live fast, die young | Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Futuristic tech, evil corporations, dark, smoke filled rooms; is there more to these classic dark sci-fi moments that just set dressing?
With Cyberpunk 2077’s new update, we got a great anime to pair with it from Studio Trigger, the minds behind Kill la Kill. Set in Night City from the video game, the anime follows David Martinez, a student from Araska Academy seeking excitement in his forcibly dull world. Robbed of humanity by the corporations that lord over Night City, David is reduced to whatever cheap thrills he can find, confined to the same fate as the rest of the city; a miserable doom. That is until Lucy, an edgerunner, changes his life forever. What starts as a simple scheme turns into a romance, as David joins her gang, along with Maine, Dorio, Kiwi, Rebbecca, Pilar, and Falco. What ensues from there is the meat for this video essay. They live wild and crazy adventures, exactly what you’d expect from Studio Trigger. But, even then, have they truly escaped the fate of Night City? Or, have they simply been allowed to run wild for a moment, to give people just enough hope they’re special to keep going; to make more money for the top? It comes down to a depressing choice; to live long and miserable, or, as the classic line says, to “Live fast, die young, and have a good-looking corpse.”
The Netflix original anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, released September 13th 2022, is a great anime to watch. It likely tops the list of all Trigger anime, beating even the now classic Kill la Kill, and doing so with only 10 episodes, making for an easy, but emotional binge watch.
#anime #cyberpunkedgerunners #animeanalysis #professorviral

[@ProfessorViral]

3 links to help destroy corporations: Support us on Patreon to improve our content: www.patreon.com/professorviral Join our Discord for some more discussion: discord.gg/AfwXGKx Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date: twitter.com/Professorviral

[@vanillaicecream2385]

the corps let the edgerunners freely do what they want to let others have hope, let the gangs run free to give others a drive to push further and a good source of training for their troops, all of this is most likely by design..... up until two very special people come along and set a thermonuclear fire under their ass

[@brokeandtired]

Best bit is the nasty school rival gets killed in the final showdown that ends with Adam Smasher.

[@randompotato5761]

Lol this is how California is there is no racism it's just the poverty line what changes you

[@endershepard7117]

Just like they say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. A smart person learns from their own mistakes. A wise person learns from the mistakes of others. David Martinez ain’t smart and he damn sure ain’t wise. He’s a fecking idiot! He’s literally the dumbest protagonist I’ve ever seen in any medium! But the Cyberpunk Edgerunner’s Anime was still really good tho. Mostly because of the outstanding supporting cast, not it’s lead character.

[@Theo-vn9hm]

I have one criticism: School isn't just about absorbing information. It's just as much about being able to apply it, it's about learning methods, skills. Meditation is a skill, you can't just read up on how to meditate and then immediately know how to do it.

[@Dubbel12]

I appreciate that they respected the world of Cyberpunk. No happy endings here.

[@ProfessorViral]

I've never experienced anything else from the Cyberpunk world myself, but I do love a good unhappy ending

[@Dubbel12]

@@ProfessorViral Well there is this famous line in the game 😅 "Happier ending? Here, for people like us? Wrong city, wrong people."

[@Rexxie44]

I mean hell, the tabletop RPG is just that too. Eventually, you're going to be unlucky enough to have Adam Smasher come and that's it. The whole party dies. There's no big W against him. Technically, the game only ends there truly.

[@spicypuphboi2228]

Night city doesn’t allow for happy endings it’s a place happiness goes to die

[@hcaelBBleach]

@@ProfessorViral Should look up stuff from Mike Pondsmith then. The man has such a worldly view. Or peep Kazuliski's 1 hr or so long lore.

[@Tywil714]

David was the epitome of the pharse " the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long"

[@nameputhpong9041]

“Shines twice as bright” is supposed to come first in this phrase lmao

[@nameputhpong9041]

@Repeat after me: Pron ain't worth it i think your math is off. But i wouldn’t know, i’m a caveman.

[@gamesthatshouldbeframed3760]

And I'm thinking of the bad ending of Infamous 2, and damnit now I'm sad again

[@yea3815]

@@nameputhpong9041 who cares

[@smile--]

pharse

[@skyeagain5174]

One exceptionally tragic thing about the whole scenario that we learn from the game (and Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the original Cyberpunk board game) is that Cyberpsychosis isn't even a real thing. The term is a scapegoat from the corps to distract from the fact that these people who go on violent and insane outbursts really just snapped from the strain of this Hellish life and loss of humanity. Iirc, the original owner of the Sandevistan was a traumatized war vet, Maine had just lost a friend and was feeling the pressure from the increasingly dangerous heists, David had just lost Maine, was feeling the same pressure and was facing the potential loss of the person he loves most. The chrome isn't the cause, but quite literally losing pieces of your humanity contributes.

[@ProfessorViral]

Jesus, that makes it a lot worse for sure. Details I didn't know, thanks for the heads up!

[@voidtraveller8667]

@@ProfessorViral if you pay attention to the stories around the cyber psychos in the game, all of them are suffering some form of PTSD or mental illness. It isn't the chrome. While his sanity is questionable, Smasher is 96% cybernetics. Lizzy Wizzy, popstar and quest NPC in the game is also nearly total cyborg, but no unhinged killing spree.

[@kingofpigs6630]

@@voidtraveller8667 it still seems like the implants amplify the effects. I don't know, I feel like it's both implied that it's not the implants and that it partially is the implants at different times. Like we definitely see David's condition deteriorate much more rapidly after installing the the cyberskeleton, but there are a lot of instances where underlying issues are implied to be actual cause.

[@vidmuncher]

@@kingofpigs6630 they take immunodepressants, so the chrome IS taxing their nervous system. But cyberpsycosis being PTSD, but "you're driving a tank" makes A LOT of sense

[@gabrielkauffman4265]

@@kingofpigs6630 I agree, but I also think that the mental state required to replace functioning parts of yourself with cybernetics is generally already a little cracked. When David gets his first implant, he's at the literal lowest point of his entire life. Beaten and broken by his classmate, with no money and even less of a future, he brutalizes himself to get a taste of power, and then he keeps doing it.

[@skullexplosion9000]

This is one of the few anime that feels like the world while still live on even if the main character is dead

[@ProfessorViral]

Thats a mark of series I love. When they feel like a victim of the world that keeps going, it's usually pretty damn good

[@alchemistofsteel8099]

@@ProfessorViral Kinda reminds me of Full Metal Alchemist 2003

[@efxnews4776]

Well, go play the game then... you wont regreat.

[@Yunglex313]

I mean, it does. The World of Night City is just a setting. There are several stories told in the World of Cyberpunk, from the video game, to the table top campaigns made by players, to the books written based on the game. This is what happens when you create a world so good. People take that setting and run with it.

[@Tywil714]

The ending reminded me of Akame ga kills anime ending where everybody including the male protagonist dies. While the Deuteragnist female ends up surviving. Whats even more depressing in the grand scheme of things David and Rebeccas deaths will be treated as another run of the mill cyberpsycho event but with more attention since they killed who knows how many personnel.

[@loopylinguini5910]

Probably the best most tragic thing about the writing is something you touched on briefly, aside from David and Rebecca, most of the main cast are killed by nobodies. Because in night city it doesn't matter who you are, after enough fights, after enough close calls your luck will run out, your death probably won't be some beautiful last stand, but simply a matter of bad luck

[@ProfessorViral]

Although I only mentioned it briefly, that's a big part of what makes the series so impactful for sure. Evil isn't running around causing chaos under some name or banner; it's just lurking everywhere

[@2120musiclover]

I mean, David and Rebecca are too. In the game, Adam Smasher is an early boss level; easy to defeat. So, for people not familiar with the game, Adam seems invincible but for those familiar with the game, that’s what makes their deaths even more of a gut punch.

