Support me at patreon.com/CulturedOne and read 50 Advanced Chapters
_______________________
This week, the second episodes of The Otherworld Reformer, Red Dragon, and Terminal Descent were released in succession.
Red Dragon saw a significant surge in viewership, jumping from a 4.15% rating to 4.35%, securing the top spot for the week as of Sunday's broadcast data.
In contrast, The Otherworld Reformer, which had led the previous week, saw a slight dip to 4.21%. This decline was largely due to the production team's decision to cut a minor character who was a fan favorite in the original novel.
Such structural changes are often inevitable in long-form adaptations due to limited airtime, as subplots, no matter how beloved, are frequently sacrificed. However, this move clearly alienated the hardcore source material fans, leaving the production committee in a difficult position.
Surprisingly, Terminal Descent performed exceptionally well. Its racing sequences and pulsating soundtrack during the protagonist's first major rivalry race pushed its ratings to a healthy 4.23%. Its reputation among casual viewers was also skyrocketing.
It was clear that none of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' competitors were pushovers. The expected "second-episode slump" failed to materialize for any of them. Now that Sunday had arrived, the entire animation industry turned its gaze toward Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
The "Big Three" studios had been competing for over a decade. They were accustomed to each other's presence. But Haruto was a different breed. His rise had been too sudden. The fact that a studio with barely a hundred employees could command the same attention as industry titans created a sense of existential crisis for the Big Three. It was no secret that at least half of the hate being spewed against Edgerunners on various forums was coming from the trolls hired by the competition.
Haruto's reputation was simply too formidable. Madoka Magica's influence was bordering on the divine, and 7 Years From Now was a certified masterpiece in its own right. If he managed to dominate the autumn season with Edgerunners, the very title of "The Big Three" would become a punchline.
Throughout the day, paid trolls worked tirelessly to smear the show, attempting to dissuade casual fans from tuning in. However, Haruto's fans fought back equally.
As 8:00 PM approached, the tension reached a boiling point. Sosuke sat on his sofa, his fingers flying across his phone screen. After finishing a five-hundred-word rebuttal to a hater, he leaned back and let out a long breath.
"Haruto-sensei, you'd better deliver," Sosuke muttered to himself. "I told everyone on the forums that if Edgerunners isn't number one this season, I'd take a 'physical vow of silence.' Don't make me a man of my word on that one!"
As a die-hard Madoka fan, he offered unconditional support to all of Haruto's works. He knew that if this new project stumbled, the haters would use it as leverage to devalue Madoka Magica as well.
As the clock ticked toward the hour, the ratings continued to climb. While the first episode had been a traumatic "misery porn" experience for some, the vibrant world-building had hooked the majority of the audience.
By 7:55 PM, the pre-show ratings had already hit 3.8%. Sosuke took a deep breath as the screen flickered. At exactly 8:00 PM, the opening theme began to play. The heavy industrial punk music combined with the minimalist, high-speed visuals was infectious. Sosuke felt like he wanted to grab a drink and start dancing along.
The second episode opened with a display of violence.
After David persuaded the back-alley ripperdoc to install the Sandevistan, he had only one thing on his mind.
Revenge.
He tracked down Katsuo who had bullied him, beaten him, and mocked his mother's death.
Then, for the first time, the audience saw the true power of Sandevistan. David transcended the limits of human speed. From his perspective, the world was a frozen tableau; from everyone else's perspective, he was a ghost, moving at a speed the human eye couldn't track.
He absolutely destroyed Katsuo.
Sosuke watched, finally piecing together the mechanics of this world.
In Night City, power is a commodity.
You can buy skill chips, like the one Katsuo used, to turn a regular person into a fighter instantly. But those chips don't break the physical limits of the body, so their ceiling is low. But the Sandevistan was a military-grade weapon. It placed a crushing burden on the user's nervous system, but its output was terrifying. Before Katsuo could even register a movement, David's fist had struck with enough force to leave the bully a broken, drooling mess on the floor. The narrative then introduced the "limit" of cybernetics.
The previous owner of David's implant had become a Cyberpsycho, a person whose mind had been eroded by excessive cyberware until they snapped, embarking on a mindless killing spree.
Because David could utilize the Sandevistan with a naturally high tolerance for its side effects, he caught the eye of the Arasaka Corporation. This set the primary plot in motion. But David, having lost his mother to the city's corruption, had no interest in returning to the corporate world.
Instead, while wandering the streets as an outcast, he encountered a thief. She was a master of using a monowire, a razor-sharp, hair-thin filament, to slice through the cybernetic sockets of unsuspecting subway passengers to steal their data chips.
Lucy.
With her silver hair, vibrant red lips, and seductive gaze, the heroine of the series officially made her debut.
Sosuke blinked. 'That's her. That's the girl from the trailer.'
"Dammit," he muttered. "The trailer made this look like a pure romance, but after that first episode, I know better. This show is ruthless."
The interaction was electric.
After David caught her in the act, Lucy, impressed by his speed, offered him a partnership. In a city where corporate "suits" lived in luxury while the poor were ground into the dirt, Lucy made her living by preying on those very "corpo dogs." Since David's mother had died because of the cold indifference of those elites, he found himself agreeing to her proposal.
"A silver-haired 'onee-san'?" Sosuke's eyes lit up.
The show was taking a bold direction, depicting the protagonist's descent into the criminal underworld as a street punk. In any other setting, a hero who turns to theft would be criticized.
But in the heartless Night City, Sosuke found it exciting. They were stealing from the monsters who viewed human lives as line items on a balance sheet. However, the reality of his new hardware soon caught up to him. After pushing the Sandevistan too hard on the subway, David's body gave out and he collapsed.
"What kind of immunosuppressants are you using?" Lucy asked after reviving him.
In this world, cyberware causes physical and mental rejection. Users must take specialized drugs to stave off the side effects.
David's response was blank: "What are immunosuppressants?"
He was flying blind, utilizing high-level military tech without any of the necessary medical support. Lucy was stunned, then burst into a genuine, incredulous laugh. "Are you for real?"
The dark humor of the city was on full display during the hospital run.
The medics in the ambulance actually tried to negotiate with Lucy to kill David, harvest his implants, and split the profit 50/50.
"This world is insane," Sosuke thought, a clue running down his spine. Even the paramedics are vultures. Is there not a single decent person in this entire city?