Rating EVERY Love, Death & Robots Short

This might get updated once the third volume comes out.

The second season of the adult animated anthology has just been aired on Netflix. The first season (or ‘volume’ as how it is referred to) was one of my all-time favorites among the Netflix library, and the tease of a second volume was one of the reasons I kept on renewing my subscription.

And now that I have watched ALL Love, Death, & Robots episode, I believe the time calls for a quick review for each and every short that has graced my Netflix list. This quick review is entirely subjective, of course. After all, the anthology’s visceral and sometimes vulgar display is certainly not for everybody.

Three Robots — 7/10

Superb visual presentation aside, Three Robots stood out thanks to its detached approach to its storytelling. The three robot protagonists’ dialogue served as a fresh perspective into elements that are near inseparable from the human race. Why do humans find basketball entertaining? Why do humans find cats fascinating? Why do humans eat at all? Those questions need no answer from us humans, but thanks to the Three Robots’ well-written dialogue, it made us stop and think “yep, the human race is indeed fascinating.”

Beyond the Aquila Rift — 10/10

The quintessential Love, Death, & Robots short. It started out slow, then it turned very, very intimate in a blink of an eye, and then of course, the mind-boggling revelation at the end of the episode. Almost everything you need to know conveyed neatly in 17 minutes without anything to take you away from the experience. It’s clearly inspired from 1997’s Event Horizon, but unlike the film, even the “main antagonist” of this short can be argued as sympathetic. Animation and visual presentation is top-notch and Matthew Perryman Jones’ “Living in the Shadows” haunting appearance at the end of the short? Icing on the cake.

Not only that they can make an entire series that took place BEFORE or AFTER the short, they can also make series that took place DURING the short. It’s just that good and intriguing.

Ice Age — 7/10

The only Love, Death, & Robots short with live-action element has plenty of animation to show for it. The juxtaposition between live-action and animation is fascinating, the premise is nothing spectacular but interesting enough, and the performances of both Topher Grace and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were enough to give the short some personality. The live-action/animation combination is a novelty, and the short gave the audience just the right amount of it before it starts to wear off. If there are any takeaways from the short, I will say this: AI is the future, people.

Sonnie’s Edge — 8/10

My first Love, Death, & Robots short. It encapsulates everything you need to know about the entire anthology series: it’s short, it’s NSFW, but it’s definitely worth your time. The cyberpunk backdrop served the short well as does the characters, and the main fight scene was more than enough to reel audiences in. Up until the ending the short could be argued as generic bar its high-quality presentation… that is, until the plot twist came along, which changed the short as we know it. In retrospect, that twist truly made the short, so much so that it warrants a second viewing.

When the Yoghurt Took Over — 7/10

Presenting a simple premise with a simple animation packaging, When the Yoghurt Took Over playfully takes jabs at humanity through its entire runtime. Humanity is so incompetent, that even when presented with a comprehensive way to save themselves, they screw it up anyway. The mockumentary style can be a turn-off sometimes (me included), but ever-expanding premise of sentient yoghurts running earth better than its creators is enough to keep me engaged. Just “enough” being the key word here.

The Secret War — 9/10

No robots and no love, but certainly a lot of death(s). Watching The Secret War reminds me a lot of the Metro video game series for all the right reasons. It’s dark, it’s gloomy, it’s gory, but it still has a lot of heart. The stupendous CGI presentation also made the resemblance even more uncanny. Add a tablespoon of supernatural element into the mix, and we got ourselves a great short on our hands. As painfully tragic as that ending is, at least we clicked “next episode” feeling satisfied with it.

Sucker of Souls — 6/10

In hindsight, Sucker of Souls is a lesser version of The Secret War as both involve soldiers with guns fighting an uphill battle against supernatural creatures. However, I did not think less of this short because The Secret War favored photorealistic CGI animation over Sucker of Souls’ traditional 2D animation, but because this short ended just before it got good. It ended prematurely, simply put. The premise is also not as exciting as the other shorts, although it was beset by the short’s solid animation work.

The Witness — 9/10

Fun fact: Alberto Mielgo, who worked on The Witness, went on to work on the cinematic trailer for the 2020 video game Watch Dogs Legion. Mielgo’s distinct art and animation design can be seen in both videos, and if you think the trailer is a work of art, wait until you see The Witness. The story is simple and dialogue is minimal, but it’s all there in its visceral glory. The plot twist at the end definitely improved the short from an immaculately-animated chase sequence into a mind-blowing crime flick, however short the flick is.

