Love, Death + Robots is a Netflix backed anthology series of sci-fi stories that mixes cutting-edge animation styles with quick fire storylines. Each episode is stand-alone and with the longest episode clocking in at just over 18 minutes, you’re never too far away from a new world and new ideas. Obviously, this means that some episodes will chime more than others depending upon your tastes but they are all uniformly solid. I liked season 1 just fine but felt that, given the freedom to create, a lot of the short films were trying to be too edge-lordy and reminded me of the anime and manga often released in England in the early 90s when it was trying to gain a foothold; the more violent, gratuitous stuff wasn't always representative of the best the medium had to offer and so it is was with season 1.
Would season 2 be better? I have written a brief synopsis and my views of those episodes briefly.
Automated Customer Service- When an automated vacuum cleaner goes rogue and turns into a killbot, an elderly lady and her pet dog fight for their life whilst waiting in the dreaded customer service queue.
The animation is distinctive with human looking faces but small extremities, it's a bit distracting and unsettling. The story is darkly humorous and relatable, I mean who hasn't been kept waiting with some 'Your call is important to us... You are number 265 in the queue' etc. It's felt dystopian for us all at some point, right?
Ice- On a cold planet, where most people have been modded and augmented, a teenage Earth boy struggles to fit in. Going out to see the frost whales with his younger, augmented brother he meets a motley crew of locals who do a death run against the creatures.
The art style is noirish and angular with a lot of dark colours. The animation is chromatic in style and didn't really appeal to me but different strokes for different folks eh. The made up 'foreign' language and mixed up English adds a further dimension.
Pop Squad- In the future people can prolong their lives but this inhibits their reproductive capability. Some choose to forgo their immortality to breed but they are hunted by the police and terminated. A cop struggles with the toll of taking the lives of children.
This is a beautifully cgi animated short and reminds me of Blade Runner with the constant rain and decaying metropolis motif. It's quite powerful and is a strong episode.
Snow in the Desert- A traveller with regenerative powers is sought by officials and the more unscrupulous elements of society. So, he lives off grid, trying to survive by himself until a chance meeting with a cop changes all that.
The animation is realistic but the main character looks a cross between Rutger Hauer and Boris Becker. No knock against it but it is off putting in this well realised short tale about the journey being more important than the destination. In this case, the journey to find connection.
The Tall Grass- When a train is stopped in its tracks by a shortage of steam a passenger explores the lights in the tall grass nearby. However, this leads to dire consequences.
This is an effective story and the painterly rotoscoped animation lends it a certain distinctive style. The drama is intense and at times it feels like a QTE in a videogame; this is meant as a compliment.
All Through the House- When two young children hear noises on Christmas Eve, they think it's the jolly man. Instead, what they encounter is a totally different festive beast.
The stop motion animation style is big and expressive and the story is darkly humorous.
Life Hutch- When an astronaut crash lands on a planet and seeks refuge in a life hutch, he faces off against a maintenance robot that has malfunctioned. Will he find a way to stay alive?
This is a very strong episode as Michael B. Jordan is a very strong actor and the CGI works well around his central performance.
The Drowned Giant- A dead giant's body washes up on the beach and enthrall the people of the island. As the slow decay of the body occurs, a documentarian shares his thought on life, the Universe and everything.
This is an odd duck indeed, very surreal like you are watching a nature documentary complete with voice over. Very affecting and effective indeed.
Overall, the season is okay with less sex and violence but many of the stories are not that interesting. The highlight for me was 'The Drowned Giant' as it tried something unusual and the documentary style of presentation drew me in. Overall, season 2 builds on the solid work of season 1 but it make incremental steps forward rather than huge leaps. Here's hoping season 3 nails it.
LINK- Love, Death + Robots- Season 1 Review
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