Cyberpunk Edgerunners

Network or Service: Netflix

Episodes: 10

Starring: Zach Aguilar (David Martinez), Emi Lo (Lucy), William Christopher Stephens (Maine), and Giancarlo Esposito (Faraday)

Wikipedia Summary: In a dystopia overrun by corruption, crime, and cybernetic implants, an impulsive but talented street kid named David makes the choice to survive on the wrong side of the law as an edgerunner, a high-tech, black-market mercenary also known as a “cyberpunk.” A prequel to the video game Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red.

What I Found: An exceptional, fully realized anime that not only tells its own unique and self-contained story, yet one that doesn’t need any prerequisite knowledge of Cyberpunk 2077 to enjoy. Cyberpunk Edgerunners captures both the magic and horror of a futuristic world in which you can make your dreams come true, though there’s no escape. The voicework and characters are all solid, the music is top-notch, and the animation itself is slick and gory. Keep an open mind and harden your heart for the terror playground that is Night City.

The English

Network or Service: Amazon Prime Video and BBC

Episodes: 6

Starring: Emily Blunt (Lady Cornelia Locke), Chaske Spencer (Eli Whipp), Tom Hughes (Thomas Trafford), and Stephen Rae (Sheriff Robert Marshall)

IMDb Synopsis: Set in the mid-American landscape in the year of 1890, The English follows Lady Cornelia Locke, an Englishwoman who arrives into the new and wild landscape of the West to seek revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son. Upon meeting Eli Whipp, an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join together and discover a shared history which must be defeated at all costs if either of them are to survive.

What I Found: A really great western that satiated all of my basest needs for historical fiction and that had two of my favorite performances in a while, those of Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer. However, The English sorely starts lacking when these two are not on screen, whether they’re traveling together or even if their characters are forced apart by circumstance or choice. I think the writers could have focused all six episodes solely on our main duo and crafted a much more compelling, intimate story. The plot falls flat toward the latter half, and while I was ultimately disappointed in the series, I’ll remember the characters of Cornelia and Eli and their relationship for a long time to come.

Jet Lag: The Game

Network or Service: YouTube

Episodes: 31, as of this writing

Starring: Various content creators and internet personalities

Channel Summary: They play games where the world is their board! Season one involved playing the game Connect 4 across the United States; in season two, they raced to circumnavigate the globe in 100 hours. For season three, they played a 72-hour game of tag across Europe. In season four, they attempted to visit the most US states in 100 hours, while for season five, they turned New Zealand into a board game. Finally, and currently, in season six, they are playing a 96-hour game of capture the flag across Japan.

What I Found: If you’re experiencing wanderlust, or you just like board games and traveling in equal measure, then do I have the show for you! Sam, Ben, and Adam — along with some special guests in each season — create a game concept and apply it to a geographical area. Every game has its own challenges, quirks and perks, and punishments along the way, but boy, does it always seem like everyone is having a blast while playing it. And you as the audience get to see a lot of every stop they make along the way and learn things as they learn them. It’s such a neat idea and a very good time.