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Gunsmith Cats
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Animation - 8.1 |
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Sound - 8.0 |
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Story - 6.9 |
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Character - 7.6 |
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Value - 7.7 |
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Enjoyment - 8.0 |
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Average - 7.6 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Gunsmith Cats is best watched after reading some of the Manga. It`s very much like the sequel of a Hollywood buddy cop movie from the early 90`s: There`s some introduction of the main characters, but only in the previous installment do they get serious development, and many side characters are thrown in with the expectation that the viewer knows them already. Everything about the story in Gunsmith Cats is modeled after 80`s and 90`s action movies. The main villain is an ex-KGB, masculine, Russian woman. You would be hard pressed to find a more played out Hollywood Cliche. Even the music feels like it was taken straight out of Beverly Hills Cop. The characters though, are unmistakably anime material. They`re quirky and simple, with a brand of humor unique to this medium.
Gunsmith Cats follows a Chicago gun shop owner, Rally, and her partner, May (she looks 12 but she`s 17). They need supplemental income apparently, and with their skills with guns and explosives, respectively, bounty hunting was a clear choice. The OVA focuses on one particular case that they get involved in. The problem with the story here is the same problem that plagues buddy cop movie sequels. The introduction is lackluster, and while the finale provides closure to the case itself, it doesn`t provide much closure in the way of the characters. Gunsmith Cats feels like a randomly selected bounty hunting case that May and Rally took which didn`t really affect their lives.
Like any decent Hollywood action movie, it is entertaining if nothing else. The character designs are a bit plain, and the character animations aren`t anything to write home about (it`s not explicitly bad), but in the 101 of Hollywood action, gunfights and car chases, this title shines through and through. Anything metallic has an incredible amount of detail, most notably, the guns, grenades, and cars. The choreography of the action is also high quality stuff that mimics big budget Hollywood action well.
Rally and May are simple, and underdeveloped characters, but they`re not cliche`d out of whack and they`re amusing enough to watch. I cannot quite explain how strange it is to watch a 17 year old who looks like she`s still in her preteen years toss around rainbow and lipstick covered grenades.
Gunsmith Cats provides an almost childish lightness with its young and energetic anime stars that differentiates itself enough from the real B-movies, but treat Gunsmith cats as you would a B-movie, and you won`t be disappointed. Do you really expect holistic character introductions and a definitive, impactful ending from one of the middle installments of lethal weapon? I didn`t think so. The story and characters probably won`t leave much of an impression, but I found myself wondering why more anime doesn`t have such sublimely choreographed car chases and such beautifully animated firearms. They should get on that shouldn`t they?
If someone could point me in the direction of an anime interpretation of an HK action movie that`s as faithful as Gunsmith Cats is to Hollywood, I would be DEEPLY appreciative.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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petran79 |
(2008-01-14 19:44:22) 2006-02-20 18:37:54 |
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| Average |
6.0 |
| Animation |
0 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
0 |
| Character |
0 |
| Value |
0 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| After reading the very enjoyable manga I decided to give a glimpse at this short OVA of Gunsmith Cats. I have to say they got almost everything right.
In terms of action sequences I felt I was reading the manga in some scenes. The car chase, although short, was exceptionally done and the shootings as well. Very good animation overall.
The retro music in the intro was memorable, and the various sfx (explosions mostly) full of action
The characters remained faithfull to those of the manga. I watched the English dub. The Japanese, although decent, seemed out of place with the settings. The English one on the other hand was very good and not annoying at all, as it happens in most cases.
There was fanservice but not of the sort as it occurs in the manga, or else the OVA would be rated. It was a good idea to include a Russian assasin. She resembled a lot the Italian mafia leader Goldie of the manga and I liked her a lot.
The main characters were also nice but reading the manga is necessary because here a lot of things were cut. Minnie is more sensual than that....
As for the story, nothing special but it ensures a great deal of action, something that for a 80 minute short movie is of the best I've seen.
Recommended for an enjoyable one and a half hour
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CyBeR |
(2005-10-06 08:16:38) 2005-10-02 11:54:49 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Gunsmith Cats...or girls with guns in an overall decent OVA. Although short, GC manages to be everything an OVA should be and a little bit more just for flavor.
In 90 minutes it's almost impossible to create an intriguing story or to fully develop characters and attempts at this are usually met by unsatisfactory result. As such, GC shows saving grace in not attempting anything like this and instead focusing on a pleasant story and a lot of action (we'll just skip the fan-service part of this...I'm a male so how could I complain?). Some funny moments add to the overall feel of this anime and in the end it's a pretty nice way to spend an evening.
When we talk about 1995 (or '90s) animation we talk about character design and backgrounds unaided by digital effects and an overall greater sense of detail. GC looks beautiful for its years and I can say that I didn't hurt my eye-sight by watching this. For 1995 it's decent enough to watch.
Same goes for sound although here I must mention that the dub is pretty good as well and that it fits the characters well enough, unlike other "masterpieces".
