In the dangerous suburbs of Chicago, skilled bounty hunters Irene "Rally" Vincent and "Minnie" May Hopkins run Gunsmith Cats, a firearms store of questionable legality. One day, Bill Collins, an agent for the Chicago branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, blackmails Rally and May into working with him on a case. The stakes are high, but Rally’s gunmanship and May’s knowledge of explosives are unmatched. As Rally and May unravel the secrets of the case, the two will need to use guns and grenades while being faster, stronger, and better than everyone else in order to stay alive.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Beatnik
Gunsmith Cats. The original Cowboy Bebop. Almost. There's a jazzy OP with simple 70's style split-screen graphics madness, bounty hunters, western sensibilities. The prototype for Shinichiro Watanabe's version which maxed out everything this franchise has. Unfortunately it does not have Watanabe. What it has is Rally Vincent and Minnie-May causing havoc in Chicago in their Mustang GT500 via their trusty guns and bombs. Watching this OVA after reading the manga is preferable as if you dig the manga then watching it animated after 9 volumes of guncrazy magic, is nice. Another reason is that 9 volumes doesn't translate into 3episodes, so you're only getting a small percentage of the glorious fun that is Gunsmith Cats.
The OVA feels like its set either during or after the manga and doesn’t bother following anything in the source material or setting up character relationships. It just jumps right into the lives of Rally and Minnie-May, so casual viewers will either fall on board or check out swiftly, and manga readers will begin enjoying it immediately, just to keep Gunsmith Cats alive for a bit longer.
Unfortunately there is a noticeable lack of certain characters in the manga, such as Roy the friendly cop who is relegated to a cameo, Misty the thief who is absent, and there's a gaping black hole where Bean Bandit should be. Becky's way too nice and Minnie-May appears much younger here also, like a ten year old which makes her hijinks with bounty hunter Rally even more ludicrous, and with absolutely no hint of sexual deviancy that was so rampant in the manga.
So yeah, this is filler but like the manga it has an attention to detail with the city of Chicago as a backdrop and other miscellaneous aspects that at least keep the anime somewhat in reality, when every scene with Minnie-May threatens to blow it into fantasy. The OVA is also full of call-backs to the manga that uber fans will recognise and grin at (prosthetic guns anyone?) so the OVA is going to be an acquired taste.
The animation is pretty average but the design is good, cars, guns, gorgeous Rally herself, it’s all watchable so don’t let the year of release put you off. The music is nothing to shout about unfortunately, as is the direction, editing, writing, ok so other than the brand name this is just standard entertainment.
But then the OVA at least does something that the manga did excellently. That is to say: have an awesome car chase! A definite highlight of the OVA and one of the best in anime, with kinetic visuals, edge-of-your-seat thrills and all based in reality, with no physics-breaking stunts.
And finally the story. Oh yeah, story? Bunch of generic bad guys shooting and blowing crap up, what else? If you're going to watch this, watch it because you're a completist, and watch it for that car chase. They say cats have nine lives, well the gunsmith cats just lost one with this OVA; time to reload.
BigKwell
Girls and guns - a combination that can't go wrong! In the mean streets of Chicago, Illinois, Rally Vincent, a beautiful young woman with a mean aim, and "Minnie" May Hopkins, her streetwise explosives expert partner, do their best trying to keep the city clean by rounding-up bail jumpers. This anime, a good vision of Kenich Sonoda's manga, is unique because of the production team's eye for detail, making many trips from Japan to get accurate locale scenes - even going as far a visiting the Illinois Police Academy and an actual gunshop, a rarety in gun-controled Japan. The only sad thing about thisthat it's not a FAITHFUL version of the manga - no Misty Brown or Goldie Muso. But hopefully, with the release of the manga series 'Gunsmith Cats BURST', that might change.
darkcommanderq
Overview: Gunsmith cats is a good anime cop show. With bounty hunters, ATF, local cops and gunrunners, its hard to go wrong with this anime if your looking for a good action fix that is grounded in reality. Story: the story is great, at least as far as cop stories go. gun runners, a Russian assassin, and a dedicated ATF agent back up the two main characters in making this show both fun and intriguing to watch. Im not going to lie though, the story is simple and you will probably figure it before the end, but thats really not why yourwatching is it?
Art: When you watch old anime you have to judge the art by its day and not overall. If you were to judge gunsmith cats art to modern shows like macross frontier your just being unfair. I give art a 9 because for its day, and compared to other shows (like AD police that some one mentioned earlier) gunsmith cats really blows other shows of its day out of the water. Its in the detail. I also live in Chicago and they did do a very accurate job.
Sound: This show has a good music score along with appropriate sounds throughout the show. Its hard to judge sound, but suffice to say if you dont notice anything wrong they did a good job.
Charecters: Theirs just something about old anime and stereotypes. That said they knew how to make them work. Every character in gunsmith cats is about as cliche as you can get, but they are worked into the story and with a cliche story the charterers fit right in.
Enjoyment: You may be wondering why I rate it as highly as I do when iv already said its very predictable and cliche. The reason is that gunsmith cats knows what type of anime it is, and they know that there story is cookie cutter, and that there characters are very stereotypical. This all said, in our age its about presentation, not originality. Gunsmith cats is an excellent example of how to take a tried and true story and make you love the characters and engross yourself in there world if only for a little while.
If this show cant at least entertain you, your standards are way to high. This show sets a standard for presenting old material in a fun way.
