"City Hunter" is a notorious contractor group with the call sign "XYZ." No matter the job, they will take it, cleaning up the scum on the streets of Tokyo. The key member of City Hunter is Ryou Saeba; armed with his trusty Colt Python and pinpoint accuracy, he works alongside willful tomboy Kaori Makimura.
Together they solve tough cases and tackle the numerous dangers that accompany their trade head-on. However, when he's not out hunting crooks and villains, Ryou finds pleasure in chasing beautiful ladies with only Kaori and her one hundred-ton hammer to keep him in check. From pickpockets and arms dealers to crime syndicates, nothing can stand in the way of Ryou Saeba when he takes aim at his next mission.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
4saken
This large, classic series consists of the adventures of Saeba Ryo, a sweeper or hired gun and his partner Kaori. Throughout the 140 episodes that make up the 4 seasons there are mainly 1-3 episode stories that intertwine very nicely. Also 3 movies that came out during the series' release and 3 specials that aired later. This anime is considered Action/Comedy but it has a lot of the entertainment value that you get from a Super Power type anime due to Ryo's implausible skill. Saeba Ryo is not only an absolutely perfect marksman but by nature will hit on every beautiful woman he sees, which isthe origin of many of his jobs. Kaori, Ryo's female partner in business will often straighten him out with something heavy, like a 10 ton hammer to the head. He tries to keep a rule of only accepting female clients so this is often necessary. At whim he will go from a super marksman to hitting on any woman that comes within view. He uses a .357 magnum to get himself out of all the trouble these jobs lead him and his friends into. His skill with the gun is to the point of(but not limited to) shooting through the exact same hole in a target 12 times, in a duel with another professional drawing and reloading faster than they can even draw and shooting out 4 wheels on a car that's driving behind him all through the same hole in the rear windshield while only looking through the mirror. His marksmanship is quite literally super human.
The combination of action and comedy is perfect and very addicting. Throughout the anime he takes endless numbers of jobs, all original and without getting redundant. From catching a killer that uses hypnosis to make their target commit suicide to stopping a hacker from accessing missile silos. There are a lot of rocket launchers, grenades, plastic explosives and nitroglycerin in this anime =). There are quite a few side characters, around 7-8. All of which are very well done and significant.
The animation is very good for its time(1987-1991) in my opinion. The animation doesn't make this anime as much as the story, action and comedy, but the animation is good all the same.
As for music, is is overall very good, especially the opening, endings and theme song. I especially like the 1st opening and S2 2nd ending songs among others. The background music and sound effects are also very good.
I can say for sure that this anime does not degrade as you get to higher episodes, it only gets better, which is somewhat uncommon for a 100+ ep series. The Movies and OVAs don't lower in quality compared to the series itself either. They fit perfectly with the series at the points that you are supposed to watch them at and it just makes it that much better. Altogether this anime is a must watch, one of the best Shounen animes and very addictive.
If you like this anime I suggest watching Angel Heart, as it is a semi-continuation of many of the City Hunter characters.
RandomChampion
This masterpiece is truly one of a kind. I have no clue as to why this gem of the late 80's is barely known. Story - 8 This anime follows the adventures of Japan's premier hired gun, Ryo Saeba. I gave the story a 9 as there is really no overarching story, or various story arcs. Instead, this series is rather episodic, with many single story episodes with a few 1-3 mini arcs spread throughout. This, however, can also be seen as a forte to this series, as this series isnt hindered by fillers, drawn out fights, repetition, or slower parts likesome other series of similar lengths are. Each episode is interesting, especially the mini arcs which usually tend to be deeper in nature. Basically, almost all the episodes follow the basic formula of a beautiful female client who calls upon the help of the highly skilled Ryo Saeba. Do not worry if this sounds repetitive, as each episode definitely holds its own.
A great overall story is usually a big must for me in judging an anime, but City Hunter easily gets away with this with its engrossing episodes and strong character interactions (especially if you consider day-to-day living, slice-of-life, etc) and various developments. Basically, this aint no Death Note in terms of plot, but there is a tale of being to be told.