As I've said, 90 minutes is just not enough for a full grown story. So what we are treated to is a fairly simple story, with a little mystery flavor added in. It's not unbearable to watch nor is it something to remember. It's just enough to give the anime enough drive to carry out its action.
There's one moment that actually seems jack-hammered into the anime: in episode 2, the heroines put together 2 and 2 in a most naive way and without enough information to do something like that. Other than that, everything just flows nicely...no complaints from me. The action is fluent and the jokes are well placed.
As for characters, again there is no development but the cast is enjoyable none-the-less. The 2 main protagonists are fun to watch in action (mind you, they're not original in any way, I assure you) and the villain that appears in episode 2 is quite interesting, although I had doubts about her gender when I first saw her...I thought she was a he.
In the end, all that's left for me to say is that this was an entertaining OVA to watch, based on police shows from the 80s or 90s even...it just sets out to be entertaining and in the end, that's what it accomplishes.
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Kaj |
(2005-08-19 21:41:18) 2005-08-19 21:40:02 |
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| Average |
6.7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| This anime just feels like yet another anime that tries to emulate the retro 70's/80's style shows. It's a good old retro detective thriller, but maybe it doesn't do it as well as the others, or maybe I've come across a fair few of it now, but in comparison to say, Mezzo Forte, this feels a little bit dull. Not only that, but it didn't manage to adopt the style fully. The gunsmith cats themselves looked like they're from a different anime than the rest of the characters. They look so much more... kiddy-ish than the other characters, and struck me as being a little out of place. The fan service seems a little out of place in an anime such as this too.
It's not bad, but not anything special either. Might be worth a try if you like the Charlie's Angels (the tv show, not the films) style. And even if you don't... it's only a short series, you won't be wasting away too much of your life.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
6.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Gunsmith Cats has a dull sense of mystery and I could do without the fan-service. There are a few forced and contrived moments, such as the way Rally and company put two-and-two together in the second episode. All in all, though, this short OVA sets out to entertain and it does it well. Gunsmith Cats has aged well in ten years and the action scenes are nice to look and there is plenty of fan-service for the horny male otaku. The animation and character designs are reminiscent of Trigun, except they’re better. The opening animation reminds me of Cowboy Bebop’s. That’s where they got it from. The music is surprisingly good, and there’s a talented seiyuu voicing the Russian assassin. If you have nothing better to do, it wouldn’t kill you to waste ninety minutes on this.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| With flesh and spirit taken out from movies of 1970/1980, that little OVA presents all that OVA should present and something more. From the opening sequence, through intro that features cars, city, chicks, guns and grenades out of old police story, till last moments this anime has strong feel to it that enabled me to enjoy it hellishly high, even though there are some naive solutions underlying the otherwise fine plot and quite simple, yet at the same time still interesting story. It was thought as a pilot to bigger series, and it is totally beyond me why it did ended as a standalone work, it sure as hell makes it’s value lesser as it would be, have it been a part of a greater saga. However very detailed animation, carefully composed soundtrack, great care for settings (action takes place in America! yes, You read it right) and details are making this little piece very recommended.
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CoachZ |
(2005-05-25 11:49:02) 2005-04-22 17:59:00 |
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Fun stuff which I thought that had some good potential. But it didn’t seemed to have enough for what the manga had to offer from the whole storyline. But it is great for a stand alone series. It mostly invovled with a lot of humor than the action itself. Minnie and May were a great duo during the whole series when it came to doing things with their own way. Action sequences were also great that made it fairly rowdy and comical. Too bad that this one wasn’t as in-depth compared to the manga.
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maya |
(2006-01-30 09:58:46) 2004-09-29 08:50:40 |
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Explosions, danger, guns, mystery! What more can we ask for? Typical american-type villians (well, the story takes place in Chicago), typical american bad girls. I truly like Minnie's obsession with explosives. :)
What am I trying to say? Well, that if this anime is not the best representative of it's genre, it sure entertains you with all the explosions, danger... you get what I mean. Like action movies? Try Gunsmith Cats...
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Of all the review of this anime that seem VERY short and just say "typical" or "odd"... I will give you one good reason why you should watch (purchase) this title. If there is one thing I love watching in anime it is the way the Japanese try to convert their mannerisms into American culture or even their interpretations of American culture.
I mean... it's not like in every anime title you see two cute girls giving someone the finger instead of the typical "drooped eyelid-tongue out" face.
The only flaws with this series are some moments and storylines that just don't fit. Like Episode 2 with Rally and May trying to stay "in sync" for some kind of battle... like they have been practicing for it... and when the time comes for them to use this ability, it is when May is kidnapped by Romanov and the ability is used during a gripping car chase on the interstate highway connecting Detroit to Chicago. As if Rally and May were actually PLANNING on this to happen! Another flaw is the producer's notion that the ATF is actually as powerful as the FBI or CIA when it comes to the national government. And it might be just me... but in Episode 2... if my fellow officer in the ATF was the last person logged into coming into a safehouse before everyone in the house was mowed down in gunfire and stab wounds... I wouldn't JUST take him off the case! His butt would be in jail.
