Created by Legendary and Netflix, Pacific Rim: The Black season 2 is the second and final season of the spin-off from the world of mechs and monsters. We once again follow the brave siblings Taylor (Calum Worthy) and Hayley (Gideon Adlon) who are still hoping to reach the safety of Sydney aboard Atlas Destroyer, the scaled-down training Jaeger left behind when Australia was evacuated. With teenage assassin Mei (Victoria Grace) and the mysterious human/kaiju hybrid boy (Ben Diskin) joining Taylor and Hayley, this makeshift family must cross a dangerous territory controlled by the bloodthirsty cult Sisters of the Kaiju.
The first season was a massive surprise for me as it was a huge tonal departure from the theatrical films, taking a mostly nonsensical but fun premise of mechs vs kaijus and turning it into a dark yet compelling story with well-written characters and expanded lore in the pre-established universe. And based on the major cliffhanger ending of season 1 it was clear the story had more to offer, though it is surprising and sad that this is the final season. But if this was the intended plan, my hope was that this series could end on a high note and tie up all the loose ends. And that’s what it did.
Season 2 is a darker, emotional, and grand outing, making the series as a whole my favorite installment in the Pacific Rim franchise. It’s honestly insane to see how much effort was put into such a short series, which felt far more compelling than either of the first two films. Everything from the characters to the story to the beautiful animation shows what Pacific Rim should have been from the start and that there is an opportunity to create more stories from this universe that stand out from other kaiju media.
The fact that I felt more for these characters than any from the films really says a lot, making this installment more than just a monster vs mech battle royale but a compelling survival story full of tension and high stakes.
The animation once again is very beautiful and epic, though it does feel much more improved this time around, with more colorful looks, brutal action sequences, unique monster designs, and visually stunning sequences like the trippy neural handshake segments which return from the first season.
The music heightens all elements of this season, including the horror, with some truly haunting tracks that made certain scenes made my skin crawl and other scenes explode with great tension.
It is unfortunate that this had to be the last season because even though it does end on a high note for the characters and story I could definitely see the potential for the story to continue in some way or at least explore other parts of the universe that were introduced in this.
If you have not gotten the chance to see the first season of this series I highly recommend that you do so and then watch this one because I feel this series deserves a lot of attention. If the Pacific Rim franchise were to continue I’d like for them to go in the same direction and tone they went for here, rather than what they did for the films. Trust me when I say that this series really stands out from the usual kaiju media and should be acknowledged and praised for it. I’m going to give Pacific Rim The Black season 2 an A+ = 98.
You can find more of my writing on instagram, and check out my channel on YouTube!