GunSmith Cats

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The Blues Brothers is an influence on Gunsmith Cats. The author says so in the preface to volume 1 published by Dark Horse. The author is also a gun-nut, fully recreating in the manga the details of pistols, revolvers, shotguns, machine-guns, grenades and any kind of bullet-proof clothing you can think of.

Gunsmith Cats begins by dropping us straight into a gunfight unceremoniously. Observe a cop getting shot, bodies rushing past, gun-hand POV, shooters sliding across floors, windows shattering and then it’s over as soon as it began. We get a close-up of the manga's first weapon, an S&W M-19, and even ... the ammo it takes, in this case .38 +P Black Talons. Yeah, you're going to get schooled on guns from a Japanese dude who lives in a country with hardly any guns around. This in a way ensures what we'll get in the manga will no doubt be heavily researched by a real enthusiast.

Rally Vincent is a beauty. Raven hair, dark skin, glasses, guncrazy and drives a 1967 model Shelby Mustang Cobra GT500. Her infectious passion for all things metallic and phallic is a joy to behold. Guns and cars turn her on, her knowledge is nerdy and her gun-hand’s sturdy. She's a ditz, a whiz, a gun-slinging bounty hunter one minute and a squabbling gun store clerk the next. She's cute and sexy as hell, her reckless spirit keeps the manga ridiculously great fun to read. Watching her bounce off other characters with quips, jokes and punch-lines is addictive. "Gun oil and gunpowder. My favourite fragrances," says Rally which sums her up.

Rally's car, the Cobra, is sleek like a bullet, just as effective, sexy, stylish, and it gets trashed so many times during the story you have to wince every time. There are a vast array of stylish 70's cars peppered throughout Gunsmith Cats: Beetles, Minis, Corvettes, Vipers, the list goes on. The car chases are pure Hollywood, think Bullitt and French Connection, and strap in for some thrills decorated with bullet casings and destruction of public property.

Rally's partner in stopping crime is 18 year old assistant though business-partner-wannabe Minnie-May the sex-slut firecracker. Yeah that’s a mouthful, just like her in a whore-house on an average day. Not a character as likeable as Rally, she's useful if you're out of ammo but you wouldn’t want to hang out with her too long for fear of catching a venereal disease.

The third wheel is bespectacled money-hungry Becky who you go to for a tip on a case, though expect to twist her arm for any help, and make sure your wallet's safe. Like Minnie though, she's got a heart of gold and comes through for you in the end. (Seriously, make sure your wallet's safe)

Then there's Bean Bandit. Jet black hair, strong chin, black jacket, Rambo bandana, popping up here and there as the anti-hero getaway driver who quite literally gets away with everything, while maintaining a tantalisingly out-of-reach relationship with Rally. He walks the line between noble and criminal; a walking talking mountain of manliness, an instant crowd-pleaser

And there's friendly cop Roy who's always around to give a helping hand to our gunsmith cats, not just a useless expositional tool with no personality, but another welcome addition to the cast of this movie written by Elmore Leonard and directed by Steven Soderbergh that doesn’t yet exist.

The art is this cute yet violent mix with the western backdrop of Chicago grounding everything in the realm of the familiar for western readers. Not that manga set in Japan are beyond comprehension, but a Chicago-set tale with an international cast will no doubt resonate more. Even the violence, as imaginative as it is with Rally's brilliant gun techniques to get out of any sticky situation, is never against the laws of physics. A random highlight is Rally at gunpoint, aiming her own gun in such a position as to blind her assailant with flying bullet casings being expelled as she fires away.

The Blue Brothers is an influence on Gunsmith Cats. Not the latter half of the movie with the hilarious SWAT guys and the car falling thousands of feet from the air, but the earlier stuff with Carrie Fisher carrying a bazooka around and causing sneaky destruction in Chicago.

If you're down with that, you're down with the gunsmith cats.