Suits — 7/10

Come to think of it, Suits’ animation style reminds me of Apex Legends’ Stories from the Outlands series of short movies. Which came from the Titanfall universe. Which heavily involves gigantic mechs, the kind of which is seen in Suits, only bulkier and less ramshackle in nature. Am I seeing a pattern here? By-the-books storytelling and animation style aside, Suits’ relatively wholesome approach is refreshing. It’s not everyday you don’t see blood spouting out of a human being like pre-shaken soda in a Love, Death, & Robots short.

Good Hunting — 9/10

The marriage of fantasy and steampunk setting, what a power couple! My personal favorite of the shorts, Good Hunting almost has it all: interesting setting, characters, compelling story, exquisite animation work, and to top it all off is that power couple I mentioned earlier. The relationship between the two leads is the highlight of the short, and it’s a surprisingly wholesome one. The parallels in between the two also serve as an interesting plot point, and that conclusion simply screams a whole season of animated series. When is it coming and where do I sign up?

The Dump — 7/10

It might have looked disgusting, but that’s the main appeal of this short. The fact that the short managed to look as revolting as it did was an achievement of itself. The Dump’s distinct animation style and decidedly redneck charm are its main appeal, successfully combining monster flick and a Western tall tale all in a modern-setting package. Can it be argued as superficial and shallow when compared to other shorts? Maybe, but The Dump’s visual spectacle — or rather, vileness — more than makes up for it.

Shape-shifters — 8/10

And now for the second marriage of this article, the marriage between a fantasy and a modern military setting. If someone pointed out to me that’s basically what the Metal Gear Solid series is all about, then yes, Shape-shifters does remind me of the Metal Gear Solid series. The short was without a doubt a visual achievement further enhanced with exploration of mature themes and of course, high-impact violent action scenes. The short’s premise also opens up an entire bestiary of possibilities. Were-sharks, anyone?

Fish Night — 7/10

Fish Night shows that you don’t always need a riveting storyline, compelling characters, or multilayered settings. Sometimes all you need is a intriguing premise paired with bedazzling visuals that keeps on expanding until it hits the audience in the face. Fish Night is exactly that: not relying on a stellar writing (although the dialogue is solid), but rather on its ability to present a phenomenal display of visuals paired with mesmerizing score to the audience. If it’s not for the story, then Fish Night will definitely be remembered for its visuals.

Helping Hand — 9/10

127 Hours… in space! Alternatively: 127 Hours… combined with Gravity! Helping Hand’s is more than enough to make me wince thanks to its simple but stratosphere-high stakes and gritty realism. There’s a sense of dread and desperation in every passing second, and the fact that the entire episode took place in the vacuum of space only adds to that sensation. Add stunning visuals and believable performances, Helping Hand has become what I’d call an underrated masterpiece within the animated anthology.

Alternate Histories — 7/10

Can’t talk about history when you’re not bringing up a certain failed art student from Austria who would go on to start World War II, can we? Alternate Histories toyed with premise that we all wanted to fiddle for a long time, and did so remarkably thanks to its deliberately childish presentation of alternate timelines. Some believable, some outlandish, some outright ridiculous and immature, but seeing that there’s an infinite possibilities of alternate timelines, might as well go bonkers, am I right? Only problem is, that’s all there is to it in the short: just about that failed Austrian art student.

Lucky 13–8/10

Here’s another relatively wholesome Love, Death, & Robots short. Funnily enough, it does involve quite a bit of death, and yet it still feels quite wholesome to me, similar to Suits. This short has exquisite visual and animation work, and an expectations-defying story (literally). Even if it’s all a bit cliched, what does it matter if it does so with so much grace, be it in the visuals or the voice performances? Especially when the action picks up in the end that somehow hits harder than I thought initially.

Blindspot — 6/10

The only one time I thought a short’s animation work is doing disservice to its overall presentation. Not the art style, not the plotline (which is simple but works well enough), not the characters, and definitely not the action direction. Technical issues aside where the short felt choppy and sloppy due to the direction it took with low frame-rate style of animation, Blindspot almost made up for it thanks to its humor and stellar action sequence. Was the low frame-rate direction deliberate? Maybe. Was it to my liking? No. Does it mean it’s a bad entry? Nope, definitely not.

Zima Blue — 8/10

Easily the most thought-provoking short of the anthology, Zima Blue has two things going for it: its one-of-a-kind art direction and its electrifying storyline. Which surprisingly, does not feature a traditional dramatic structure with elements such as a traditional antagonist. Rather, it tells the story of self-discovery achieved through grandiose and magnificent means, which lends itself to multiple interpretations. Ultimately that story of self-discovery was concluded through the simplest of solutions, but is still felt satisfying nonetheless thanks to its thorough but effective storytelling.