Prede
Gunsmith Cats is about the exploits of the owner of a Gun shop in Chicago, Illinois who moonlights as a bounty hunter with her friend and assistant. The owner of the shop is a gun maniac named Rally Vincent. Rally is incredibly skilled with a gun, but she’s not a superwomen. She’s vulnerable at times, isn’t very lady-like to her dismay, and sort of clumsy and awkward. Her partner is the cute as a button, explosives export “Minnie” May Hopkins. Minnie May is more feminine then Rally and also more experienced with men. While no one doubts her abilities with explosives (grenades and smoke bombsbeing her favorite), she is a bit dangerous and way to quick to resort to using them. Sure she’ll blow up the bad guys, but also half the house with them! Together they are the Gunsmith Cats! They rely on a stingy, greedy, and yet charmingly geeky information export for much of their work, named Becky. The series is based on Kenichi Sonoda’s famous manga of the same name. When the series starts off an ATF Agent named Bill Collins is using a little old fashioned extortion to get the Gunsmith Cats to assist him in a complicated case involving gun runners and a criminal, Jonathan Washington, who Rally and Minnie May just captured for a bounty. Bill Collins drags them down into this case, which leads to gun slinging action, adventure, explosions, and great car chases. The plot is well written involving a possible mole at the ATF (which is not entirely unrealistic considering their checkered history) and many other interesting elements at work at the same time. To get into the plot too deeply however would spoil the fun. This 1995 OVA, rather then start adapting the manga from page 1 or choosing the very best of Sonoda’s stories, decided to create an anime original plot. The characters, ideas, feel, look, and tone of the manga are all here, but with an all new story. This approach is one I like, as it gives fans of the original manga something new to enjoy, while also allowing people to go back and read the manga and not have to sit through the same stuff they just saw. The anime is a tad less risque then the manga, but I am fine with that.
Much like the wonderful Riding Bean, this is much more a Hollywood movie/tv show with gunslinging action scenes, car chases, and traditional police elements, then an anime. And the fanservice here reflects that. The fanservice is actually the good kind: sensual, not creepy, doesn’t take away from the plot, and actually helps develop the cast. And this actually spices up the show. And the show has a sense of humor that works (at least for my tastes). Rally’s car is the famous 1967 Shelby GT 500, and it gets as much attention as any of the main characters do. It is a wonderful car, a joy to look at, and incredibly fast. Clearly this is a car Kenichi Sonoda likes, since it is also featured in Riding Bean. The anime has some excellently animated and well choreographed gun fights and car chases. These are action scenes done right, where we care about the results (and they just look cool to boot). I love the artwork style and presentation of it all. It has that high quality 90′s look that I just eat up. The backgrounds are photorealistic, and really help to bring the city of Chicago to life. Still to this day few series look as good as this (well maybe another gun-porn anime, Gunslinger Girl season one, looks as good). The character designs are a little cartoony, but not entirely unrealistic. There was a lot of attention put into their clothing. Not to mention the girls are easy to look at. The budget must have been through the roof on this series. The music is exciting, and has an American rock/jazz feel to it that wouldn’t seem out of place on an American cop show of the same era. The opening is easily one of the best of the 90′s. And I have to mention that the sound effects for Rally’s car are actually recordings of a real 1967 Shelby Cobra Gt500!! Blows the mind!
The dub is another great ADV job done in Houston, Texas. The dub has brilliant casting, excellent acting, a perfect script, and divine directing. This is the kind of perfect storm of a dub that is rare, but ADV often manages to pull off. In this dub everything comes together to give you one hell of a show! This is one of the best dubs of the 1990′s by far. It showcases Matt Greenfield’s excellent ADR talents, more proof he is one of the best directors in the business, and is another reason why he needs to direct more dubs today. While the script is a little loose, it never changes the intended meanings, and in fact makes the show more authentic. It is made more American, more “ chicagoan” if you will. The slight changes in the phrases said or jokes being made make it more natural and more western. Amanda Winn-Lee plays Rally and gives out another stellar performance worthy of her reputation. She fits the character very well, and her acting is spot on. Kimberly Yates’s voice may be a little high pitched, but this is the only voice that would ever fit Minnie May. Tiffany Grant plays the greedy Becky, and this is not at all who I would expect in that role. But she gives a wonderful, if unconventional for her, performance here. The star of the dub however may very well be Rob Mungle as Bill, the sleazy, unsavory ATF Agent. He has an aspect to his voice that I can only describe as “middle aged grit”. So I don’t need to mention how perfect he is for this role. It’s a shame he’s been sidelined to background voices and smaller roles over the years, as he has a real talent and great voice for these types of characters who spring up in anime often enough. In Gunsmith Cats his performance often has a whine to it (“Buuut RALLLY!?”) that seems very genuine, and his acting is top rate. Many of the other characters are cops or tough middle aged guys but they all sound great. Oh and watch out for the Matt Greenfield cameo in episode one!
What is interesting about this show is the girls are the stars and the villains. The guys take a back seat to the colorful female cast who do most of the work. And boy do the girls rule! For such a “manly” show that’s pretty much gun-porn and car-porn, we have a strong female cast of characters that make the show very original. The OVA is highly researched, with thanks given to the A.T.F. , The Chicago Police Department, Cook County Sherifs Office, the Chief of Police,2 homicide detectives, ordinary street cops, and plenty of others. The anime team made multiple trips to the United States to scout locations and photograph the city of Chicago and surrounding areas. They also became familiar with firearms while in Chicago, since guns are nearly outlawed completely in Japan (except for the police), this is their only real opportunity to get an up close experience with guns of all types. The anime crew did a lot of work before even starting on this show, and it all paid off completely. You can easily see the care Takeshi Mori and his team took to put this all together. The only problem with the show is it is too short!