This has got to be the most American manga I've ever seen. To get into Kenichi Sonoda's head, just know that he loves three things. Cars, guns and women. He draws all three in glorious detail, from the grille of a sports car, the slide of a handgun or...you know what, I'll let your imagination finish that sentence.

Our heroines here are Irene "Rally" Vincent and her partner Minnie May Hopkins. Bounty hunters, gun shop owners, and destroyers of anything that ain't nailed down. We see car chases, running gun battles, murder mysteries, explosions (that's May's bag, baby), and every criminal ... under the sun.

I can't suggest this one enough, it's a classic that a lot of people missed, but still scored a sequel run and a short OVA. Find the omnibus version and get to reading, you won't be disappointed.

“Gun oil and Gun-powder are my favorite fragrances.”

Author Kenichi Sonoda is a gun enthusiast, and Gunsmith Cats is a gun-nut’s absolute dream written by one. The story took place in Chicago, Illinois, around the 80s - 90s and was influenced by the 1980s comedy, action film “The Blues Brothers.” Following the duo of smiting gals: Rally - our main gal, Minnie May - her partner in their day job as gunsmiths, and their side-job as bounty hunters in Chicago’s underbelly.

The manga focuses on three things: guns, girls, and cars.

Starting with the girls, our pistol packin’ momma, and main girl - Irene “Rally” ... Vincent. Taught to shoot with an AR-7 by her father (an Olympic level shooter), Rally’s has become an ace shot when it comes to just about anything and everything. From the WA2000 that she keeps in the back of her stylish 1967 Shelby GT500 to her .25 DuO that’s kept in a sliding rail around her forearm. Within the first chapter, she’s shot a finger off of two different people, and that’s not all she’s gonna do when it comes to simple badassery. In later chapters, she does more feats of absolute marksmanship, and some just seem like major dues-ex when she’s in a bind, but though some actions she does depend on luck - most of what she does in the manga is completely feasible with the right training and knowledge.

Rally’s Partner, “Minnie” May Hopkins, is a petite bombshell with expertise in high explosive ordnance. She follows Rally’s bounty hunting quests with an explosive pep and usually provides a lighter tone due to her sometimes bubbly nature. As mentioned earlier, she’s a crack at rigging and disarming explosives in no time and always carries a small amount of C4 and detonators within the heel of her boots. When Rally is down or needs a room breached, Minnie May is right beside her, ready to deal with anything. The characters have a good dynamic with each other; having bonded in many previous missions and mornings in the gun store, they’ve developed a comedic approach to things and usually bicker charmingly.

Coming into the style of Gunsmith Cats is quite the treat for a gun-nut and a petrolhead, as Kenichi Sonoda captures both in stunning black and white style. All the guns have been beautifully transferred into paper; both the cars and guns have painstaking detail on all of them. Rally’s 1976 Shelby GT500 Cobra has each individual grill and headlights drawn spot on, and the decision to include the white Le Man's stripes on the car provide such a nice touch for classic car enthusiasts. Even when it comes to little details on Rally’s CZ are perfectly drawn, with attention to the hammer and even magazine release of the pistol. Overall the style is like reading a full series about Dirty Harry, with high octane fun fights and clever gunplay from Rally herself.

The story is best left enjoyed by going in blind; it’s nothing special in the beginning with small inconsequential baddies. However, when the main antagonist Goldie comes into the picture, the story pops the clutch and puts it into the next gear. The 5th Volume, “Bad trip,” is a high point within the series, where Goldie’s manipulative and strategic mind is put front and center. After that, the manga still maintains good pacing and interesting plot points; however, I feel that at some points, it may slow down. In general, I felt I stayed more for the characters than I stayed for the story.

Overall, Gunsmith Cats is an amazing manga but niche manga, with the focus being on a buddy cop duo and gunfights. It, in general, is one of my favorite action mangas due to its compelling characters, but it does suffer because of its slightly repetitive nature. Don’t let that discourage you. Rally still remains my favorite action manga hero and will most likely remain so, as I have yet to find any action manga that challenges it.