Cyberpunks Drift Home with Glee - Renegade Animation #79
On this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru review Drifting Home, Goodbye, Don Glees, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners!
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, here to bring you a very anime-heavy episode of Renegade Animation! As far as the movies and series we’re covering this week, you guys are in for a treat. Of course, the big ticket item is Studio Trigger’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, but you will also hear our thoughts on Netflix and Studio Colorido’s Drifting Home, and Goodbye, Don Glees! from Madhouse, distributed in the US by GKids.
Drifting Home
I knew I was going to like this movie, but I didn’t realize until the end of the first act how much I ended up loving it! It’s an anime film that really harkens back to those classic 80’s family films like The Goonies or The NeverEnding Story, featuring a likeable cast of characters, gorgeous animation from Studio Colorido, and an incredible score composed by Umitarō Abe.
“Drifting Home is a charming journey a ton of kids take through memories about family, friendship, and dealing with loss and change. It could have balanced out its drama better, but it’s still a compelling and enjoyable ride with Studio Colorido’s distinct and colorful animation style, while also including a cast of likable child characters and a complex story about found family and caring for one another.“ -The Animation Guru
Goodbye, Don Glees!
While this movie might appeal to a slightly older crowd than Drifting Home, it’s another great film that tackles similar themes, with some of the best animation I’ve seen all year. Movies like this are the reason why I consider animation to be my favorite storytelling medium. You could tell this same story just fine in live action, but what you gain in animation is heightening the emotional stakes of our three main protagonists, each of whom are in pursuit of their own “treasure.”
“Goodbye Don Glees is a surprisingly complex and endearing coming-of-age film about friendship between three boys that discover not only a way to save their lives, but also what drives their personal goals in life and their friendship. They set out to find that treasure that they hold near and dear to them. It’s a fantastic film that if you can find a way to see it on the big screen, do so. Otherwise, pick it up on Blu-ray to watch his charming story of friendship and life.“ -The Animation Guru
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Video game adaptations are not easy to get right, but when they hit, they hit bullseyes. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners not only excels at bringing the world that Mike Pondsmith created to life, it also stands alone as one the finest works that Studio Trigger has ever produced. This is not for kids, it contains copious amounts of violence, sexual content, and drug use. Because it’s A.) a prequel and B.) a prequel to Cyberpunk 2077, there’s only one way this can end: badly. But on the whole, it’s an awesome 10-episode anime series that I highly recommend!
“Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix is a beautiful, bittersweet dive into the technologically driven hellscape of a future where everything is driven by cybernetic enhancements. While it is based in the world of the infamous Cyberpunk: 2077, you will not need to wait months to enjoy the world of Cyberpunk with patches or mods. It might have a moment where the story shifts to a new batch of characters that isn’t the best at going from story A to story B, and if you aren’t into the hyper vibe of the animation at points, then you may want to skip this title, but otherwise, give this video game adaptation a watch! It’s impressive how this year, we have had three great adaptations via the world of animation. It’s a stellar time.” -The Animation Guru
Another excellent episode in the bag! Thank you guys for joining us, and stay tuned for more coming your way!
