can’t stop thinking about David and Lucy
[Cyberpunk Edgerunners spoilers]
Y'know, I feel like it’s so rare to get a genuine romantic relationship in an anime like this. I can’t remember the last time I was so invested in an anime romance. It’s been days and I can’t stop thinking about David and Lucy. I loved their dynamic and how their tragedy unfolded. With only 10 episodes, we really didn’t get to see a lot of them. But somehow the anime made me care about them so damn much. It still hurts, man.
I wanna focus on the whole Moon Braindance sequence and all the callbacks to it, because it’s really oh so beautiful:
When Lucy first appeared I was worried by her MPDG vibes but it turned out their Moon date was mostly an act to distract David until Maine’s crew arrived. Turns out she’s actually quite cold and introverted (but not overly so, as an introvert myself it felt realistic which was kind of refreshing?).
But it turns out there was more to the Moon BD and their conversation about the moon:
Later we learn that the Moon BD Lucy used to distract David was truly something she had never showed anyone else before. So while she used her Moon dream to deceive David, it turned out that she also genuinely felt comfortable/safe with David, enough to open up to him about the real her. And it was clear in her body language that she felt bad for deceiving him afterwards. Yeah, she was trying to look super-cold with her cigarette and tone of voice, but that was an act too; she couldn’t look him in the eye anymore during that scene.
And while David was rightfully upset, he fell in love with her anyway, with the “real” Lucy that just wanted to get the hell out of Night City and one day fly to the moon.
And Lucy loved him right back. So much so that she risked her own life to protect David from Arasaka.
They were just two traumatized kids in a fucked up city finding warmth and shelter in each other, even if it was for a short time. god that last scene will never not bring me to tears. they deserved so much better huhu
–
If I had to choose a favorite episode, it would be Episode 4, specifically because of how they portrayed David and Lucy both being cold and awkward with each other throughout the episode until they finally manage to let their feelings out. The whole thing felt so genuinely human, and when they finally kissed it was AMAZING.
Studio Trigger gave us a fantastic romance in just THREE episodes (Eps 2-4) and it wasn’t even the main focus of the anime. I could stop watching at Ep. 4 and still be satisfied with this anime.
I'm coming back to this after watching Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe because holy crap, it's obviously not the same but there's a similar situation going on with Gigi and Hathaway and it DEVASTATES me.
Gigi and Hathaway are similarly two very young but utterly broken people trying desperately to escape from the systems that broke them. Watching that unfold during the film got me more tense and emotional than any of the brutally intense combat scenes. Without spoiling anything... when that tension is finally released in the end it's bittersweet in the best way - incredibly satisfying on one hand, but leaving you terrified of what lies ahead. I hope we don't have to wait too long for the conclusion.
