Gunsmith Cats

Japan is the master of world animation, but it has also brought women as a protagonist, giving it the role of strong and dangerous armed forces. With an explosive combination, change the aggressive role of the man to the woman. And with time, that role has been taken to the cinema and to series. Losing on the way the great advice and values that gave the most traditional animation such as Heman or Walt Disney.

This short OVA is one of my new favorite animations which has a James Bond-y feel to it. It follows the story of Irene "Rally" Vincent and her partner, "Minnie" May Hopkins, a former prostitute, who run a gun shop named Gunsmith Cats in Chicago. They are also bounty hunters with Rally as an expert shooter and excellent shooter while Minnie is a giddy weapons expert. It is implied that Rally is lesbian due to the fact that Minnie lives with her and is occasionally intimate with her. In any case, she is a badass fighter in this series which has great storylines and characters, with even the dubbing of this series being great, as is the song and animation opening each episode. I wish the series had been longer because there's so much more that could have been done, especially with the themes of political and bureaucratic corruption. Due to all of this, I give this series its current rating.

Well, "Gunsmith Cats" was an anime that I watched back when I was 20 years old, back in 1995, and it also made me pick up the comic book afterwards, because I enjoyed it back then. So I revisited "Gunsmith Cats" - the original Japanese language version, of course, now in 2020. And I must say that, while "Gunsmith Cats" definitely shows signs of its age, it is still an anime that is quite entertaining and watchable. Sure, it is goofy and stereotypical, but it is enjoyable - and that is what matters. The animation is adequate, although the drawing style itself is a bit outdated in my opinion. There wasn't as much attention to detail crammed into the episodes, nor was the style actually smooth enough - it was a bit old and gritty. The voice acting - at least in the Japanese version - was good, and they had some talented performers here. However, I am puzzled though about why people in America, with American names and obviously not Japanese in heritage, were speaking Japanese. That just made no sense at all. There is a good amount of action through the episodes to make it interesting, and the character build and development was adequate - perhaps a bit too light on the character development side. But it was two very lovable main characters - no doubt about that. If you haven't already seen this 1995 anime, then you should do so if you get the chance. I am rating "Gunsmith Cats" a six out of ten stars, and it was a nice trip back down memory lane re-watching it 25 years after I watched it the first time.

This is one awesome series, despite only three episodes. As much as I like girls with guns (especially in anime), grenades added to this made me want to see it, and I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it. One thing about this series is the action. The car chase in episode 2 is mind-blowing and has to be seen to be believed. Also, it takes place in Chicago, not any old Japanese city! My only complaint is the lack of comedy on episodes 2 and 3. But overall, it's an awesome series and brilliant action helps the show go along! If you're into girls with guns (and the added grenades) and a good laugh, then check it out. If not, go see something else!