Translated with AI from the Russian original.
The creators intentionally left room for viewers to speculate.
Bartosz Sztybor, the showrunner of the anime “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2,” discussed how the character Roman Karax came to be and why the creators decided not to reveal his past.
Initially, Sztybor suggested to Studio Trigger to pay homage to 80s and 90s pop culture by telling several stories that would intersect at a certain point. During discussions about the concept with director Kei Igarashi, it turned out that both shared a love for cinema. This is how the idea for Roman was born:
“We needed someone to unite all the characters. And since we were already paying homage to 80s and 90s pop culture — both in the plot and visually — a film-loving kid was perfect. We thought it was a great idea to make this innocent guy, a retro enthusiast and an embodiment of hope, the link between all these far-from-perfect heroes.”
Roman films what is happening with an old video camera and prefers regular cinema to braindances. However, in an early version of the script, the authors paid more attention to his family, but later decided to cut these scenes:
“Roman is a glimmer of innocence in this strange, cruel city. He has so much joy and trust. In the first version of the script, he had more conversations with his father, but we realized that we were telling too much about his past. And then you start looking for explanations: ‘Why is he like that?'”
According to Sztybor, viewers can speculate about Roman’s past, but an official answer should not be expected:
“Extra details about him, his past, and his family would ruin the impression of this character. Therefore, I promise: in no Cyberpunk project will we show his backstory. It will remain a mystery.”
All ten episodes of “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2” have been available on Netflix since October 20.
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