How the scientific world of Pacific Rim was transformed into a Netflix anime

Yuki Moriyama remembers the first time he saw it Pacific Ocean. He was a little late, and he eventually caught it in theaters with friends who had seen the movie several times already. It was not long either, and Moriyama, an art director at the Polygon Pictures animation studio, was also addicted. “It’s the kind of movie that, once you get started on it, gets pretty addictive,” he says of the straight fight against kaiju fighting.

Now Moriyama and the Polygon team are postponing their own franchise franchise. Created in collaboration with Legendary Television and writers Greg Johnson and Craig Kyle, Pacific Rim: The Black is an animated series on Netflix that explores a new era. It takes place after the two films and takes place in a version of Australia that has been largely abandoned and is now inundated with terrifying kaiju. The series had to change in some ways – but the action-heavy core that first inspired Moriyama is still there. “Every fight is an unrefined, relentless fist fight,” he says.

Polygon is a prolific studio best known for its 3D anime style. The studio worked on adjustments to everything from Ghost in the shell on Star Wars on Transformators. The team even has experience with giant monsters, having created a trilogy of animation Godzilla movies on Netflix. For Moriyama, there is one thing in particular that makes Pacific Ocean stands out from the many other franchises about mechs and / or kaiju: the weight and scope of the world.

‘The first thing I think of Pacific Ocean is that the robots are insanely big and heavy, and that they therefore move very slowly, ”he explains. ‘To operate these massive machines, human pilots have to use an unusual technology called drifting. I find it very restrictive for the pilots, but that’s what the Pacific Ocean universe what it is. I can feel the persevering power of mankind thoroughly as they fight for survival time and time again, barely exceeding the kaiju every time. ”

One of the challenges for The black was figuring out how to translate the aesthetics of live action to anime, while also leaving a clear space in the Pacific Ocean universe. The show takes place in the future, but due to the almost post-apocalyptic environment, it is not necessarily a more advanced world. Similarly, while the films focus on well-trained pilots, The black plays two brothers and sisters who rush to a training mechanism – Jaegers mentioned in the Pacific Ocean universe – that they learn how to launch. Put these aspects together and you have a story with a much darker atmosphere.

‘In the Pacific Ocean world, mankind has succeeded in thwarting the attacks by the Predecessors. However, there is no doubt that people are exhausted at this stage, ”explains supervisory director Hiroyuki Hayashi. ‘We came up with the idea that the social gap between different groups would widen under these circumstances. Especially in the front areas that are left behind, people will only see advanced technology if it is needed. The people in Pacific Rim: The Black are survivors left behind by the magic of advanced technology. If anything, they are suggested to have a technology level closer to what we have today, except for the Jaeger technology. ”

Image: Netflix

The new creatures from concept artist Yuuki Morita are a highlight of the show. But they also presented a challenge, as the production team had to find a way to make the more realistic designs work with anime footage. “I remember we tested our brains to try to figure out how to apply color tones to the designs within the constraints that exist with the anime style, yet the extremely detailed shapes that Morita created for us has, retained, “says Moriyama.

Hayashi adds that the designs also have a somewhat international flavor due to the collaboration efforts between Polygon in Japan and Legendary in the US. ‘It was interesting and gratifying to see that the concept of kaiju, which was born in Japan – although some disagree – has diversified and developed in different parts of the world. This is what makes it really interesting to bring together artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to create a single work. ”

Pacific Rim: The Black is now available to stream on Netflix, and the series of seven episodes is a way for fans to get a little deeper into the Pacific Ocean mythos – including the fans who worked on it. It’s still full of giant robots pounding tower monsters, but for Moriyama it was also a chance to elaborate on the ideas that inspired him so much. ‘It’s cool that we can tell a story about characters and villains who are not at the forefront Pacific Ocean universe, and it led in my mind to a greater understanding and expansion of the world, ‘he says.