The cyberpunk It is one of the most fascinating subgenres of science fiction and that has returned to resurface with greater force in recent years thanks in part to the revival of classic franchises of the genre with Blade Runner 2049, the fourth film of the Matrix or the adaptations in real action from Ghost in the Shell and Alita, battle angel.
This subgenre has fascinated all kinds of creators, who have helped its development by exploring human relationships and reactions in environments with impressive technological advances and terrible dystopias that polarize social inequalities. We recently told you about the best cyberpunk animation films that you should not miss, and of course cyberpunk has titles to bore also in animated edition.
On this occasion, because cinema and television often go hand in hand, We want to talk about cyberpunk animation series that you should give a chance to if you haven't already seen them. Of course, there is a lot of anime on the list because Japanese artists are real experts when it comes to telling stories set in this genre.
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Robots, mecha, artificial intelligences, unthinkable technological advances, evil megacorporations, the search for individual identity, great inequalities between rich and poor ... There are many characteristics of this genre, and these animation series know how to take the best elements and deliver good stories with impeccable aesthetic quality. Inside ready!
Batman from the future
Batman from the future (Batman Beyond in its original version) was an animated series by Warner Bros and DC Comics that sought to continue the legacy of the Dark Knight with a younger Batman. The protagonist was Terry McGinnis, a teenager who became the new Batman under the tutelage of an elderly and retired Bruce Wayne.
Although the animated series barely lasted three seasons after its premiere in 1991, it received very good critical acclaim and has become a cult series among fans.
Batman of the future presented us with the dark city of Neo-Gotham in 2039, with an aesthetic very similar to that of Blade Runner and with the head of the Wayne-Powers corporation presenting himself as the main supervillain of the series. It brings together many of the classic elements of cyberpunk and of course offers us very interesting versions of the myths of Batman and his characters, you cannot miss it!
Psycho-Pass
We continue with Psycho-Pass, a relatively recent anime series that has become one of the favorite cyberpunk titles among those addicted to the genre. This series released in 2012 has 12 chapters that transport us to Japan in the XXII century, which has become one of the safest countries in the world. Of course this apparent utopia is not so idyllic and its citizens are monitored by a system that controls the probability that they commit a crime.
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Find out moreIt's a perfect example of how society takes priority over individual freedoms in a futuristic dystopia. By If the argument has not been worth to hook you, Psycho-Pass has an animation carried more than correctly and well-developed characters. In addition to the animated series, three films have also been released to expand the plot and the world presented to us in the anime.
Æon Flux
Before the live-action adaptations of Alita, Battle Angel or Ghost in the Shell, Hollywood had already tried adapting a cyberpunk animation series, although the film Æon Flux starring Charlize Theron went a bit without pain or glory in theaters. cinema. However, the original series of the same name that the movie was based on is quite interesting and a good example of cyberpunk animation.
The animation style of this series was quite avant-garde for its time, with a very unique and surreal style, which stands out especially if we take into account the type of animation for adults that American studios usually do.. It followed the story of Aeon, a ninja assassin who infiltrates a totalitarian state, with the series dealing with moral issues such as individual freedom, free will, or whether the end justifies the means.
Ōban Star-Racers
Ōban Star-Racers was a 2006 Franco-Japanese production and one of the few cyberpunk animation series made in Europe. Ōban Star-Racers takes us back to the year 2082, in which Earth is invited to participate in an intergalactic race in which Ávatar, the most powerful being in the galaxy, grants any wish to the winner.
This animation series has a very curious design and visual style, which integrates 3D animation with a long time, and some quite charismatic protagonists. Ōban Star-Racers combines several of the most significant elements of the genre, and if you like racing anime you should definitely give it a try.
Serial Experiments Lain
We continue with Serial Experiments Lain, another Japanese animated series released in 1998 that focuses on the story of Lain Iwakura. Lain is a very quiet 14-year-old girl, and her life is turned upside down when she receives an email from a classmate who has recently committed suicide and ends up being dragged into "the Wired", a virtual world.
In this anime we have conspiracy theories, a very advanced technology that presents us with a virtual world, computational theory, the unconscious collective and moral and psychological dilemmas... all spiced up with a good dose of supernatural elements and many significant details of the genre. Although the animation style of Serial Experiments Lain is a bit limited and unconventional at times, it is more than drinkable for the type of story they want to tell us, which is the important thing in this case.
Ergo Proxy
Ergo Proxy is a cyberpunk anime written by Dai Satō, who has already written several chapters for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Cowboy Bebop, so we know he has prowess to spare in the genre. This 2006 animated series combines cyberpunk elements within a story of mystery and suspense, in which all life on Earth is contained within a city within a dome.
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Discover moreThe 23-episode series follows Re-I Mayer, who begins investigating a series of murders by robots and humanoid robots infected by a strange virus. Of course, we have a great philosophical and religious analysis and an animation that withstands the pull of the last decade very well.
Texhnolyze
Texhnolyze is another one of those cyberpunk anime that emerged in the early 2000s, taking us to a not too distant future in the underground city of Lux. There are three different factions that control the city and Organo specifically is an organization that works with criminals to control Texhnolyze, which is how prosthetics are known in this world.
At Texhnolyze we follow Ichise, a young man with a prosthetic arm and leg from Texhnolyze. Ichise works with Organo until she meets Ran, a girl with powers that could affect the entire city. Texhnolyze has quite a strong dose of violence and the overall tone is quite dark and even depressing., so it can be a bit difficult to digest, although the graphic quality of this anime is amazing.
Cowboy Bebop
We had to close the list with Cowboy Bebop, one of the most iconic Japanese animation series that came to us from Sunrise and Shinichirō Watanabe. Although in general it is cataloged to Cowboy Bebop just like science fiction, it does have quite a few elements of the cyberpunk genre, like that dirty and worn look, the deep social and class inequalities.
Cowboy Bebop takes us to the year 2071, where Earth is already practically uninhabitable and human series have spread throughout the Solar System. We follow the crew of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward Wong and Ein, a genetically modified corgi on different bounty hunter adventures and events that pit them against their ghosts from the past. All of this spiced up with incredible animation, great music, and impressive visuals.
And this is where we would go for today. Which of these cyberpunk animation series have you already seen? Which one would you like to recommend that you think we have left in the pipeline?