ADV Films put this out on DVD twice, originally in 2001 and then again in 2004 under their Anime Essentials product line. I have the original DVD release, since it was cheaper to buy new at the time. Both DVDs have the entire 3 episode OVA series, with dub and original Japanese audio with subtitles on it. This show is long out of print, and scalpers on Amazon seem to be asking a pretty penny for both releases, but used copies are more reasonable. I’m just glad I got this brand-new when I did. But it is really worth tracking down this classic. ADV’s DVDs tack on a 40 minute extra feature at the end of the show. The extra feature is about the making of the OVA, which is partially dubbed/narrated by Amanda Winn-Lee. This extra has interviews with the animation’s staff, the original mangaka, features their home video recording of the staff’s trips to Chicago, and plenty of other goodies. This is the kind of extra we rarely get anymore but is really interesting. Dark Horse Comics put out the manga and that’s worth looking into as well.
(original review posted here: http://predederva.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/gunsmith-cats/ )
Ryntaia
Oh what to say about Gunsmith Cats? One of the earliest anime I ever had the luxury to view, it was quite a fantastic experience as a teenager. Having recently re-watched the show I found that I enjoyed it even more, having noticed the little details that I disregarded when I was younger (such as the welded on 'S' on the Gunsmith Cats store, obviously indicating that the business was opened before Rally made contact with Minnie May) and understanding a bit more of the culture at hand. That is...Chicago. Yep, this anime takes place in the glorious U.S. of A, so if that isn'tyour thing then maybe you should avoid it. That said, let's proceed with the overall story.
STORY: 9
The story, while not exactly the most in-depth one, is insanely enjoyable. It's not too simple but it's not too complicated--Rally Vincent, the owner of a gunsmith shop in Chicago, is requested to help with a case being investigated by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) via the somewhat sleezy cop Bill Collins, and both her and her friend Minnie May end up in too deep. For only three episodes they make it through the entire story arc very smoothly--the first episode is getting involved with the overall case, the second is the rise of action and suspense, and the final episode is the peak. In general it never seems like there's too much going on due to lack of time despite there being only three episodes.
The main reason I give the story a 9 instead of a 10, though, is because despite it being a smoothly executed story...it does run into a few hiccups. My main complaint is the final bad guy. The man behind the conflict, so to say. It just doesn't work as well as it probably should. He just comes off seeming super hammy and forced, which is a real shame considering how well the story builds up to it. It doesn't help that said bad guy isn't introduced until the final episode so we aren't really too assed to care about him, especially since he doesn't really reveal himself until the last ten minutes of episode three. The overall short run also does serve to leave some background characters underdeveloped. So that does weaken the score.
ART: 8
I like this art. There's really not much for me to say about this besides that--I just like it. But I don't really LOVE it. It looks nice, and the faces have a pretty nice structure. These are based off designs from the manga made by Sonoda Kenichi, and in general his art is well done and well thought out. However, the women have a bad tendency to look alike. The male designs don't suffer from this, as each male character typically has a fairly unique facial structure, but the generic faces of the women does kinda hurt the art. The backgrounds looks fantastic, however. They've really captured the gritty look of Chicago here.
SOUND: 8
To start, the opening to this is something that I could just listen to all day. The song is completely free of lyrics, and stands out from your typical anime intro by being more focused around a jazzy feel as opposed to a pop feel (which is understandable considering the focus of the show). Comparisons to this choice in music have been made to Cowboy Bebop's 'Tank', and it's a suitable comparison. Both are fantastic earworms.
The rest is just kind of a hit and miss. The background music is more okay than it is fantastic. As for the voice work, the dub is surprisingly good for an ADV dub--most of the voices match the characters pretty well and overall they execute the lines pretty well. But it still has some typical early dub issues. Some lines don't match up to the lip movements, and while Rob Mungle does a pretty fantastic job on most of the sarcastic lines for Bill Collins...it's a little more hit and miss when it comes to the dramatic moments. He sounds just flat out kind of silly in dramatic scenes, and really tries to overplay it. Which is a shame, because the rest of the time his execution is perfect.
CHARACTER: 9
There is nothing I can really criticize about the charac...okay, there is. Let's start from the good points: Rally Vincent is an amazing protagonist. She's smart, sassy, and well equipped to handle the problems that face her but has a cocky side that can lead her into trouble. Minnie May is admittedly kind of a brat, but in a far more endearing way than your typical anime 'little bratty girl' archetype. You can tell she wants to help, she just isn't a very good judge of what is helpful and what isn't so her actions can either lead to great success or great disaster. I've heard a lot of badmouthing towards Bill Collins, the ATF agent, on other sites but I personally think he's a great character and oppositional force to Rally. He's just as cocky as she is, but with a thicker layer of sarcasm and sleeze. That said, he's not a complete ass anyways, since he does show a need to protect Rally and Minnie May as well as crack the case. Personally I think it makes him a really fun character and a lot of good dialogue comes from him.
Now let's get to the bad characters. Becky is obnoxious. I don't even know why she's in the show. She consistently serves absolutely no purpose besides balling out Rally and Minnie May. She just bitches and bitches and bitches and doesn't seem to have any helpful skills...I think she's supposed to be their accountant or something, but it's not too clear and it just makes her seem like an annoying space-filler. A lot of the side characters, like Roy and that one ATF chick who shows up in the third episode, don't really do much and probably could've been blessed to be expanded on more. Roy is built up as someone Rally has known for a while, but how? I guess there's only so much to be demanded out of a three episode anime, and they did really good with what they had.