[@cryguy0000]

Even then Rebecca was crushed in an instant, blink and you miss it. Maine probably had the best death, going out in a blaze of glory realizing his time was up. Rebecca had some depth to her, showing some real humanity and care but was snuffed from the world like it was nothing. It's nuts, and unfair, it sucks, and that's what makes it's great

[@asclepius.dionysus]

@@cryguy0000 someone told me this crazy theory that becca was actually saved by someone unknown who had their own sandevistan.

[@Zarastro54]

David’s own mother died a miserable lonely death in a coma in a back alley medical center. No last words for her son, no closure. She died of a completely random event without knowing what hit her.

[@RangerHouston]

The setting of Night City is just so full of theme. The bright neon lights everywhere, and yet it’s so dark. The clean, sterile streets and grimey, filthy alleyways. _So much atmosphere_

[@NutsorSomethingBerserk]

Even more than the game, I felt like Edgerunners captured the theme of “Night City is the true villain of Cyberpunk 2077” perfectly. Yes, Faraday was ultimately the guy that screwed David and co. over but David was heading for damnation anyways because of the way he was living. Being so dependent on his augments and him being so head strong that he’s “special” when really he just has a better tolerance to cyberware than most people. Night City made him that way though. Fated him to fall down this rabbit hole. I love how the show brilliantly captured that.

[@mikepowell8611]

I would be outta that city so fast it would make your head spin! I would rather live in the desert eating rats then set foot in that god awful hell hole for one minute!

[@RicochetForce]

It perfectly encapsulated the theme of the genre as a whole: "High Tech, Low Life." It is as dystopian as it gets.

[@RicochetForce]

@@mikepowell8611 Exactly. Night City is place of no trust, no hope, and no future.

[@mdv9831]

@@NutsorSomethingBerserk the even sadder thing imo is that I think cyberpsychosis could be stopped just be toning down the implants.

[@mzfiend2584]

"Cyberpunk isn't about saving humanity, it's about saving yourself." Is how Mike Pondsmith described Cyberpunk once. No matter how high you climb or how far you go, you'll never break the corporate machine that governs this worlds settings and everything in it. The best you can do is climb the corporate ladder or live and die in a spectacular enough fashion to be remembered. The show embodies these themes so well.

[@wilberwhateley7569]

Then don’t break the machine - destroy this pathetic excuse for a world by all means necessary: even if no plan exists to replace the present order, complete destruction allows for at least the possibility of something new even if the result is a catastrophe…

[@motivation4u197]

I always liked perspectives like this. From one of my books “How to be a modern samurai” we’re given the option to rebel against the system, become another cog in the well oiled corporate machine, or play the game and win no matter the cost

[@sarahnade8663]

@@wilberwhateley7569 That is what the Fallout series is ultimately about. The pre-war world was very similar to Cyberpunks world if not worse. And what the series constantly reinforces is that the great war was more Noah's flood than some deep tragedy. It was a sadly necessary event to wipe the slate clean and give humanity a chance to start over from a clean slate. That's why I love Fallout. It's setting is so horrific, but there's this real sense of hope and promise of a brighter future that wasn't present in either the pre-war world or Cyberpunk.

[@ushift]

@@wilberwhateley7569 Yeah when people say this I feel like they are living a way too sheltered life. Before shattering the world you live in try and live in a place where those rules don't exist for an extended period of time. Any place with war especially a civil war is a good place to start because that is what your idea entails. Extreme chaos with no structure or order. And you also have to be okay with never living through till the point where humanity finds something new. That's why causes have to be so big you sacrifice your life much like how the mother in the story used her life in order for David to go further. Even if it didn't happen, I'm sure she felt fulfilled. In the end, acceptance and finding your own meaning of happiness is the only option unless you feel like millions and possibly billions of people need to die for you to be happy. Destroying late-stage capitalism even with its cons, is a wasted effort that will just lead to other problems with the next system in x years. There is no such thing as a utopian system especially when the ones creating are as flawed as humans are. Maybe just having a healthy idea of what actually matters to you is more important than focusing on what the world needs.

[@wilberwhateley7569]

@@ushift And? You think that the idea of no established social order scares me? If the alternative to no social is tyranny, then I shall take the former every time - even if it's total chaos there's always at least the possibility of change for the better instead of stagnation under some ruling elite...

[@_KITE]

My favorite scene was when David is telling the Doc to give him stronger suppressants and the Doc was like "do you really think there's something out there that could save you?" It was horrifying and great.

[@Hshdjdjdhd]

i dont even watched the show, but im already so sad that lucy will be alone, that i dont even dare to watch edgerunner :C

[@Covicult]

@@Hshdjdjdhdhey, I’m late to this comment but let me tell you something honest and truthful. I think that it’s worth watching and seeing it yourself if you haven’t. It gives you a new perspective on things and an overall appreciation and relatability to our real world. And a new perspective on the game universe. Just my thoughts though.

[@Hshdjdjdhd]

@@Covicult great comment, I will watch it then :)

[@wontonschannel]

@@Hshdjdjdhd whether you watch it or not, she's gonna be alone, so you might as well enjoy the beautiful story given to you (edit: relistened to 'I Really Want To Stay At Your house' and I take back what I said, don't watch it, the show will destroy you for like a week)

[@Hshdjdjdhd]

@@wontonschannel :o the song is sooo sad :C 😭

[@Brilchan]

The biggest tragedy like greek lvl in this story was that D and Lucy did not communicate if she would just tell him what she was doing and what she learned about him also maybe convinced him to get some personal cloned meat and scaled down the implants they might be happy but they both were too broken by the world and the upbringing they had for healthy communication like that

[@1Animeculture]

You wont last a second if your chrome doesnt keep up, the whole scheme of night city is that there is a demand to survive and to survive you must adapt and upgrade wich in turn leave you in serious debt and have to get your hands dirty that further increases your life of suddenly ending. Its a very vicious and profitable cycle.

[@RavusRiven]

100% it’s unfortunate they both thought they could protect one another in isolation when they really should have just talked - but there was no time, not when things move this quickly

[@OovooJaver-]

This is all apart of the setting. Night City teaches you early on that you can only trust yourself. The city test the closest bonds between people everyday. NC is by extension, it’s own character and you can draw many parallels to our own reality.

[@pressrepeat2000]

So true. We wouldn’t have many tragic stories in movies or in life if people just knew how to communicate openly.

[@ceton1843]

no it wouldnt have happened like that. the thing that kept david going was that he believed he was special. if she told him she was going at arasaka to delete info about bc they want him bc they think he is special he would have just felt confirmed. He would have kept going even more, thats why she could not tell him. yet he also kept believing he was special until it took him to his end.

[@punchtothegut]

The sheer amount of blood David kept vomiting and gushing out of his nose was truly worrisome considering how like 90% of his body was mostly chrome at that point

[@cancer9108]

The two lessons I learned from edge runners is chasing your dreams are worth it even if they ain’t your own and there’s only so much one man can do against an evil so large and a world so uncaring.

[@axel665]

Except real life chase your dream get debt

[@sisco5153]

​@@axel665 not necessarily. Yeah If you go out and chase Dreams without planning it out and without urgency yeah your not going to reach your goal or achieve anything. Like you say might even take some step back but you can take steps to reach your goal just got to sacrifice and improve yourself which is difficult by itself and therefore why many never reach thier dreams/goals.

[@Sth_Magical]

I think it’s the opposite. Find your own dreams and learn to let go of the weight of unhealthy emotions and expectations

[@madstar44]

the dream was david's but it wasnt for him

[@Hshdjdjdhd]

i dont even watched the show, but im already so sad that lucy will be alone, that i dont even dare to watch edgerunner :C

[@wouldbemusic]

13:16 the cursor on the screen really served as a good visual as to how the upper class of Night City controls your life the same way you control a computer program. The only way to break the cycle is to never join it. That's what Lucy was trying to do for David from the start and sadly he never saw it.