Art - 10
I give the art in this anime a 10. First of all, I am judging the art based on the time period it was made. Still, even compared to modern drawing techniques, this anime would get a 9. The art in this anime is fantastic, even by todays standards. The backgrounds are highly detailed and truly give a correct feel for the atmosphere of the settings. The drawings of Shinjuku really come to life as a bustling metropolitan area. Details are not spared in any way.
Drawings of the characters are also top-notch. There is a perfect mix of realism and cartoonism. The characters are realistically drawn, with the exception of some disproportion during the comedic moments.
Sound - 10
The soundtrack of City Hunter is a serious plus for this series. The opening and closing songs perfectly capture the late 80's feel of the series. The background musics are also fantastic and are reminiscent of an 80's/early 90's Hollywood cop movie. Fitting songs pretty much play at all the right times during the series.
Character - 10
City Hunter makes up for a lack of overall story with incredible characters. This is especially evident in none other than the main character, Ryo Saeba. Ryo Saeba is typically seen as lazy, easy-going, jovial, and perverted man despite his reputation as one of the most skilled sweepers in the world. However, underneath this appearance is an extremely complex character with an intriguing past. Furthermore, he also has a very strong sense of justice and has a strong sense of what is right and wrong. He is pretty much what many of more recent series' main characters are based on (ex - Spike from Cowboy Bebop, Onizuka from GTO, etc).
Besides Saeba is a host of other characters. There is his partner, Makimori, who is also a very complex character. There are also re-occurring characters whose relationships with Ryo become uncovered during the course of the series.
Basically, this series has very likable, three-dimensional cast that will make sure that you keep on watching.
Enjoyment- 10
The enjoyment factor for this series is immense. High quality action, loads of comedy, and engrossing characters pretty much define this series. Although City Hunter might seem like a serious, action oriented series at first, the comedy in this series is plentiful and is amongst the best i have seen in an anime.
Overall - 10
This timeless classic excels in pretty much everything and is definitely unique amongst the 1000s of animes out there. I am very glad that I didnt miss this great series about one of the greatest characters in anime.
miwars
"I’m neither an ally of yours nor a tool of those police inspectors who think they are men of justice. I live as I think is right." Ryo Saeba, to a mafia leader. This masterpiece is the adaption of City Hunter's manga, one of Weekly Shōnen Jump's best-selling series of all time, from the all-known popular hit by Hojo Tsukasa. City Hunter is the code name of the main character, Ryo Saeba, Tokyo's best sweeper, private detective and body guard, as well as the number one pervert in Japan. No one can wield the .357 Colt Python Magnum the way Ryo Saeba does. He can shoot whilemoving with pinpoint accuracy, shoot through the same hole in a target many times, and draw, shoot then reload his gun faster than any opponent. Strongly feared in the underworld of Tokyo, he lives the way he sees fit, in a Carpe Diem way, and can be contacted by leaving a note with an "XYZ "on the bulletin board at Shinjuku Station.
Just as how he is an intelligent and ressourceful in the battlefield, Ryo can easily turn into a pervert when beautiful women are around. As for that matter, he accepts requests from women only, resulting in many comical "Mokkori" situations. Kaori Makimura is his self-proclaimed assistant, the sister of his late best friend and partner, and the only woman he doesn't seem to notice. Their gradually evolving teamwork, and their mysterious relationship make their missions all the more intriguing, with many unexpected turns of event. The supportive characters are quite appealing, with the beautiful and skilled Saeko Nogami, the ambitious police inspector who uses her charms to persuade Ryo to help her solve many cases, and Falcon/Umibozu, a good partner in many missions, and an equally good rival of Ryo. As the story unfolds, many old acquaintances make their appearence, and the hidden past of Ryo Saeba comes to light, dark and disturbing. Many hardships await the City Hunter team, and in times of crisis, Ryo and Kaori end up realizing their feelings for each other, but have yet to make decisions considering their line of work.
Through the four seasons of 140 episodes of City Hunter, the animation is vivid and pleasant, the voice actors cast brilliant, and the original soundtrack soulful and inspiring. The mind blowing action, the endearing comedy and the bittersweet romance make this anime a classic in the shounen genre, and certainly holds a special place in many hearts. As for the ending, you'll need to read to manga.
I highly recommand this anime. A 10 out of 10.
