We all know this anime, we all love this anime. Netflix for a change actually made a good anime. They did the best thing they could with this, simply giving the necessary money to the studio and stayed out of the production process. Seriously though, Edgerunners is a masterpiece. A perfect combination of Trigger’s awesome animations and CDPR’s amazing writing.
So welcome back to another edition of our anime recommendation series, this week we are talking about Cyberpunk Edgerunners. I wanted to do an article on this anime for a long time now but now I finally have the chance to do it. So let’s get right into it.
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Introduction
Cyberpunk Edgerunners is technically an “original” anime set in the same world as the (in)famous game, Cyberpunk 2077. It kind of serves as a prequel to the game’s main story, and the anime does a great job of making you want to play the game. Do you need to play the game to enjoy the anime? Of course not, I’ve not played Cyberpunk 2077 but I still enjoyed Edgerunners a lot. Being a Netflix “produced” anime, all 12 episodes of it are available on Netflix.
Plot
Set in the great Night City just like the game, Edgerunners follows David a boy with big hope for his future who wants to make his mother proud. A run-in with a criminal gang, however, turns his life completely upside down. He finds some cyberware, implants it in his body, and uses that to exact revenge on the gang. This gets him expelled from his academy. Now forced to live a life of crime, David joins up with the data thief Lucy to survive in this dark world.
Look, I tried to keep it as simple as possible for a reason OK? Edgerunners has a lot of potential spoilers and I don’t want to take away the impact this anime has on the first watch. Like it is very much one of those animes that get completely ruined by spoilers. But fair warning, the plot is very emotional and chances are it’ll leave you in shambles by the end. It is peak CDPR writing.
Characters
Edgerunners has some of the most memorable characters of the year. Be it the main cast of David, Lucy, and Becca or be it the side characters, every single one of them is so well written. The anime does a great job of making you feel connected to these characters. And that makes the plot hit harder in the last few episodes. I won’t tell you what happens just know that the characters are really really good.
Animations and Soundtracks
If you know anything about Trigger, you’ll know what kind of work they put into their projects. Edgerunners is no exception. The whole vibe of the Night City is so well realized in this anime and the art style is so different yet so good. Most of all though, the color pallet they went with for this anime is just amazing. The same goes for the OSTs. Amazing sound design and quality. Trigger never disappoints.
Why should you watch Edgerunners?
Quick pointers on why you should check out this anime:
- Awesome plot
- Amazing characters
- Great pacing
- Awesome visuals and art style
- Good soundtracks
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Conclusion
Well, that is it for now. If you haven’t done it already, please go a watch Edgerunners. It is a fantastic anime and easily one of the best of this year. That is high praise because this year has been full of great anime. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below. And I will take my leave here. See ya!!
