Ranked #466

City Hunter

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

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

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...I didn'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. read more

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 its time. 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. read more

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) and even 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! read more

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 of the best.

One more thing, do not watch the horrible City Hunter movie starring Jackie Chan. read more

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 I like 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 read more