OVERALL: I'd give this one a 9/10. It's a REALLY good anime, and I mean REALLY good. I wouldn't go for it looking for any deep or complex plotline but in terms of fun factors...this one should leave the majority of viewers satisfied, if not by the story than at least by the major characters. I'd honestly sit down and pop it in any day.
ktulu007
It's January and time to begin girls with guns month. Gunsmith Cats was a manga written by Sonoda Kenichi that ran from '91 to '97. In '95, OLM, Inc. released a three episode OVA. Incidentally, OLM also worked on Steel Angel Kurumi 2, Berserk and the anime that never ends or changes, Pokemon. So, let's take a look at the OVA and see if it's worth the three episodes. Story: Rally Vincent & Minnie-May Hopkins are bounty hunters who also work as gunsmiths. After a mission, they're approached by agent too much hair oil of the ATF. He coerces them into working for him,using the gun shop as leverage because Rally, apparently, couldn't be bothered to get a proper license. Someone is sabotaging the ATF's operation to find the mastermind behind the man they just captured and several other illicit arms dealers. Little do they realise, the case is going to be more difficult and dangerous than it appears.
The biggest issue with the OVA is just that it's really formulaic. The ultimate antagonist and person behind sabotaging the investigation are both obvious from the first moment you see them. The narrative has no real surprises behind it. Which isn't exactly conducive to getting you invested in the action. The only thing the series really does differently is that it's very deliberate and absurd with how over the top it can get. It doesn't take itself particularly seriously, which definitely leads to its strongest moments.
Characters:
The bulk of characters in this are tropes played pretty straight. The sleazy cop. The helpful friend. The corrupt politician. The cold-hearted assassin. They're all here. The only two characters who don't quite fit neatly into standard tropes are Rally and May. And the big thing that elevates them above that is the way they interact with one another. These two play off of one another really well, and not just for comedic purposes. They manage when things get more serious as well.
Art:
The artwork and animation are pretty good. Dated, but still solid. The biggest issue is the way the series shamelessly uses fan-service. We're talking close calls that conveniently tear shirts in order to show off the bosom shameless. The character expressions are definitely the best element of the artwork. These characters are highly expressive and they do different things with expressions for different characters. May's mischievous grin isn't the same as Rally's more wry smile and they're both distinct from hair oil's faeces consuming grin. The action scenes are pretty good. The car chase in particular.
Sound:
I'll give OLM full credit for their casting. Our dynamic duo are voiced by Neya Michiko (Riza Hawkeye) and Araki Kae (ChibiUsa). Not only do they both do really well in their roles, but they work well together. I'm not sure if they were ever in the same room while recording their lines, but the direction is good enough that it maintains that illusion. There are some good actors in more minor roles as well, notably Hisakawa Aya, but their performances come across as a bit lacklustre since none of the other characters are particularly strongly written. The score isn't brilliant, but it does suit the OVA well and it has some good pieces. The best being the tracks played during intense action sequences.
Ho-yay:
There really isn't any. The closest you get is Rally offering to buy her trustworthy friend, Becky, dinner in exchange for her help. And that definitely doesn't come across as a date.
Final Thoughts:
That's Gunsmith Cats. Ultimately, it's a predictable, clichéd action work. The only aspects that save it from true mediocrity are the dynamic betwixt Rally and May and its sense of humour. If you don't mind the tropes and you really love the genre, you may very well enjoy it more than I did. If you want something more original or aren't a fan of this type of thing, it's not going to change your mind. For myself, it was decent enough. My rating is going to be a 6/10. Next week we'll continue girls with guns month with a look at Noir.
Luquillo
One of the sub-genres within the anime medium that has grown to irritate me over the years has been the girls with guns genre, because it would usually follow two simple rules: provide as much over the top action as possible, and bombard the viewer with as much fan service as humanly possible. The former I don't have a problem with as long as there's some type of creativity and interesting characters to go with it. The latter on the other hand is something I do have a problem with, because some anime directors will jam pack the screen with constant bouncy moments and pantyshots that grows very distracting, and the end result is usually a very stale anime with nothing to offer. I usually find myself going to older titles with intentions on reminding myself that the sub-genre can actually be good sometimes. Gunsmith Cats is one of those titles I can still look back on fondly.
Gunsmith Cats is a three part OVA based on Kenichi Sonoda's manga series. I have to point out that it's pretty toned down in regards to just about everything when compared to the source material. Some fans of the manga have a problem with that, while I'm just fine with it. The anime works very well on what it focuses on; action, mild comedy, and a straight-forward easy to digest plot that gets to the point.
The anime follows expert marksman Rally and bombs specialist Minnie May, as they're tasked to bring down a gun-smuggling operation. They succeed in taking down a minor player, and the result is a mysterious benefactor hiring an ex-KGB turned assassin to take them, and everyone they consider to be loose-ends out of the picture.
Gunsmith Cats is all about the action and the high speed chase. It delivers very well on what it promises, plus it does well in delivering a sharp antagonist. The former KGB named Natasha Radinov is a solid enough match for the two, and the razor-thin confrontations with her are exciting enough. There's enough creativity during the action segments, and I can imagine most action fans getting what they want. The shoot outs aren't overly gory, but there are some detailed killings and people mowed down by gunfire.