CataOrShane
City Hunter is considered a classic from the 80's but in my opinion is too overrated. I'll justify my opinion on this review. Visuals: 1) classic visual style for the 80's; this is a great thing 2) there are several animation mistakes that are capable of breaking immersion 3) most male characters are copy paste, design-wise Sound: 1) every single seiyuu is a legend in the japanese voice acting industry. The big majority of them had already worked together in many other titles like Lupin III, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, ... The chemistry between the seiyuus is very noticeable and theirperformances are incredibly solid. Despite this, Ryo is still an insuferable character. I'll explain why later.
2) The soundtrack is also very 80's and again this is a good thing, in my opinion. However, the 2nd OP is way worse than the 1st OP
Story and characters:
1) I really enjoyed the 1st episode. City Hunter made one heck of an impression on me. However, I did not enjoy any other episode afterwards. 1 enjoyable episode out of 51... yikes.
2) One of the big reasons why this was a chore to watch, has to do with the repetitiveness, predictability and pretty much copy and paste of previous episodes. Ryo goes mokkori (which is the sound effect for a boner, btw) mode for a woman that needs his help, Ryo sexually harasses and assaults the woman, stuff happens and Ryo finishes the job, woman falls in love with Ryo. This is City Hunter in a nutshell. Each episode is the materialization of a dumbass male fantasy where the more of a douchebag you are, the more girls you'll get.
3) sexual harassment was not, is not and will never be funny
4) Ryo is the main character and he is impossible to tolerate. He's a clear failed attempt at creating another lecherous, cool but kind hearted man like Lupin III. Lupin III has charisma, goes through character development and has charisma. Ryo from the 1st episode is the same exact annoying waste of space from episode 51. The only good thing about him is his voice actor.
5) Whenver the anime tries to be all serious and dramatic, it fails so hard at it. Everything gets rushed, not enough "content" to be emotional over, no sense of danger, ... terrible, awful writting. As an example and without spoiling things, I'll mention episode 5. There's a character that we would consider important that will leave the story. We're meant to feel shock and sadness. Instead, we feel confusion because they way it's handled feels like nothing more than a poor excuse to replace that character with another because Ryo needs a bigger female presence in his life. Unfortunately episode 5 isn't the only case of rubbish writting in City Hunter.
6) There's plenty of references throughout the episodes about other animes (Urusei Yatsura, Lupin III, etc), hollywood (Jaws, Arnold Schwarzenegger), literature (Jekyll and Hyde), etc.
Unfortunately for me, City Hunter was horrible to watch. Too repetitive, an annoying main character, uninteresting plot, ... as good as the old school visuals and soundtrack are and the phenomenal job that the seiyuus did, I didn't enjoy this at all.
It gets a 3/10 from me.
lusyoliveira
It had been a long time since I did not watch any "new" anime , I was just with DBSuper, and began to watch the whole series of Power Ranger. Finally, last month decided to look for something new to watch. I remembered some anime that caught my attention in a magazine that used to buy when I was younger, the "Ultra Jovem". So I went on the website Super Anime and searched for anime according to the year, more precisely 80 and 90, because honestly, the anime today has me filled eyes, even DBSuper, Sailor Moon Crystal (What even stopped watching), only Digimon Trirenewed my teen spirit with nostalgia. So in the middle of the search I found City Hunter.
City Hunter has all I love: police investigation, action and humor! The story revolves around Ryo Saeba a sweeper (a kind of private detective), it is a very demanding detective because just take the case of beautiful woman! All this because he is a Mokkori. This word is present all the time in the episodes, say it is a "nickname" for pervert. Ryo and his friend Hideyuki Makimura, unite to form the City Hunter team in Tokyo. And to contact him, just leave a note with the symbol "XYZ" on the bulletin board at Shinjuku station. However, one day, Hideyuki, is murdered by a gang, and Ryo takes care of Hideyuki sister, Kaori, who becomes his new assistant. Kaori spends all his time chasing Ryo to prevent their "acts Mokkori" with their clients, and for this she enlists the help of a hammer of 100 tonnes, which is all the time at the ready just waiting for the slip Ryo. However this persecution Kaori seems actually involve her feelings for him. Sometimes Ryo also has the Umibozu help, another sweeper and longtime friends. Ryo also outsources their work to the detective Metropolitan Police Saeko Nogami, hoping one day he will get paid in "Mokkori", so he keeps a long list of favors already granted to it.
