The Godzilla franchise has had its share of ups and downs over the past decade. While the live-action properties have received a mostly positive reception from fans, Netflix's anime trilogy is nearly universally disliked for multiple reasons, not the least of which is an approach to sci-fi unlike anything the franchise has done before. But the streaming services's recently announced anime series, Godzilla: Singular Point, presents an opportunity to make amends for the trilogy's shortcomings, and to win back fans.
Taking place in the aftermath of a global apocalypse brought about by Godzilla's destructive path, the Netflix trilogy -- Planet of the Monsters, City on the Edge of Battle and The Planet Eater -- follows a humanity that took to the stars to find a new planet to inhabit. After failing in their mission, humanity decides to return to Earth to kill Godzilla and retake the planet. Upon arrival, they discover that the kaiju has mutated into a creature far more powerful and larger than when they left, making their goal even more difficult to achieve. Further complicating the plot, the group of space travelers also encounters a tribe of humans that’ve learned to survive on this new Earth, befriending them along the way.
While the trilogy is ambitious, the direction it took simply wasn't what viewers wanted from Godzilla films. Not only did they diverge from past entries in the Godzilla franchise but they diverted attention away from the titular kaiju for a large majority of their runtime. Rather than focus on Godzilla, they chose to flesh out their new human characters, many of whom were rather underwhelming and uninteresting for most viewers.
Along with this less than stellar storytelling, the trilogy's animation also left much to be desired. While much of the human side of it was fine, the animation of the monsters -- what fans wanted to see -- were much less so. This was especially prevalent in the final film, which featured a lengthy encounter between Godzilla and King Ghidorah, both of whom had seen brighter days when it comes to CG. These factors, along with other, smaller issues, doomed the trilogy to heavy scrutiny. It neither satisfied hardcore fans nor stood out to new viewers, making the films a topic the franchise would soon like to forget.
Despite this, fans won't have to wait long to get their next Godzilla fix, as Netflix is giving a Goji anime adaptation another try. Singular Point will be an episodic series, rather than films, and incorporate both hand-drawn and CG animation. The very mention of CG might worry some fans, as it played a large part in the trilogy's demise, but it's surprisingly no cause for alarm.
The project is a joint effort between veteran studios Bones and Orange, both of which have seen massive success in their animation department. Orange's work on Beastars and Land of the Lustrous has produced some of the most impressive CG anime has ever seen, making them a welcome addition to any title. As for Bones, they're a studio with years of history in the industry who have produced legendary adaptations such as Fullmetal Alchemist and My Hero Academia.
Whether previous issues regarding the story have been addressed is currently unknown, but it can be inferred from character concept art that the series will have a traditional modern setting, an already grand departure from the previous films' sci-fi backdrop. With a brand new team filled with veteran talent developing it, Godzilla: Singular Point has the potential to be everything and more that fans expected from a Godzilla anime.
