Netflix’s anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is the embodiment of ’80s and early ’90s anime. It’s overly-dramatic, ridiculously bombastic, and exceptionally violent, set in the world of Night City, which we all know from CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk: 2077. The 10 episode series from Studio Trigger (Star Wars: Visions, Promare) arrives on Netflix on September 13, and for an anime series taking place in the world of a video game, it has no right to be this good.
The series follows David, a struggling student at a prestigious academy way out of the price range of what his working mother can afford. David joins the underworld of Night City, becoming an Edgerunner and dives into the world of body-modification. From there, he starts running with other Edgerunners, who are a misfit group of large personalities.
It’s a story about classism, the little guy standing up for himself, greed, all while tinkering with the Ship of Theseus thought experiment. These are all typical tropes you’d see in a sci-fi anime–especially one from decades prior. And while David comes off early on as immature and a bit unlikable, his character arc is incredibly engaging and satisfying. Everyone can relate to youthful rebellion, wanting a better life for yourself, and trying to game the system, taking power from the privileged, so this show has the immense potential to hit that nostalgic part of your brain remembering your younger years.