City Hunter: The Complete First Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

City Hunter: The Complete First Series Blu-ray Movie Review

A fun action-adventure thrill ride.

City Hunter: Season 1 is an exciting and action-packed anime classic. The series is based on the original manga by Tsukasa Hojo. The series is executive produced by Shin Sasaki (Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, Buddy Complex). Streaming on the Crunchyroll anime platform, City Hunter: Season 1 was licensed by Discotek Media for home media release in North America. The City Hunter: Season 1 collection includes the entire first season of the series (having previously been available in separate volume sets).

The legend of the City Hunter is epic in every sense of the word. The beloved Ryo Saeba (Akira Kamiya) is a top-dog gun sweeper doing for- hire work as the City Hunter. Ryo finds himself tasked (time and time again) with saving sexy women and duking it out with the villains around every dark street corner in Japan. Working on his own whim as either a special investigative detective or as a personal hitman, Ryo is a jack-of-all- trades fighter with impeccable skills.

Ryo is joined by his close companion, Kaori Makimura (Kazue Ikura), who is the surviving sister of a fallen friend. Ryo continues to push his skills to the breaking point while he solves one difficult mystery after another on his unique journeys in Japan. Can Ryo and Kaori continue to get along without clashing?

The series exudes an undeniable “cool” factor which makes the series all the more hip and fun to experience. The suave characters make the show more memorable and engaging. Ryo is terrific: entertaining, engaging, and badass. The supporting cast contributes to the memorable series too. Considering the hip action scenes and the way the series allows the filmmaking to unfold with rhythm, City Hunter: Season 1 is full of exciting thrills.

The animation is without-a-doubt one of the best elements of the series and one of the reasons it has garnered so much fandom. The series art direction is by Junichi Higashi (Cowboy Bebop, Case Closed) and Mitsuharu Miyamae (All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, Legend of the Mystical Ninja). An impressive animated landscape, the animation benefits from being traditional cell- based animation. Artistic, ambitious, and engaging, the art style fits the tone and aesthetic of the entire production.

An action-packed showcase.

Featuring character designs by Sachiko Kamimura (Human Crossing, The Heroic Legend of Arslan), City Hunter: Season 1 is a series which showcases wonderful art designs for the central cast of characters. A knockout design element, the distinct character designs fit the personalities of the leading roles. The mecha designs created by Mika Akitaka (Date A Live, Strike the Blood) make an impression as well.

City Hunter has terrific cinematography by Kazuhiro Furubayashi (Dirty Pair: Project Eden, Sentimental Journey). The series looks undeniably cool and the cinematographic style exudes the 80s sensibilities extremely well. The aesthetic fits the material to a tee. The work of cinematographer Furubayashi shines. There are some outstanding visuals.

The score composed by Ryouichi Kuniyoshi and Tatsumi Yano exudes complete confidence and brings energetic gusto the series. The score provides City Hunter with a badass sensibility and the music is fitting for the production. The opening theme music is undeniably cool as well (and simply works brilliantly).

Written by Yasushi Hirano (Captain Tsubasa, Dragon Drive), City Hunter is a series that knows how to have fun with the premise. The screenwriting has a good time exploring these characters and their journeys. The storytelling has a fun side (with some nice comedic moments) and also keeps the characters unique personalities at the forefront. Hirano balances action and drama.

Directed by Kenji Kodama (Case Closed, Tales of the Abyss), City Hunter is an enormously entertaining action anime. The series is fun and exciting (in good measure). Kodama wants to take audiences on a wild, adventurous journey. There is a lot to appreciate about the series and the action-packed fun it offers to anime fans. Kodama balances characters, action, and suspense, making City Hunter well worth checking out. Audiences who enjoy anime series produced in the 80s will especially appreciate what the series has to offer up.

City Hunter: The Complete First Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, City Hunter is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The series has a good visual aesthetic and the cell-based animation looks impressive in high- definition. The series art style shines and showcases the background animation, layout art, and character designs nicely. The set is encoded well and capably handles action sequences. The retro style 80s animation is well presented here. A solid release from Discotek Media.

City Hunter: The Complete First Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) in 16 bit depth. The lossless audio on the release capably preserves the soundstage of the anime production. Series dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The score is well integrated in to the sound mix and adds to the experience. The release does not provide an English dubbed option but fans will certainly feel pleased with the original language track and the quality of the subtitles.  

City Hunter: The Complete First Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 2:

Clean Opening #1 (HD, 1:32)

Clean Ending (HD, 1:12)

Disc 4:

Clean Opening #2 (HD, 1:32)

Clean Ending (HD, 1:12)

Promos (HD, 00:48)

City Hunter: The Complete First Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

City Hunter is an entertaining and action-packed romp in Japan. The series has outstanding animation and the background art and layout designs are impressive. The series has a tough-and-fun style that brims with a suave persona. The direction is cool and enticing. Fans of classic cell-based 80s anime productions will find it well worth exploration. The Blu-ray release from Discotek Media has an impressive video-audio presentation. Recommended.