Almost two years have passed since the release of Cyberpunk 2077 and, despite the controversies surrounding its development and post-launch, CD Projekt RED has not stopped working on this title, updating the game on Xbox Series X|S to improve its performance, as well as including new features and expanding its universe . Without going any further, the last thing they brought us last week was the 1.06 update and a Phantom Liberty teaser, its first DLC.
And it is that the Polish developer had already declared that the universe of Cyberpunk 2077 still had a lot to tell us, and this expansion of the futuristic universe of CD Projekt not only stays on our consoles: Cyberpunk Edgerunners, the anime developed by Studio Trigger, premieres today on the Netflix platform and last week they held an event to present this new series. SomosXbox was there and then we will tell you our Cyberpunk Edgerunners first impressions.
This event took place behind closed doors at the Renoir Cinemas in Madrid on September 6, a couple of hours after the announcement of Liberty Phantom. The organizers of the event informed us of the latest news; something quite important, since new content in patch 1.06 includes weapons and clothing that reference some of the characters from the anime. After this, we were able to see the first two episodes with dubbing in Spanish.
Synopsis
Just like in Cyberpunk 2077, Edgerunners is set in Night City, a few years before the events of the game.. They tell us the story of their protagonist, David Martinezwho is studying at the academy of arasaka training to be a body. However, her humble background makes her the target of teasing and bullying from her classmates and the only reason she continues to come is because of the enormous effort that her mother, Gloria, makes to pay the bills. her stay there.
Without going into too many details of the plot so as not to spoil the twists of the first chapter, David suffers a tragic incident and by chance ends up meeting Lucywho will most likely involve him in the Edgerunners, some outlaw mercenaries.
But none of these events are foreign to the Arasaka megacorporation, who have set their sights on David and a very special military technological implant that he carries with him. And, with all this mess, the plot of this anime begins that —for now— It will last 10 episodes..
Cyberpunk Edgerunners First Impressions
The anime is in charge of Studio Triggerto whom – if you are a little otakus- you will already know from other quite relevant works in the anime panorama such as kill la kill, Little Witch Academia either Promare. His career in the world of Japanese animation is much longer than the studio itself, since it is founded by ex-workers of Gainaxthe study in charge of mythical works such as Neon Genesis Evangelion.
With this resume and an easily recognizable style, it was to be expected that we would find some first episodes with excellent visual quality. The animation, in general, is very well cared for and polished and the experience of the studio is noticeable in the action scenes… as well his taste for him fan service in some shots of Lucy. The saturated color palette fit perfectly with the Cyberpunk 2077 universe and the anime aesthetic was the perfect medium to show off the character designs.
The tone also adapts perfectly to the essence of the video game: rebellious, a bit sexual and with high doses of violence. The cruelty of night city is present at all times and the introduction follows a rhythm that can serve both a Cyberpunk 2077 player and someone new to it; It doesn’t spout an excessive amount of terms incomprehensible to a non-player, but it doesn’t treat the viewer like an idiot either. It shows, but it doesn’t tell too much to turn it into an eternal dialogue.
The decision to turn Cyberpunk Edgerunners into a prequel is very successfulsince it expands the universe for the players, but it also serves as an introductory hook for those of us who, like me — yes, I admit it — only know the game from having tried it a couple of times, from having taken a look at it while another played or simply hearsay due to the strong controversy that surrounded him.
And, as a person who practically came “new”… has this hook worked for me? Well, I must admit that my interest in Cyberpunk 2077 has never been great enough to embark on the odyssey of putting in the good hours and completing it, but of course I was left wanting more after the end of the second episode and is likely to continue with the anime. The setting managed to catch me and the anime format, much lighter in duration than conventional series, makes it light and easy to watch.
So… who knows? Maybe in a month I’ll be creating my own V and starting my adventure through Night City.
And me, will I like Cyberpunk Edgerunners?
When recommending anime, I always consider that it is necessary to take into account if the other person is used to the language and the ways in which this genre moves: it is very characteristic and not suitable for any viewer. Nevertheless, I don’t think a Cyberpunk 2077 player would have a problem enjoying Cyberpunk Edgerunners.
As I mentioned above, the series knows how to play on the same canvas that the game is drawn on, using its tone and resources and I consider that the Spanish dubbing does a very good job when it comes to localizing and adapting character dialogue and aligns perfectly with the tone of Cyberpunk in general.
If you liked Cyberpunk or had already consumed works of Studio Trigger before, Cyberpunk Edgerunners intro will grab youbut if you had never had an interest in Cyberpunk 2077 or there is something in the forms of anime that tends to squeak you, you may have several uncomfortable moments and it seems, in colloquial terms, “exhausting edgy».
And these have been our first impressions of Cyberpunk Edgerunners, so if you want to see a little more You already have the full season available on Netflix since today.