Alternative TitlesJapanese: シティーハンター
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 51
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 6, 1987 to Mar 28, 1988
Duration:
25 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.991 (scored by 3610 users)
Ranked: #4682
Popularity: #1682
Members: 7,980
Favorites: 161 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action comedy |
Synopsis Ryo Saeba works the streets of Tokyo as the City Hunter. He's a "sweeper" and with his sidekick Kaori Makimura, he keeps the city clean. People hire the City Hunter to solve their dangerous problems, which he does with a Colt Python. When Ryo's not working on a case, he's working on getting the ladies, and Kaori must keep him in check with her trusty 10 kg hammer.
(Source: ANN) |
Related AnimeAdaptation: City Hunter
Spin-off: Angel Heart
Sequel: City Hunter 2
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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4saken
44 of 51 people found this review helpful
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51 of 51 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
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 is the 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. read more
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RandomChampion
21 of 31 people found this review helpful
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51 of 51 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
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 like some 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. read more
Recommendations
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So similar are Onizuka (GTO) and Ryo (City Hunter) that I have to assume Fujisawa was inspired by City Hunter when he created GTO.
The way the two alternate between perverted idiot mode - always making women fall for them but, for one reason or another, never getting laid - and superhero mode makes it impossible for me to think of one without thinking of the other. Nothing is impossible for them, no matter the circumstances. Boys are inspired to become men after watching their actions, and no woman can resist the duo's manliness for too long--even if they do get slapped a lot, to begin with.
...oh, and it goes without saying that banging school girls is viewed as morally wrong by them, no matter how... hard they find... it. Taking advantage is also a no-no, comedy scenes aside. Real men aim for fully-developed ladies and don't need to get the object of their affections drunk to do the deed.
It's impossible to like one without liking the other. City Hunter is entirely episodic and lacks the drama of GTO, but the feel of both series is very, very, VERY similar.
The main characters appear to the casual eye to be plain ignorant perverts who will do anything to get a girl. But once things start moving they turn out to be more than capable to handle the events that occur and who have a good understanding of what is right and wrong.
City Hunter's Ryo Saeba is the granddaddy of all badass, perverted mofos with hearts of gold.
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Both have a retro style look and both have stories that begins and ends in the same episode. Protagonists are alike, Ryo Saeba and Spike Spiegel are cool, a little lazy, little comic and use a gun as main weapon. Also, Ryo Saeba are more comic and perverted.
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Opening Theme#1: "CITY HUNTER～愛よ消えないで～ (CITY HUNTER~Ai yo kienaide)" by Kahoru Kohiruimaki (eps 1-26)
#2: "Go Go Heaven" by Toshiyuki Ohsawa (eps 27-51)
Ending Theme"Get Wild" by TM NETWORK
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Fansubbing Groups
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Zettai [Zettai] (Brazilian Portuguese)
Related ClubsAironic's Club for the Underrated, 80's Anime Music Lovers, MALs Comedy Club, Old School Anime Club, Hero and Villain Fanclub, Yakuza fan club, Ryo Saeba Official Club , Fan Fiction Guild, The Real Man Club, [[ Live Action Adaptations ]], City Hunter Club, City Hunter Fanclub, Los Angeles Anime Bukatsu, Anime Experience
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