Automated Customer Service — 8/10

Starting off Volume 2 with a bang is Automated Customer Service. It started innocently enough thanks to its gleefully blocky art style before evolving into a gory synthetic slasher flick reminiscent of the early Terminator films. There is, however, a snarky sense of humor present throughout the short that served to enhance the short’s theme of the dangers of artificial intelligence advancement. Paired with a looming sense of dread present throughout the short, Automated Customer Service is exactly how I’d like my first impression of the Love, Death, & Robots anthology.

Ice — 8/10

Same animation studio behind them. Both shorts exploring the themes of transcending traits exclusive to Earth and technology advancements allowing for body modifications. Yet I’m supposed to believe that Zima Blue and Ice aren’t set in the same universe? While Zima Blue delves deep into philosophical questions regarding human nature, Ice is decidedly more action-packed and compact, dealing with acceptance and alienation. Thanks to Passion Animation Studios’ unparagoned art and animation style, Ice is just as enjoyable as its spiritual prequel.

Pop Squad — 9/10

Within its opening minutes, you KNOW that Pop Squad is going to deal with heavy themes. In its core, the short asks a simple question: would you rather live forever or be able to have children? This short deals with the consequences of a world that chose the former, and turns out not allowing children to grow up is not as easy as it seems. The visuals are stunning, the performances (especially that of legendary voice actor Nolan North) are praiseworthy, and the animation work is immaculate. It didn’t leave much of an impression to me at first, but in hindsight, this might have been one of the best shorts of Volume 2.

Snow in the Desert — 7/10

For some reason I got The Mandalorian vibes from this one. Adhering to the standards of Love, Death, & Robots, Snow in the Desert’s macabre tone is wrapped under its impressive visuals, which is only made more apparent with its themes dealing with — yet again — immortality. Immortality akin to Wolverine or Deadpool can sometimes bring its own set of troubles, as shown in the visceral action scenes on display in this short. One might desire more depth out of Snow in the Desert since the short deals with a word humanity has always struggled to achieve, but the short’s animation work makes up for it.

The Tall Grass — 6/10

Superb art direction aside, The Tall Grass is regrettably predictable, a flaw overcame by its storytelling and performances. Its story relies on a good old horror movie cliche of someone not doing as they are told. At least the tension and sense of dread is still there, as with the horror tone prevalent throughout the short, which served as its standout trait. In its conclusion, The Tall Grass chooses not to answer all of the questions presented to it, which is making the best out of a decidedly been-there-done-that supernatural story. Still, it still has an interesting time setting and great animation work going for it.

All Through the House — 9/10

My personal favorite of Volume 2, All Through the House puts a gleefully terrifying twist on every children’s dream visit during Christmas. Despite its short time, this short tells you all you need to know about its incarnation of Santa Claus — and why for this particular Santa, you’d want to be good. It started innocent before making a 180 into something akin to Krampus, although I believe Krampus got nothing on this version of Santa Claus. All of it was well-presented thanks to its cheery and innocent art style and surprisingly wholesome conclusion — that is, if you’re good, of course.

Life Hutch — 8/10

Similar to Helping Hand, but with Michael B. Jordan in it! Although that doesn’t provide additional points for this short, Michael B. Jordan’s animated form is a welcome addition to Life Hutch. The threat this time around is more… artificial in form, and thanks to Jordan’s believable performance, it’s just as dangerous as getting stranded in the vacuum of space. It also involves scenes that can make the audience recoil out of empathetic pain, which only made the conflict presented in the short all the more believable. The brief flashback scenes might have been unnecessary (save for displaying the stunning visuals), but they weren’t enough to completely pull me away from my viewing experience.

The Drowned Giant — 6/10

Another short in form of a pseudo-documentary, The Drowned Giant, much like its overarching theme, awed me initially with its striking visual showcase leering on the uncanny territory. In the middle of it all, a question: what if Gulliver never woke up? And turns out, the answer to it might not be as fascinating as you might think. Spectacular but realistic visuals accompany the audience throughout the short, and while there wasn’t a lot of excitement to showcase around its central subject matter, The Drowned Giant at least has an interesting scientific approach to keep things fresh.

***

Even if I specifically said that some shorts deserve their own series, I believe that all of the shorts presented in Love, Death & Robots are fully capable of sparking their own spinoffs thanks to their individual uniqueness be it in premise, setting, story, or even art style. While their respective spinoff series might be far away or might not come at all, at least we can enjoy these NSFW works of art for the time being until the new volume gets released.

Which it will, around 2022. That’s right, just next year.