BLACK CAT
Now with fewer legally questionable resemblances to Trigun!
Review by: M.H. “Streak of Bad Luck” Torringjan
Length: 23 episodes
Genre: Action, adventure
Watched: Entire series, subbed
Over the last year, I’ve accumulated an immense backlog (which grows larger by the day) of series, and at times, it becomes difficult to determine what to watch next. I can watch the generic romance series with no likable characters or the generic action series with crummy animation. Fortunately, every once in a while, just to keep me coming back, there’s a good series mixed in with all the other tripe. This series has been buried for a while, but it finally came up on my radar.
Plot summary: Chronos is a secret organization that controls the workings of the world from behind the scenes (kind of like the Illuminati, only with more black clothing), using their enforcement team, the Number Assassins, to maintain order while steering the world towards their ideal. Train Heartnet, code-name Black Cat and Number 13, has worked for the organization his entire life, but leaves when he becomes disenchanted with his orders to kill an innocent young girl (who happens to be a nanomachine weapon, because they can). When he leaves, his partner, Creed, defects as well, determined to bring down the rule of Chronos and to get back his dear partner. Can Train avoid Chronos and remain his own man when Creed returns with the aid of Tao magic users?
Artwork: The artwork of this series was done by a good studio, Gonzo, in the year 2005. this alone should tell you that the animation will be well-polished, at least. The end result is a smoothly-animated piece of work with nice fight scenes and few shortcuts. The character designs are individual and a bit over-the-top, which results in memorable characters (although the one who decided to make the main villain look like a roadie for the Cure really needs a reality check).
Music: While most of the tracks are generic music for setting mood, there are some nice tracks during the action sequences that you might want to look into. Since a great amount of effort was put into the rest of the series, it’s no surprise that this was the weakest part. The opening track, Daia no Hana, however, is a nice upbeat J-pop track that might make it onto your playlist very easily. And depending on how much you like bubblegum music, the first closing track might be just what you’re looking for.
Characters: Train Heartnet (weighing in at about the dumbest name I’ve ever heard) is a former member of the Numbers team of Chronos, a mostly reticent young man who fights with a gun. He has a problem with killing people, which was somehow taught to him by a wispy-thin generic girl who apparently obtains some significance to him, and so becomes a bounty-hunter, a Sweeper, who doesn’t kill his targets. He wants nothing more to do with Chronos and has a grudge with Creed, his former partner. He is traveling with Sven Volfied, a self-proclaimed gentleman who makes money as a sweeper (although he's a particularly ineffective one). When Train rushes in headfirst, Sven is more comfortable thinking things out and working from a plan. Sven acts as the father figure for the previously-mentioned nanomachine girl, Ren – er, Eve. Eve fits the mold of pretty much every bio-engineered character you’ve ever seen before, eager to learn, shy at getting to know others, and lethal in battle. While anime writers may not be the most original people in the world, they know how to write their stock characters very well. Creed Diskenth is Train’s former partner, a member of Chronos who wasn’t a Number and fights with a sword (hmmm, sword versus gun... Haven’t seen that anywhere before…). He is obsessed with Train’s abilities and is convinced that Train will work with him if he kills all of Train’s friends. He is also determined to destroy Chronos’ control over the world and create a new order with the help of his Apostles of the Stars. And someone decided to make him the most emo anime character ever, as he carries roses into battle and dresses like a Cure dropout.
Plot: The plot runs somewhat suspiciously like that of Trigun, and I suspect that there is much direct homage to the show hidden throughout (but I don’t care enough to look for it). While direct parallels can be made between the plot of the series and the characters, there isn’t as lasting of an impact because (a) the story’s been done before and (b) there isn’t near as much style here. I also have some minor problems with some of the characterization, which may be due to the condensing that took place during adaptation from the manga. Most notably are some of the changes that took place near the beginning of the series, which didn’t seem rightly justified for my liking. There is also a fairly long series of episodic plots between the main plot that serve to introduce new characters or to develop existing characters, which aren’t too bad.
CHICKS!! While two of the main chicks are a bit too young for anyone in the civilized world, there are still some jewels here to be taken! The first find is Rinslet Walker, the manager of the team of Sweepers and sometimes informant. I don’t know what it is about bounty hunter managers, but apparently there’s a law that says they have to be hot chicks with big breasts. Rinse (yes, she calls herself that) is no exception. While she has no combat skills, and is thus very little help in a dangerous situation, she can be a smooth talker. She’s a master thief, though, so I’d keep one eye on her fabulous figure and the other on your wallet.
Overall: I was fairly impressed with this series, despite its lack of originality and occasional technical flaws. The strength of the characterization and the entertaining story combine with the decent artwork, resulting in an enjoyable series. However, if it’s not on the top of your “to watch” pile, you probably could find something better to watch.
In a Nutshell:
+ Good artwork
+ Interesting characters
+ Nice fight scenes
- Lack of originality
- Mostly generic soundtrack
Final score: 7/10
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