To say that I enjoyed Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a massive understatement. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is the latest Netflix Original anime series and I know it is still fresh to me, but this is one of the best they have done yet. It is set in the same universe as the video game which itself was based on a popular tabletop game.
How to Download Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
You can download or stream the film from Netflix. Click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
I know that some may be put off when I say this is kind of based on a video game. While I think Cyberpunk 2077 eventually became a fantastic game, you do not need to have played that or have any knowledge of it to enjoy this show. If you have played the game, you will get a kick out of the city, the references, and the terminology.
The setting of the show is a futuristic place called Night City. Night City is one of the coolest locations I have seen in a video game and it made the transition to TV perfectly. Night City is very, very corrupt and a hard place to live a good honest life in. There are gangs, corruption, cybernetic implants that enhance people and make them dangerous, and more!
While this has a lot of action, violence, and sex in it, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is actually a very story and character-driven kind of show. Our main character is a young man called David who lives with his mother and is really struggling to get by. He goes to a fancy school that his mother can barely afford and once his mother is gone, his world well and truly crumbles.
David finds himself kicked out of school and in debt, David’s debt feels like it is always climbing and there is no way out, a perfect example of how capitalism rules this city! David is sick of his life so he heads to the street and decides that he will become an Edgerunner which is basically like a mercenary that will take various dangerous jobs for money.
He eventually falls in with a crew led by a dude called Maine who knew David’s mother. The best character dynamic in the show is between David and Lucy, who is his love interest. I am struggling to think of another Netflix animated show that has such a great dynamic between two characters as this one does.
David gets fitted out with some badass cybernetic implants that will help him become a solid Edgerunner. However, David and his crew soon fall into trouble as they anger two rival gangs and end up getting into some real danger as they try to improve their lives, but survive at the same time.
Visually, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a true joy to look at. The way this show is animated is something very special and there is lots of blood, violence, and nudity in the show! The thing is, it never feels forced or like it is trying to be edgy. It fits the story, the characters, and the location of Night City perfectly.
Also, this show has some great voice acting. I watched the English dub version of the show and I am so glad that I did. One of the things I got a real kick out of was Giancarlo Esposito showing up and yes you have guessed it right, he is a bad guy. The voice actors they have here truly do bring these characters to life and it makes the hard stuff that happens to some of them have way more impact as a result of the good performances.
I cannot sing the praises of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners highly enough. As someone that greatly enjoyed the video game, I was very excited about this and it even managed to surpass my expectations. What I think they have done really well here is make this a show that is fun and entertaining, no matter if you have played the game or not, this really is a must-watch show!
