City Hunter

I'd prefer it if it maintained the same level of seriousness from the start. At some point, it became too juvenile for my taste, not to mention that half the manga revolves around the same old thing—helping some random girl who inevitably falls for Ryo shortly after. When you keep repeating that over and over, well... it gets tiresome. The best word to describe this series is frivolous; very little in this manga has any profound emotion. What irked me the most is that I don't understand why this isn't categorized under the Shojo demographic. The only thing I truly enjoyed was the relationship between Ryo and Kaori (except for the fact that the author seemed to push Ryo's indecisiveness too much, leaving poor Kaori waiting for years). Those chapters focused on their relationship felt more genuine, even though their romance was somewhat lackluster. Essentially, the highlight of this manga is the main couple. If we cut out those filler-like chapters, the overall impression would've been better. Also, the final boss and arc felt rushed; Kaibara, as well as the entire manga, needed more development.

Putting the plot aside, the art is exceptional from the beginning. Tsukasa Hojo is a genius in that aspect.

To conclude, I can't recommend this manga. There are so many aspects that left me feeling disappointed and frustrated (like seriously, no kiss scene from the main couple?). I'd love to see a reboot with a more serious and realistic tone (but without killing off Kaori, for goodness' sake).

City Hunter is the first manga I ever read, even before Dragon Ball Z, which is why it holds a special place in my heart. It's the manga that made me laugh the most. The story effortlessly shifts between emotions as we follow the adventures of Nicky Larson, a man who is goofy around women but deadly serious with his weapon. This series has left such an impression on me that I own the entire collection, minus a few movies I'm still missing. However, I have all the seasons, and they are truly worth it. The interactions between Nicky and Mammoth (an opponent yet friend at the same time—a paradox, I know) are unforgettable, as are the ridiculous lines from various bandits that stick with you for life. "I'm going to send you a dumpling" instead of "I'm going to kill you"—that line always sticks in my head, and I often find myself quoting it because it's so striking. The plots and adventures are intricately woven, sometimes surprising us with their endings, and each episode moves so quickly that we end up watching them at a frenetic pace!

I genuinely believe this manga is a must-read or, at the very least, watch a few episodes if you're skeptical. The animated series isn't overly long, spanning 4 seasons along with some movies and OAVs. I also think starting with the manga books would be worthwhile; they're supposed to be good, so I plan to give them a try soon!

City Hunter narrates the adventures and tales of sweeper Ryo Saeba and his partner Kaori Makimura, who together form City Hunter, offering their services as bodyguards or private investigators. The manga follows an episodic format, yet it notably includes some main and more significant stories, such as flashbacks that build the characters' interpersonal relationships and the core narrative. With great pleasure, I can say this manga has become one of my favorites, forever occupying a special place in my heart.

Tsukasa Hojo, the author of the renowned "Cat's Eye," known in Italy as "Cat's Eyes," has amazed me not only through his innovative style but also through the continuous evolution of events, designs, character development, and humor. I admired the artwork not just for its progression, evident within both "City Hunter" and "Cat's Eye," whose style is more nascent and markedly different from the latter, but also for its precision and clarity. These qualities are also visible in the layout of panels and speech bubbles, which exhibit a certain experimentalism. Indeed, Hojo masterfully arranges up to nine panels on a single page without inducing chaos, while also making speech bubbles interact physically with the story's characters when needed.

Sometimes there's a sort of "breaking of the scenic illusion," where manga characters suddenly discuss the manga itself or even the author, who often leaves commentary notes between panels about ongoing events. During its serialization, "City Hunter" underwent many changes: parts emphasizing detective genre elements, others melodramatic ones, and still others focusing on past stories. Moreover, the manga balances action and narration correctly from start to finish. Despite this, humor remains a constant feature, sometimes less prominent, other times effectively recurring. The author transitions from funny moments to serious ones effortlessly without disrupting narrative continuity, evidenced by a change in drawing style and distinct visual representations for comedic versus real injuries and expressions.

Reading City Hunter made me realize how unique and inventive Tsukasa Hojo is through his experimentalism and pioneering style. I plan to revisit "Cat's Eye" and explore his artbooks, as his drawing style has become one of my favorites. Through this review, I hope to encourage you to read a work that is truly unique and inimitable.

Finally! The entire manga has been translated into English, something I've eagerly awaited for a long time!
I'll keep this review brief and express my thoughts clearly.

City Hunter is a legendary series. It's one of those hidden gems I stumbled upon during my years of anime fascination. I binge-watched the whole anime and consider it the funniest I've ever seen, alongside Saiki Kusuo. After finishing the anime, I gave it a solid 10 (masterpiece) rating. However, that wasn't necessarily due to the story. The plot is quite repetitive, mainly because it reuses the same gags over and over! Counting how many times Kaori whacks Ryo with her giant hammer or how much Saeko owes Ryo now would be exhausting. Both the manga and anime are episodic, so the repetition makes sense, but I still grew tired of the recurring jokes and conversations. Additionally, I was somewhat disappointed that Kaori and Ryo's relationship never really progressed; they had only a few romantic moments, always interrupted by danger. Kaori had numerous reasons to leave Ryo, yet she never did, a pattern repeated throughout the series. Character development was minimal, likely the main reason the story feels monotonous.

The artwork in both the manga and anime is fantastic. They resemble each other closely, making it easy to enjoy both simultaneously. The 80s vibe is unmistakable, which I personally love.

As a man, I also appreciate this series greatly because most female characters are beautiful. Characters from the 80s looked so human; I don't know what changed, but now stereotypical anime characters have eyes as big as plates and noses so tiny you can barely see them. Saeba Ryo is undoubtedly one of the greatest characters ever created. His perverted nature blends perfectly with his cool side when saving girls and shooting bad guys. It's strange why I find him hilarious—he's just a pervert who doesn't tell jokes. I think it's all thanks to his voice actor in the anime, Kamiya Akira, who also voiced Kenshiro in Hokuto no Ken and can produce many hilarious voices. Ryo's facial expressions are genuinely amusing, especially his iconic MOKKORI.

But you might still wonder, why give it a 10?

Honestly, when you have a cool, strong, and charismatic main character, awesome 80s music (in the anime), beautiful art style, great action scenes, and a childish sense of humor like mine, what more could you ask for? If this weren't episodic, I probably wouldn't have given it a 10, but somehow, I never got bored enough not to enjoy it. I was captivated by the action, music, Ryo, and the girls (obviously), always finding something worthwhile in every chapter.

Overall, City Hunter is a series that has thoroughly entertained me, and I will remember it as one of the greatest anime series ever made.

How did this become a lengthy review? I still need to finish my homework *sigh*