City Hunter is one of those anime that has much to teach us, behind the all the humor, there is always a life history lesson, or people overcoming their fears and having their lives changed due to the Ryo, which shows you the right way to act on each situation. In each episode we have a different story, with different people, and different lives. Of people who need not only Ryo help protect them, but also to overcome obstacles and challenges in your life or even see the world differently.
Besides the drama, City Hunter has a very exciting soundtrack. I just loved the first openings and ending, can't stop listening. Then you search for an anime with lots of action and humor, and with good story, I advise them to watch City Hunter and will not regret it.
ettethealien
I'mma rate the series as whole, with a 6. When I watched the anime, I already had read the manga, and turned out to be a bad idea, since the anime adaptation is A FREAKING DISASTER. Most of its episodes are all fillers, and the episodes that are canon were adapted so wrong, not to mention the amount of censorship it has, which doesn't make sense since the original story isn't that violent or graphic (I came to miss Roy's mokkoris, much of the jokes lost their charm because the lack of erectios lol) , even tho the overall feeling the anime tries to transmitis more like "cool and badass gunman" the series portraits the complete opposite, most of the episodes are so silly I can't take seriously a story like that (the manga share the same problem but not as much) I tried watching this anime expecting something different like "well maybe it'll be less repetitive and I'll get more RyoxKaori moments" which, in the first place, yeah is not as repetitive, but that didn't make those episodes better or interesting, and two, Ryo and Kaori relationship was done so dirty in this adaptation, the anime ignores vital events in their relationship (and for the plot itself) like in the episode where they helping the ghost of a murdered woman (Mami-san I believe) and the part where Kaori and Ryo end up drugging each other, it was supposed that they slept in the couch together and in the next morning Kaori wakes up with Ryo above her, resting his head over her chest, but they cut that out in the anime, which I can't understand since at that point it was stated they had feelings for each other, this is only one example but the anime had many moments like that cut off. The fact that it didn't even tried to give the anime a proper ending, when the last season aired the manga was already finished, Okay I get it, you fucked it up with that random Robert when the manga had Mick, but if the plot has some many things chopped up, manage to make the final arc without the bestie that died (in a very lame episode) in your crappy adaptation. Anyway, this anime is a mess, but like with the manga the episodes that I truly enjoyed were the ones that were Kaori focused or RyoxKaori focused (like the Christmas episode and ep 50 from season 2)
Plot and adaptation aside, the animation is pretty nice, not amazing tho (the movies did a lot better in that regard) but definitely the best thing about this anime (above anything else) is the music. The OST is so freaking good, I even think it was kinda a waste making so good music for for such a lame anime adaptation, wish I had the same excitement watching the anime as I felt listening to Get Wild everytime one episode ended.
If I couldn't recommend the manga, much less can I recommend the anime, the terrible adaptation ruined it for me, and if not only that much of the original episodes the anime had, were a disaster, with little proper execution, seriously city hunter need a readaptation ASAP
Bocia
City Hunter is one of the leading anime of the 1980s. The atmospheres, drawings, and never dull characters make this work unique. Although the seasons never have a continuous plot but only episodes with a separate storyline, the plot is present only in the very first episodes, where one main character is replaced with another who will later become the undisputed protagonist together with Ryo; we are talking about Kaori. In each episode a different girl is introduced, never stereotyped and always elegant. Dizzying music, along with the opening and closing theme songs also make this anime perfect on the musical side. In Italy, unfortunately, from the second seasononward they changed Ryo Saeba's voice actor, and the third and fourth seasons we could not appreciate them that much.
But I can only give a 9 to this timeless work, which introduced a character (Ryo Saeba) who later inspired so many other characters.