But again, it's those small misinterpretations of American culture and government that intrigued me the most about this title. Don't let those little nuances deter you from enjoying the Cats.
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Rirath |
(2004-04-13 18:07:50) 2004-04-13 17:57:30 |
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Even if you've never heard of Gunsmith Cats, this is still a very good watch. It's important to note these aren't actually cat girls by the way, it's just a name. The series stars Rally Vincent, expert at guns and marksmanship, and Minnie May Hopkins, explosive expert. Together they form a bounty hunter team and hilarity ensues.
Set in Chicago, the series has a unique feel to it for an anime. One often gets the feeling that the Japanese view American cities as extremely rough and violence filled, probably due to our movies and news. It's reflected quite a bit here, as the whole series feels like classic cops and robbers in many ways. Whether this is a pro or con depends on taste.
While Rally and Minnie May look pretty good and the animation is up to par with typical 90's OVA, what really shines is the car chase scene of episode two. Straight out of any action movie you'd care to name, it's quite a sight to see in animation. While I doubt this is the first anime to have a car chase, it takes on unique camera angels and perspectives that really give it that action movie feel.
Gunsmith Cats unfortunately falls a little short of what it could be, but it's still a very nice OVA. Like many OVAs from the 90's, it's more an advertisement for the manga and a treat for the fans than a stand alone product. The three episodes boil down to roughly one good but not great adventure for the girls.
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Your favorite Hollywood shoot 'em up action clip in anime-format.
Compared to 1995 standards, Gunsmith Cats is very well animated, offering lots of quick action scenes with heroic chicks. The drawback is, however, that the story and characters are left very plain. Plain, but not sucky or repulsing. By its plot, this really reminds me of an average American action movie. Background music and sound effects are of good quality, as well.
Note! Before starting to watch Gunsmith Cats, don't forget to switch your brains offline. And really, don't try to figure any deep plot out of this.
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Akito |
2004-01-03 13:30:57 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| It's incredible the amount of the research went into the anime. Since the directors came from Japan, the city layout, cars, and even holding gun positions were carefully observed in America. Overall a good short anime to watch. Plus it teaches you many points about different types of guns and uses the same Shelby in the movie Gone in 60 Sec.
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lenoredoll |
(2003-12-11 05:38:12) 2003-12-11 05:37:24 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| The animation was so cute for such a violent subject, but in a way, that worked really well.
The music fit very well with the type of story it is.
I didn't find the story interesting, but for some reason, I really liked the characters. There's not much development to the characters, but I really like them.
As a whole, I didn't enjoy watching the 3 episodes as much as I hoped, but it wasn't a horrible experience either.
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De Baer |
(2005-02-02 12:36:44) 2003-12-02 23:02:37 |
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Gunsmith Cats ist wohl DAS Vorzeige-Girls/Guns OVA der 90er und wird auch heute noch von dem ein oder anderem als Klassiker in dieser Kategorie angesehen. Die Story und deren Verlauf ist zwar enorm dürr und die Charaktere so tief wie Teller, das ändert aber nichts daran das Gunsmith Cats ein recht unterhaltsamer 3teiler ist der ein paar nette Gunfighst sowie rasante Verfolgungsjagden zu bieten hat. Für Fans dieses Genres sicher ein Juwel und mit 3 Episoden nicht zu lang so dass man sich diesen Anime getrost gönnen kann und sei es nur für Zwischendurch.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| As usual, girls with guns and ample boobs fill the usually fill the bill. The OVA is really just a treasure for those who enjoyed reading the manga. Not much is put into it other than some very good animation (for its time). If you read the manga, you'll probably like this. If you haven't, you'll probably enjoy watching this once on a rental.
Nothing really special here.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Girls, guns, and grenades. Three words to sum up Gunsmith cats. A plot to be seen more often in a Hollywood liveaction mass production, it doesent offer any big surprises plotwise. However good animation and sound design make up for a good experience overall.
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Saiko |
2003-05-11 07:39:57 |
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Guns, explosions, car chases and girls. That about sums Gunsmith Cats up. With it's nicely animated action scenes it gives you a 90 minutes worth of fast entertainment.
At least it tries not to be more, than it is...
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Very good series. It got me into the manga which is even better. I wish they made more because the manga has a longer and more complex story plotline. The character drawings in the anime are the same as the manga version.
The story in the anime is not from the manga but its a good storyline that keeps things moving. The producers did very good research into the sound effects for the guns and cars and really went to Chicago to sketch out their locations for the anime. This is the best anime in a US setting.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Gunsmith Cats sure is good, a great mix of comedy and action and it's not too long, rather too short :)
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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|
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| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| A really well-done movie divided into 3 episodes. If you look for movie without deep plot, full of action, pursuits, guns, explosives and kawaii girls ^^, then stop searching - go and see Gunsmith Cats. I guarantee it won't be wasted 1,5 hour.
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