With the latest trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Netflix is teasing a stylish new anime that is sure to unite the fanbases of classics in the genre, as well as people who enjoy CD Projekt Red’s videogame, Cyberpunk 2077.
Just like the game that was released on most modern consoles in 2020, the show will focus on the futuristic metropolis of Night City, “where chrome exceeds the flesh,” according to the trailer’s YouTube description.
The plot of the show will focus on a child from the streets “trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future,” according to the synopsis of the series on IMDb.
“Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an Edgerunner, a Mercenary outlaw also known as a Cyberpunk.”
It’s only natural that anime would be the medium of choice for a Cyberpunk 2077 spinoff. Though the videogame is based on a tabletop roleplaying game, the genre of Cyberpunk, overall, is heavily influenced by Japanese animation, with films such as Akira and Ghost in the Shell considered genre-defining masterpieces right alongside William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer, and Ridley Scott’s seminal film, Blade Runner, in the west.
What’s more, the animation for Cyberunk: Edgerunner also looks very much in the style of the aforementioned anime films, full of richly detailed motion, mind-bending tech, and colorful characters. All of this, as well as Netflix’s commendable track record with other anime shows like Castlevania and Arcane, makes us excited at what Cyberpunk: Edgerunners brings when it comes to the streaming service this September.