Cbr_Star
If you're looking for hot 80's awesomeness, look no further because this Anime has it all! From .357 magnums, sports jackets, and new wave rock. Ryo Saeba is Japans international man of mystery, who you can place your trust with because of his superior sweeper skills! But if you're a beautiful Woman you might not want to trust him as a man. This light hearted action packed comedy is full of running gags, impossible situations, and a certain charm that will leave you wanting more. Jackie Chan even made a live action movie, because that's just how awesome this show is.
ohtori_akio
Please note that when reviewing this series, I have thought of it WITHIN its timeframe. So if it seems to be rated highly to you, it is because I am judging it for the time it was made. Where do you start when you review a milestone series? This is a tough question and one that really comes forth as I review City Hunter. City Hunter is one of those series that transcend time and generations as the winning combination of drama, action and comedy can be appreciated time and time again. This series has its aspects often copied (Cowboy Bebop being the most obvious one) andeven the copies can't go wrong with the winning formula. One who takes a chance on this series will not be disappointed as it has such a broad appeal that it is unlikely to be found lacking (a little like Sailor Moon for the boys).
The animation quality of City Hunter still stands well nowadays because of the high production values this first series of episodes have as a standard. I think it is also clear that no shorcuts were taken when one first lays eyes on some of the breathtaking backgrounds of the Tokyo cityscapes.
The level of detail and mastery in creating these images already elevate this series from generic backgrounds found in more recent shows like InuYasha, Love Hina or Naruto.
The character design is just as pleasing to the eye as these backgrounds. Ryo Saeba looks a lot more like how a person would look then you usual highly stylised Shounen protagonist. The "Mokkori" ladies, including Saeko and Kaori, are also really well drawn and very sexy. With this level of eye candy, there was hardly a chance that it would not be a successful franchise.
The only kink I came accross while watching the episodes was that at times, the proportions on certain character were either strange or just wrong. This occurs very rarely and doesn't really take away from the series so overall it isn't so much of an issue.
This series also comes with a fully kicking soundtrack that even surpasses the great animation. Both intros were incredible pieces of JRock/Pop. GoGo Heaven is probably the better one of the two as it really taps into the action/comedy aspect of the show. The standout track is of course Get Wild (a hit in its own right when released as a single in 1986 and recently reworked by the influencial TM Revolution), one track that taps shamelessly into the drama/romance aspect of the show oh so well!
The voice actors match the quality of the vocal tracks here with completely effervescent and infectious performances. Ryo's voice actors especially has a lot of fun with his character and really draws the audience in!
The overall story of City Hunter is that a sweeper (the kind without a broom) is called upon to either protect persecuted *mostly* females or right wrongs that were done to them in the past (Saint Tail uses the same premise to similar success). As such, this series is easily a very episodic one with a fairly static development all the way through (the only permanent change was the casting of Kaori).
Some people will find this to be a problem as City Hunter does not offer a plot that progresses much through its run. However, the episodic nature of City Hunter allows the audience to catch it sparringly and still enjoy the show just as much.
Later episodes do have storylines that continue for 3 or 4 episodes that have a better connection with its permanent audience and usually delivers very well on that front too.
Because of the episodic nature of the show, character development is lacking overall. However, the main cast is so well defined that they remain just as exciting through the show's entire run. The creators somewhat redeem the lack of development for the main cast by giving us great three dimensional victims/clients who call for Ryo's help. Overall it plays out like Law & Order as the CASE at hand is what is given importance.
City Hunter is easily one of the best Shounen animes ever made (just behind Saint Seiya and Berserk in my books). Its perfect mix of action, comedy and drama does what an anime is meant to do: entertain its audience. It's probably not the most rewarding anime you'll see but it is definitely one that you will forever appreciate. Out of the 51 episodes of this series only 1 was subpar. That is an incredible ratio; especially for a shounen title. Do yourself a favour - see it and enjoy it!
maniascity
It always confused me why most of the new popular, mainstream animes don't compare to the the olden animes in terms of storyline, originality or pure enjoyment... City Hunter emphasizes this point strongly. This show is older than me and yet its so enjoyable and fun! there was a joke during the show and after hearing it I paused for about 1 minutes laughing in tears. but sadly there are some downsides folks. This is the biggest mistake that long shows seem to, knowingly, get into (maybe for proftit or it caught up with the manga?? I dunno). The show starts to get a bit repetitive...Ididn't say boring, just said repetitive (JUST A LITTLE BIT!!). Also, compared to today's standards in art, this show lack. Though strangely, I found the sound to have a very good quality compared to today's animes (this show was made 23 years ago) which is very surprising.
