Story: 4/10
Art: 9/10
Score: 8/10
Characters: 4/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall: 6.5/10
I haven't played 2077 but what a series this turned out to be. With all its ups and downs I felt it still managed to be consistent even towards the end which is funny cause trigger. But it still never reached the mark I expected it to with how praised it is.
Cyberpunk: Edgrunners is a dystopian show that follows every known trope in the genre to a T. The first episode you see the terrible conditions of the main character, you see the corruption surrounding the world he inhabits, a random girl spends 2 seconds with him and falls in love because why not et cetera. Tropes like these are not exactly used as springboards to explore any deeper themes or subvert your expectations they're just used as substitute for any time spent actually fleshing out these developments or relationships. And the funny thing is that's not even the worst of it. My main problem with cyberpunk is probably the generic storyline. It's like the same outcast story being told in the exact same way it has been a million times before. There is no twist to this idea and I feel that brings the show down a few notches. The same problems present themselves with characterization. Everyone feels like a reskin of some other character from some other show set in a future dystopia. It's like I've seen these exact arcs play out the exact same way. The cast is also not that great. You don't care about half the characters in here because they're either one-dimensional or dead. The emotional core of the show is also never properly developed. Things either happen way too quickly for me to register how I'm supposed to feel or they're just unimportant. It doesn't help that the main character is either stone-faced most of the time or just displays emotions at highly selected moments that just make it all feel forced. The only thing that remotely made me feel anything was the romance but that's probably because I'm a sucker for the dynamics at play. I still think David's the most forgettable protagonist I've come across in a while. It's crazy how boring he is.
I liked his conclusion though which felt fitting. It was sad to see him go but at the same time, it's the consequence he had to face. Rebecca's death was hilarious I'm sorry that just came out of nowhere. Lucy's conclusion was fine.
This show NEEDED to be longer. It's way too much shit dumped way too quickly for anything to stick. Overall this is a 6-7/10 show. It's a good cyberpunk show. Finale was the best episode hands down. Dreams and aspirations be damned in this world, just like the pacing of the show.
