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https://blacknerdproblems.com/cyberpunk-edgerunners-bringing-black-visibility-to-the-anime-party/
Netflix done went and opened up the floodgates on some peak anime with Cyberpunk Edgerunners. Oh, is Edgerunners your first jump into the world of Cyberpunk? Then let me put you on to some of the source material and highlight some of the awesomeness of the franchise.
What Y’all Need to Know is…
The Cyberpunk transmedia universe, as we know it, is the most vast and most expansive gaming universe in known media. It spans roleplaying, board games, video games, and now animated mediums. On top of the many accolades and years of critical acclaim – the creator is a Black nerd legend: Mike Pondsmith. Yes, a Black man is responsible for designing and developing this sprawling piece of prophetic media. So when you watch a series like Edgerunners and see a brown-skinned protagonist, know it was with an intention beyond the well-meaning of some executives working out how to deal with their white guilt.
I say that to say this: the impact of Pondsmith’s work in shaping the way we see the future, dystopian or otherwise, includes and introduces Black and Brown people to a vision of that future. Although he doesn’t center any one kind of person, there is something profound in having a Black creative design a future that imagines us in it. So much so, that despite the many many glitches in the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, folks are still investing in the richness of a world that focuses on the juxtaposition of ‘lowlife and high tech’.
Style Inside of the Substance
Cyberpunk Edgerunners is all killer, no filler right out the gate. Audiences are dropped headfirst into a world built with decades of lore. In all honesty, if you are not familiar with the Cyberpunk universe, it can take an episode or two to really engage. There is an entire culture in this fictional world, a look, a feel, and even a language unto itself. Once you’re absorbed in it, you’ll feel like you were born into Night City (molded by it), the mega-metropolis where Red and 2077 take place. This thing starts with the blood, sex, violence, and economic disparity synonymous with the franchise and doesn’t let up the entire ten episodes.
Of the many ways Edgerunners impresses, the use of visual symbolism is by far the most impressive. Not only does the series look pretty, but it uses the raw greed of a corporate economy as the driving force for the ‘end of the world’ and the only thing that survives that ‘ending’ is scary. Because bio-modding (adding tech to one’s body) aka ‘chroming’ is the way of the world, a brilliant character development tool is allowing those mods to be an extension of who the character is. While you are watching the show, characters you never meet have an entire backstory and exposition indicated by just their mods. That kind of coding makes for a colorful and detailed world and Edgerunners delivers on that.
Animation on Edgerunners is absolutely S-tier. There are few anime on Netflix that can even compare with the work on this, let alone compete. Studio Trigger Director and animator Hiroyuki Imaishi dipped put his blood in the pen and put numbers on the board in his past works. Maybe you’ve heard of Kill La Kill and Gurren Lagann? Yeah, he’s that guy. Suffice it to say, not only does the animation look as fluid as water rolling off a waterproof jacket, but the action is frenetic and blurs the line between real physics and the imagined. The fights are easy to follow and do as much to tell the story as the dialogue.
Break the Rules (of Representation)
If it wasn’t enough to have this world created by a Black man, to have the main character in Edgerunners be a Black Latinx homie from a part of town called Santo Domingo had me at hello. David Martinez got put through the wringer of denizenship in Night City. If David had been in NYC instead of California, he’d have a secret dap with Miles Morales on the way to the bodega to get some Takis. It absolutely breaks the mold of representation by having this character upfront and seeing this world through the lens of their experience. Even more so to have David surrounded by a supporting cast of deeply nuanced and highly capable women.
In many visions of the dystopian cyberpunk future, women and people of color are so often left to the margins and/or made into caricatures (I ain’t never forgetting Benny from Total Recall). In Edgerunners there is so much attention to detail with regard to representation that it all feels very authentic. Forced representation is what we now call ‘diversity’ – if it has to be forced, then it was never in your imagination. Being able to imagine Black people in the future is what Afrofuturism is steeped in. Pondsmith redefines a genre he played a huge part in shaping by taking such care to keep non-white and female characters in the foreground.