But the deciding factor which makes an anime shine or fall is not the sound or art (although they help) , but the story and characters and this show excels in both aspects. Characters are developed thoroughly throughout the show and the story progresses aswell giving this series un-boring, funny and action-filled episodes
so in conclusion,
weather you like action, laughing your ass off or pervertingdom (yes I made up this word) this anime is a must.
shintai88
Its a high rating, I know unbelievable right? well thats just how much I've enjoyed it, I first stumbled upon City Hunter when I was a kid around 4-5 years old, and even then it was dubbed completely in cantonese, and it was one of the coolest series I watched at that age, it was actually the reason I got into guns when I was a kid, the sound of the Magnum 357 python, was just stunning, and the accuracy and the amazing skill that Saeba Ryo possesses. To me it was a comedy, action, ecchi, adventure and crime series. The art was really good for itstime. very detailed and I liked the mature style of it, the eyes not being to big and cute.
The music is also really good, I loved the Asphalt song the original ending, its just perfect when its put together with a great scene.
The action is good, and due to Ryo's Pinpoint accuracy he only requires 1 shot to kill, but you also see him perform so incredible feats.
The voice acting is great (I rewatched the series in japanese dub, and it was perfect as well, the acting of each voice actor was great, and the emotions expressed was nearly perfectly matched with the cantonese dub, which is rare today.)
Ryo Saeba is a mystery his exisitance is a mystery, his orgins is unknown even his age and real name. This sense of mystery was an attraction because you want to know more about this person.
Ryo has a partner who helps him find work, and negotiates a price.
Ryo has a policy though "I only accept the requests and jobs of beautiful women" Which is a strange request. but is his only condition.
There are a variety of interesting characters, like Umibozo who is funny and nearly as good as ryo.
Overall there is alot to explain, but to me there is no real finale to city hunter, until the arc of Glass Heart appeared. which shows you more of Ryo's Future and past.
I hope you all enjoy this as much as me.
cabledude
City Hunter is one of the most entertaining anime I ever seen. It does not have alot of action, can be quite ecchi and the animation can be crude at times. But due to its excellent characters, the anime gets more entertaining the more you watch it. Ryo Saeba is charismatic, yet extremely entertain. Kaori and her 100t hammer can get old at times, but the show is so entertaining that you will end up watching 20 episodes in one sitting. I suggest anyone that enjoy anime to give this show a chance. This show is one of the my first anime and still one ofthe best.
One more thing, do not watch the horrible City Hunter movie starring Jackie Chan.
Kirko
This is my first review on MAL... In the late 90’s, I was introduced to the world of animes and mangas for the first time. My first favorite anime was from the manga City Hunter by author Tsukasa Hojo. It was adapted by Sunrise Studios in 1987 and has since been one of the top and best-selling series of all time in Shonen Jump. This anime also has a huge fanbase in the west more noticeably in Europe. The series follows the daily activities of an excellent private detective named Ryo Saeba andhis associate Kaori. Ryo’s always chasing after beautiful girls and vowed to himself to only accept them as clients. City hunter, displays therefore a lot of funny scenes following the protagonist interactions with girls and Kaori’s never ending jealousy.
Despite all its comedy, City Hunter is one of the most interesting slice of life stories I’ve ever seen. Each episode usually deals with the request of a single beautiful female client, who find herself unable to go to the police for whatever dire situations she got into. Ryo, being a man of experience, talent and feared by the underworld is always coming at their rescue and in style. Sure there is no superpowers, no young stupid teenage protagonist and no high school environment set in this world of City Hunter. This could be the appeal for a well thought out Seinen Manga. But for reason I still don’t understand, City Hunter is categorized as Shounen. But the author went even further against that idea by presenting a lot of themes almost never or rarely seen in other shonen, such as the Yakuzas, Drugs, Prostitution, Human trafficking, Assassinations, etc. All which makes it, a very dark series and definitely not aimed at children… (Even though I was still a teenager when I first watched it…).
Now to the breakdown of the anime Adaptation.
In term of art and animation, I can say the series did an alright job back when it first came out. The character design is mostly realistic apart from the comic relief chibis. The girls are designed very well and made attractive to support the plot as Ryo’s client rule. The main characters all have distinct styles which makes it easy to tell them apart. Animation was about average and acceptable for its time again.
One of the most interesting aspects of the adaption from the manga has to be the soundtrack. This series has an epic soundtrack compared to most anime from the 80’s till now. The mixed of style accompanying each scenes makes it very easy to know the mood and message conveyed.
