Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Is the Sequel You Didn’t Know You Needed (Review)

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners ended in as complete of a way as any anime project could ask for. It had a central cast of characters that all found their respective ends, and it thematically wrapped with a look into the future. But as fans of the original Cyberpunk 2077 world are fully aware, Night City has a ton of characters that could be at the center of their own stories. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 makes the most of this with a new batch of characters and a fresh narrative drive.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 takes an anthology like approach with its return to its world as it tells a story that may or may not have connections with the original series. Rather than acting as a direct sequel to David and Lucy’s adventures in the first go around, this new series goes back into Night City and deals with more of the original Cyberpunk 2077 lore through some intriguing new eyes. It’s somehow done the impossible by following up such a great ending with an equally as great series that helps the franchise feel even more complete.

Rating: 5 out of 5

PROS	CONS
New cast is more connected to one another through complex story beats	It’s only 10 episodes
Parallels themes from the first series to make comparisons
Looks and sounds incredible

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Looks Just as Great (And Sometimes Better) Than the First

One thing that you will immediately notice with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 is just how well it’s put together. Much like the first season of the series, the world of Night City is just oozing with cool backgrounds, and each of the character designs are bright while standing out from one another. No character looks the same as another, and that’s especially true when compared back with the first series. Kai Ikarashi already struck a chord with fans in the first season with the standout sixth episode, and now he’s taken over as director for this entire new wave of episodes for more flourish.

It’s a striking visual marvel that’s just so great to look at with each episode, and it never feels like it’s too busy to follow along. There are scenes where it’s purposefully frenetic and hard to parse due to a character’s emotional state, but even then the trippy visuals make for a harder hitting experience. This goes along with how it all sounds as well as both the English and Japanese voice cast are stellar, and a grooving soundtrack helps to underline a technological heartbeat underneath Night City. But all of the stunning visual work in the world wouldn’t matter if the story didn’t come through.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2. This new series introduces fans to Roman (Momoka Terasawa/Valeria Rodriguez), a 12 year old obsessed with recording events on a vintage camera to capture their true beauty. Through chance meetings with the mysterious Talia (Akari Kito/Kimoy Lee) and the even more mysterious D (Koki Uchiyama/Nazeeh Tarsha), Roman finds himself wrapped up in even more complicated situations than he ever could have expected to capture on camera. And much like the first series, it’s a descending spiral into chaos.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Weaves Its Cast Together in a More Complex Way

One of the most appreciated aspects of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 is the way it uses its extended cast of core characters and has them impact one another’s stories. Rather than mostly belong to the same group of Edgerunners following similar goals like in the first series, each person is in the midst of their own complicated individual journeys that weave in and out with one another in increasingly intriguing fashions. For example, Weak (Kentaro Tone/Clancy Brown) is on the outside looking in as he chases after Talia, but ultimately does serve a crucial role in the series for the others as it continues.

It’s surprising to see how each of the characters’ lives interact with one another, and that’s especially true for Roman as he’s in the place of the audience watching it all unfold from a filmmaker’s vantage point. With so many characters actively seeking other things, it makes their scenes compelling as they bounce off of one another. Though it trades the close bond fans enjoyed with the cast in the first series, the exchange makes for a more compelling narrative as any of the characters could also make surprising choices against the others at any point.

It’s a bit difficult to truly dive into these character dynamics without getting too deep into specifics, but suffice to say that it all serves as a parallel to the events of the first series. Because while it’s not a direct continuation of the story, it does serve as a fitting sequel. This second batch of episodes always feel like they are in active conversation with the events of the first series. Not only is it a fitting standalone story in its own right, but it also makes the thematic resonance of that first series feel more complete at the end of it all.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2‘s Only Flaw

Much like the first wave of episodes, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 has its own sense of thematic finality. Though now that it has the first series to reflect on and address with its own events and characters, the total package as a whole has been elevated. You can look back on these two series and see how it all connects to its ultimate conclusion. Both series deal with loss, revenge, and hope in a post-apocalyptic capitalist state, but both series have something different to say about it at the end of the day. It’s a very interesting conversation to have between the two stories.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 tackles similar themes and ideas in a totally different way, and with it proves it needs to exist. It was surprising to find out such a complete story could have a sequel at all, but it’s even more surprising to find out that this second series ultimately makes the first even better with what it adds to the overall package. But the real critical flaw of this second series is that it ends. With only ten more episodes bringing us back into Night City, it just feels like it’s over way too soon.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 comes to such a satisfying end that it feels like the perfect button on this entire anime franchise. The only way to follow perfection is even more perfection, so it’s hard to imagine whether or not it would be possible a third time. Lightning has struck twice with this anime, and that should be celebrated.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 releases with Netflix on October 20th worldwide.

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