor that distinguishes the Pacific Rim film franchise, its striking visuals and expansion of series lore will likely please Kaiju fans." [24]

Prequel graphic novel

On February 22, 2022, a prequel graphic novel was released for the show. Entitled Pacific Rim: Blackout, it was written by Cavan Scott and illustrated by Nelson Daniel. [25]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Credited as Supervising Director
  2. Known in Japan as Pacific Rim: The Dark Continent (パシフィック・リム: 暗黒の大陸, Pashifikku Rimu: Ankoku no Tairiku.)

References

  1. "'Pacific Rim: The Black' - Trailer, Plot, Release Window & News to Know". Comic Book Resources . November 7, 2020.
  2. "Fans Could Be Waiting On 'Pacific Rim: The Black' Season 2 For A While". Bustle . March 4, 2021.
  3. "How 'Pacific Rim''s sci-fi world was transformed into a Netflix anime". The Verge . March 4, 2021.
  4. "'Pacific Rim: The Black' – Plot, Trailer, Release Date and Further". Stanford Arts Review. November 19, 2020.
  5. "Netflix's 'Pacific Rim' Anime Is Coming in 2020, Confirmed for Two Seasons". IGN . July 4, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "NETFLIX UNVEILS 17 NEW ORIGINALS FROM ASIA". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Radulovic, Petrana (February 1, 2021). "Netflix's 'Pacific Rim' anime readies for battle in March". Polygon . Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  8. Squires, John (March 31, 2021). "'Pacific Rim: The Black' Will Return to Netflix for a Second Season!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  9. Milligan, Mercedes (March 23, 2022). "First Look: 'Pacific Rim: The Black' Final Season Debuts April 19". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 "Pacific Rim: The Black Anime's 1st Full Trailer Shows New Jaeger, Kaiju". Anime News Network . Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  11. Ramos, Dino-Ray (November 8, 2018). "Netflix Unveils 'Pacific Rim', 'Altered Carbon' & More In New Lineup Of Anime Originals". Deadline. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  12. "Netflix's Pacific Rim Anime Is Coming in 2020, Confirmed for Two Seasons". IGN . July 4, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  13. Netflix Anime (October 26, 2020). Netflix Anime Festival 2020 ~The Future of Anime, Together~. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  14. "Pacific Rim: The Black Anime Will Air in 2021". Silicon Era. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Netflix Teases Pacific Rim: The Black Anime Series for 2021". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  16. "Netflix's Pacific Rim: The Black Gets Action-Packed Trailer and New Poster". IGN. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  17. Polygon Pictures Official Website
  18. "Pacific Rim: The Black Anime Soundtrack Coming March 5". Anime Trending. March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  19. Beckett, James (April 14, 2021). "Interview: Pacific Rim: The Black Showrunner Greg Johnson". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Pacific Rim: The Black – Listings". The Futon Critic . Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  21. Netflix (February 1, 2021). Pacific Rim: The Black | Date Announce | Netflix. YouTube. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  22. Netflix (February 5, 2021). Pacific Rim: The Black | Official Trailer #1 | Netflix. YouTube. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  23. Netflix (February 26, 2021). Pacific Rim: The Black | Official Trailer #2 | Netflix. YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  24. "Pacific Rim: The Black: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  25. Scott, Cavan (February 22, 2022). Pacific Rim: Blackout. Legendary Comics. ISBN   9781681160948 . Retrieved February 28, 2022.