Finally I would have to recommend this series to anyone who wants to have a good laugh whilst watching an interesting story and sometimes actions packed anime with a little bit of drama.
short_review
* This is a review of the french adaptation of the City Hunter serie * Twenty five years after it was showcased on the french television, Nicky Larson (City Hunter) remains one of the most famous japanese anime in France and Nicky (Ryo) and Laura (kaori) still hold a place in the heart of many of the young people who used to watch their adventures on TV. While the japanese version of the serie's main quality was its characters and its wonderfull original soundtrack, the french team responsible for the adaptation wasn't allowed to translate all the "adult stuff" and the few gore scenes had to becut because the goal was to have young kids watch the serie. In the end what they achieved was to make it an even more enjoyable show for adults.
Several critical choices were made. The villains had slightly ridiculous voices and the adult vocabulary was changed. The guns didn't fire "bullets" anymore but "dumplings" and so on ... Moreover the villains would often repeat that they were "very bad guys" in a ridiculous way.
On the other hand the dub team choose a very manly yet classy voice for Nicky (Ryo) so that the serious aspect of his character was untouched. They also did a good job on the main characters such as Laura (Kaori), Mammouth (Umibozu), Helene (Saeko).
Speaking about the music, during the episodes the musics weren't changed but the opening and ending had a proper french version that was not a great great song but on the other hand was very rythmic, easy to remember and to sing (same thing could be said about lots of french opening at that time: Lady Oscar, Cat's eye, Saint Seiya ...)
In the end the french version of City Hunter became more famous in France than the original in Japan because it was able to keep the best parts of the japanese original and add something more. Kids liked it for the 1st degree comedy while adults became fond of it for the second degree comedy the team responsible for translation added.
Truly a great and funny show !
DBloke
Yeah this is a copy paste from my site Welcome to a gathering of words about something I have just seen, or in this case something that I have just seen over the past few days as it was a bit long to watch in one sitting and in keeping with some of the other animated thing reviews I have done of late this is the series thats the movies are based off thats based off the manga all of the same name and what is it called? Well if you haven't of guessed by now its..... City Hunter Yep just City Hunter no other titles. One thing that Ilike is these older animes. Mainly due to most recent ones are all kinda the same thing (School girls daily life's/fighting teenagers with some kind of magical powers). Ok so some kind of basic plot line would be handy. Well the series is set around Ryo Seaba who is a "sweeper" or private detective whos primary employers are women (he tends to turn away blokes) and he is a bit of a pervert which tends to get him in trouble with his assistant the boyish Kaori Makimura. Since the series is 51 episodes long it can be hard to watch in one go, but to tell you the truth I dont recommend you do that as the basic storyline's are all the same and there are few two parters, so two or three a day will be great (not like me where I watched 20 of them in four days), but I wont dismiss all the series as being rubbish because, well, it isn't. Its actually really good as long as you don't do what I did. there are a few stand out moments that I will end up chopping all together sometime as a kind of "Best bits" compilation so keep your eyes open for that. Anyway if you are thinking about watching it and are unsure if you will like it I will say to you "Watch the films first" (not the Jackie Chan one as its hard to base it off that) and if you like them you will like the series.
One sentence summary
Its like mini action films only animated.
Who is it for?
Well watch the movies first, but if you aren't going to its for those that like action films and people that are looking for a series that isn't to mentally challenging.
Will I be watching the follow ups?
Not yet I need a rest first, so I will watch some other stuff in the meantime.
Yeah the overall score was kinda forced upon me as I try to avoid them
zensurfer68
Saeba Ryo is the second most lecherous man in the universe, beaten only by Moroboshi Ataru (Urusei Yatsura). Most of these episodes are more about Ryo perving on women, and being hit with hammers by his partner Makimura Kaori. It is light hearted fun, and there is some action. However the series started with Saeba being a 'sweeper' which seemed to mean something of an assassin/problem eliminator, he shot people and a couple of episodes were dark, but by about the 5th episode it turned into a comedy, with a bit of action. Ryo is an over the top human superhero, he has nopowers but he has a heightened sixth sense and unbelievable accuracy with guns. His problem is he is always trying to get into women's pants, though he is never successful. It's pretty much the same joke over and over again, somehow it never wore thin. It's and OK watch but I wouldn't binge watch it unless you are a fan.