The only problems I can think of would be the lack of character and story development. Rally and May are charismatic enough, however they're such fun characters it would have been nice to see what brought them together and keeps them that way. I like how they're developed as real-life roommates, since they argue about each others choice of take out food. Some background on them would have been very nice. The same in regards to the setting. We know that the guns on the streets are a problem, but the anime never provides a real inside look to this and how exactly it's effecting the community. I feel this could have been examined.
I really enjoy the production values. The animation doesn't utilize a re-used cel format, and the gun battles are quick and to the point with some fast paced animation. This also goes for the car chases. The character designs and backgrounds are what stands out to me though. Rally's Cobra looks about as close to the real thing I've seen, and I also have to note the details in the weapons; the SAW M-249's look really great and the sound effects seem accurate, and this also goes for the pistols. It's said that director Takeshi Mori actually flew out to The Windy City and took pictures to bring out that Chicago feel. I never been to the city, but the anime does have a film noir feel to it.
Gunsmith Cats meshes its comedy well enough to the point where the action and content doesn't feel like a clash of artistic differences. It doesn't aspire to be anything more than popcorn entertainment and that's not always a bad thing. It would have benefited from a longer run time for better story and character development, plus it could have at least tried to be less preedictable. In any case, I haven't seen the title in more than ten years until this re-watch, and I still find it to be fun. This is one anime title that does pretty good in a short run time.
Highs: Great pacing, action, and production values
Lows: A longer run time to expand on characters and setting would've helped. Predictable.
brandotendie
>badass female characters who kick a hundred kinds of ass >real guns and cars drawn/animated with painstaking amounts of detail >brisk pace and engaging intrigue >insane action choreography, direction, and editing >magnetic and loveable characters (did i mention the leads kick a hundred kinds of ass?)>absolutely kickass jazz fusion OST by legendary drummer Peter Erskine
>main bad guys are literally the ATF and corrupt establishment liberal politicians
an absolute blast with infinite rewatchability factor. everything is so concise and delivers exactly what you'd expect, with that aforementioned impeccable attention to detail keeping the zany, loud action grounded. Rally and May are just impossible not to love, and their comaraderie carries the entire show and its flawless technical aspects on their capable shoulders.
it's a shame it's only three episodes!
Flawfinder
Based on a longer-running manga that I’m quite interested in reading now, Gunsmith Cats is a three-episode OVA that follows the lives of a half-Indian/half-English gun shop owner named Rally Vincent and her bomb-specialist friend named May Hopkins. The two sell firearms to people by trade, but when the business is slow, they go bounty-hunting. Because what’s wrong with using your own products to earn a little extra cash on the side? The plot of this anime-original story focuses on the two being hired by Chicago investigators to assist in uncovering an illegal gun-running operation and in doing so they uncover corrupt politicians and incurthe wrath of a Russian assassin who takes blows to pride more personally than Montresor from The Cask of Amontillado.
Now Gunsmith Cats isn’t exactly revolutionary with the whole Chicago crime formula or anything. You can pretty much predict how everything will go down without much fanfare and aside from the fact that it’s in anime, there’s not too much that stands out about it. As such, the thing relies on its individual elements more than the big picture in order to sell the product to you. And I can’t say I have too many complaints regarding that.
First off, if you’re a resident of Chicago, then you’ll probably love how much love and craft the creators put into recreating the setting for their anime. I’ve never been to the place myself, but Gunsmith Cats has a bit of a reputation for being one of the most well-researched Japanese cartoons to ever be created from the feel of the city to the actual Illinois police station. The team behind this apparently visited the place multiple times in order to make sure they knew what they were doing the same way the Durarara guys copied the feel of Ikebukuro, except with plane tickets. Knowing that sort of lends an atmospheric feeling to people who are interested in that sort of thing. Not that I wasn’t sucked into the whole setting before I found that out. That jazzy soundtrack playing in the background does a good job of that.
But what I really dug about this thing are the characters. They all range from lovable cops to cartoon-y corrupt politicians, but the main charm lies in the female duo. Specifically when listening to them in that corny, yet sincere, English dub. A pity that Amanda Winn Lee isn’t doing much these days, because I really like her voice.
Rally is pretty much your standard fun, but tough, female character who mostly only stands out because these days, anime try too hard with their female characters in regards to fanservice, snarkiness, and just being flat-out-stupid. With that said, there’s a lot of genuine charm to her character that puts her above the other competent females of her type. She’s strong and competent and only has to rely on other people’s help because the opponent is just that hard to beat, and is mostly fighter-first/woman-second. Or funny business person-first, fighter-second, etc., etc. It’s pretty cool to see an underage gun-shop owner in anime, let alone fiction, without it coming across as forced, and for that she’s got my respect even when talking to higher-ups whilst not covering up her underwear.
May is a fun character too. She’s hyper, yet competent, and acts as a good foil for Rally’s trigger finger through the use of creative explosions and traps as well as balancing out Rally’s more serious personality. It’s the kind of comedic sidekick that doesn’t make you want to tear you ears out because they say “meesa in trouble” with an irritating voice and contribute as much help as Youhei Sunohara with a pickaxe lodged in his head. My favorite scene involving her was the final confrontation when the Russian assassin had Rally down for the count and May used her wits and traps to blow her to kingdom come. It was like watching the finale of Higurashi, except it was actually cool rather than stupidly boring because it actually looked professional in all its simplicity.
Not really sure why female duos like those two aren’t done much in anime, let alone all that well. Maybe it has something to do with the evil that we humans like to call “shipping”. I notice that you can’t have many male duos these days without going “oh look, they’re gay! They’re so gay!”. And people wonder why I’m harsh against Sunrise.
