Gunsmith Cats
I love rediscovering old favorites, with the live action version of Cowboy Bee Bop coming soon I started looking back at other stuff I was into back then and remembered Riding Bean and Gunsmith Cats! SO GOOD!!
You guys know, I dont recommend shows often. but if you currently or used to enjoy Anime or Comics I recommend checking this one out. I read both Riding Bean and Gunsmith Cats comics back in the late 80s early 90s and was immiediatly hooked on Kenichis intense style and detail. Kenichi Sonoda is the creator of Riding Bean and Gunsmith cats. While he also did character design on a bunch of other popular shows. It's his own creations I am focused on here.
In preparation for Gunsmith Cats he and his team flew to Chicago, where the story takes place. Getting the tour from a female Private detective with a focus on gun shops and Chicagos seedier underside. Pretty cool detail considering the shows Main characters. Rally, a Female gunsmith and part time bounty hunter and her partner Mini May. A victim of child prostitution, that escaped with the help of her bomb making boyfreind. How's that for charecter back stories? In Chicago, his team would document not only the streets, buildings and neighborhoods. They also strived to get the feel and vibe of the cars and traffic. They even found and drove a legit 68 Shelby Mustang GT 500. The main character Rallys car of choice. They recorded it driving at all angles, capturing details like its weight transfer when transitioning through corners. Kenichi would also get the mustang and other featured cars into a sound studio. To record engine and drivetrain sounds. How many movies and shows have you seen where the engine sounds were completely wrong even today?
I hate to be that guy and say the comics are better than the movie. Though they are, every panel with a gun or car in it is incredibly well drawn. For instantance in both the comics and the shows, theres quite a few panels that focus on a cars dash and guages. In the comics you get the time to soak in the detail right down to wood grain on the Shelby dash but even in the shows, its obvious the guys fanatical about detail. You won't believe this was made in the mid 90s. It's Sonodas obsession with the details of the cars and guns that make it so good even today. Remember this is before computers took over animation, it was all done by hand. That said, theres nothing wrong with starting with the two shows.
Sadly they were both short runs so you can blow through them pretty fast. Even if you just watch the car chase scenes I am sure you'll be impressed. If your interested in checking these out you should probably start with Riding Bean. It came first after all and you'll notice that the seeds for Gun Smith Cats are there. Riding Beans Car alone is worth the watch. I dont want to ruin the surprise. But with all its cool features and tricks, it could give James Bonds Aston a run for it's money. In Fact it was the car from Riding bean that inspired me to design my own cars and ultimatelty go to college for transportation design. While Riding Bean would ultimately make appearances in the Later Gun Smith Cats comics and Shows. In my humble opinion its the later Gunsmith Cats that shines brightest.
I'll include a link to the car chase scene in Gunsmith Cats so you can get a taste. I could only find this clip subtitled but English dubbed versions of the full show are on YouTube as well. I have heard there was a second show/season but I've never seen it. I'd love to see it if its out there. I do know that Kenichi would largely step back from Comics and Anime Shortly after the Gunsmith Cats show. A damn shame. As good as these shows are I couldn't understand why he'd stop making them. I'm not sure how legit this is but I read he stepped away from comics and shows to take up his place as head of his families pastry shop. A shop they have been running for 19 generations or over 400 years! How crazy is that? If you check it out or have any info on a second season/show of Gunsmith Cats, Riding Bean or anything you think I should check out let me know.
James
The Lowered HMFIC
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