“Cyberpunk Edgerunners” is a science fiction action-adventure Netflix animated series that premiered September 13th, 2022, and it builds further on the story of “Cyberpunk: 2077,” a sci fi-esque video game released on December 10th, 2020. While having no direct connections to the main character in the game, "Edgerunners" is set in the same relative time period and city. Although “Cyberpunk: 2077” was heavily anticipated, it wasn’t received well by the gaming community due to the sheer amount of bugs and glitches it had following its release. While “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” was also heavily anticipated and garnered a lot of attention before its release, unlike its game counterpart, upon its release it did not disappoint in the slightest, receiving high ratings and praise from both critics and the general audience.
“Cyberpunk Edgerunners” takes place in a body-modification obsessed and highly technologically advanced city named Night City, a fictional combination of Los Angeles and San Francisco, and in world where no one can be trusted, a few teenagers desperately try to create relations with each other against all odds. The story follows the protagonist, a teenage boy named David Martinez with nothing to lose, who decides to become an Edgerunner, a mercenary also known as a Cyberpunk. David lives a meager life with his single mom Gloria in Santo Domingo, who hardly gets time off from her job as an EMT for the Night City Medical Center. Due to his mother’s hard work, he is able to attend the Arasaka Academy, where he doesn't quite fit in with his wealthier classmates despite being a top student.
The story really kicks off when he and his mom get caught up in a gang assault on a Arasaka corporate vehicle. After the tragic assault, he meets Lucyna ”Lucy” Kushinada on a train. Lucy is an Edgerunner who makes ends meet by stealing and selling Shards from unsuspecting corporate employees. Shards are similar to files in the current age in the way that they store information, such as images, texts, maps, and audios. After David prevents Lucy from stealing his Shards, she drags him away and angrily asks him why he is interfering with her job, and after a short discussion, they agree that Lucy will take David on as a trainee while splitting any profit between them. The rest of the show follows David and Lucy, along with a few acquaintances as they desperately try to survive as Edgerunners in the corrupted Night City.
“Cyberpunk Edgerunners” excels in almost every subject possible, from art and animation to story and character development. The art and animation was created by Trigger, a popular and well-known animation studio. Trigger is known for creating animations and art that flow smoothly, and this studio excels in beautiful, vivid, and colorful graphics, which is certainly the case in “Cyberpunk Edgerunners”.
The art increases the general feeling of the environment and atmosphere, and it really makes viewers feel like they are looking at and living in a futuristic city. During the calmer, more heart-to-heart scenes, the colors grow cooler and more mellow, which makes those scenes feel more meaningful and heartfelt. During intense battle scenes, the animation is explosive and bold, which makes the scenes feel more alive and impressive. All of this further enhances the character’s fight styles and personalities.
Story and character wise “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” is an absolute masterpiece. The story may include a few time skips here and there, but it still flows fine and connects with earlier scenes. While the general plot is somewhat common, the way everything is delivered makes it feel like a completely new and unique experience. Unlike most shows and movies adapted from video games, “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” shows us what video game adaptations could be.
Instead of just recreating the game’s story and showing us something we have already experienced, they instead created an entirely different story and characters for us to experience. It’s crystal clear that the studio put a massive amount of work into the characters, they are well thought out and feel relatable with their various charming personalities, dreams, and motivations. The characters feel more real and alive throughout the story because their attitudes and reactions change as the story goes on as they reflect upon themselves and their actions, all the while coming to terms with their harsh reality and world, along with any tragedies that may befall them.
While “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” is considered a masterpiece by many, there are still a lot of factors holding it back. One of these is that it is based off of a video game, and most shows and movies that were adapted from a video game were either loved by a few or were completely forgotten. The fact that it is an adaptation from a game that was a letdown upon release is another great hindrance. Another reason is that it includes topics that not everyone is comfortable with, causing these people to feel hesitant to watch it.
Even though CD Projekt Red, the creator of both “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” and “Cyberpunk: 2077” had a lot against them, they still decided to boldly release the show that could either completely ruin their reputation or save their franchise. Overall “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” is a cinematic masterpiece brimming with thrilling battles, emotional interactions, tragic plots, and lovable characters.
This is a show filled with high quality voice acting, beautiful graphics, great music composition, while also creating an immersive atmosphere. If you are expecting a show just filled with stone cold, uncaring characters that would normally show up in punk-like shows, you are in for a surprise and an emotional rollercoaster. In the end “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” was definitely a “make it” and not a “break it”.
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