If you feel the wistful sting in your eye of a tear welling up, let it fall. For you have tapped in (or jacked in) to a special moment in time. 𝘾𝙮𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙠: 𝙀𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 casts a wide breadth of emotion and characterization for just a ten episode mini-series. Considering the lore of Mike Pondsmith’s universe, with the Japanese sphere of influence on the doorstep of the NUSA, it feels natural that an American video game and IP can fit into the world of anime.
If you haven’t played the game, no problem. Studio Trigger faithfully and concisely adapts the world of Cyberpunk 2077 with expositional details that guide new viewers without making experienced cyberpunks feel like a gonk. Fans of CDProjekt Red’s redemptive masterpiece will enjoy seeing in-game mechanics represented visually. Quickhacks, holo calls, sandevistins, cyberpsychosis; all of these game abilities and concepts are beautifully and creatively animated. And in painstaking detail, every single location in the show (besides permanently destroyed structures) can be visited in-game.
The entire experience of 𝘾𝙮𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙠: 𝙀𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 is a visual treat. The vast palette of striking neons, to the moody color-soaked nights evocative of 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙍𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧, everything is rich and fluid.
For the short time you spend with these characters their arcs feel fully lived. As a sucker for macabre storytelling, the show manages to play on all the right heart strings. It is indeed a tragedy, but with themes of hope, sacrifice, and destiny uplifting it to the bitter end.
The prestigious Crunchyroll Anime of the Year Award winner also took home a win in the category of best voice actor performance. Big ups to Zach Aguilar for his incredible English work, but it will be a cold day in hell before I watch anime in dub.
A grand conspiracy, a tragic femme fatale, and a world that was rigged from the start, this may be a noir after all.
So all my chooms stuntin’ in the back of Afterlife who’s lost someone they love, get up off the wall and raise that mf chrome.
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