[@ProfessorViral]

This is what I get for not writing down my notes. I saw that and was supposed to fix it 😭

[@wouldbemusic]

@@ProfessorViral it actually works really well with what you were saying so I thought it was a purposeful thing you did but nonetheless it is a nice touch!

[@no3ironman11100]

@@wouldbemusic stop comforting him rofl

[@afroninjahd3778]

@@no3ironman11100 watch out guys it’s the comfort police

[@Namiz00]

@@afroninjahd3778 the Relax Rozzers

[@strelok230]

Despite it's flaws, the game touches on this as well, with an in game quest added to tie into the anime, it's message being "don't end up like David". The game itself tells you from the get-go there will be no happy ending, not with the decision to come to Night City, the city that embodies all these themes, but the endings, the happier ones in my opinion, all have a similar message. Leave the city, it's culture, it's empty promises of fortune and success, leave it all behind. In the Nomad ending, you leave the city behind with your new found family. Yes you will die, yes you will struggle, but you will do so with friends and family, your last moments spent happy and fulfilled, free from the corporate overlords and even the government. The nomads live on the fringe of society, criminals by the very nature of refusing to take part in the game the very top have trapped everyone else in. They'll never be rich, they'll never be truly famous, but they can be happy. Their hard work will provide for them and their family. With Night City itself a metaphor of this cycle, Judy's advice and drive to "leave the city behind" because "if you play by it's rules, you'll always lose" ring true. I have no real ending to this essay I've ended up typing, but this video has captured the feeling have everyday I wake up and go to work.

[@jingleding9002]

Happy ending?. wrong people, wrong city

[@efxnews4776]

@@jingleding9002 actually it is a good ending, you will die, but everyone dies, is how we live that matter, and what meaning our death would have. In game you also have another ending, that is "peaceful" in a sense, as V said to Jhonny, "it's clean, and no one else need to trade their lives to our own". V commit suicide rightly after while staring to the city, just two more lost souls in a place where this happens all the time. Problem is, that when the credits roll, you see the aftermath of your suicide, with all the people that care about you, in grief, and it is heartbreaking is the perfect contrast of good ending, V dying alone, without hope, without meaning, is a sad death that only send waves of despair to all people who cared about V. Yes, V is dying at the nomad ending, no way to escape from fate... but V did indeed found peace and happyness, a family and a home, death come to us all, but where and with who you want to be when you give your last breath?

[@jingleding9002]

@@efxnews4776 well said. I was using the johnny line to say the city isn’t a place for good ends, the best way to overcome that is to just leave that cursed city

[@degeneratepervert6255]

Maybe Biotechnica can help V. Maybe.

[@nathan9901]

Capitalism

[@cromtuiseagain]

In Cyberpunk, Night City is the protagonist. Everyone else loses.

[@Butter_Warrior99]

I’d argue in a matter of perspective David did get his good ending. He fulfilled the one goal that he fought for, he fought to realize the dreams of those he care for the most. He got to the top of Arasaka, he became more Chromed than Maine, and he got his girl to the moon. It’s sad to see him go, but he died with a smile, and a conscious mind.

[@tonydanatop4912]

True David in some sense did achieve what he set out to, but like viral said it was a hollow victory at most. He managed to get to the top of arasaka, be a bigger crime boss than his mentor and help his girlfriend make it to the moon, but he still lost almost everyone he cared about, and was shot dead in the street like so many other kids from his neighborhood probably were and will be in the future…and he wasn’t even 20. He achieved his dream but he Shouldn’t have had to become a violent addict to do it…no one should.

[@Butter_Warrior99]

@@tonydanatop4912, Like I said before, wrong city, wrong people. If someone lives in a hellhole like that, gotta make the best of the worst possible situation.

[@tonydanatop4912]

@@Butter_Warrior99 agreed he did good for a night city kid, that can’t be denied

[@PreciousIvy]

nah I don't think that's it, David ending is still a tragic story. He lived his entire life for someone's sake, he only knew that he had obligations to follow through, he never had something he sought for, he never knew his place, he just wanted to fullfill what his mother and Maine wanted, their dreams, but they're not his. He might have freed himself from others wishes, but not even that, because Lucy's wish was him to not die and go to the moon. Lucy ironically was the one who repeated what I just said here to him.

[@animebeast181]

But he didn't do his promise fully, yes he sent lucy to moon but alone, im not arguing but just saying he promised luxy to take them both to the moon but sadly it didnt fullfill

[@AlibucketsBeats]

A lot of people fail to realize David was only 18 when he died. They sent the NC boogeyman after a kid because he became too OP. People give David cramp for losing to Smasher when he was never trying to fight him just save Lucy. David’s attitude throughout the show was that he never had goals or seemed to care. Once he saved Lucy he accepted his fate. I kind of wonder if he was 28 like V with more battle experience under his belt and couldn’t become a cyber psycho. He definitely became a legend

[@yip2188]

I disagree that David didn't have goals nor seemed to care. On the contrary, I feel like his actions were fueled by his goals and because he cared so much about the people tied to said goals. His mother's wish, Maine's chroming desires, Lucy to the moon. The only thing he didn't care about was himself. That's why he died

[@ambreentariq1423]

V's 23.

[@AlibucketsBeats]

@@ambreentariq1423 V was 28 before they changed his age in the game. And the point of the matter is it took V longer and to die at the hands of Dex and have Johnny Silverhand in his head to gain the tolerance David had. Imagine if David had Vic and not Doc to do his implants someone to give him guidance. That’s probably going go over your head like everyone else and I fuck with V

[@void-creature]

I think the one silver lining in David's story and perhaps the hint of a "solution" to the state of it's world the show (and the game as well) provide is in David's one final success, to get Lucy to the moon. Despite her begging him to prioritize his own self-preservation over her dream, he made the decision, by his own, to sacrifice himself for another, to be truly selfless in the end, and to value those personal connections over everything else, over "becoming a legend", over "making it big", over the false hope of survival; All that mattered to him in the end was his EMPATHY. And with it, he achieves his one and only victory over the system, not for himself, but for Lucy. That message of empathy being the only thing that can truly hope to provide an escape from the system (unlike the deluded faux-rebellious carnage of edgerunners or the likes of Jonny Silverhand, which seek to violently escape/topple but ultimately achieve nothing) sits at the heart of at least CDPR's Cyberpunk stories.

[@jet100a]

I agree with the overall point but johnny achieved a ton. He hit that corporation pretty hard and helps bring it down a peg.

[@romariorene]

At the end, he was just a super simp

[@ceton1843]

i dont think thats what happened. lucys dream changed over the course of the anime. she started to want to go to the moon together with david. but david was preoccupied with his dream of being special, that put him a lot of danger. Their goals and dreams kinda contradicted themselves and david won in the end living a life of being extraordinary until he was met by someone who was simply more extraordinary than him. lucys dream did not get fullfilled in return. david would have had to give his dream of being special up for hers to come true, whcih did not happen.

[@TheSkaOreo]

But it’s a phyrric victory: what’s so sad about that ending is that Lucy’s desire to go to the moon is really just metaphorical. It’s not so much she literally wants to go to the moon, but she wants to escape the other hellhole that is night city. The moon could have been anywhere. The thing is she changes her dream to accommodate David, but David’s flaw is that never considers that he can possibly run away with her because he never considers that he can possibly be happy. He lives solely to help others reach their dreams.

[@efxnews4776]

In the game, the good ending for V is join the Aldecaldos nomad clan, and ride trough the desert, it isn't an easy life, but it is home and family, theres peace and happyness there, not without hardships, but still, a better life, even if V would have every little time left to enjoy his /her happy ending.

[@HideousConformity]

Corporate schools in the world of Cyberpunk are just as much about feeding the students corporate propaganda to instill loyalty towards the corporation as they are about educating them. It's focused on turning them into employees.