SenseiSempai-san
A Great Action Comedy Anime of the 80s and 90s Era City Hunter is one of the great anime of the late '80s and '90s. It still survives till today with movie specials that are released every couple of years or so. This shows how good the concept is. It has other spin-offs of sort like Angel Eyes from the same manga artist. The songs used and the music are top notch. If you are a fan of city pop of the '80s and '90s, then the soundtrack of City Hunter would be of interest. The City Hunter is about the sweeper or vigilante similar to therole of McCall in The Equalizer of the same era. In this case the sweeper is Ryo Saeba. He is an orphan of Japanese heritage but somehow he ended up in the war zone as a child. The war zone was not named but it looks like South East Asia in the '70s. So he was trained and was able to survive in the war zone, learning skills and martial arts. His shooting skills are top notch. He is supported by a host of characters of which Kaori Makimura is the most important. She is also his greatest regret in some sort of ways. Watch it and you will not regret it.
TycoonHoang
The neighbourhood knows him as playboy Saeba Ryo, while in the underworld he is known as the City Hunter, Japan's top sweeper. Everything from dog finding to being a bodyguard, he accepts all requests. But only from women. With his trusty assistant, Kaori Makimura, we follow him through a series of action-packed adventures in the 80's of Japan. The story is a typical hardboiled agent movie. I personally like this genre, but I still have to subtract some points, because the show's too repetitive. Every episode is basically, Saeba Ryo meets girl in distress. Saeba Ryo saves girl in distress. The anime was made in1987. So the art style was very nostalgic and aesthetic, but the animation in itself was nothing special.
What stood out the most about the anime was the OSTs. They are some of the best music I have ever heard from an anime. Both the OPs and EDs were dripping with the 80's, and The soundtracks were also very catchy. Besides from that, the voice acting was solid.
We are presented a likeable cast, with Saeba Ryo being one of my favourite protagonists of all time. He chases after women with a silly look on his face, but when he get serious he is reliable and strong. The rest of the cast consists mostly of gorgeous distressed ladies.
I really enjoyed watching this anime, even with the lack of story. The cast is just so lovely, and it's fun watching the dynamic duo between Saeba and Kaori. If you like Lupin III, I recommend you watch this.
DaCraziGuy
Ahhh City Hunter, a HUGE show but forgotten. I found it because of it's awesome soundtrack recently. First, I usually don't like the episodic shows but I still loved this. This show is a lot better than it seems and you need to watch it to understand that. The show has a pretty "unique" sense of humour and even some people might consider it offensive for todays standards. It follows the adventures of our beloved City hunter with his partner doing all kind of jobs and always involving cute girls. The show main focus are the characters and it's comedy, the show has action almost in allthe episodes tho.
The comedy is pretty perverted (as well as the mc) and a lot of times it involves the characters trolling and pranking each other (something pretty uncommon). Despite saying that people can find it's humour offensive it's a lot more open minded than it seems (especially after a while) considering the time it aired. The timing on the jokes are great and they can be really unexpected sometimes.
The characters are the biggest reason of why this show is SOOO GOOD. All of them are likeable, with a pretty human personality, with interesting backstories, with good development and with actual grow during the show. Despite being episodic you can tell how most of the characters act, the why to their actions and how they change.
Despite being focused on comedy this show has some plot twist during some arcs and some of them can be emotional and unexpected.
The action is great imo, it's not that realistic sometimes but it's COOL AF. It's weird to find bad scenes.
I LOVED THE ART, the character design is amazing and the background are good. The show has some fanservice and the art helps to make it more enjoyable.
The animation is pretty fluid amd consistent, but it has some ups and downs.
The music is one of the best in anime history, the OPs, the EDs and the music during actions scenes, ALL GREAT.
The VAs are great, even for the weekly girls.
Now then, the weekly girls that always apear with a new job are amazing, you won't be able to confuse them (In terms of personality and appearance). All are hot and likeable to some degree.
So, if you want a funny show with likeable developed characters and cool action scenes then this is for you. All the things I said are my opinion on the 4 seasons and the movies, I recommend them.