Gunsmith Cats isn’t going to change your world or anything of the sort, but it’s a really well-executed example of its genre that gets things done in its limited runtime without overstaying its welcome. The only reason I can see for not recommending it to you is if you hate guns, explosions, fun action heroes, accuracy, good music, and entertainment in general. In other words, if you’re a fan of that anime. You guys know what I’m talking about. That anime that was basically Lord of War except much longer and it removed Nicholas Cage, the one good thing about the movie, from it.
anthraxinsoup
The series is very good. The 3 episodes are very well researched by the team that made the series. There is stuff such as Amoco signs, which for those that don't know, it was a gas company based in Chicago which started in Whiting Indiana(right over the border). The guns in the show are amazingly accurate which is great for a gun nut like myself. I've watched the show multiple times, the plot, the characters, and the research and realism behind it make me come back. The Japanese versions is very great and I prefer it, while I also recommend the team behind the dubif you would like to. The team behind the dub was also a local Chicago team, meaning that when Rally messes with May by stealing her "Soda"(for all you non-Midwesterners) May responds by saying "Give me back my Pop" which is what we call it in Chicago. Overall it is amazing such as plot and all that jazz, but the research of the city and guns is what makes it truly a great series.
Icajax
Guns: for days Smith: well, Rally runs a gunshop? that's like half a gunsmith Cats: only in the intro. I really thought there would be more cat ears in this show Fortunately, Rally and Mae are absolutely stacked with appeal, so it actually took until about half-way through the OVA for me to realize there are no cats in this show at all. All of the dude characters are somewhere between lame and obnoxious, but most of the runtime is spent on Rally and Mae bouncing off of each other and pulling each other out of tight spots. The action is well choreographed and paced, meaning that thereare a lot of "Hell yeah" moments. Rally's irritable and reliable, and Mae is girly and impulsive.
It's just fun! I can think of much worse ways to spend an hour and a half.
TrashDax
Hm, how do two girls so young get their hands on so many weapons? Story: I'm not sure about the time period this anime is set in, but the feel is that of a 70s cop movie, with all the secret investigations, nice cars and cops in coats. The three episodes all have a conclusive story each, but still tell a story throughout the whole series. There's not much wrong you can do with this plot and it is executed quite well. Being only 3 episodes long, it also prevents it from ever becoming boring. 9/10 Art: The characters look a little blocky, something not uncommon for 90s anime. Itstill looks better than many tv anime of its time, though it is not as detailed as some of the beloved classics like GitS or Bebop. Something I noticed was that they drove on the right side of the road, which I found was a nice little detail showing they really cared to make this look like America (which also shows in the side cast).
7/10
Sound:
At first I thought the opening was an hommage to Cowboy Bebop...untill I realized that Gunsmith Cats is in fact older. So, is it possibly the other way around? Who knows. It is a pretty cool one, adding to that cop show feeling. The voices were all solid, best being Bill. While not as memorable, the ending had a nice easter egg: The staff thanked all kinds of Chicago facilities like the police department or the local museum, as if it were a real American show with real research taken place.
8/10
Characters:
Like I said a couple of times already, this cast is full of cop show characters. The laid back attitude cop, who goes the extra way to investigate, even though he's told not to? Check. Angry fat boss? Check. Shady political figures? Check. Gangster mooks defending their secret hideout? Check. On top of all the cliche characters (which doesn't mean they're bad) we have the girls. Rally is a pretty cool character, bordering on action hero. I didn't think it was a good idea to have two sidekicks however, combining them into one would've been more than enough for me. Radinov as the antagonist worked pretty well too.
8/10
Enjoyment:
I like a good cop show and Gunsmith Cats is one. As I mentioned, because it is so short, it never even has the chance of becoming boring. The pacing was right, the characters enjoyable, the action scenes were pretty cool, there's not much I can point my finger at. If I were to change something, I'd scratch the ship tease between Bill and Rally that lead nowhere.
9/10
Overall:
8.2/10
kekekeKaj
"Gunsmith Cats" is one of those anime that tries to emulate the style of those retro 70's/80's american day time TV shows. It's set in Chicago, and tells the adventures of a pair of girls who, on the surface, are just the owners of a firearm store... except they actually earn a secret living as bounty hunters. It features all the things that are common for the genre: flamboyant gunfights, high speed car chases, and even the villain, an ex-KGB Russian woman (why is it that all the Russian villains that appear in these things are ex-KGB??), is ripped straight from some Hollywood list ofcliches. Everything is done well enough for the OVA to be fairly entertaining, which is the whole point of it. The story, like the anime itself, is nothing special, but is good enough to keep me vaguely interested.
Compared to other stylish gunslinging action anime like "Mezzo Forte" however, "Gunsmith Cats" feels a little lacklustre. Not only that, it doesn't fully adopt the style either. And unlike anime such as "Cowboy Bebop" that manage to combine western and eastern styles perfectly, the fusion in "Gunsmith Cats" feels a bit jarring. The Gunsmith Cats themselves (as in the main characters) look like they belong in a different anime from the rest of the characters - they look so much more... kiddy-ish with their large eyed, cartoonish cuteness. The fanservice also seems kinda out of place.
"Gunsmith Cats" may not be the best thing since slice bread (though slice bread itself is rather overrated in my opinion), but it's pretty decent. And since it comprises just 3 episodes, it's worth checking out as you won't be wasting away too much of your life even if you don't like it. Plus, seeing Hollywood cliches in anime makes a refreshing change from just seeing anime cliches in anime.
