Ask John: What’s the Background on City Hunter?

Question:
I have recently been looking up on a series called “City Hunter.” It seems that there are a bunch of episodes and a couple of OVAs and a movie I think. Can you explain to me exactly the number of episodes, OVAs and movies? And, give me a kind of an overview about this series, considering the fact that it’s pretty old?

Answer:
Although never much of a hit in America, City Hunter has proven itself one of the Asia’s favorite anime titles. (As of May 2002, City Hunter main character Ryo Saeba was voted 24th most popular character in the history of anime by Japanese fans.) Hojo Tsukasa’s City Hunter manga serial premiered in Shonen Jump Magazine in 1985 and ran through 1992, eventually being compiled into 39 collected volumes. It also spawned three TV series, a two part OAV series, several movies, a sequel manga series titled Angel Heart, and a live action film adaptation starring Jackie Chan and its own spin off movie, Madam City Hunter.

City Hunter is acknowledged as one of the classics of 1980s anime. It’s a fine balance of slapstick comedy and hard boiled action focusing on professional “sweeper” Ryo Saeba. Ryo is one of the worlds foremost marksmen. A former mercenary soldier and private detective, after the death of his detective partner, Ryo becomes a private gun for hire, performing duties ranging from being a bodyguard to an assassin. Ryo is also a notorious ladies man. His childish demeanor provides ample slapstick comedy, especially involving his female partner and eventual lover Kaori Makimura, who always appears to literally lay the smack down on Ryo’s lecherous actions. But when duty calls, Ryo’s personality instantly sobers into that of a deadly serious gunman who shows no hesitation to kill his enemies, and has no qualms about being a cold blooded assassin if necessary. Kaori’s supernatural ability to materialize 100 ton sledgehammers out of thin air with which to pummel Ryo when he gets too close and personal with his attractive female clients has become such a recognized staple of anime sight gags that it actually has its own name, “dimensional hammer effect.”

The original 51 episode City Hunter TV series premiered on Japanese television on April 6, 1987. As soon as it concluded, it was continued the following week with the premier of the 63 episode long City Hunter 2 TV series on April 2, 1988. Three months after City Hunter 2 aired its final episode, the 13 episode long City Hunter 3 TV series debuted on October 15, 1989. It was then followed by the 13 episode City Hunter ’91 TV series that premiered on April 28, 1991, bringing the series up to a total of 140 TV episodes.

The City Hunter movie, “Magnum of Love’s Destination,” opened in Japanese theaters in 1989. The two City Hunter OAVs, “Bay City Wars” and “Million Dollar Conspiracy” were both released in 1990. After a five year hiatus, City Hunter was revived in Japan with the 1996 television movie “The Secret Service.” The second TV movie, “Goodbye My Sweetheart,” aired in 1997, and the third TV movie, “Emergency Broadcast: Death of the Evil Ryo Saeba” was broadcast in 1999. In 1992 veteran Chinese action comedy director Wong Jing directed Jackie Chan in a live action version of City Hunter created for the Japanese market. While entertaining, the film was hamstrung by excessive concern over making the film appeal to teenage Japanese girls who were infatuated with Jackie Chan, resulting in an action film with mediocre action and a City Hunter with no sex and no gun. Moving yet another step away from the source manga, the 1993 Hong Kong action film Madam City Hunter gave Anthony Wong the role of City Hunter Ryo Saeba but made him only a supporting character to star Cynthia Khan.

City Hunter’s transition to America has been rocky, which may account for why the series remains relatively unknown to many American fans. AD Vision premiered City Hunter in America with the 1997 TV movie “Goodbye My Sweetheart,” which was re-titled for American release “City Hunter: The Motion Picture.” In AD Vision’s English language dub, Ryo was also re-named “Joe.” Further adding to the confusion, the actual City Hunter theatrical motion picture was then released in America by AD Vision under the title “City Hunter: .357 Magnum.” AD Vision’s domestic releases of “Secret Service,” “Million Dollar Conspiracy” and “Bay City Wars” were lucky enough to have their titles remain intact. AD Vision also released the entire 51 episode original TV series on 13 subtitled only VHS tapes as part of the short lived ADV Fansubs line. AD Vision has recently announced plans to release the entire 140 episode long TV show in a series of DVD collections.

Ten years after it concluded in Japan, the City Hunter manga finally debuted in America in early December 2002 in the premier issue of Raijin Comics, a manga magazine co-produced by City Hunter creator Hojo Tsukasa. Raijin Comics has also confirmed plans to eventually bring the City Hunter sequel manga, Angel Heart, to English speaking readers.