Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a 2022 anime based of the video game Cyberpunk 2022. The film follows David a street kid that after losing everything in a drive by shooting decides to become an edge runner a high-tech black-market mercenary. Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a great unique crazy anime that any fan of old school cyberpunk will love.
The direction in the how in good. The film has a great ensemble of characters that really do feel like a team. The crew of Edgerunners really feel unique and like a sort of difunctional family everyone plays there part well and creates a great ensemble for the film. The film has a great mood to it. The anime has a great dark oppressive mood to it. The anime is chaotic with anyone dying at any time that begin said there is a heart to cyberpunk as he shows emotional connection to the characters is what drives the show. The film has a great style to it. The show is over the top and chaotic and showcases the insanity of cyberpunk. However, there is a calm and subtly to the show as well creating an experience that will live with you.
The acting in the film is good. Zach Aguilar does a good job as David Martinez a teenager that through tragedy ends up becoming a Edgerunner. Emi Lo does a good job as Lucy a young mysterious net runner that becomes David’s love interest. William C. Stephens does a good job as Maine a veteran Edgerunner and leader of the crew. Marie Westbrook does a good job as Dorio Maine’s girlfriend and second in command. Ian James Corlett does a good job as Pilar a loud-mouth techie. Stephanie Wong does a good job as Kiwi the cold and stoic veteran netrunner of the crew. Matthew Marcer does a good job as Falco the getaway driver of the crew. Alex Cazares does a good job as Rebecca a young trigger-happy Edgerunner. Giancarlo Esposito does a good job as Faraday a fixer that works with Millitech that has a business relationship with Maine’s crew. Borge Etienne does a good job as Ripperdoc who helps David upgrade his cybernetic implants. Gloria Garayua does a good job as Gloria Martinez David’s mother and paramedic who works hard to pay her sons tuition for him to go to an academy school.
The writing in the film is good. The film has a very tight story that plays itself out in the ten-episode run perfectly that any more episodes would seem overblown. The characters have a decent amount of depth to them decide there being limited amount of time and the story is genuinely engaging within this cyberpunk world. The story also goes crazy places with crazy characters that you will not expect. There is also a decent amount of genuine depth in the show and interest ideas to play with and is interesting. Finally, the show is also genuinely funny with crazy over the top characters. Show revels in its insanity and the crazy elements of the show work to make an over-the-top insane experience that is unlike any other.
The cinematography in the show is good. The show has a very stylised element to it that really works. The use of colours and effects great a great neon dripped ecstatic that feels like a real cyberpunk world. The shows animation is also great the anime style really works with the cyberpunk ascetic creating a throwback to 80s gory cyberpunk with a beautiful unique look that is unlike anything else.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a great dark gritty crazy over the top film that any fan of old school 80s 90s anime will love.