[@PeachDragon_]

Like our schools

[@gamerhistorian7843]

Amazon, Walmart, or the Military is the future for most Americans

[@ifirespondiamstupid7750]

@@PeachDragon_ how so? I mean when I was at school, there was so much violence from students to teachers that it was not funny.

[@wilberwhateley7569]

So true - most schools these days don’t want to teach independent thought: they want to churn out employees that are smart enough to operate the machinery of society, but not smart enough to as *why* the machinery is there in the first place…

[@ultrarisen]

@@ifirespondiamstupid7750 While it's obviously going to somewhat differ depending on the school and it's staff, the United States education system was designed on a fundamental level to teach kids how to be compliant workers, because the system was created during the industrial Revolution. While you certainly can learn interesting things at school if your teachers care enough, at it's core the system is designed to teach kids to do what they're told without question. John D. Rockefeller, the man who founded the General Education Board, said himself, "I don’t want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers."

[@Captain_Ironbeard]

That script hurt just by how raw and unfiltered it was. And because of that it resonated a lot with me. I find myself escaping a lot into media lately, after Edgerunners especially into the game Cyberpunk, listening to Edgerunners reviews and searching for something human I can't seem to find in real life anymore. I know it's not healthy, but it's getting increasingly more difficult to get up in the morning, just to be treated like dirt under a shoe the whole day, only to get back into a dystopian world in the evening that seems to mirror my view of the current world more and more.

[@slick4415]

Stop escaping and start living, there is real life to be lived human connection will be far more fulfilling than any media you can ingest

[@Luemm3l]

Funny how most media that teaches that ultimately has to be left behind. That was more or less the message of something like neon genesis Evangelion as well and is the story of games like this as well. There is no respawn, no save point in real life.

[@Chill-mm4pn]

As someone with ptsd, anxiety and depression I say seek help. Even if it's just an evaluation from a psychiatrist on phone or video call. I feel like the existential crisis comes from not living a life that one finds meaning in. Most of our issues come from childhood. Escapism only goes so far until you're pulled back to reality again. I hope you have a better day. If you can, take a pto day off work just for yourself. Shit can get better despite present circumstances. I hope it gets better for you.

[@nhlcbj]

Listening to this while sleepwalking through the last hour of my dead end job made my heart race for the first time in what feels like days if not weeks. Thank you. I haven’t started the show yet but I have nothing else going on tonight or this weekend so I’m gonna get on that asap.

[@ProfessorViral]

Happy I could provide that for you : ) I hope it helps lead somewhere great

[@MMW_RondoWRLD]

Did you watch it yet?

[@nhlcbj]

@@MMW_RondoWRLD no, I had family stuff come up :/. I’m taking some time off from work this coming week so I’ll have plenty of free time

[@nhlcbj]

I just watched the first episode. Mother of Fuck!

[@nhlcbj]

Just starting episode 7 now, I’m shaking

[@xilongcao8854]

"What does sanity do in this world, it just let you remember how shit everything is". This is basically how most of people function these days, drowning in all kinds of escapism, ones that are negative, and ones that are seemingly positive like excessive work. I think before we figure out why we are here in this world at all, there will be no changing of this, only more insanity. Thanks for this video.

[@fleshytrash]

this is a underrated based take

[@ifirespondiamstupid7750]

Insanity creates more insanity. We need to help the insane no matter how bad it is.

[@xilongcao8854]

@@ifirespondiamstupid7750 I agree, but the thing is, as I stated, unless we can figure out why we are here at all, how we are coded, and find out a way to get rid of that coding which is the core reason for all the insanities in our world, any help will be just a band aid on individual level, as a species we will just run in circles without ever breaking it.

[@ifirespondiamstupid7750]

@@xilongcao8854 Well man, what I see here out of both our statements is that only one is possible to achieve. You can try to find the meaning of life till your deathbed. Who knows! Our children's, children's, children's, X 10 might find that answer later on. But for now, let's help the people we can with our limited abilities.

[@Joubes]

I think a really big part of what connects this anime to audiences is that a lot of people are feeling like David right now. We're all trapped in the machine trying to live up to the expectations of those around us.

[@VodkaHellstorm]

That sense of ennui, staring at a screen of nothing, barely sleeping. I get it. I've been there, some weeks I still am there. In fact, I have to confess that the first time I watched the anime, even as a huge fan of 2077 the game, I didn't get David's arch. I was sitting there thinking to myself why did he keep going, keep pushing when he at least had the love of a woman right there, which is more than a lot of people in that world can say. Because watching him sit and stare at nothing, watching his life go from shit to shit, didn't even register to me as particularly abnormal. You were spot on. I've played it safe and I'm not sad, not really struggling. But most of the time I'm not happy, either.

[@1Animeculture]

Nobody in night city have ever had the chance to grow up in an environment where you could acturally achieve something so they couldnt really have time to grow a dream to aspire to. And then there is lucy as she grew up quite.. different. I know they were kinda locked up, but still i felt they were in a protected environment, an environment where she could dream up big ideas as getting to the moon. When i saw david stare at the screen i saw a guy desperate for a dream but he simply realizes he has none and he cant get any, so .. getting lucy to the moon was quite important to him.

[@cycy8699]

a cruel act of balance that runs the world

[@StarboyXL9]

Are you me?

[@WorldKeepsSpinnin]

Well you were right to do so. For david its more of all the trumas etc. No matter what it would probably never be "enough" he would most likely keep running forever. In this world, playing it safe is the correct option. You are never happy because you have never tried to be. To be happy you dont need to put yourself in danger. Atleast not in our world. Especially if you aren't struggling.

[@erops7933]

Cyberpunk is our world not even a distorted mirror it literally is like that

[@artfire28]

What I don't like Netflix is the binge watch model on some anime because this series should had stayed longer for prolonged conversation every week. This is a surprised AOTY candidate before we go to the galore of Fall 2022. Year of the Tiger is too awesome for anime.

[@zomski101]

Opposite for me, glad to watch it in one sitting

[@ProfessorViral]

There are issues with the binge model, but it is one that works a lot better for me. The more I can watch in one sitting, the better for my focus

[@void-creature]

I'd actually say this show is one of the rare ones that benefit from binging, as it amplifies the feeling it's going for: going so fast you're lost in the moment, no room to reflect, look ahead or even breathe, but then ending so suddenly that you're left confused, empty, and even more lost than before...

[@projectfear22]

Edgerunners and Summertime Rendering

[@Tywil714]

I agree the series should have either been 15 episode or every episode being 40 to 50 minutes while being 10 eppisodes giving them more time to flesh out characters i felt like the transition of David going from a broke desperate Rookie. To a hardened badass merc leader. Then finally a borderline cyberpsycho was to fast.

[@Lilpapersthe1]

I know the feeling as I honestly felt everything when it came to this anime from how I felt as a teenager to how I feel now as an adult this anime had me feeling everything from David.

[@ProfessorViral]

An anime that hit so deep in a depressing way it won best of the year

[@stevenodinson4222]

In a world with no happy endings. This is about as Happy an ending you can get! If you can save even person in that city that's a win!

[@ProfessorViral]

He did manage to get Lucy out, at least for a moment. I think I overlooked that because the ending was rushed, so it was one aspect that felt hollow to me. But it did happen

[@stevenodinson4222]

@@ProfessorViral Totally Understandable! Its was such a roller coaster of emotions its hard to Appreciate that! But it was nice! And thats for reply mich appreciated!

[@thelostone2796]

I can't tell you just how much this means to me. Those are the only words I can find right now. This is really prevalent to me, even as I type, and in the process of doing so. It's almost like Tokyo Ghoul's message: you go for it all, you lose all of it, and only you are responsible, yet it's bearing that weight of feeling manipulated and outclassed, alone to handle the weight you set on yourself. You're gonna carry that weight, and when it comes down to it you're the one who has to be able to keep yourself together under the immense pressure and gravity (of it all).

[@ProfessorViral]

I think there is solo responsibility, but I don't find the blame on anyone who tried to live a life that wasn't just drawn out pain. I put the blame on the manipulators, the people above who make the options for those who desire anything other than the mold ones which require such a sacrifice. All the power and resources are there to make life more acceptable to all walks of life; but they don't do it because it's not efficient and profitable

[@JamesDecker7]

Connection keeps us sane and gives us meaning. Connection and love give us hope. And hope is the spark that creates the fire.

[@nanor4214]

@@ProfessorViral sometimes its not even more efficient, just more profitable. Fossil fuel industries have been trying to prevent the rise of clean energy for who knows how long. It's a shame.

[@zespyre6726]

After finishing the series, I had an overwhelming storm of emotions swirling within me. Your review and perspective perfectly encapsulated all the boiling emotional turmoil, into one genuine and heartfelt message I really resonated with. It also made me understood why I loved, and related to Rebecca's character the most. She was a side character that, in the beginning, people didn't really paid attention to, or might even found annoying. She loved David, and cared for him, even thou she knew her love was not reciprocated. She watched the person she loved slowly destroy himself for somebody else, and accepted the fact that, despite all her love, she was not the person that can save him. She even she welcomed Lucy back, "for David's sake" And after all that sacrifice, we get to her fate. She didn't went down in a blaze of glory, there was no gut wrenching OST, the only significant send-off she received was a triple playback of her last moments. The last scene we ever get to see of her, was of her small mangled body, staring into the abyss and fading into nothingness. From the series, I only caught a murky glimpse of what I so desperately needed to fill in the empty void in my heart. Your video made me see how I truly do resent slaving my life away just for the sake of survival, and what I truly yearned for is a life of adventure and purpose, of romance and camaraderie. A life that only existed in the realm of fiction, unless I do something about it. Thank you, for sharing such a powerful and beautiful appreciation of this amazing anime.

[@darth2205]

same here

[@MrRagicano]

This is a beautiful comment. Thank you.

[@namuh4658]

I can relate to that, Rebecca really is a symbol of inspiration, she knew how cruel the world could be and still remained genuine. Truly sucks how she died, she deserved better. For anyone reading this, thank you and may you pass your hardships

[@PerpetualPerspective]

wonderfully Insightful comment, have you done anything to turn your life into something that a little more adventurous?

[@nam_unj2776]

It’s sad that David never had a dream of his own. He only reached the dream others set for him or helped to reach their dream by sacrificing himself. But it’s fascinating that he could die with honor. He keeps pushing forward even though everything went astray, even though everyone else died. If it was me I would’ve killed m*self after his mom died.

[@naraydaniels7832]

I have this theory that his chrome addiction is a sure fire example of him using other peoples dreams Sandy was part his mothers goal, to take care of David, make sure he is fed, taken care of. His projection launch system (arm cannon) was Maine’s dream, to lead the edge runners. And the cyber skeleton is actually 2 peoples dreams, Arasaka’s and surprisingly Lucy, Lucy’s dream is to be on the moon, part of being on the moon is 0 gravity the suit leans on anti gravity a lot and that’s what destroyed him, as soon as he looses other’s dreams what’s there to hold him up? Just like suit he couldn’t himself up without his -gravity- dream crutches

[@julianvisser3329]

Love your analysis and I agree on a lot of the points that you were making here but I may have had a more positive take away from this show. Weird thing to say with all the death and violence but yeah, fucked up world, fuckup city and messed up class system. The component that I hear from what you were skirting around the dreams part but dreams is the core theme in this story. This is Night City, the city of broken dreams. Everybody’s got one. Everybody lives to achieve their dreams for themselves by themselves. Maine tells David in the beginning that you can’t trust anybody but yourself. So therefore you rely solely on yourself and keep everyone at arm’s reach but never go asking for help. You get this notion in this world that nothing is free and for the most part, that is true. Want good cyberware? Pay money at the cost of risking cyberpsychosis. Want to be a legend? The only people with the money and power to get you there are most likely the corporations. You want to achieve your dream by yourself? The cost for that is being fucking miserable or a quick death. Nothing is free and you get this sense that you are fucked no matter what you do. But when I watch this series and the game story of cyberpunk, I see that getting out of this sense of doom and gloom is done by doing something that isn’t for yourself. Maine gets some kind of closure by letting go of his drive for his dream by getting David to save himself, Rebbeca dies fighting for David because she cares about him. Hell, out all of the endings that get V from cyberpunk, to any kind of happiness/dream is achieved by getting help from others: Johnny, Panam, Rogue, Alt. If you look at the other characters in the edgerunner series who died miserably it is with that dickhead of fixer with the eyes, Kiwi, that corpo guy who wanted David for Arasaka even that Dexter Deshawn guy. They died miserable and/or unfulfilled by the selfish actions that lead them there. This story tricks the characters into thinking that living for yourself by yourself is the only way to get what you want but that’s horseshit. David dies with a smile on his face not because he was fulfilling some impulse and wanting some kind of escape but because he helped achieve Lucy’s dream. Correct me if I’m wrong, but David dies while looking up in the sky at the moon. Nothing is free in this world. And just like the real world, it’s gonna never stop throwing you down but it’s how you react to it that determines what or who you are. And for David, he is paying the cost for Lucy’s dream and happiness with his life. The notion of live fast, die young has two meanings in my mind. One is the interpretation pointed in this video: escapism and denial in order to have some reason to get out of bed in the morning. But the other interpretation I have is based on the quote I heard from the show: "Don't make a name as a cyberpunk by how you live ... Make a name by how you die". To me, it's a kind of "It’s not about how you choose to live, it’s how you choose to die.” David chose to die for Lucy. The one choice that no one can take away from each and one of us is how we choose to die or what we die for. Still, it fucking hurt to watch Lucy go to the moon while thinking about all who died for this to happen. But dreams aren’t free. But they can come true. Just not by yourself. EDIT: thanks for the comments, I am happy to see if anyone feels a little bit better.

[@void-creature]

Couldn't agree more, empathy as the one true way of beating the system (as opposed to violent attempts at escape or revolution ala Silverhand) definitely lies at the heart of both 2077 and Edgerunners. In the end, being reminded of David and his sacrifice does put a (albeit timid) smile on Lucy's face, as she finally allows herself to bask in the sunlight...

[@projectfear22]

Is great he received an honorable nod in the video game

[@Crowald]

Succinctly put.

[@teetea7734]

This take lifted my spirits a bit. Thank ya, chum.

[@justapassingbycommenterrem5642]

@@void-creature i fuckin sucks that he couldn't be there with her, honestly at some point i don't think lucy's dream was going to the moon anymore, it was being with david and getting away from the city. They could've done so if david would just let go of his insistence on being the best or being "special" But lucy also didn't trust em enough to tell him of the danger she was putting herself in to cover his track. They were 2 lonely people that found each other but fundamentally they were too "broken" to truly support each other. What david did do is give a second chance in life but it's at best a grey victory, with how much she's lost and the trauma she'd endured, god knows what lucy's gonna do with that life

[@vampfoxilli7127]

I don't believe that David's legacy is over. He'll be something like Johnny silver hand.

[@ProfessorViral]

For sure, his world depends on such legacies

[@screenshottingnftsisnomore4171]

@@ProfessorViral he has a drink named after him in the afterworld so i do think his legacy is being carried on, also in the anime he's stated to have fanboys so maybe they did that

[@BayoRadiMan]

@@screenshottingnftsisnomore4171 Afterlife*

[@treemannick2969]

Adam Smasher did offer David to live on as a construct, like Silverhand, and respected David’s refusal by giving David the death he wanted.

[@experiencemaster1743]

​@@treemannick2969he also shot him in the head so arasaka couldn't intervene and do it anyway

[@dudethatlovessongs]

A world that was SO f*cked up was just too much for those that tried there best in a good/right way. At least most of those characters had moments of happiness while they lived. Also, rebecca deserved better…😔😔♥️♥️

[@ProfessorViral]

I wish the final episode was a bit less rushed so Rebecca could have a true ending. A quick death didn't really add much to the story after already having that with Pilar, and some of her best moments were in the final episodes. A great series overall, but she could have had a more satisfying conclusion

[@dudethatlovessongs]

@@ProfessorViral Honestly😔♥️

[@StarboyXL9]

The loli stood

[@ricardolagares8907]

I hope edgerunners becomes an anthology and we learn more crazy or ridiculous legends of night city

[@SimGunther]

"Happier endings? Wrong city, wrong people." Problem is, everyone is in that system of "horrible endings for everyone under the corpos" and it takes a crisis like the one is "Arrival" to get everyone to forget the shackles we put on each other as a corpo mandate.

[@PeachDragon_]

The happy ending would be the revolution against corporations that would 100% end up happening eventually in a cyberpunk setting, sad how this is never explored in any franchise.

[@k.k.1406]

I feel your pain. After the series, I felt just as empty. It's like a mirror being held up in front of your eyes. The real world is no different than Night City. A prison full of lights and no happy ending.

[@ProfessorViral]

I think there's a real power to stories in that. Like Evangelion, rather than letting us escape, it makes us consider reality

[@blakebridges8989]

I think the Cyberpunk dystopia is the one closest to real life. We may not have cybernetics in our bodies but we have all the same problems, same corporations running shit, same ads being pushed on us from the same tech we cling to like a life line. We’re living in the cyberpunk dystopia but without the cyber aspect.

[@TheRealCatof]

Maybe only in the United States, vote blue in 2022.

[@blakebridges8989]

@@TheRealCatof yeah after watching Biden mental abilities decline and watching liberals deport 50 illegals from their fancy neighborhoods there’s no way I’m voting for democrats.

[@altechelghanforever9906]

@@TheRealCatof Don't think voting for the wolf or the fox will help the sheep that is us, the masses.

[@Moncrom]

Nah, vote for a non-dem or non-rep candidate.

[@tyrellfoster1731]

@@Moncrom this guy gets it

[@OmniCloud987]

Although I did want a happier ending, when David killed that Bystander, I knew he wasn't going to make it. I like the theory that it's not the chrome, but people suffering from some type of PTSD. All of these folks had crazy back stories, and Maine not bothering to uncover where people were coming from was his first mistake. I too at first didn't get why David wouldn't stop, I think the show could've developed that aspect of his character a little more tbh. Essentially what I got from it was he was already "dead" inside after his mother's passing. For a woman to work so hard and sacrifice for him, and die so unceremoniously, I think just broke his psyche. The entire crew together helped, but after Maine, I think he was just looking for something great to accomplish, and he found it by reaching the top of the tower and taking Lucy to the moon. My only gripe is Rebecca dying, but, in the end, none of these characters were good guys anymore and had done tons of killing themselves. David himself was also a tragedy as he did seem indeed gifted. In his mind, likely more extravagant than reality, but he was obviously bright and intelligent, and to die at what age 20, 21 is just a waste. I do wish we could see a mature David that isn't hellbent on fulfilling other's dreams because he has no hope of his own.

[@gfolzone8898]

Not even 20, he died at 18 which is even more sad.

[@nelsongodoy5101]

This is the best review of this anime I've seen bar none. I see a lot of myself on David. I'm a Latino with a mom that worked herself to the bone to see my brothers and I succeed. I was a straight a student that was bored of the shit around me and stopped giving a shit and disappointing my teachers. I really see all the signs that David is somewhere on the spectrum (the foot tapping, the jumping off into garbage, the way moments of quiet feel like physical pain, shit that I do) , and it's likely that his brain just running faster than his body could stand is what let him use the sandevistan as much as could. He WAS suited to use it, it would've killed Maine. And that depression with a need to do something let him believe he was above it all, special. Hubris is the greatest downfall of the best written characters both hero and villain.

[@chromaticabberationsgiveme9811]

Now that you mention it, I'm more like David than I even realized. If I was in the same position I think I would've done everything David did almost to the T. This just got way more personal lmao.

[@internetfrnd6496]

This was such a well made video, I’m really glad it came up in my feed tbh. I think what makes this anime so well received is not only does it respect the source material so well, but it also tells us a NEW story in the same universe. So many video game tie-ins just try to tell us the exact same story that we experienced in the game, just without any input from us. I hope we get more material in the Cyberpunk universe with how much of a hit this anime was.

[@Jonintheronin]

When you let good writers in the anime creation process. One must imagine David Happy.

[@HazelVsTheWrld]

This show is a officially a year old now and i still have a emptiness in my heart from it😰

[@ProfessorViral]

A whole year of depression as I listen to Zurawie on repeat

[@neos9934]

I've been binging these edgerunners video essays to counteract my post-show depression, this is phenomenal analysis of the show, keep up the good work my friend.

[@gurlgunz]

me rn💀 going through it fr

[@Butterflywings011]

This show, Ghost in The shell Stand alone complex and the films, and serial experiments lain, are probably the only anime shows I've seen that tackled cyberpunk with a sense of real maturity.

[@einherjar2112]

The fact that I watch almost every review from different creators about this anime, tells how much this hyped me up. Good stuff dude.

[@ProfessorViral]

It was a super unexpected hit for me. I've enjoyed seeing the anime do so well!

[@Oso-_]

This show has had me in such a emotional state recently. The ending killed me. I hated it because of what happened, but was also content(sorry idk if I used that right) with it because it felt like it made more sense than any other ending. That and the I wanna stay at your house song . The song reminds me of my ex and the relationship between Lucy and David at the same time.I just finished crying. Everytime I read, watch something from the show, or hear that song I honestly feel like crying. No show has ever had me like this before, I wish we could have gotten just one or two more episodes

[@namuh4658]

The show definitely could’ve ended differently but we would’ve needed different actions to take place, a lot of miscommunication and betrayal is what really kept the ball rolling in the events of what happened. Ever wondered if Maine never died if Kiwi still would’ve betrayed or if Lucy and David were more honest to each other than they would’ve worked together. It’s a sad story because I know things could’ve gone differently but the characters are who they are and their flaws are what drive the plot

[@davidallen-smith1291]

David was our POV, but he was never the main character, just as V wasn't. Night City is the main character, it takes in everyone and let's go of nearly nobody.

[@QBG]

This is the best analysis of this show I've seen thus far. Excellent work, well done!

[@statesminds]

I love edge runners and cyberpunk 2077. Really hope theres more shows and games around the series that can delve deeper and deeper. I would HATE to live there but love the world if that makes sense haha

[@leeloomultipass5728]

David did all of this to himself (aside from his mom dying) most of the crew found their spots and we're content...dee just let himself be consumed by......well himself. That's what makes this story arc so great honestly. It's upsetting enough to make you think and emotional enough to make you feel❤ good analysis

[@samb123078]

Cyberpunk has always been a lesson in how one person, no matter how strong they think they are can’t make meaningful change. This even applies to to the head honchos of mega corporations

[@user-ex4sb9pq8r]

I only ever cried to 2 things, axel and edge runners, this show broke me and he made this best example on how nothing ever ends up happy it always leads to death and sorrow but there are always moments where you get the feeling of living even if small its there. So great job keep it up and never stop running.

[@hyprvoiton]

Truly a pleasant surprise how good Edgerunners was. Love that Trigger picked it up except for their track record of not making sequels. Great breakdown man. You described almost everything i felt in this video.

[@ProfessorViral]

Happy I was able to do so! I definitely think this was a good sign for Trigger. They really adapted their style into probably its most impactful form yet

[@dennisherzberger4813]

This is exactly the kind of personal and thematical reflection on this show I was looking for and I love that you don't shy away from being emotional. Thanks for helping me sort out my own post Edgerunners depression!

[@ProfessorViral]

I decided that I wanted to express my emotions, and if I could do it in a way that helped even one person with their own, I could be doing a good thing. So, I just started going for it. Also happy I could help with the post series depression, this is one it's hard to forget about after a watch haha

[@Turtleurkery]

So I really like this video. They is one thing I think a lot of people overlook and thats how David is special. David essentially has a talent. Using the sandy as much and as often as he does is amazing to everyone around him. Everyone feeds into it by being amazed or saying how impressive it is that he is able to even activate it. Heck even Araska thinks he's special enough to test stuff on. Sadly there is only so much he can handle being talented.

[@noaheke2666]

That song that plays during Maines last stand with David gives me such goosebumps and tears

[@ProfessorViral]

"Zurawie" is probably my favorite track for that reason, the haunting, repeated drag it devolves into after utter chaos is downright perfect for the situation

[@arforafro5523]

I didn't feel as depressed by the ending as most because i think a lot of people didn't notice the perspective you mentioned. Yes the crew all died violent and sudden deaths, but they managed to claim the humanity and happiness the city steals from everyone else. It's as much a depressing tale of a young kid thrown into a downward spiral of violence and delusion as it is the story of a young kid that had nothing and manages to find a way to live a (short) fulfilling life with the little he can find. There's no saving humanity from the system; but there's a chance to save yourself.

[@ProfessorViral]

What gets me about it, or rather what makes it feel so real to me, is that there is no truly positive option, there is only selecting from a few and trying to find satisfaction in one. That's an aspect of life I'll always struggle with. And David ending it with a smile is perfect for that. He succeeded within that context. So there is some happiness in it for sure

[@wilberwhateley7569]

It didn’t really depress me so much either as I am already a cynical Nihilist - I see reality reflected in art all the time and have become jaded to it…

[@himynameiskobey.7994]

The theme of "No Happy Endings In Might City" is so sad yet so amazing. You constantly wish things could turn out different yet you know they can't.

[@josukehigashikata309]

this is the first youtube video I didn't fast forward at all EVER. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, great job.

[@UncleKoolaids]

Man the way you described the series and the closing thoughts are so succinct and totally accurate. Hopefully we can find a better future then the one cyberpunk has. I don't know if it's possible but I guess we can hope

[@soultakers66]

Man I connect with you and this anime way too much. I had a mid life moment because of this anime and I don't know why. I questioned my goals, why am I working a dead end job at such a young age to achieve a chance at happiness 40 years from now if i dont get snuffed out first, why is there no happiness from what I do or have achieved, why do I feel this way, why do I watch anime just to escape to a story or place to give me relief from this world, just what am I doing. In the end, nothing changed. I still work at the same place, still don't know what happiness is, and still use anime to escape this world. But I do have a weird and incomplete understanding of my emotions and that I can change all of this. But just like David, I am probably just to stubborn and blind to avoid the path set for me. Instead of a hot flaming candle, I will slowly burn out with maybe a flicker of light if I am lucky. Love the video, keep up the good work. Just found you so I am gonna watch the rest of your stuff. I am finding out that we are the same playable character, just with different skins and minor details.

[@void-creature]

In the end, David found a purpose through empathy, and used it make his life and even his death, however inevitable, worth it in the end, if just to help another person. That's the lesson we should try to take away: Wether quiet life or blaze of glory, the things we do for others, the kindnesses we extend, the help we give and receive, the bonds we forge - that's what gives our lives meaning, that's what can truly stand up to the selfish mentality of the corporate world, that's what makes us human.

[@projectfear22]

How do you expect to change it? Im in the same situation and most probably are

[@mpmedia6735]

@@projectfear22 find what interests you and pursue that. Life can be grim and dull, but it doesn't have to be. It's primarily attitude and outlook, but it's also finding what inspires you or gives you drive in life. Many people who don't like where they are in life usually are there because they're afraid of risk and failure. Don't get me wrong, it's scary, but I can't imagine existing in a state of misery while doing nothing about it for the rest of my life.

[@venepskeuten9206]

I get you my dude. Certain parts feel like they can't be changed. I too shall likely work that dead-end job for the rest of my life. But on a positive note perhaps there are things we can do to live more within that framework. Small things and moments that make us more fulfilled. I don't know what that would be, but I can't imagine it not existing. Maybe its not to wrong to chase a small dream every once in a while. I like to believe that. It gives me a semblance of hope. A promise of a first step towards a happier life.

[@seventeenseventythirteen7465]

Damn man, I came away from this anime of wanting to go postal on the rich assholes running this shit before life ends up like Night City. Because this shit is coming, once we start getting cannon hands it's too late.

[@noahstucky1389]

Thanks for the video man. Been going through some shit and identified with David way more than I should have..funny how that works... A kid who's trying to go punk but knows itll be useless but wants to do it anyway cause...maybe ill spark something...idk..this whole vid gave me a lot to both think about and feel..thank you.

[@void-creature]

David didn't die for nothing though. However small and insignificant it may seem, he got Lucy to the moon, because he realised that his empathy (not becoming a legend, nor making it to the top) was what actually gave his life meaning, and while it didn't make his death any less inevitable, it at least made it all worth it to him, dying as content as anyone will ever be in NC.

[@noahstucky1389]

@@void-creature yeah, you're right! He kept his promise, found his purpose and went out on his own terms. Does make this whole story feel a bit more optimistic. Thanks for that.

[@kvllerqveen7147]

I know I'm very late, around 8 months late, but I just finished edgerunners, and I want to say that your take and discussion is beautifully done. Listening to you talk about the show was almost as good as the show itself, and the rich language and compelling ideas you brought forth while explaining David and his struggles really put me back into the world of cyberpunk as if I were experiencing it. This is the best video I've watched discussing the show thus far, and not only an I in love with this video, I'm in love with your channel. Thank you for such an extraordinary video and experience.

[@robinjendrowiak8911]

I'm so happy to see a video about this anime on your channel! I actually thought of your episode about Rock in Black Lagoon while I was watching Cyberpunk Edgerunners, I wonder if you saw a parallel as well? I mean during the first four or five episodes and how David actually accepts the gun and ends up using it while Rock could avoid it all along. Hope you'll get better soon and thanks for your great analysis once again :)

[@ProfessorViral]

I thought about the reasons for their falls from grace, since they're both trying to avoid a standard,. awful fate in some way, but I didn't think about the weapons specifically. I think their happiness can show us the results of how they handle direct force. David arguably succeeds in his goal, even if it's in the most messed up way. He dies with a smile on his face because he lived happily, at least for a time. Rock, in staying between two worlds, never quite finds the happiness that comes with a definitive decision. David could throw himself into it full force and find satisfaction. Rock is always held back by following a nearly impossible path. But, he gets to live a lot longer, and maybe one day will succeed. There's some interesting notes between the two for sure!

[@robinjendrowiak8911]

@@ProfessorViral Thank you for your answer, I'm glad you saw some sort of parallel between these two characters as well :)

[@anthonymacarthy1307]

Really well put my man I listened to this on the train to my dead end job and you’ve really opened my eyes

[@R3loaded1313]

I just wanna comment and say that I appreciate so much how much feeling and emotion you used. That feeling and emotion is great, but the chill I felt surge through my body was because we share a connection and realization that the chill is actually just remnants of pain and hurt. Thank you. ❤

[@1lostinprocess]

Best analysis out there. Keep up the good work. And thank you for sharing.

