Representatives from Polygon and Kotaku attended the Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles, where they watched the premiere episode of the upcoming anime "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2" and shared their impressions.
Polygon calls the sequel "a fresh take on a beloved world" and compares the episode's atmosphere to the iconic "Ghost in the Shell" and "Trigun," though it doesn't specify which version of "Ghost in the Shell" is being referred to.
Separately, the publication quotes the series' screenwriter, Bartosz Sztybor, who explained the difference between the two seasons through a comparison with cinema. According to him, if the first season felt like a wild Michael Bay action movie, the sequel will be closer to Martin Scorsese's crime stories.
Kotaku, in turn, drew attention to the key themes of the new season. One of the central themes will be memory and the perception of reality, as well as the role of cinema in a world where people are used to experiencing other people's memories through braindances. According to journalists, the camera and the very idea of capturing what is happening through the screen will become an important tool for understanding the surrounding nightmare.
The visual part of the episode received special praise. Journalists noted the bright colors, impressive cinematography, and rich sound design, which combines electronic music and pop-rock. According to them, Studio TRIGGER managed to preserve the spirit and aesthetics of iconic Japanese animation of the 1990s. The ending of the episode was also highlighted: after losing the signal, the screen goes black, and the Cyberpunk logo begins to move around the corners of the frame, like an old DVD player screensaver.
The full premiere of the second season of "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners," consisting of 10 episodes, will take place on Netflix this autumn.