Blade Runner: Black Lotus - The Movie Edit

I've been watching this edit since version 1.0something, and I love it. It's been wonderful watching Keo take out the bloat and unnecessary flashbacks. I didn't know how he would combine the episodes without the end scenese that had music, but wow. This thing flows pretty well. There are a few parts I wish he had kept in, but overall I think it's spectacular.

There are subtitles. All the best edits have subtitles, so thank you for bringing them with you when you did the edit.

Solid fight choreography, a familiar setting, and some surprising character notes make for a worthwhile watch.

AUDIO/VIDEO QUALITY

I opted for the low quality 1080p file option, as the size/length balance seemed reasonable to me (and I only have a 1080p display).

There was a considerable amount of banding in many of the scenes, and as much as I'd like to say it wasn't distracting, it often was. I can appreciate the difficulty of avoiding that on something that is fully animated, and especially something that's quite dark, but in light of the fact that I opted for the LQ file, I haven't marked this down any.

The added grain was pleasing and not overdone.


VISUAL EDITING

Nearly perfect, as far as I observed, but there is a continuity error at 1:55:40 (with the phone).


AUDIO EDITING

I noticed some audio issues, but they seemed to only be present during the first part of the movie. Maybe the content that comprises episodes 1 and 2? I'm not sure where it switched, but this is what I observed for the first part:

* Overall, the volume level seemed too high. I had to drop the volume in my player to 85% to find a comfortable level. Again, this issue seemed to go away further in, but I can't pinpoint where.
* There are moments in some early scenes where the volume dips noticeably during moments that would normally be punctuated by a larger sound. Or at least that's the best way I can describe it. Examples: 1:40, 4:24, 4:52, 4:57, 24:09. I compared with the original material and the volume seemed nice and level, but for those timestamps it seems like it dips in a strange way. Again, I only noticed this in the first part of the edit, and I'm not sure when I stopped noticing it.

Some other notes I made regarding the audio:

* It seems to be a little out of sync from 55:25 to 56:18.
* There's a pop at 1:20:07
* It seems to be out of sync at 1:53:29
* At 2:13:35 the music/ambient cuts out a little fast
* At 2:23:04 Elle's grunting/breathing is coming from the left instead of the right


NARRATIVE

The story is clear and easy to follow, and while I wouldn't say it's concise, it's straightforward and well-developed.

It was a considerable undertaking to bring the runtime down this far, but I can't help but feel it's a story that could be told in less than two hours. However, the fight sequences are great, and it's unusual for a John Wick movie to be any shorter than 2:20 in spite of being so thin plot-wise, so the same can be true here. The fights get a free pass. :)

There's a moment at 1:48'ish that's great and feels earned.

Very nit-picky, but it seemed strange that the VK test only had two questions. I was primed for three.


ENJOYMENT

I did really enjoy this, but I have to mark this down as I ended up watching it over three sessions. It didn't quite have the right amount of tension and release to keep me engaged for a single viewing. I wouldn't say it necessarily fits as a three part narrative (maybe it does?) but it did feel like 48:00 was a solid break point.

Overall, I found this quite pleasing, and I'm happy to have experienced Elle's story. The expansion of two other notable characters (one major, one minor) were very appreciated, but I'll say no more.

Full disclosure, I did help on this edit, but Keo did all the wonderful editing and deserves all the credit. My contribution can be noticed but the dedication Keo had to editing down an entire show seamlessly into this film version is ALL him. And boy did he achieve a great final edit.
Like Keo, I too am a lover of the Blade Runner universe and philosophical questions it sometimes poses. I'm a superfan of the original Black Lotus show, but this edit is now possibly one of my favourite edits EVER with the final musical choice inserted. No joke. S tier to me. I love it whether he went with my small contribution or not! So heck yes I recommend this edit to anyone and everyone even mildly interested in anime or Blade Runner.
I hope people flock to this edit and check it out and also fall in love like I did.
I think Elle's story is great, and the editing Keo has done has only enhanced that for me. The visuals and action, especially the shotgun fight near the end are awesome to watch unfold. The cinematography and colors of the cityscape is enough to draw anyone in I think. But like I said it's Keo's editing that will keep you watching till the end!