NETFLIX ORIGINAL anime SERIES PRESENTS Cyberpunk Edgerunner Season 1 Review by Ryan Balkwill

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci fi, Animation

Created by Rafał Jaki (characters), Mike Pondsmith (scenario)

Based on Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red

Screenplay by Masahiko Otsuka, Yoshiki Usa

Story by Bartosz Sztybor, Jan Bartkowicz, Łukasz Ludkowski

Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi

Creative Director: Hiromi Wakabayashi

Voiced by: KENN, Aoi Yuki, Hiroki Touchi, Michiko Kaiden, Takako Honda, Wataru Takagi, Tomoyo Kurosawa, Kazuhiko Inoue, Yurika Hino & Kenjiro Tsuda.

Opening Theme: “This Fire” by Franz Ferdinand

Ending Theme: “Let You Down” by Dawid Podsiadło

Composer: Akira Yamaoka

Executive Producers: Rafał Jaki, Dylan Thomas, Taiki Sakurai, Yoshiki Usa

Editor: Masato Yoshitake

Producers: Bartosz Sztybor, Saya Elder, Satoru Homma

Production Companies: Studio Trigger, CD Projekt

Distributor: Netflix

Plot: In a dystopia riddled with corruption and cybernetic implants, a talented but reckless street kid strives to become a mercenary outlaw — an edge runner.

I was most looking forward to this series.

Season 1 of Cyberpunk Edgerunners was crazy.

Pros: You don’t have to play the cyberpunk 2077 game before seeing this series. The series has a lot of non-stop fast-paced in-your-face action that you can’t get enough of. The animated style worked for this series. I was enjoying the romance between David & Lucy. Exploring the underground of a night city.

Cons: There is a lot of moving around from moment-to-moment. The villains are rubbish in this series. At times it can be difficult to know what’s happening in the series. Not that much of story to tell here.

Casts & Crew:

David Martinez (デイビッド・マルティネス, Deibiddo Marutinesu)

Voiced by: Kenn (Japanese); Zach Aguilar (English)

Dominican American teenager who is a top student at the prestigious Arasaka Academy. Due to coming from a poor family, he is relentlessly bullied by his classmates and feels like he does not belong at school. A sudden and devastating tragedy leads him to abandon his education and puts him on the path of becoming an edgerunner.

Lucyna “Lucy” Kushinada (ルーシー, Rūshī)

Voiced by: Aoi Yūki (Japanese); Emi Lo (English)

A young netrunner who becomes romantically involved with David and introduces him to the criminal underworld of Night City. She has a particular hatred towards Arasaka and dreams of traveling to the Moon.

Rebecca (レベッカ, Rebekka)

Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa (Japanese); Alex Cazares (English)

A trigger-happy edgerunner and a member of Maine’s crew. She is also Pilar’s younger sister.

Maine (メイン, Mein)

Voiced by: Hiroki Tōchi (Japanese); William C. Stephens (English)

A veteran edgerunner who commands his own crew. He is one of Gloria’s clients and allows David to join the crew under his guidance.

Dorio (ドリオ)

Voiced by: Michiko Kaiden (Japanese); Marie Westbrook (English)

Maine’s girlfriend and second-in-command.

Pilar (ピラル, Piraru)

Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Japanese); Ian James Corlett (English)

A foul-mouthed techie and a member of Maine’s crew. He is also Rebecca’s older brother.

Kiwi (キーウィ, Kīwi)

Voiced by: Takako Honda (Japanese); Stephanie Wong (English)

A veteran netrunner who is often cold and stoic, and a member of Maine’s crew.

Falco (ファルコ, Faruko)

Voiced by: Yasuyuki Kase (Japanese); Matthew Mercer (English)

A member of Maine’s crew who works as the group’s getaway driver.

Faraday (ファラデー, Faradē)

Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue (Japanese); Giancarlo Esposito (English)

A fixer who works for Militech. He has a business relationship with Maine’s crew and often hires them to conduct jobs that usually involve them performing corporate espionage against Arasaka.

Ripperdoc (リパードク, Ripādoku)

Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese); Borge Etienne (English)

A local ripperdoc who helps upgrade and install David’s cybernetic implants, as well as providing him with the required immunosuppressants.

Gloria Martinez (グロリア・マルティネス, Guroria Marutinesu)

Voiced by: Yurika Hino (Japanese); Gloria Garayua (English)

David’s mother and a paramedic who works herself to the bone to pay for his tuition at the Arasaka Academy.

Adam Smasher (アダム・スマッシャー, Adamu Sumasshā)

Voiced by: Yukihiro Misono (Japanese); Alec Newman (English)

A bloodthirsty and fully cybernetic supersoldier who works for Arasaka as their chief of security.

I highly recommend watching this series only on Netflix.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars 

Ryan Balkwill:

Resident TV reviewer,

Level Best Art Cafe.

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