DESCRIPTION

CAST

MUSIC ActionLet You Down
MANGA ActionCyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS

REVIEWS

• 

  Zigeuninja

  90/100
  A must-watch for every Cyberpunk fan

  _Minor spoilers_ __I went into this show expecting good animation and entertaining fights and what I got was exactly that but also a decent story and characters I could actually sympathize with. __ --- I want to start off by saying that this show was clearly made for people who played Cyberpunk 2077. I'm sure you could still enjoy it without having played it, but they really don't bother introducing all the tech stuff, slang etc. at all, so just keep that in mind. Don't wanna write a whole plot-summary here but I'll just get it out of the way; Edgerunners is about a student named David who just lost his mother in a car crash, quit school and is trying to make money. Because it's Night City, the easiest way to do that is mercenary work and from here the story escalates into lots of fights, characters dying and David becoming increasingly more OP using the Sandevistan he picked up from a Cyberpsycho... That's about what you're getting into. The story in Edgerunners definitely shares some similarities with the game and here and there you'll even hear them talk about- or see some of the characters from the game, but there are enough differences so it doesn't feel like a remake or anything. The main reason I started watching this show was, as I said, the fights and animation which I had high expectations for because it's made by Trigger and they really didn't disappoint. There's some kind of fight or shootout in basically every episode, but they're always unique enough to not get boring and they definitely didn't shy away from showing blood or gore which I really like. I think most people can agree that if Cyberpunk 2077 got one thing right it's the characters and atmosphere of the city and Edgerunners does these two things just as well, if not better. The city looks great and they stayed so faithful to the game that no matter where they are, you'll most likely be able to recognize the place if you've played the game. The characters, even though the show is only 10 episodes long, really started to grow on me towards the end. Most action focused anime either fail completely to make me care about the characters, or it takes way too long and by the time I do, the show is almost over already, so this was a nice surprise, especially considering how I only started watching this for the action. Lastly, the sound design in this show is absolutely phenomenal. Again, if you've played the game you will hear a lot of familiar sounds in this show and they also use some of the radio music from the game which really benefits the atmosphere and vibe. All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who even remotely enjoyed Cyberpunk 2077 or is interested in the genre, but also to anyone looking for a refreshing action anime that focuses heavily on the action. --- #9/10 - would recommend
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• 

  Shochraos

  90/100
  an incredibly accurate depiction of the Cyberpunk universe coupled with Studio Triggers breathtaking visuals

  Cyberpunk and, to some extent, Steampunk have been two themes, who are criminally underused in our current Pop-culture. Especially Cyberpunk, depicting a dystopian future of the digitalization currently taking place, was bound to be a major success, if a company decided to create a new IP based around it. CD Project Red, a polish game studio which got famous by their last game, the highly praiseworthy game The Witcher 3, had high expectations to meet following that release. They decided to meet these by working in cooperation with Mike Pondsmith and base their new game around the universe depicted by his Cyberpunk board game. Finally, on the 10th December of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 was released following one of the biggest, if not the biggest hype train in the history of gaming.

  However, it’s not going to be remembered as one of the greatest, but as the worst release in the history of gaming and while they’ve been trying their best to fix the game (and in my opinion, succeeding at that), it’s no exaggeration that the Cyberpunk IP has been tarnished. And that finally brings us to this review and why I think that while this anime is close to a masterpiece, it’s probably going to be disregarded because of the aforementioned situation. Nonetheless will I try my best to try to offset this, as this anime is probably one of the best gateway anime created so far and a great show all around.

  Alright, enough introduction, let’s dive right in!

  

  Disclaimer: This isn’t going to be an analysis of the show as I’ve never played the Cyberpunk board game nor seen enough anime to justify my opinions, but a review.

  Let me preface this review by listing the one trait this show is missing that might turn some people off: It’s shallow characters. Don’t get me wrong, in my opinion the protagonist David has some character development throughout the show and all of the main cast is very likeable and has distinct personality traits to tell them apart but unfortunately that’s where it ends. Based on good old Trigger-tradition are the characters usually one dimensional but really great and likeable in that. And in my opinion, that’s not even a tradeoff. Instead of trying to create believable, multi-faceted personalities and ultimately half-assing it because of the focus in the show, they stuck to what they can do best: Great cartoon characters. Don’t go in this anime expecting characters from Serial Experiments Lain or the likes and try to enjoy what is happening on your screen.

  And oh man did Trigger outdo themselves here. It’s like a shounen protagonist revealing their final trump-card in the final fight of the anime. This is the pinnacle of 2D-Animation, no doubt about it. This show has jawdropping visuals and I found myself pausing and rewatching almost every episode multiple times just to watch my favourite scenes over and over and over again. The visuals and animation leave almost every other anime, heck even other Trigger shows in the dust. And honestly, there’s so much to say about it, that you should just experience it yourself. Yes, they are THAT good, after watching this you’ll be looking differently at every other anime just based on their animation alone. And as I mentioned earlier, this anime should be the basis on what other anime’s animation should be judged upon.

