Back in the Day - Gunsmith Cats 11/19/2009.

OK, so first an explanation of what this is. A few months back there was talk of columns being a possible new addition to Anime-Planet. There was first a thread to gauge interest in the idea. Thanks to that, there was then a thread for column submissions. While there was plenty of talk about people wanting to do columns there was not much action. Only a few people submitted something and it basically fell through (for now I hope). So this is going to be the place for that column instead. I really enjoyed writing the submission and this is a way for me to continue to write the column. Keep in mind, this is not a review kind of thing. It's just a simple look at anime that is overlooked or unknown to anime fans because of it's age or rarity or for what ever reason really, and to give them a small spotlight to let fans know about them.

So here we go, I hope you enjoy it and it gets you interested in the anime I talk about for Back in the Day.

Pretty girls, smoking guns and fast cars. That, in a nut shell, is Gunsmith Cats.

Pretty girls, smoking guns and fast cars. That, in a nut shell, is Gunsmith Cats. But this 1995 anime of the manga by the same name is more than the brain-not-included summer blockbuster that it sounds like. It could have easily turned into such a thing if it was not for Kenichi Sonoda’s attention to detail. From the cars to the guns, while there is some questionable possibility to how they are used, thanks to Sonoda’s OCD level of detail there’s also a hint of plausibility. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Great guns and cars are only 2/3 of the equation. It’s also thanks to the wonderful characters of Gunsmith Cats that makes it such an awesome series. And our two heroines, the gun crazy car nut Irene “Rally” Vincent and her explosives loving, pretzel in bed partner “Minnie” May Hopkins, are nothing short of amazing. Both in the skills they possess and the luck that follows them. Whether it be good or bad they find a way out of the messes they end up in while trying to run a simple gun shop in Chicago.

The opening of Gunsmith Cats is easily one of my personal favorites. The song, the direction and the style all add to the flavor of the series. The song itself, “Gunsmith Cats Theme” by Peter Erskine, sounds like the opening to a 70’s buddy cop TV show but with the style of the 80‘s. As for the direction and style that is partially thanks to it being a popular style of opening animation during the day. But it plays it’s part and does so quite well in my opinion. With a quick jazz feel & rushing upbeat of the music and the bright colors & scenes of monochrome effects it quickly gets you ready for what is going to be a hell of a ride.

Starting with episode 1, “Neutral Zone,” Rally and May end up getting blackmailed into working for the ATF by William Collins, an agent of the Chicago Dept. of the A.T.F., for running their gun shop without the proper license. They are tasked with helping the A.T.F. with what seems like a simple gun running operation lead by a small time criminal. But, once you get into the grit of episode 2, “Swing High!,” it goes a bit higher up than your typical dumb crook. It also gets much more dangerous with the ex-KGB Russian beauty, Natasha Radinov. Then finally in episode 3, “High Speed Edge,” you learn who has really been pulling the strings this whole time, and wouldn‘t you know it, the guy was pushing for more gun control. Admittedly it’s a classic cliché plot, but I think it does a decent job of telling it and in how it unfolds. Along the way there’s plenty of action, from the multiple life or death shoot outs to the interstate high speed car chase to May letting the explosives fly at every chance she gets.

Gunsmith Cats takes place in Chicago, IL. And for an anime that takes place in America, a locale that the Japanese typically stereotype the hell out of, they actually did their homework on this one. Even though it’s such a short anime they took the time, money and effort to go to Chicago and visit many different places to accurately portray the city and law enforcement. Well, to a point, but then again it is TV so to speak, so of course a bit of artistic license is going to be taken. Yet, if you watch the credits at the end of each episode, take a look at the Special Thanks section. There you will see a list of places that were researched. A few of these would be the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois Gun Works, Police Station 3501 and a Training Academy. The accuracy can be seen from the background paintings to the sound effects. How could the sound effects be so special you ask? Simple, they took the opportunity while being in the US to record the guns that each character used and applied those recording to each gun specifically. This is much more than can be said for other anime that is either based in the US or just visiting it in a single episode or two.

Unfortunately, because of the short nature of OAVs we don’t get to see any of the characters really delved into. It’s a quick wham-bam-thank you-ma’am adventure that leaves you wanting more. Thankfully there is more, as long as you aren’t allergic to reading. The Gunsmith Cats manga runs for 8 volumes of 75 chapters. It was later revisited by Sonoda with Gunsmith Cats Burst that ran for 5 volumes of 51 chapters. The manga is where the series really shines. Through it you get the character development that is lacking in the anime as well as an edgier style. While in the anime Rally is 19 years old and May is 18, May is actually 17. No big deal, until you learn that May was once a prostitute. That’s one example of how the story is more hard knock than the anime. As for visuals, you’ll see quite a few pair of exposed headlights, but they don’t pop up just to be there. Granted, I’m sure the loli lovers would love to get their hands on little May. Thankfully, a few years back Dark Horse Comics decided to re-release the series in it’s original right to left format unedited. They did so with 4 omnibus volumes of the original series and have just recently released the 4th volume of Burst. They are still easily available from your preferred choice of manga retailers. I highly suggest you pick them up if you enjoyed the anime.

While the anime is a short OAV, 3 half-hour long episodes, it will easily keep you entertained until the final end credits. Not only from it’s action but the story itself. I admit it isn’t perfect and does fall prey to it’s share of clichés. But don’t let that stop you from watching this little gem from the mid 90’s. It easily makes up for it in it’s originality in anime amongst a sea of mecha, school girls and space drama. Sadly, the DVD, Gunsmith Cats Bulletproof from ADV, has gone out of print. It should be known that the DVD release puts all 3 episodes together into a movie. No worries, it is uncut and unedited otherwise. There are copies of it still out there though. Search around and I’m sure you will be able to find it. Just beware of sellers looking to make an extra buck from it being OOP.