Hey everybody. Well, I don’t want to hold the surprise from you any more, so her it is.....my new format for reviewing anime! What better way to show off this new method than with a revised review of the first anime I ever posted on this blog. Here for you is a revised review for Kenichi Sonada’s classic, Gunsmith Cats!
Story/Setup
If you are a fan of the Gunsmith Cats manga and you’re watching this for the first time, you’re going to be in for some disappointment, as this OVA isn’t connected to the comic very much. There are some small references to the manga from time to time, but nothing really significant. With that said, you don’t need to read the manga before you watch Gunsmith Cats (Although if you’re new to the GC universe, you might want to at least look up some info on the manga), and the story they made for the show is quite good on it’s own.
Fem fatale Rally Vincent, and her adorable but explosive-obsessed friend Minnie “May” Hopkins, run a small gun store (Named Gunsmith Cats, hence the show’s name) in Chicago. One day, an ATF agent by the name of William “Bill” Collins walks into the store, and gives her an offer she might not want to refuse. At first not buying his offer because Rally thinks it’s a line of shit, she reluctantly accepts it later after gun thieves break into her house, and doesn’t have much of a choice. From there, she’s pulled into a job filled with more deception, more intrigue, and more double-crossing than the Watergate scandal.
Despite the overall seriousness of the story, Gunsmith Cats has plenty of opportunities for more relaxed moments. There’s plenty of times when comedy, fan-service (Not much, but it’s there), and character development (Albeit minor) come into play to develop the story and move it further.
Setting
There’s been plenty of unique settings in the history of anime, but not many of them have taken place in the United States, least of which Chicago, one of the most famous Midwestern cities. Kenichi Sonada and his crew did some damn good research while they were in the city, taking numerous pictures of average places & historical landmarks, with only a little bit of alteration within the show itself. The result is a surprisingly accurate, and highly realistic vision of Chicago. It practically looks like the city, and little details like steam vents just add to the realism. To anyone living in Chicago that looks at this post, you should nominate Mr. Sonada for sainthood!
Characters
Characters in Gunsmith Cats are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the custom story for the show allows for little chance of characters from the manga appearing. Despite that, Rally & May take center stage, along with their friend Becky, and a one-time appearance of Rally’s cop friend Roy. Other than that, the cast within this show is completely new.
Now for the characters themselves. Rally is a cool, collected, and sexy individual. She knows how to handle herself in a gunfight, knows how to work with said guns, but also knows when to be funny and laugh. Her friend May is a different character: she’s younger (Rally is 19, while May is 17), more chaotic and innocent, and is a master of explosives that borderlines on obsessive (Mr. Torgue from Borderlands 2 would be proud).Their friend Becky is a very street-smart kind of girl, and her geeky appearance gives her a more humble appearance, despite her cheeky attitude. Roy is given only a few moments at the beginning of episode 3, but what little we’re given shows that Roy is a serious, no nonsense individual that hardly puts up with bullshit. These four characters (With a greater emphasis on Rally, May, and Becky) each have unique personalities that separate them from one another, yet somehow brings them all together to form strong friendships. With this strength of personality, it’s hard not to like them and feel concern for them when they’re in danger.
These four characters aren’t the only ones in Gunsmith Cats that have screen time. There’s William “Bill” Collins, and ATF agent that acts like a total sleeze but ultimately has good intentions. Jonathan Washington is a gruff, small-time gun runner that ultimately ends up six-feet under. There’s also Natasha Radinov, a former member of the KGB and Spetznaz with a heart of ice so cold, it makes the 9th circle of Hell look like an ideal vacation spot. Rounding out this motley crew of characters are George Black and Edward Haints: two men that are more than they appear. While not getting as much screen as the character above, these individuals have flavorful personalities as well. Not quite as deep, but personalities regardless.
Animation
This is a Kenichi Sonada anime, and as such looks pretty damn good. The setting and background look and feel believable (Especially in this show), and the various characters, whether men or women, have their own defined look and feel as well. Mr. Sonada has always been known for putting in a lot of realism into the characters, and it shows: they don’t quite look as exaggerated as other characters of the time, and they look like people you’d meet in the street. It also doesn’t help that Mr. Sonada is known for drawing some of the best looking women in anime, as proven by Rally, May, and Becky (Natasha looks a little too butch if you ask me). Overall, Gunsmith Cats is a show that has aged remarkably well since it’s release.
