Watching this show was quite a ride. I have some issues, but overall and especially in its highlights, this was quite amazing. TRIGGER was a perfect choice for this adaptation: The vibrant and distinctive color themes, the unique action with its stylistic animation, and a staff of directors who can utilize these assets to make the journey into Night City immersive and electrifying.

Night City in general is very nicely depicted. The dirtiness, the divide between rich and poor, and the cruelty of this city are on full display, making this world interesting to explore and see more of. It’s kinda similar to the movie “The Batman”. If you only look at the dialogue, there is little worldbuilding and exposition. But, the visuals, the direction, but also how the characters interact and are influenced by the environment tell us all we need to know and make this city in itself a character.

And in this city, we witness the story of David and Lucy, who try to fulfill their dreams against all the odds. This is where the show got me emotionally; You couldn’t help but root for them, especially because the character writing in this show is quite good - Their motivations and struggles are nuanced, also due to the depiction of the environment because you can see why this city is forcing them or influencing to make certain choices.

But what truly stood out to me were the climaxes and emotional highs of the show: Maine’s death, the final fight against Adam Smasher, Lucy and David’s last kiss, and the final scene when Lucy visits the moon - It was obvious from the start that there would be no happy ending, and watching this show was like a countdown about to go off any minute; But when we reach these ending points, the stellar execution creates breathless moments which are just beautiful.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners is not perfect. It had parts where it felt a bit slow (even with only 10 episodes), and most of the side cast aside from Lucy and David is not well developed. There is much more to explore, and the plot is also rather simple, its twists weren’t that much of a twist - It was predictable overall. The strengths however still shine through with an immersive showcase of the world of Cyberpunk, a heartful story and great emotional highlights.