Ciaran_Zagami
A boring utterly generic plot, solidly done animation, amazing detail work especially on Rally's G.T 500 and all the guns. And some of the worst voice acting I've ever heard. Honestly there is nothing really unique about Gunsmith Cats that brings me to recommend it. Everything here is rather middling, unless you care a lot about firearms your not going to get much out of this. It feels like a good concept that no one put enough effort into to really sell it. At the end of the day, Gun Smith Cats feels like filler. You could do a lot better. But you could also do alot worse.
I feel the urge to add an extra paragraph, many months after watching this anime. Mostly to address the sudden wave of popularity it has gotten.
Just because it agrees with your politics, does not make an anime good. Being "based" isn't going to fix the paper thin characters, generic plot, and poor dubbing.
Inversely even if it disagrees it does not worsen the anime or make those issues more prevalent.
Stop calling random things the GOAT because the author agrees with you on some arbitrary topic. its bad for your social development and its bad for your critical development. In the end it just makes you look shallow.
blex_c
With it’s upbeat music, angled action sequences, explosions, and guns, Gunsmith Cats is made to feel like an American 90’s film featuring bounty-hunting action. The main characters find trouble, get blackmailed. Crazy shit will happen first, the cops come after. The twist is that two cute girls are main characters. Vincent (Rally) is the one in charge. She does things her way and wants to do it alone. Minnie May is the crazy-explody girl who loves to end every event with a bang. They live together and share a strong bond. There’s also Becky, who isn’t nearly as bold as the main two, thus being oftenignored.
The action events can get pretty intense, and are executed well. When Rally is in a pinch, the show will leave you wondering what she’s thinking. She appears to have a set plan, but it’s seldom spoken out. It just happens. The enemies as well as May and Bill have their quirks of killing, however, Rally is specifically fun to watch because of her skill with the gun. She can just shoot a bunch of guys, roll, reload on a knee, and balancing a magazine on her foot, shoot some more. Then she’ll kick her foot up, catch the mag in the air and reload.
The director, Takeshi Mori, had little knowledge of guns before the production of the show, and went out of his way to learn about it. He’s no Watanabe, but I give him props for doing some homework. Some staff members, also, made many trips to Chicago in order to locate Gun shops and Police departments, which increased the shows authenticity.
One flaw is how bland the plot is. It has its twists, but it’s missing that spark a show needs.
The soundtrack is very 90’s, bringing you back to that golden age of city life, though outside of that it isn’t special. Visually, very 90’s too, and I like that.
The show isn’t very special or memorable. It lacks a strong message. All we have is Rally’s final lines: “I have to stand up by myself. That’s what you’ve got to do in this town...” like, it’s a city. What the fuck.
ratchet573
I’ve been to Chicago a couple of times. Hell, I live two and a half hours away from the city. Because of this, Gunsmith Cats–based on a manga of the same name–was refreshing in that it is set in such a familiar place and is actually quite American in the style and themes of the story. It’s the first of the OVA’s I’ve watched so far that I was sad to see end and wonder at how it only managed a three episode run. Rally Vincent and her partner May run a gunsmith shop in Chi-town but also take the occasional mercenary job. When an ATFagent blackmails the girls into taking on a mission, they wind up embroiled in a battle against gun runners that is somehow tied to the political campaign of a local senator. Complicating things further is a Russian assassin who doesn’t seem to die no matter what the girls do.
As a three episode adventure it’s cohesive and entertaining. It has a clear beginning, middle, and end and the story neither overstays its welcome nor bores. We are quickly introduced to a pair of cute girls–Rally being the badass while May is more a childish explosives lover–as well as the gun-centric action that is the biggest selling point of the anime. From there the action is constant, there’s enough fan service to keep eyes glued to the screen, and the pacing is good enough to have you watch the entire OVA in one sitting.
Our main heroines aren’t as three-dimensional as I usually like but given the limitations of the show, they’re entertaining enough and work well together. Other characters are one-dimensional, including the assassin the girls battle and the ATF agent they work with.
The action is fast and exciting though nothing of real note aside from a pretty good car chase sequence in the second episode. The final battle against the assassin is especially anti-climactic and leaves you wanting just a little more.
The animation is noticeably dated though it does a good job of recreating the kind of car, gun, and regular porn (did I mention these girls are half naked a lot) that keeps the guys glued to their seats. The music is pretty good as well, a cheesy jazz soundtrack that hearkens to buddy cop movies of the 80’s.
What truly sets this show apart is the fact it is set in Chicago and it’s noticeable. From the Cubs shirt that May wears to the use of the Art Institute of Chicago as a final set piece (despite the fact it is nowhere near an accurate representation) to the fact Illinois politicians are all corrupt sacks of shit, Gunsmith Cats does a pretty good job of representing a non-Japan setting.
While not a memorable romp, Gunsmith Cats is entertaining while it lasts and certainly worth a watch for those who wish their anime came with a little more gunplay. It’s a pulpy show that failed to generate a lot of interest in Japan because of it (very rarely does it seem that more realistic action shows do well), but should still be regarded as a good adaptation of the manga (which I will review at some point). It’s too bad this never made the cut to be a full series.
grazr
I suppose it only makes sense to use contemporary anime as a benchmark with which to compare this show against, as that is what most people will be able to relate with; and is likely to be the most prominent concern for viewers used to that visual standard when considering picking up an older show like this for an afternoons entertainment. I would say to that, that it's a 3 part OVA and so it's not that big of a commitment, the second and third episodes are also very much the same as the first so you can get a feel for the show quitequickly and decide if it's for you or not. Much of the shows charm is that it stands on its own as a story without the need to rely on (too many) tropes and set pieces. So if you like something more original, or at least as original as an 80's action type show can offer, then definitely check it out.
