The first episode of Dynamo came out yesterday and it had not really been on my radar. I saw footage of CGI being worked on for this, but I didn’t know it was for this title. There’s a scene where the main character walks onto a lift and is brought down a few levels which had been all over my Youtube quite some time ago, so you may recognize that scene as well.

Little did I know that it was for something like this.

If you like cyberpunk but also hate the current aesthetic Hollywood has placed it in, as in, regressive and aggressively technophobic borderline, or full-on racist Asian milieu—this is for you. The very first thing you will notice is that the extremely beautiful shots of this cyberpunk world look quite different than what we’ve been seeing. Yet we also recognize this as a cyberpunk aesthetic as well. The progression of technology and the oppressive state has given way to a recognizable dystopic motif, that’s clear, but there is obvious care to not ground it in the 80s fear of Asian technologies taking over western culture.

There are numerous tracking shots interspersed, reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell when there were orchestral arrangements that basically just showcase slice-of-life moments. And as in that movie, so too are these shots so good at providing soft worldbuilding moments and texture. Also: it is just completely gorgeous. The CGI looks as good as Blade Runner to me. Some things must be practically designed and other things support those vivid details in really effective compositions.

Now, people who think cyberpunk isn’t punk enough, I know you’re coming for me. But isn’t it just cyber now because there’s no punk in the subgenre anymore? No; wrong; incorrect; literally never been true, except for within the mainstream depiction of the subgenre. But that is literally the most diluted, co-opted state of the sub-genre and it arguably applies to ALL genres.

So, having said that, this is definitely cyberpunk in my book, and it is in a new, subversive way; which I happen to love. The agency the protagonist, a young woman who is clearly impoverished, hinges on futuristic technology which is tied to disenfranchisement and oppression.

In a world where everybody is eating what appears to be fast food, our woman is side hustling as a salad vendor. She makes small salads inside of cups and sells them, selling literal nourishment to people who never receive any.

Then, when the state is about to commit violence in front of her, she uses what she has at hand to disrupt it and save lives—which catapults her into the awareness of a faction we do not yet know, and subsequent events in future episodes.

All I can see is: yes, more of this, please. Please watch this. It is free! It is so good. And I hope someone picks up this show or supports the creators, or whatever needs to happen to continue this happens.

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsGZ_2RuJ2A

As for me, if you like this I am on Medium, I appear over @ cyberpunks.com and I am on Twitter and Goodreads.