The City Hunter anime series from the late 1980s and early 1990s are a genre on their own. They were fun and silly, and for that time period the animation and storyline were perfectly fine.
Unfortunately, trying to make another series for the 21st century just doesn't work. Sure, the animation is modern and arguably better. But the characters and situations don't fit as well.
The Good: The main characters Saeba Ryo and Makimura Kaori have not changed. Their antics and relationship remain the same. While that is in a way good, this time it feels more like a lost opportunity.
The Bad: I think it can be argued that having an older Ryo with a bit more maturity, and Kaori's relationship with him advancing beyond simply bashing him in the head could have made for a better City Hunter.
The fans who watched City Hunger 30 years ago have grown up, and the series needs to do the same. Many aspects that made the series entertaining should be kept, of course; but others need to change.
In the end, I don't think we needed yet another City Hunger; I think we needed a believable progression of the main characters keeping with the times and the core audience.
City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes
2019 [JAPANESE]
Action / Animation / Comedy
6.4/10
830
Plot summary
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.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
July 30, 2022 at 07:39 PM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Not a remake or a reboot, but not that good either
Enjoyable
As a City Hunter longtime fan, I loved this movie. Was it without flaws? No, but this was an attempt to pull the famous 80's manga/anime into current times, and I think it's a success. Nothing new plotwise, but again, it wasn't supposed to be something out of the box, just an adaptation where old and new fans can experience the essence of City Hunter. Ryo is a pervert and you betcha there's gonna be a lot of that. I personally find it hilarious but can understand if new fans don't like that. p.s. I'm gonna mention this cause my friends were confused when I introduced them to City Hunter (and this movie) having previously watched Angel Heart. Angel Heart is an alternative universe with the same characters and is not a continuation of City Hunter.
Love it
Typically City Hunter <3
Don't care about the bad comments or else, if you were a fan of Ryo Saeba, if you were in love with the anime, just watch it.
Indeed, our new "world" doesn't correspond to the mentality of this anime but just forget our world and just be in the anime.