Netflix’s upcoming show will wage war against other sci-fi projects this year, creating a 2026 steampunk-versus-cyberpunk battle. The most hyped sci-fi shows of the year are, by far, the cyberpunk projects. In fact, the year has already been labeled “the year of cyberpunk,” and none of the shows have even come out. That’s how confident streamers are that the TV shows will find success.
In all fairness, there are some exciting projects coming out. Apple TV’s Neuromancer finally brings a foundational piece of cyberpunk media to the small screen for the first time ever. Another foundational franchise, Blade Runner, will return with Prime Video’s Blade Runner 2099. A new Ghost in the Shell anime will hit the screens. And that is just a few of the cyberpunk titles coming out this year.
However, cyberpunk won’t go uncontested. The genre will have to go up against another beloved sci-fi “punk” subgenre with Netflix’s upcoming series Sparks of Tomorrow. The show is one of the most anticipated Netflix animated series. Set in an alternate history of 1907 Kyoto where steam became the dominant power, a jaded teen boy and a rebellious teen girl set out to find the 20th Century Electrical Catalog, which will herald in the Age of Electricity.
The upcoming TV show could prove that steampunk is still just as relevant as cyberpunk. What’s more, if Sparks of Tomorrow is as successful as expected, it could blow some of the cyberpunk TV shows out of the water.
Sparks Of Tomorrow Is Already Expected To Be A Steampunk Masterpiece
From both a story and an animation perspective, Sparks of Tomorrow is already expected to be a masterpiece. Kyoto Animation won the Shigeru Okada Prize at the 45th Annual Japan Academy Awards for combining high-quality entertainment with strong visual artistry (via Crunchyroll News), and Sparks of Tomorrow’s trailer is a key example of why they deserve the critical praise.
The art features impressionist-style backgrounds, a hybrid of soft and hard cel-shading, and beautiful textures. Warm color palettes of golds and burnt oranges, during moments of electricity, contrast with the blue-grays and muted greens in the everyday steampunk environment.
On the narrative side, Sparks of Tomorrow will adapt the award-winning light novel 20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku, which translates to “20th-Century Electricity Catalog.” The story sounds compelling, and it’s already easy to invest in the characters just based on the trailer.
Sparks of Tomorrow will tell a steampunk tale with a fresh Japanese perspective rather than belaboring Victorian culture in Great Britain. Meanwhile, the only other steampunk project this year, Bass X Machina, will tell a Wild West steampunk story. These are much-needed fresh twists that could help revitalize the subgenre.
In Sparks of Tomorrow, the downsides of steam power are evident as the characters walk through the city’s smoke-filled streets. The story includes the low-life focus and rebellious attitudes, which are integral to the “punk” subgenres, but it also has a sense of hope. This small bit of optimism will keep Sparks of Tomorrow from feeling too bleak.
Sparks Of Tomorrow’s Steampunk Will Stand Out Among A Sea Of Cyberpunk
2026’s designation as “the year of cyberpunk” makes perfect sense based on every TV and video game project in the genre coming out over the next eight months. That being said, the genre feels flooded with projects. There are so many to choose from.
At the very least, four new cyberpunk TV shows, one returning show, and four games will release throughout the year. That doesn’t even take into account the manga and comics in the genre, including Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome, coming out this year. Taking everything into account, the sea of cyberpunk media could quickly become overwhelming.
Luckily, Sparks of Tomorrow will stand out in the steampunk vs cyberpunk battle because it’s one of two major onscreen steampunk projects announced for this year. The other one, Bass X Machina, is coming out three months apart from Sparks of Tomorrow, giving the genre time to breathe instead of releasing a ton of projects in succession.
Cast
Sora Amamiya
Inako Momokawa (voice)
Yuma Uchida
Kihachi Sakamoto (voice)
Koki Uchiyama
Yosuke Mizoe (voice)
Daisuke Ono
Seiroku Sakamoto (voice)