The Very Pulse of the Machine (Love, Death and Robots)- Episode Review

A while back I did a review of Love, Death and Robots Season 1 and, whilst I appreciated an animated anthology series, I felt it was a bit too edge-lordy for its own good. Much like manga and *sigh* 'Japananimation' in the early 90s here in the UK, what we were getting was the extreme, gratuitous violence and sex stuff. Now, there's nothing wrong with that but I don't think many would disagree that Doomed Megalopolis, Wicked City or Urotsokidoji were the best examples that the medium had to offer at the time. We were getting them as they sold and found a cult niche here in the West after interest in Akira. However, it took a while for the great stuff to get here; Bubblegum Crisis, Dragon Ball, Nadia: Secret of Blue Water or any of the Ghibli films (except the bastardised Nausicaa- Warriors of the Wind) .

And so, after three seasons I think Love, Death and Robots has finally produced a masterpiece short film which deserves recognition. 'The Very Pulse of the Machine' is a gorgeously animated film in the style of Moebius from animation studio Polygon Pictures. The story is based on a short from Michael Swanwick and looks at the journey of a lone astronaut, Martha, stranded on the moon of Io, trying to find her way out whilst her oxygen slowly depletes. It is a psychological piece as we have Martha, superbly voiced by Mackenzie Davis, having a conversation with an invisible entity, or it could delusions caused by a mixture of hypoxia and morphine.

It's a very existential piece, not just because of the isolation of the astronaut, but because the individual is in conversation with something greater than herself. I found that very interesting as the dialogue was very philosophical and profound in places. I won't spoil it but the film evokes memories of 2001: Space Odyssey and the Star Child; death is not the end but a new part of the journey and that's a beautiful thought. The crescendo of the soundtrack at the denouement is spectacular and still sends shivers down my spine when I hear it.

For me, 'The Very Pulse of the Machine' is the high watermark for Love, Death and Robots. I look forward to seeing where the series goes from here.