  

  Going hand in hand with these breathtaking visuals is excellent sound design. If you watch this anime with good headphones or speakers, you are going to be blown away by the sheer force of the explosions in this one, it’s almost feels like a Michael Bay movie at that. Unfortunately, the OP is quite lackluster in my opinion but the ED makes more than up for it by being an absolute banger which has a permanent spot in my playlist starting now.

  Last but not least do I wanna mention, that the pacing in this anime is crisp to the touch. It’s only ten episodes long and it uses this screentime magnificently. Something is ALWAYS happening and there’s next to no irrelevant scenes being shown here which makes it a jam packed binge session as it’s going to be quite hard to leave on an episode.

  And while the name Cyberpunk might be a curse nowadays, at the same time it could be an opportunity to show people, who are interested in Cyberpunk, but have never given anime a serious try before, the beauty of the latter as it’s directly connected to the Cyberpunk 2077 video game.

  So if you are reading this and haven’t seen this show yet. Drop everything and watch it right now. You won’t regret it.

  
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• 

  Cutiewolfie

  80/100
  Rushed Beginning But One That Gets Better Later

  

  A start that is as rushed as the game itself, but happens to make a great comeback later on.

  

  Plot

  We start off with David who is bored from school as he feels he doesn't belong there, even though he is a top class student. He is a child of a single mother and one who is struggling to pay bills whilst trying to provide an education for him.

  After an unfortunante event, David is left with nothing and decides to change his whole enitre lifestyle, so he embarks on the journey of becoming an edgerunner and teams up with a crew who take on dangerous missions; in order to repay his debts as well as upgrade himself.

  I had nothing wrong with the plot, but the plot of Edgerunners isn't set in stone until episode 5 which leaves the beforehand events as more of an introduction, but one which is rushed and could have been done a lot better given more time. Some of the action scenes, especially the early ones were either rushed or lazy and it could've been done so much better. Thankfully, the later episodes make up for this.

  

  Characters

  The characters of Edgerunners are good, but only some of them. If there was more time dedicated to each character then there would have been a more stronger connection to them leading into the later episodes. This is especially rushed during the early episodes specifically 1-4 where not enough time and development is given, so major scenes involving them characters feel empty and you don't resonate the same feelings as the main character in those scenes.

  David

  

  He's a cool protagonist, one who starts off with nothing and then begins to get everything; from the likes of friends, love, money, power and much more. But I felt that David's character could've been improved upon a lot more to give a more extensive insight into his relationship with the others.

  

  Also the whole afterimage was just overused in his character and it could've been done better, I've seen other anime which do the exact same power but better and in here it just takes away from the immersion. Later in the anime they do it properly, but its just overused so much that it does kida ruin the vibe a bit.

  Lucy

  

  Lucy was one of my favourite characters since she had a complete backstory, motive and desire throughout the anime. She gives off that typical delinquent female vibe at first, but then slowly begins to show her inner emotions as the episodes progress and as a whole she is the most well done character.

  

  Her character design is cool and her abilities are also interesting. What can I say I like Lucy a lot.

  Maine

  

  Maine was another strong character who gave the mentor vibe to David and was very interesting to see how his character developed. He was strong physically and mentally, though I wish we got more of a backstory from him as that is what was missing from him a lot. Maine was like the controller of the team, always making sure him and his crew were alright every step of the way and that is what I liked a lot about him.

  

  Rebecca

  

  Rebecca was by far the best character of the whole entire show, she was funny, cool and caring. She was basically the loli with guns and she absolutely knocked it out of the park. Every scene she is in, is a gem and I felt a strong connection through her. She showed how much she cared about her friends including David the most all the way up until the end.

  

  Other Characters

  

  Honestly, the rest of the main cast were just throwaway characters. They weren't given enough time nor were they given any development to justify them being part of the main cast and major scenes involving them just feel out of place. Like one scene where you are supposed to be in shock, but you just be watching without any sort of emotion. Since these characters haven't been dived into much so why would you care what happens to them.

  Final Thoughts

  

  Edgerunners is good, but as said previously its beginning is rushed quite a bit and characters are not given the necessary time they need to develop and cement that connection to the viewer. Its later episodes make up for it and the action, character development and plot pick up quite a lot.

  

  But the initial first episodes is where this anime lacks. Also I'm totally fine with sex and nudity as long as it is done for effect and not just for show. But god damn I must say that first episode is stacked with it so much that I was kinda uncomfortable watching it. Later episodes spread it out (Pun Intended) and it more used to show effect.

  

  The Ending song for this anime and its visuals are just amazing. In addition, all the music in this anime is golden and perfect.

  Overall I'd give this anime an 8 out of 10 and I do recommend watching it, just wish it could've been done much better.
  Even with the limited episodes you can make compelling plot, characters and development throughout, if done properly. So ye Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a good anime :)

  #__Thanks for reading and take care!!!__
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