When a setting is well done, it can host all the stories of the world: those of are proof of that The Witcherwhich between video games and TV series is creating always interesting storylines, as well as all the settings of Dungeons & Dragons, which to this day continue to be a source of inspiration for many writers (and not only). A setting like Cyberpunk needed content, especially considering that the game, in turn, is inspired by the setting of Mike PondsmithAmerican designer behind even works like Forgotten Realms. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners it is therefore a work of derivation, which, like other similar ones, proposes a story disconnected from the main plots but set in that world.
We got to see all 10 episodes that make up this self-contained story, and the work behind it is immediately clear: from the hand of Studio Trigger behind the animation, to the way in which some things visible in the game were important and translated into the series, every single episode tells the story. of a group of cyberpunks grappling with street life, made to burn quickly. Let’s say that each episode is opened by an opening accompanied by the notes of “This fffire” of Franz Ferdinandand a fitting and perfect soundtrack during the episode, and we will have a complete picture.
Welcome, choom!
Let’s start with the technical details: the animated series was born from a collaboration between CD Projekt REDwhich he put to work on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Rafał Jaki as showrunner, and Studio Trigger, which he put in charge Hiroyuki Imaishialready seen in Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill and Promare; at the soundtrack instead we find nothing less than Akira Yamaoka, the same as Silent Hill. Although the roles have been divided in a congenial way, in reality we can see a strong one within the series contamination among the staff, and now we will explain why.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners follows a similar construction to that already seen in Gurren Lagann, with two time periods (not too far) and with an interweaving construction capable of surprising, episode after episode, without falling into the obvious. The protagonist of this story is David Martineza boy from Santo Domingo who, thanks to his mother’s sacrifices, goes to a school in the Arasakaone of the megacorporations of Night City. A series of unfortunate events, however, will lead the boy to have to make do, and in doing so he will meet Lucya young and mysterious netrunner, and a group of cyberpunks who try to make ends meet day after day.
All concentrated in 10 episodes, the series sees a growth of the characters really well structured and each of them hides motivations, secrets and principles that in the 24 minutes per episode you will discover in an almost completely natural way. A little less well characterized instead the secondary characters, small specks that last long enough to carry on the plot, but which all in all also find expression in the character design, as always for Studio Trigger on the verge of perfection.
Intentionally within the cliché of the world of Cyberpunk, the Edgerunners series does not try to tell something different, but rather highlights and enhances the precarious life of cyberpunk and how it is designed to burn quickly, but in a brilliant way. The concept of making a name for oneself and dying in fame also returns, something that often returns in the video game and that indeed becomes a sort of mood / malaise inherent in the human who lives this setting. To conclude, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners it is closer to the game than CD Projekt RED, although it itself is inspired by Cyberpunk 2020, and its new counterpart Red. For those who have had the opportunity to play the video game, many touchpoints and easter eggs will make you smile, but the series is very enjoyable even without having ever heard of the settingyou just need to love sci-fi content a little.
The art of animation
As we said the series was born from the joint effort of CD Projekt RED And Studio Trigger: if the first certainly put all the part linked to the script into it, what makes the series exceptional is also the animation, a style that those who have been following the team’s work for some time, when they were still in the studio Gainaxwill recognize from the first moments.
The playing with perspectives, making the scenes dynamically fast when needed and slowing them down to cool the narration, are techniques that the staff has developed over time and which, since Gurren Lagann but also in the most recent works, have always played an important role in the final product . Every single aspect, from sound to dubbing – excellent in Japanese, English and Italian – up to the visual effects chosen to replicate precise dynamics, are studied and proposed in an impeccable way.
Finally, let’s talk about a very important detail: the mean difference. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners had the arduous task of translating dynamics related to the focal points of the video game into an animated series. Things like cyberpsychopaths, the visual effects due to the upgrades and the weapons used were not invented from scratch, creating a product that starts only from the inspiration of the game and that then changes everything, but have been replicated in a perfect way, sign that it study behind the series was flawlessmanic, precise.
Review
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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
9.5Total Score
Less than four hours of storytelling, divided into 10 episodes of 24 minutes, are ready to bring you back to Night City. The work done by CD Projekt RED and Studio Trigger is bordering on the fantastic, with a series of clear but not intrusive video game and role-playing references. Also suitable for those who have never seen Night City on screen or in print, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has some rhythm problems when trying to speed up the story, especially in the second half, but otherwise it is a journey that will not only make you love the setting, but which in all likelihood once finished will make you want to go back to the video game.
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