Here we go, Ishita Phello Dzine and Raji Pheroere! When your passion is for neon, shiny things and independence from bossy corporations, don your seatbelt.
Netflix has once again brought us the exciting and thrilling world of Night City. Yes, because Cyberpunk: Edgerunners became such a success, Netflix has decided to create an additional original cyberpunk anime. As soon as I heard, my devices, or so I like to call them, went crazy!
Look, we are all adults. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners first aired in September 2022 and was not just like other anime programs. The film gave us a painful punch in the stomach and left us all shaken.
The tale of David Martinez, Lucy, and Rebecca was one that mixed ambitions, love, and the severe challenges faced in Night City. Once I finished the series, it was about 3 AM, and I was sitting under my ceiling asking myself if I’d ever find an anime as significant to me ever again.
I felt it in a different way. Not only did I feel this way; Edgerunners received a huge number of awards, showing its appeal to fans globally.
It was like getting a direct shot of chrome when we got news from Netflix Geeked Week about an animation in the Cyberpunk universe being developed.
1. After watching Edgerunners, a new story is ready to be discovered.
Despite how much I’d like to re-watch David and Lucy in a new Edgerunners episode, such an anime is highly unlikely.
Studio Trigger has openly stated that Edgerunners tells only the story of David and ends with his fate. In my view, leaving it as is allows the tragedy to remain perfectly tragic.
The project is being described as a new exploration of Night City developed by Netflix Animation and CD Projekt Red. So, what does this talk about? As a result, we are likely to see another set of characters, a different story, and a fresh look at life (or death) in New York City.
Consider how huge the area of Night City is. It feels like a personality with numerous stories waiting to be discovered. The world explores locations as different as the towers of Arasaka and Militech, the unsafe Watson region, and the large, barren badlands.
This is wonderful news because it suggests we will not cover the same areas. We can encounter people from the city who are edgerunners, netrunners, fixers, corpo rats, or simple citizens.
2. What Makes Cyberpunk a Success in Anime?
Combining high-tech with low-life, the cyberpunk genre finds its home naturally in anime. With animation, anime makers can emphasize cyborg changes, liven up settings with colorful lighting, and create striking fast-action scenes, things that live-action finds challenging.
Visual Storytelling: Anime is great at creating complex and dystopian settings. All the detailed characters, the vast and lively city settings, and the exciting fighting scenes are easy to notice. In Edgerunners, Night City came to life with every scene, making it dangerous in every situation.
Cyberpunk deals with more than just futuristic gadgets and fireworks. It explores significant issues about humans, identity, big business, and the price of moving forward.
Anime has time and again managed to treat serious ideas with insight and sincerity. Consider shows such as Ghost in the Shell and Akira. This series might follow in the footsteps of other Nintendo classics.
Animation allows artists to start from a clean slate. In a science fiction story, a character can grow as many cybernetic limbs as necessary, and fight scenes can be as wild as the writer imagines.
Because of this liberty, authors can try unique approaches to their stories.
3. Little-Known Tall Tales from Night City
The main attraction of a new tale in a recognized universe is getting to see new, unexplored spots. We could see the infamous Net in action, follow crises in the corporations, or read about something that happened in V’s life prior to Cyberpunk 2077 or Edgerunners. Anything is possible.
For instance, we could notice that
Corporate Espionage Thriller: Imagine that your story follows a secret agent using deep and innovative cyber tricks to outwit rivals and steal confidential information.
Action in the Badlands: Would readers enjoy a story featuring the Nomads beyond the brightness of Night City? A strong tale of surviving tough times, standing firm in loyalty, and striving for freedom would make a charming ending to the decaying urban setting.
All of the gangs in Night City began with a particular story. It would be great if the anime touched on how one faction rose to prominence and managed to set itself at the top in the city.
Of course, this is pure speculation, but Night City is not limited to V or David as the only points of storytelling.
4. What Researchers Believe They Know (And What They Haven’t Found Out Yet)
We still know very little about it, and that can be a bit disappointing. It sounds a lot like finding out you’re getting a chrome arm, yet they never mention whether it’ll have a blade hidden in it. Following is what we know from the miniature bit of data provided:
Cooperation: Working as a team, Netflix Animation and CD Projekt Red are creating the show. This makes a difference because the creators manage the game world and ensure all details are real.
The upcoming entry is set in Night City: the teaser images and statements all confirm it.
Not a Continuation: Even though they have worked on it in secret, there are very few hints at Edgerunners coming back.
An animation studio has not yet been chosen to create this. Even though Studio Trigger made Edgerunners excellent, there are many other top-notch studios that can match it. With MAPPA, Wit Studio, and Bones involved, anything could happen!
When will fans get their hands on it? That is still unknown. Since it takes a long time to create great anime, fans likely have to be patient. However, being patient can lead to great results, no?
5. The reason Netflix is expanding in both anime and cyberpunk.
For some time, Netflix has put a lot of effort into anime, and the outcome is clear. They know from Castlevania and Arcane (which is actually very cyberpunk too!) that these styles are popular with viewers.
The series, Edgerunners, did extremely well, becoming popular among both gamers and anime enthusiasts and increasing the sales of the Cyberpunk 2077 game. It proved the value of using multiple channels to present a story.
Netflix appears to be fully engaged in cyberpunk anime with this new series. Creators realize that people are eager to see more science fiction films in bright dystopian settings. And indeed, for me, a longtime fan who spent hours reading those books, this is just amazing.
Solar panels? You could say that they are the superheroes who protect your roof. You can reduce climate change as you watch Netflix? Please include me in it!
6. Finally, prepare for Adventure to Flatline!
The truth is, you’re reading because you’re as enthusiastic about it as I am. Night City got new life in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners because it became the setting for gripping, emotional, and eye-catching animated narratives.
Having new characters try to overcome new threats in that hostile world is exciting to imagine.
Regardless of what the animation studio, plot, or name will be, we can tell that Netflix plans to add more to the Cyberpunk universe.
Therefore, be sure to fully charge your cyberdeck, tidy up its chrome, and prepare for the virtual battle. It’s time to explore Night City, since things are going to get really interesting soon.
We will look forward to jumping back into the wrathfully beautiful scenes that fill each movie. May it be a birth that happens quickly, choom. Here’s to hoping it’s extremely successful.