Cyber City Episode 1

GREAT

100%

of 1 scoutsrecommend

Review Summary

Watch Cyber City's first episode for a strong introduction to its gritty futuristic universe, memorable characters, and entertaining, retro-styled action sequences.

Animation & Style

Character Writing & Lore

Pacing

World Building & Setting

👀 SPOILER-FREE SUMMARY

Madhouse delivers a razor-sharp cyberpunk opener that wastes zero time establishing its gritty credentials. Sengoku, a convict earning his freedom one dangerous mission at a time, is thrown into a high-rise nightmare where technology has turned hostile. The pacing is relentless — this is a 90s OVA firing on all cylinders, blending visceral action with genuine suspense as an AI-controlled skyscraper becomes a death trap. The atmosphere drips with neon-soaked dystopia, and the episode leans hard into themes of redemption, institutional control, and the uneasy fusion of humanity and machine. Sengoku's abrasive personality gives the tension a volatile edge, making every confrontation feel unpredictable. For fans of dark sci-fi with teeth, this is a confident, self-contained mission that hooks immediately while laying the groundwork for the world of Oedo.

🔥 KEY MOMENTS

⚠️ Spoiler Alert!

The Collar's Countdown Begins

Sengoku gets his mission briefing: rescue 50,000 people trapped in Oedo's tallest skyscraper, or the explosive collar around his neck detonates. The stakes are personal and immediate from the jump.

The Building Fights Back

The skyscraper's hijacked AI turns the entire structure into a deathtrap, weaponizing security systems and infrastructure against Sengoku as he pushes deeper inside. Every corridor becomes a gauntlet.

Kurokawa's Revelation

Sengoku confronts Dave Kurokawa, who drops a bombshell — the suspected hacker behind the takeover was officially declared dead years ago. The case shifts from cybercrime to something far more unsettling.

Standoff With the Machine

Sengoku goes head-to-head with the building's automated defenses in a brutally tense sequence, relying on street instincts and raw aggression to survive technology designed to be unbeatable.

The Dead Man's Motive

Sengoku uncovers the true identity and purpose behind the hijacking — a ghost from the past with a deeply personal grudge. He's forced into a critical decision that puts his own survival against the lives of thousands.

📍 ARC CONTEXT

As the first of three standalone OVA episodes, 'Memories of the Past' establishes the series' premise — convicted criminals working as cyber cops to reduce their sentences — and introduces Sengoku as the focal character. Each episode in the trilogy spotlights a different team member, and this opener transitions into Episode 2, 'The Decoy Program,' which shifts focus to Gogul and his own entanglement with Oedo's technological underworld.

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