Voice Acting
Voice acting in Gunsmith Cats is surprisingly good. Though a small number of the cast just have okay voices, everybody else sounds great! Amanda Winn Lee voices Rally, and brings a sense of fun and sexiness to the character, while Kimberly Yates brings a sincere innocence to the role of May. Tiffany Grant gives Becky’s character a voice that’s appropriate to the role: sly & clever.
There’s other voice actors the provide some talent to GC as well. Rob Mungle provides a voice that is quite suited for “Bill”: scummy & sleazy, but ultimately a good guy. The Russian Natasha Radinov is voiced by Marcy Rae, who in my opinion tries a little too hard to sound Russian (She succeeds, but it sounds way too hammy & cheesy). Rounding out the voice cast is Aaron Krohn, Brett Weaver, and Rick Peeples, who voice Edward Haints, Jonathon Washington, and George Black respectively. They provide some alright voices: nothing special, but nothing that sounds terrible.
Episodes & Episode Length
Coming in at just 3 episodes, Gunsmith Cats is a rather short series, Adding to this shortness is the fact that each episode only lasts 30 minutes. On one hand, this shortness makes for a fast viewing experience (You can watch this series in just a hour-and-a-half sitting). On the other hand, however, the given story fits relatively well within the allotted time. If I had one other gripe, it would be that while an enjoyable experience, it feels like a lot was left out. Sure enough, there were supposed to be more episodes for Gunsmith Cats, but due to issues at the time, and the rise of shows with a similar story & feel, the series was done with just three episodes.
Availability & Pricing
Gunsmith Cats is a bitch to find! I bought my copy on Amazon back in early 2011, in which it was used, and rather expensive (I believe the price for my used copy was around 35 dollars). Things have changed a little since then. Now, there’s a couple more copies in both the new & used sections (Spread out among the 2001 & 2004 releases), but not that much: New copies are relatively expensive, starting at 59 dollars for the 2001 edition, and 65 dollars for the 2004 edition. Prices for the used copies are much more forgiving: used 2001 DVDs start at 19 dollars, and the 2004 version starts at 28 dollars. My suggestion is to go for the used copies, as the new ones are few and far between, and are incredibly expensive.
Extras/Other
There’s quite a few extras on this DVD. You have the standard previews for other shows (In this case, Dirty Pair Flash, Blue Seed, Blood Reign, Gasaraki, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040, and Samurai X are the shows previewed. BTW, most of these shows are hard to look for), and the typical credit free opening animation. The extras that are a little atypical, however, are the trailers for the individual episodes, and the Making of Gunsmith Cats. It’s really cool to see Kenichi Sonada at his artist table, and drawing up the characters and setting of the show. Not only do you see him draw up characters & scenes, but you see the whole process of making the show, including going to Chicago and taking numerous pictures of the city, not to mention going to a gun store to get the look & feel, and meeting up with the Chicago PD to get an understanding of how crime & law enforcement work in the city. Many more series should have this kind of extra on disc.
I should quickly mention before I end this review the music in Gunsmith Cats. Kenichi Sonada and his team did some damn good research, and managed to faithfully create music that sounded authentically American, or to be more precise, music that sounded like authentic American songs from the early-to-mid 90s. It’s all very jazzy, hip-hoppy, and all things considered it really gets your blood pumping.
General Impression & Rating
Gunsmith Cats is one of those shows that was cut tragically short before it had a chance to blossom. With that said, the three episodes we’re given offer a nice amount of fun to them. The characters, despite not having many, are funny and easily likable. The animation, despite not aging perfectly, is still nice to look at, and the voice acting isn’t painful to the ears.
Gunsmith Cats gets a 7 to 8 out of 10
See you all next time, when I’ll begin my four month long series of reviews, and see you after those when I’ll put up a revised review for the first ever show I bought at a con. Until then, stay Otaku!
* If you would like to look at my original review of Gunsmith Cats, as well as my first review ever on this blog, click on the link below:
http://simpleanimereviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/gunsmith-cats-bulletproof-review.html
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