Attitude is Everything
Ladies, gentlemen, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming folks: Edgerunners was dope. It hit. The series was so impressive that player interaction on the Cyberpunk 2077 video game hit seventy-thousand concurrent players after it dropped. For those that don’t know what that means, the anime-inspired people to play the video game again with the same numbers as when the game first launched…In 2020! So yeah, the series left its mark on the franchise. Furthermore, CD Projekt Red went and added aspects of Edgerunners to the game. There ain’t a show out there that can say that. Edgerunners really came with the goods and showed out with a knockout blast of an anime series that pushes the envelope for what transmedia narratives can do. Not to mention the critical acclaim of a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. That it all was born from a Black mind is the icing on a very engaging and genre-defining cake. The entire first season of Cyberpunk Edgerunners is available on Netflix. If you’re into either Cyberpunk or anime, check that out.
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The post Cyberpunk Edgerunners Bringing Black Visibility to the Anime Party appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Netflix done went and opened up the floodgates on some peak anime with Cyberpunk Edgerunners. Oh, is Edgerunners your first jump into the world of Cyberpunk? Then let me put you on to some of the source material and highlight some of the awesomeness of the franchise.
What Y’all Need to Know is…
The Cyberpunk transmedia universe, as we know it, is the most vast and most expansive gaming universe in known media. It spans roleplaying, board games, video games, and now animated mediums. On top of the many accolades and years of critical acclaim – the creator is a Black nerd legend: Mike Pondsmith. Yes, a Black man is responsible for designing and developing this sprawling piece of prophetic media. So when you watch a series like Edgerunners and see a brown-skinned protagonist, know it was with an intention beyond the well-meaning of some executives working out how to deal with their white guilt.
I say that to say this: the impact of Pondsmith’s work in shaping the way we see the future, dystopian or otherwise, includes and introduces Black and Brown people to a vision of that future. Although he doesn’t center any one kind of person, there is something profound in having a Black creative design a future that imagines us in it. So much so, that despite the many many glitches in the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, folks are still investing in the richness of a world that focuses on the juxtaposition of ‘lowlife and high tech’.
Style Inside of the Substance
Cyberpunk Edgerunners is all killer, no filler right out the gate. Audiences are dropped headfirst into a world built with decades of lore. In all honesty, if you are not familiar with the Cyberpunk universe, it can take an episode or two to really engage. There is an entire culture in this fictional world, a look, a feel, and even a language unto itself. Once you’re absorbed in it, you’ll feel like you were born into Night City (molded by it), the mega-metropolis where Red and 2077 take place. This thing starts with the blood, sex, violence, and economic disparity synonymous with the franchise and doesn’t let up the entire ten episodes.
Of the many ways Edgerunners impresses, the use of visual symbolism is by far the most impressive. Not only does the series look pretty, but it uses the raw greed of a corporate economy as the driving force for the ‘end of the world’ and the only thing that survives that ‘ending’ is scary. Because bio-modding (adding tech to one’s body) aka ‘chroming’ is the way of the world, a brilliant character development tool is allowing those mods to be an extension of who the character is. While you are watching the show, characters you never meet have an entire backstory and exposition indicated by just their mods. That kind of coding makes for a colorful and detailed world and Edgerunners delivers on that.
Animation on Edgerunners is absolutely S-tier. There are few anime on Netflix that can even compare with the work on this, let alone compete. Studio Trigger Director and animator Hiroyuki Imaishi dipped put his blood in the pen and put numbers on the board in his past works. Maybe you’ve heard of Kill La Kill and Gurren Lagann? Yeah, he’s that guy. Suffice it to say, not only does the animation look as fluid as water rolling off a waterproof jacket, but the action is frenetic and blurs the line between real physics and the imagined. The fights are easy to follow and do as much to tell the story as the dialogue.
Break the Rules (of Representation)
If it wasn’t enough to have this world created by a Black man, to have the main character in Edgerunners be a Black Latinx homie from a part of town called Santo Domingo had me at hello. David Martinez got put through the wringer of denizenship in Night City. If David had been in NYC instead of California, he’d have a secret dap with Miles Morales on the way to the bodega to get some Takis. It absolutely breaks the mold of representation by having this character upfront and seeing this world through the lens of their experience. Even more so to have David surrounded by a supporting cast of deeply nuanced and highly capable women.
