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In a Nutshell
Based upon Kenichi Sonoda's famous story about Chicago based bounty hunter, Rally Vincent, Gunsmith Cats has always been my favorite series. Rally is a young woman who owns a gunsmith shop, but has a second occupation of bounty hunting. Joined by her friend Minnie-May Hopkins, the pair wind up against the syndicate of Chicago among other things. In Bulletproof, Rally & Minnie-May are forced to work for the ATF in order to acquire the permits needed to sell the firearms that Rally possesses. They end up in a giant scandal involving the government and a hired assassin from Russia.
The Review
Because
I am such a big fan of the manga, watching Bulletproof was a sheer joy for
me. It has the flair that Kenichi Sonoda would have put into his manga
with all the memorable characters from GSC, with the exception of Bean
Bandit (who I very much would've loved to see) & merely a reference to
Ken Takizawa. But since this is a stand-alone OAV, Bulletproof succeeds in
bringing a totally new story to Rally and Minnie-May.
The story stays true to the series with Rally and Minnie-May getting
themselves into their usual level of trouble. Starting by simply arresting
a gun-smuggler, then posing as a buyer to get a hold of his cache, the
first episode of the OAV is rather simple but incredibly action packed
with a fabulous warehouse fight. But on the second and third OAVs, they
have the added trouble of former KGP hitman, or hit-woman, Natasha Radinov.
The last two episodes are filled with gun fights, an incredibly well done
car chase and a final showdown in a run down building.
As
far as design is concerned, the city of Chicago comes to life thanks to
Sonoda's handy-work. The firearms are true to their originals as are all
of the cars, especially Rally's 1967 Shelby Cobra GT500, which roars to
life with real sound samples and has Sonoda's level of detail that can
only be found in the real thing or the GSC mangas. Rally, Minnie and Becky
are all as I would have imagined as is Detective Roy. Radinov's design is
specifically memorable as there are many fans of this cold-blooded, but
beautiful Russian mercenary. However, the animation, despite it being an
OAV, is not as good as many other OAVs. At times it moves like a typical
TV series, only better. But where it pays off are the many action
sequences which are fast paced and well animated.
All in all, it pays homage to my favorite series almost flawlessly. Just
the story alone makes Bulletproof worth watching, many fans have been
created by watching Bulletproof and I highly recommend Bulletproof and of
course, all of Sono-yan's mangas.
Slacker's Final Thoughts
Brings my favorite series to life with incredibly
action sequences that Kenichi Sonoda would totally love. The story is
spectacular as is the living world of Chicago. Aside from the TV looking
animation, Bulletproof pays off in the end with solid scores in action and
story.
Story: 10/10
Design: 10/10
Animation: 8/10
Sound & Music: 8/10
Overall: 10/10
Awards:
