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TheDag  Per Aspera ad Astra  3yr ago (text post)   2936 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 11, 2022

Be advised; this thread is not for serious in depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I watched it today without any prior context of the Cyberpunk games and yeah, it's a decent show.

The characters and visual aesthetics are clearly the strong point here for me - David as a main character is incredibly likeable and it's very hard not to root for him, which is a task that most modern writers seem to completely fail at. The plot is quite basic and exists almost solely to serve the world and characters, but it does that job well. It benefits from being fairly short and fast-paced for a TV show too. I do feel the soundtrack didn't fit well with the cyberpunk aesthetic, but that might just be my personal preference in music bleeding through.

I didn't shed tears at the end, maybe because I saw it coming a mile away considering all the foreshadowing beforehand, and/or maybe because it simply takes a lot to get an emotional reaction out of me compared to other people. I don't feel like this show was particularly gritty or dark either, I think that despite the fact that the show is portraying a dystopia they keep a streak of hope a mile wide going through it (though this might be because I'm extremely inured to bleakness in my entertainment).

Anyway, it was fun and a good way to spend my weekend.

Yeah. It was surprisingly decent. Maybe even good, but maybe I'm just impressionable.

I've a hard time imagining a person who could finish it and not shed at least a solitary tear.

I did not shed a tear because the ending is reminiscent of a famous anime which I'm not going to spoil. But the whole thing isn't bad.

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It's also notable how on twitter people liked it and there is no seeming political category that doesn't have people liking it. If something is beloved both by trans they/them socialists and e.g. hard right Pinochet appreciators, it is kind of special.

I think Cyberpunk is in kind of an ideal position to do this, actually. The sci-fi body modification technology allows for things like intersex characters, huge bruiser-brawler women, and so on without it seeming shoehorned in. The leftist may feel that it's vaguely empowering, the rightist that it's part of the dystopia, but neither feels like it doesn't belong or add to the story and setting.

Likewise the economic realities of Night City could be taken as an indictment of capitalism run amuck - and even have revolutionary figures like Johnny Silverhand fighting against the system - it also never really posits the Glorious Comrades' Revolution as a viable alternative, since Resistance Is Futile anyways and that's the point. Also, the sort of capitalism they depict is so far out there that I don't think rightists really identify with it anyways, however bullish they might be on markets. It's clearly the bad aspects of capitalism to the Nth degree, no-one's gonna argue it's a good look.

I have noticed a trend, though, for things that would trigger culture war in a Western show just...don't when it's Japanese. Popular recent examples - Jujutsu Kaisen is a progressive-trending show, and Demon Slayer is a quite conservative show, and I literally think that no one in America even notices. A combination of the exotic settings and stories, and of Japanese bromides not being ours, perhaps? Certainly the culture that Demon Slayer is conservative of is quite different from the Anglosphere.

Might write more about that later, I've had a proto-essay banging around in my head about it hah.

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How would you rate it relative to Arcane?

Edit: 3 episodes in. Excellent so far except the very jarring soundtrack.

Personally, I found myself more drawn in to Arcane. That may well be because I vibe a lot with the younger-sibling and parenthood dynamics in that show (my family is great, but since I care for them it lets me really imagine what I would feel if they weren't ok I guess), and really like the way it hems to yet plays with classic dramatic structure. Also, the wonderful facial animation really binds you to the characters. Top-notch voice acting doesn't hurt.

That said, I was blown away by Edgerunners as well, and my sister's boyfriend is flipped relative to me - really liked Arcane, LOVED Edgerunners. In spite of both of them both being tragedies set in dystopias, they have very different vibes. Edgerunners is starker, grittier. It has less character warmth, more intrigue, a harsher world. It is more graphic, and plays less on...adolescent idealism? It feels less like warm-hearted characters learning the harsh realities of the world, more like jaded characters trying to find some hope in a God-forsaken world again.

Edgerunners animation is top-notch and unique aesthetically, but I think lacks the masterpiece-level visuals and composition of Arcane.

They are both quite lovely. I prefer Arcane personally, but def not mad at anyone who prefers Edgerunners.

Unlike most anime I'd watch in the English dub if you decide to see it; especially if you've played the Cyberpunk game. It's quite solid voice work, and uses a lot of slang and vernacular and accents that are missing in the subs, it really helps bring the city alive.

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Dubs, much like CGI, used to be HORRIBLE in anime, haha. So we fans still need to reassure each other occasionally if a show has them.

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