[@OlugbemigaFalegan]

Man you really know how to destroy my soul in the best most thought provoking way possible

[@TheToxic35]

What's interesting about Edgerunners, especially in conjunction with other stories in the genre (particularly Akudama Drive which I highly recommend) is the ending may be sad for some but happy for others. It is very sad where David's story ends, but his memory persists in Lucy, whose dream was achieved at the end of the show. Akudama Drive pulls off something very similar with its characters, especially Swindler, Hoodlum and Courier. I cannot recommend that series enough if you loved Edgerunners.

[@l.q.a.6279]

And yet her true dream, being far away from Arasaka with David on her side, is all screwed. That is the thing in Cyberpunk: you don't get the City, the City gets you. Just because she left NC with her life intact doesn't mean she gets her own happy ending.

[@GaminexPro]

@@l.q.a.6279 We're meant to infer that she'll find some happiness at the end, albeit bitter of course. I'd expect a game cameo if there's more troubles for her, but otherwise I don't feel the anime intended for the takeaway to be that she'll still be hounded by Arasaka or that she'll remain miserable forever w/o David anymore.

[@gaymer2698]

@@GaminexPro she left night city to die in the moon. When you see her in that space car you only see old people meaning that they are going to die there. Also she bought the 1 way trip so she has no means of coming back

[@GaminexPro]

@@gaymer2698 It's a ridiculous stretch to assume she'll die because 1 or 2 of the passengers on the ship she's on happens to be old. The show writers states one of their intentions was to ask the value of taking on the dreams of others vs our own. When we first meet Lucy she makes fun of David for pursuing his mother's dream instead of his own. In the end she decides to pursue David's dream and lives on the moon, escaping Night City, embracing the sun in a shot that resembles how David did in Ep.2. It's the resolution to her arc, the intention was never that she end up killing herself right there on the moon on the spot, and there's colonies on the moon so there's numerous means for Lucy to make a living there.

[@gaymer2698]

@@GaminexPro hmm you right now that I think about it

[@jdawg2237]

This video was so deep and so real, mans truly has a way with words thank you

[@tiller518]

i appreciate your message and analysis. very well done materialistic analysis of the show and love that you connected the parallels to our real world. happy to have been recommended the vid

[@empiyrr2133]

The title really does summarise the story for me about a young man who burns brightly but goes out as soon as he came he beilieves he’s different but ended the same as everyone else he followed in Maines footsteps and died the same he kept on running but didn’t take time to stop and have a break I personally describe his story as his combined ascent and descent over the edge

[@psykochomp3640]

In cyberpunk 2077 there’s a line after a Braindance you can find and it says “This is a Cautionary Tale, One David Martinez Ignored Will you do the same” and Idk why but that fkn Hurt to read.

[@MarrowofStar]

You have brought light to what i felt over Edgerunners and Cyberpunk, and i thank you for this as i had no way to put this into words.

[@PhantomMonarch]

I really look forward to your video essays. Thanks dude.

[@Pollymacho]

I saw this in my feed and my immediate reaction was "Oh man did we make the same video on edgerunners?" Only to watch it and be completely taken aback with how great this is. It's been mentioned in the comments already but the sheer raw emotion in the script and your vo is incredible. You did a wonderful job with this video!

[@lawlznet]

i cried more watching your analysis than I did watching the anime, because you pretty much showcased what the anime (and cyberpunk as a genre) was trying to get at, with a big, bright highlighter.

[@custardpanda6209]

Amazing breakdown of this! Thank you for this - and hope you’re doing well

[@1631631000]

The ballad of the apathetic young man. Keep on keeping on, isa good channel and i see the sparks of an Inferno

[@yatsumebaka5823]

Just finished the show and this was my first recommendation… after watching your Black Lagoon analysis videos I knew right away this time as gonna be gold 😊

[@ProfessorViral]

Thank you, I hope it held up! 😁

[@zauvimoo]

This show has really torn me apart, you explained it perfectly. This show has really thrown me into a deep depression. I've never been effected by a show this much. Reminds me of my life and its making me reflect on my life. I'm trying to cope so hard it hurts.

[@emilybarrett]

I really enjoyed this short series. They way you describe this was so poetic!

[@genesisss1651]

honestly a super poetic explanation of its run, nice one man.

[@ProfessorViral]

Thank you, that means a lot : )

[@winstomp]

Haha the end of your video is the best part, I feel exactly the same way. Spent years of my life in school, hated every minute of it. Now I have a job that pays well but I still feel as dead inside as ever. What I have learned is you have to play the game to win, you can choose not to play the game but then you surely never have a chance. Become famous, start a business, invest, do something that will one day give you that moment of peace you spent a lifetime searching. Someone will do it but that someone is up to you.

[@Vapor.Steve77]

"They're out there making experiences other people download" you just blew my mind, and earned your deserved like homie

[@goldenholden2708]

I had watched the show with a friend who reccomended it to me a few days ago. I am very thankful he reccomended this. I just watched your topical video as well. I am very thankful I found this. I needed to better understand the message and narrative significance so that I could finally move on from my post show themeatical and emotional confusion/disorientation dwelling. Thank you very much my man.

[@another_scottish_tragedy9277]

glad to see this anime getting the love it deserves. this was a great analysis man, ye earned another sub

[@ProfessorViral]

Thank you!

[@melg322]

Thank you for introducing me to a lot of cool anime these past two years. It really means a lot to me. Have a wonderful day . 😊

[@ProfessorViral]

No problem, have a great day as well : )

[@terskor4259]

The anime includes many and many messages in such fast pace. The value of humanity, businesses treating life as a business, future, meaning of death in another perspective as well as the desire. The pain of acceptance and many many more the list just forever grows. Edgerunners was a good anime

[@masonpines6349]

Man this was on the mark and hit hard. Always love watching these video essays.

[@albondogus9342]

I absolutely adore and love Mike Pondsmith’s world, ever since I first played Cyberpunk 2020 (the TTRPG) I’ve been a huge fan. Im really glad we got such an amazing story and adaptation of the world without the major tech issues of 2077, Edgerunners is beautiful.

[@Ramen.1]

I just finished this show right after the major hype I was prepared to be disappointed but I couldn’t feel further from disappointed. I don’t know how they made such likable characters in such a short show.I heard from another creator that we don’t deserve an easy episode just like how David doesn’t get a break.I keep on thinking about what if’s, different decisions that could have been made but in this world if you start at the bottom your going to end up dead soon enough mine as well go out in a bang.

[@Truly..hidden.]

I love your content, I can hear your soul reminiscent with the anime, it makes the story and message from the anime more clear I love the fact that you have no fear to bring that version out.

[@erkn99]

watched a couple reviews but this one is just different more emotional then the show itself. Really good work thank you!

[@ProfessorViral]

No problem, thank you for the kind words!

[@Rexxie44]

The Beauty Of Speed The Beauty Of War The Beauty Of Death

[@allenbiggart1223]

I think the whole point of Cyberpunk 2077 and it's anime is to show the world we are currently in now and how much power companies have over the world (more power than the damn government) or at least where we are headed in the future.

[@kagekun1198]

In Night City, the only one you can trust is yourself. That's why Rebecca is a more precious find than Lucy, because Becca's loyalty is a thing Eddies can't buy. Also, Faraday is an incompetent Fixer. On both ends as a corpo stooge and a gang client. When he withholds crucial info from his contractors that might allow them to do a better job, no wonder he wasn't getting results and no wonder Millitech dumped him. In fact, during David's tenure as leader, the gang was swimming in enough Eddies that David could live in a high-class rooftop mansion (the same one V could potentially live in the endgame). All until Faraday came back into their lives.

[@skysm1]

Thanks for making great videos! So well written. Cheers

[@deathwish_bigboss]

Honestly, cybernetics would be the final equalizer I'm our real world class system but it's guaranteed that the ultra wealthy would find away to gate off all the good cybernetics.