Gunsmith Cats

This has got to be the most American manga I've ever seen. To get into Kenichi Sonoda's head, just know that he loves three things. Cars, guns and women. He draws all three in glorious detail, from the grille of a sports car, the slide of a handgun or...you know what, I'll let your imagination finish that sentence. Our heroines here are Irene "Rally" Vincent and her partner Minnie May Hopkins. Bounty hunters, gun shop owners, and destroyers of anything that ain't nailed down. We see car chases, running gun battles, murder mysteries, explosions (that's May's bag, baby), and every criminalunder the sun. I can't suggest this one enough, it's a classic that a lot of people missed, but still scored a sequel run and a short OVA. Find the omnibus version and get to reading, you won't be disappointed.

“Gun oil and Gun-powder are my favorite fragrances.” Author Kenichi Sonoda is a gun enthusiast, and Gunsmith Cats is a gun-nut’s absolute dream written by one. The story took place in Chicago, Illinois, around the 80s - 90s and was influenced by the 1980s comedy, action film “The Blues Brothers.” Following the duo of smiting gals: Rally - our main gal, Minnie May - her partner in their day job as gunsmiths, and their side-job as bounty hunters in Chicago’s underbelly. The manga focuses on three things: guns, girls, and cars. Starting with the girls, our pistol packin’ momma, and main girl - Irene “Rally”Vincent. Taught to shoot with an AR-7 by her father (an Olympic level shooter), Rally’s has become an ace shot when it comes to just about anything and everything. From the WA2000 that she keeps in the back of her stylish 1967 Shelby GT500 to her .25 DuO that’s kept in a sliding rail around her forearm. Within the first chapter, she’s shot a finger off of two different people, and that’s not all she’s gonna do when it comes to simple badassery. In later chapters, she does more feats of absolute marksmanship, and some just seem like major dues-ex when she’s in a bind, but though some actions she does depend on luck - most of what she does in the manga is completely feasible with the right training and knowledge. Rally’s Partner, “Minnie” May Hopkins, is a petite bombshell with expertise in high explosive ordnance. She follows Rally’s bounty hunting quests with an explosive pep and usually provides a lighter tone due to her sometimes bubbly nature. As mentioned earlier, she’s a crack at rigging and disarming explosives in no time and always carries a small amount of C4 and detonators within the heel of her boots. When Rally is down or needs a room breached, Minnie May is right beside her, ready to deal with anything. The characters have a good dynamic with each other; having bonded in many previous missions and mornings in the gun store, they’ve developed a comedic approach to things and usually bicker charmingly. Coming into the style of Gunsmith Cats is quite the treat for a gun-nut and a petrolhead, as Kenichi Sonoda captures both in stunning black and white style. All the guns have been beautifully transferred into paper; both the cars and guns have painstaking detail on all of them. Rally’s 1976 Shelby GT500 Cobra has each individual grill and headlights drawn spot on, and the decision to include the white Le Man's stripes on the car provide such a nice touch for classic car enthusiasts. Even when it comes to little details on Rally’s CZ are perfectly drawn, with attention to the hammer and even magazine release of the pistol. Overall the style is like reading a full series about Dirty Harry, with high octane fun fights and clever gunplay from Rally herself. The story is best left enjoyed by going in blind; it’s nothing special in the beginning with small inconsequential baddies. However, when the main antagonist Goldie comes into the picture, the story pops the clutch and puts it into the next gear. The 5th Volume, “Bad trip,” is a high point within the series, where Goldie’s manipulative and strategic mind is put front and center. After that, the manga still maintains good pacing and interesting plot points; however, I feel that at some points, it may slow down. In general, I felt I stayed more for the characters than I stayed for the story. Overall, Gunsmith Cats is an amazing manga but niche manga, with the focus being on a buddy cop duo and gunfights. It, in general, is one of my favorite action mangas due to its compelling characters, but it does suffer because of its slightly repetitive nature. Don’t let that discourage you. Rally still remains my favorite action manga hero and will most likely remain so, as I have yet to find any action manga that challenges it.