Obviously this show is not as aesthetically polished as shows made these days, especially the ones backed by the bigger studios. But there-in lies much of its charm. The animation is still of a high grade despite its age (if you can forgive the rough edges caused by the old animation technology that made it) and the actual frame to frame animation is going to be more pure and dynamic as a result of being hand drawn (i find even the best of the modern shows to have somewhat stiff characters, you see it in shows like Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei where the characters, as full of detail as they are, feel like statues because they never really do anything with their arms unless they have to). There's a classic cartoon style to be seen that you just don't get anymore with modern shows that take themselves far too seriously. You'll find the same innocent quirkiness in other shows of the era like Tri-gun, Tenchi Muyo, Dominion: Tank Police, Full Metal Panic; effectively late 80's going on early noughties.
The character designs are straight out of an 80's Hollywood action classic which also matches the music and overall atmosphere of various scenarios like the "police precinct". There's not much to be said here, it all fits, it's a tad cliché, but the kind of cliché that it would feel lesser without it. The personalities are also relatable; they're trope-y in a Hollywood fashion it has to be said, but not so overbearing that they're not believable as individuals like some cookie cutter characters are. The mature tone also lends itself to this story telling and i'm not talking about sex scenes or violence, but that the show focuses around adults doing adult things without it explicitly being a skit, even if it seems like they're often goofing around).
One thing that will strike you about the show is the overall attention to detail that is one display. A lot of modern shows rely on obnoxious main character designs and set service pieces to carry other elements that can be neglected because "the important boxes were ticked"; and whilst there are 2 or 3 "panty shots", they don't feel like panty shots because they're written in to a believable scene or a scene where the main focus is not the pants; you could say it was supplementary servicing. But back to my point, a lot of the shows quality can be observed in both it's background art, vehicle designs and even the sound. There's one scene that involves a car chase and someone lands on a car bonnet and it actually sounds like someone landing on a car bonnet as opposed to a generic muffled metallic thud sound bite bought off a stock website.
Without spoiling too much of the show (even though it could be argued as being quite predictable) It's well paced and well rounded. The main characters could use a little development, but it's a 3 part OVA and not a full seasonal show. It's just an overall pleasure to watch even if i do have a bias towards 90's action anime.
LionBolt1921
Explosions, Car chases, a killer soundtrack, and plenty of gunslinging action. It isn't often one finds buried treasure, but that was how it felt to discover this hidden gem of an OVA. Set in my home city of Chicago, Gunsmith Cats stands out for its unique setting for an anime and the high quality it infuses in each of its three episodes. Despite its short length, the series feels full of content and life, leaving the viewer satisfied, if wanting more. Story: The premise is rather straightforward—bounty hunters Rally Vincent and Minnie May get roped into helping an ATF investigation filled with danger and action atevery turn. The highlights of the series are its high-octane action sequences, tailor-made for a Western audience accustomed to Hollywood action movies and 70s cop shows. Gun fights, one of the best car chases in anime history, political conspiracy, and a shootout in The Art Institute of Chicago, a building this author has been in countless times. The OVA is a taste-test from the manga, or just a fun ride to enjoy, accessible even to those who know nothing of the series. Therefore, there isn't much more here than a standard action flick might offer, but for a 3-episode OVA, there isn't much need or space for more. Pure, simple fun.
Characters: Rally and Minnie are a lovable duo. One loves guns, the other explosives. It's a treat to watch their teamwork through ever more over-the-top escapades. Other characters, like ATF agent Bill Collins, have their moments, but the short length doesn't leave much time for characterization. This isn't the place to find hard-hitting internal conflict.
Animation/Art: Character designs have that iconic 90s anime quality. Fans of the era will be pleased. Animation and effects elevate the action and spectacle well. It's no Akira, but it is visually appealing, nevertheless.
Music: Fantastic soundtrack perfectly evoking the cop show vibe the show's going for. The opening tune got stuck in my head so many times.
Overall Enjoyment: Even with no experience with the source material, Gunsmith Cats is a wild ride. The larger-than-life action, fun characters, and American setting make the short series an enjoyable experience for anime fans and more Western oriented fans alike. A hidden gem in every respect—give this short series the love it deserves!
TossAShow
Simple yet lovely. I had the great pleasure to watch Gunsmith Cats OVA in its HD edition from AnimEigo's Explosive Edition. While the story is pretty straightforward, I can't help finding lots of the charm to its cast of characters: Rally Vincent and Minnie May are really a fun duo to watch. On top of this, the story never get boring and the 3 episodes connect pretty well with each other. For a very quick summary of the story, our 2 ladies are basically working with the ATF (and particularly ATF agent Billy) in order to regain their license to buy weapons. They obviously lostit due to the ATF, so it brings up some funny tension between Rally, Minnie and Billy.
I was greatly surprise by the level of details in the background art, the guns, the cars etc, they are all brilliantly working well into the OVA. It is definitely looking like you are in America from the details, I mean I was surprised just by the fact they have the Illinois flag in the first episode.
The music is also something to praise, I find it catchy, funky, with its jazzy vibe. It goes well with most of the parts of the anime. I am not exactly a fan of the ending music, but the opening is pretty rad music and design wise.
Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by the OVA which, from what I understood, is an original story, unrelated to the manga. I would recommend this OVA to anyone that loves police/detective story with a fun and charming lady duo.