In many visions of the dystopian cyberpunk future, women and people of color are so often left to the margins and/or made into caricatures (I ain’t never forgetting Benny from Total Recall). In Edgerunners there is so much attention to detail with regard to representation that it all feels very authentic. Forced representation is what we now call ‘diversity’ – if it has to be forced, then it was never in your imagination. Being able to imagine Black people in the future is what Afrofuturism is steeped in. Pondsmith redefines a genre he played a huge part in shaping by taking such care to keep non-white and female characters in the foreground.
Attitude is Everything
Ladies, gentlemen, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming folks: Edgerunners was dope. It hit. The series was so impressive that player interaction on the Cyberpunk 2077 video game hit seventy-thousand concurrent players after it dropped. For those that don’t know what that means, the anime-inspired people to play the video game again with the same numbers as when the game first launched…In 2020! So yeah, the series left its mark on the franchise. Furthermore, CD Projekt Red went and added aspects of Edgerunners to the game. There ain’t a show out there that can say that. Edgerunners really came with the goods and showed out with a knockout blast of an anime series that pushes the envelope for what transmedia narratives can do. Not to mention the critical acclaim of a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. That it all was born from a Black mind is the icing on a very engaging and genre-defining cake. The entire first season of Cyberpunk Edgerunners is available on Netflix. If you’re into either Cyberpunk or anime, check that out.
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram!
The post Cyberpunk Edgerunners Bringing Black Visibility to the Anime Party appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Rick Riordan released the first book in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians fantasy series in 2005. The five-book fantasy novel series focuses on Percy Jackson, a young demigod. He learns about his special history and then gets thrown into stopping the Titans from destroying everything. We did get movie adaptations of the first two books in 2010, but they were not well received. (Rick Riordan himself wasn’t a big fan). But now, Percy Jackson gets another chance at an on-screen adaptation, this time on Disney+.
The Percy Jackson series has a spectacular cast, including the recently announced Lin-Manuel Miranda in a guest-starring role as the god Hermes.
Here’s everything we know about the Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV series.
Title
This adaptation of Rick Riordan’s book is called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This matches the title of Riordan’s overall book series centered on Percy Jackson.
Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Plot
In a release, Disney+ shared that Percy Jackson and the Olympians…
…tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.
So, first season is focusing on the first book, The Lightning Thief. In the book, Percy discovers the truth about himself and his background: he’s a demigod. He goes to Camp Half-Blood for the first time and meets others like him. Then, he goes on a quest with his closest friends Annabeth and Grover. Percy must find a thief who stole Zeus’ master bolt, all while reckoning with the identity of his father (I’m not sharing who, because spoilers) and his new life.
Behind the Scenes
Rick Riordan and Jon Steinberg wrote the pilot for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. James Bobin is directing the pilot.
Steinberg will oversee the series with his producing partner Dan Shotz. Steinberg and Shotz serve as executive producers alongside Bobin, Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe and Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg.
Season one of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will have eight episodes. Filming is underway.
Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Cast
The cast for the Percy Jackson series is age appropriate for the series, which is a good start. Walker Scobell (The Adam Project) plays Percy Jackson. Aryan Simhadri plays Grover Underwood and Leah Sava Jeffries plays Annabeth Chase.
We also have:
- Virginia Kull as Sally
- Glynn Turman as Mr. Brunner, a.k.a. Chiron
- Jason Mantzoukas as Mr D.
- Megan Mullally as Mrs. Dodds
- Timm Sharp as Gabe
- Adam Copeland as Ares
- Suzanne Cryer as Echidna
- Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa
- Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes
- Jay Duplass as Hades
- Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus
Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Release Date
The Percy Jackson series doesn’t have a release date yet, but Rick Riordan shared a guess in a blog post that has since been deleted. He thinks “the most likely air date will probably be early 2024.”
Originally published on August 3, 2022.
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The post Everything We Know About PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS appeared first on Nerdist.
The second reign of Russell T Davies as Doctor Who showrunner has wasted little time. Fittingly. From announcing new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa to the intriguing teaser for the 60th anniversary, Davies has done more promo for the show before his even airs than the previous regime did in toto. Hell, under Davies we know the show will air globally on Disney+! Now, as part of the UK’s annual Children in Need telethon, we know who Gatwa’s first companion will be. Say hello to actor Millie Gibson, who will join the series as companion Ruby Sunday.
Ruby Sunday is perhaps the most RTD name in history. Has a very “Rose Tyler” ring to it. Gibson is only 18, which makes me feel about a million years old. However, this roughly puts her the age of Rose when she joined the TARDIS in 2005. But now I’m just 17 years older, is the problem. Anyway.
According to the official announcement, Gibson will join some time next year once Gatwa officially takes over. Speaking of her new role, Gibson said:
“Whilst still being in total disbelief, I am beyond honoured to be cast as the Doctor’s companion. It is a gift of a role, and a dream come true, and I will do everything to try and fill the boots the fellow companions have travelled in before me. And what better way to do that than being by the fabulous Ncuti Gatwa’s side, I just can’t wait to get started.”
Gatwa had this to say of his new co-star:
“Millie just is the companion. She is full of talent, strength, she has a cheeky sparkle in her eye and is sharp as a razor. From the moment she walked into the room she captured all of our attention with her effervescence and then solidified that attention with the sheer torque of her talent. This adventure is going to be so wild and so fun, I cannot WAIT to sail the universe with Millie!”
And Davies, his typical tease-happy self, had this to say:
“It’s the great honour of my job to find the next generation of talent, and Millie shines like a star already. She’s brilliant, dynamic, clever and a wonderful actor. As a Coronation Street fan, I’ve seen Millie survive chases, guns and sieges, but that’s nothing compared to what lies ahead for Ruby Sunday.”
The report also confirmed that David Tennant’s new Fourteenth Doctor would star in three specials to coincide with Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary after which time Gatwa’s Fifteenth would take over. 2023 is close, but we don’t know exactly when the specials will air. I guess time—get it?—will tell.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
The post DOCTOR WHO Announces New Companion Millie Gibson appeared first on Nerdist.
If you’ve already enjoyed Enola Holmes 2 on Netflix and crave more fourth wall-breaking content from Enola herself, this behind-the-scenes video is for you. Millie Bobby Brown and co-stars feature, and boy are they delightful. Highlights include Henry Cavill ad-libbing lines in the scene where Sherlock Holmes is drunk. It is just as charming as you could hope for, but sadly didn’t make the final cut. And Brown’s on-set antics with Louis Partridge, who plays the Viscount Tewkesbury, shows off the actors’ real-life chemistry.
Brown’s brother Charlie was on hand to film these fun behind the scenes looks. Yes, his name is Charlie Brown. The video above covers many important scenes throughout the movie. There’s explosions, fights, and even a kissing scene. Brown insists that she prefers hitting Partridge to kissing him, but the two look like they’re constantly goofing around with each other between takes. They even sing Hamilton songs together.
The whole on-set diary is a nice peek behind the curtain and shows what seems like a happy set, which makes the movie even that much more fun to watch. Perhaps the most important information we learn is that Brown brings her pets with her to movie sets. And they have literary character names! Her dog is Winnie-the-Pooh and a cute white rabbit is confusingly named Eeyore.
There’s even more behind the scenes looks from Enola Holmes 2 on the Still Watching Netflix YouTube channel, including silly interviews with Brown and Cavill. There’s also content for their other shows and movies like The Crown, the Knives Out sequel Glass Onion, and the Lindsay Lohan holiday movie Falling for Christmas. Here’s hoping for even more bloopers and deleted scenes (maybe that proposal Partrdige alluded to?) from Enola Holmes 2 in a future video. Until then, maybe we’ll just watch the movie again.
Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
The post Enjoy Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill Goofing Around on the Set of ENOLA HOLMES 2 appeared first on Nerdist.