Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was released on Netflix in 2020 to critical acclaim, and was beloved by gamers for fully realizing the source material, Cyberpunk 2077, developed by CD Projekt Red. Anime fans also enjoyed the series because it was produced by the legendary Japanese animation house, Studio Trigger. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners followed David, who after installing experimental cyberware into his body, was ensnared in Night City's underworld of high-tech lowlifes, cutthroat corpos, and brutish cyberpsychos. In Night City, you either live fast or die a nobody. Get what you want before it takes everything away.
Season 2 of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was officially announced at Anime Expo. For those who haven't seen season 1 and haven't been spoiled by the Internet yet, this is your chance to back away and binge all 10 episodes on Netflix. Still here? Alright, here're the detes. Beware SPOILERS!
From the jump, the teaser unapologetically reminds us that David is indeed gone. "Don't get too excited. David's dead," said Bartosz Sztybo, producer of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 1, on a panel. He also makes it clear he's aware how much emotional damage the ending of season 1 caused, and has promised more pain to come. "I'm from Poland. People in Poland are sad. They are born sad, they die sad, so I just wanted to make the whole world sad… when people are sad, I'm a bit happy," he said.
The concept for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 is described as "a raw chronicle of redemption and revenge. Lucy, David's girlfriend who survived their run-in with full borg Adam Smasher, is hinted to be seeking revenge on the Arasaka Corporation, and she has a new team of edgerunners to help her.
The final line from Netflix's description interests me, and I believe it says a lot about the direction season 2 may go: "When the world is blinded by spectacle, what extremes do you have to go to make your story matter?"
The child holding the camera tells me that we'll see a lot more media roles in Edgerunners 2. In Cyberpunk 2077 as well as in the table-top role playing game set in the universe, there are classes/roles like techie (mechanic), solo (hands-on mercenary), netrunner (hacker), rocker (punk musician), and so on. Only the solo, techie, and netrunner skills were playable in the game, and technically rocker if you interacted with Johnny Silverhand's storyline. However, there were many quests where you worked with members of the media who would do anything to get their big story, whether it was unearthing trafficking rings or shining the light on mega-corps. The child with the camera could be a media newbie who's going to help Lucy get revenge on Arasaka by uncovering dirt.
It's also a neat detail that the child is even using a camera. This is Cyberpunk; everyone has cameras in their eyes connected to supercomputers under their skulls. This child needing such a rustic device may mean she's fully organic, something rare and dangerous in a world crawling with full-borg freaks. Perhaps the narrative will explore the authenticity of raw evidence and the authority of the photograph in a world of digital alteration. With generative AI such a huge talking point these days, it's a very relevant topic.
The Neon Arcade highlights the contrast between the concept art for seasons 1 and 2; the art for season 2 is more gritty, with a red hue that recalls the Phantom Liberty DLC cover art. Season 2 is also meant to peel back the veil of "romanticism" of being an edgerunner in Night City, and to show us the reality. I believe the child with the camera will play a huge role in revealing the truth.
Season 2 of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is now in production. There's no release date yet, but sometime in the near future, you can check it out on Netflix.
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