Black Cat

This series would have been better if I didn't feel like I'd "seen it all before." The idea of a "bounty hunter" character who often ends up broke and refuses to kill reminds me of Trigun. Each of the characters within the story reminded me of some character in another story. And every single person in this manga had some kind of tragic past that made them who they were. This wouldn't have bothered me nearly so much if I didn't feel like everything was just glossed over...only mentioned because the writer felt they needed to explain everything. The mangakareally leads readers around by the hand, explaining everything and leaving not a whole lot to the imagination. Often, details are repeated, drilled into the head of the reader. Sometimes, important things are left unmentioned until convenient (such as Train's "black cross" technique going completely unused til nearly the end of the series). Events seemed very trivial. It was clear who would win and who would "die". Sadly, there are very few original ideas in this story. That being said, the art is enjoyable. The sarcasm and wit of the characters, their beliefs and their evolutions make this series worth reading. The action is well done and the plot is easy to follow. The look of the characters, generally, were interesting and unique. I didn't confuse people in the series for other characters and (with the exception of a few characters like River, who really looked like a super saiyan that stole some moves from Street Fighter) they were an interesting mix.

Black Cat is a typical shounen manga. While it's never very original, the care-free attitude of the main character results in a loose and enjoying atmosphere thats being kept though most of the story. Story: The initial setup of the story is very standard: a sharpshooting hero with his weapon-inventing sidekick travel the world to catch criminals and save the innocent. A third team member and a bunch of super villains make the picture complete. Besides from this typical and predictable storyline, the plot unfolds at a nice easygoing pace and keeps things interesting. The fun makes up for lots. At the final showdown in the last fewvolumes however, the generic shounen fights with predictable outcome make up for a unsatisfying ending without any surprises and some unfinished plot lines. Art: Im no expert in this, but the art is definitly a plus. Great looking characters, clear drawings. Character: All characters are enjoyable and especially the interactions between them are entertaining. The three main characters make a great team personality-wise. The witty humor fits them well. Only the emotional depth and background is cliché and doesnt impact the reader. Enjoyment: I especially liked the daily dealings between the characters and found the story to be promising. In the end however, the outcome was below my expectations and the moral lessons (everyone can better his life) were used too much. Also, the fights were a bit repetitive sometimes. But I still liked the lightness of most of the volumes. Overall: Dont expect big plot twist or dramatic emotional buildups. Black Cat's best cards are the laid back, witty characters. Its a joy to see them interact, grow and take care of the obstacles in their way.

When I stumbled across this manga I expected it to be another wild ride filled with violence and people getting their head blown off, my ultimate genre, but a few chapters in a quickly realised the the tale of Train Heartnet was much deeper than I had originally anticipated. Story [8/10] When the setting and basic backstory had been established, I was already enthralled; the story of an ex-assassin who turned his back on his dark past to face a brighter future was a pleasant thought and would make for an interesting manga. However, though I enjoyed the basic backstory, when the story found itself at themain antagonist I felt that the story took a rather unrealistic turn. The antagonists fall to madness and his reasoning behind it felt silly, vague and rather unlikely, making me wish that they had given the antagonist a little more thought when playing with his concept. Despite the rocky antagonist, once you accept it, the events that follow become very interesting, making you forget his unstable backstory and instead allowing you to sit back and enjoy the manga for it's excellent story. Art [7/10] The art was very nice, the manga chose to take the anatomically correct, though stilly very animesque, approach which I felt suited it well, giving the characters the dynamic feel required during intense battle scenes, though keeping them simple enough that they might provide comic relief and hyperbolic amusement. The character design was just as nice, each character having a very unique though still normal appearance (though Train's clothing might have been a little out there, but is to be expected as the main character). Character [9/10] The characters were by far the most excellent part about the manga. This manga contained a strong theme of freindship which I enjoyed immensely, the story of Saya and Train and how Train slowly but surely gains freinds and allies in his work, a new though valuable experience to him. As for the backstory, each character of interest (save for the antagonist) had a notable and interesting backstory to back their characters and their responses to one another. The charactes were very thought through in this serialisation. Enjoyment [8/10] Though this manga did find itself slowing down at times, the battle scenes were always intense and the flashback always interesting as well as the times the gang spent together, it is this which kept the manga moving, even when it slowed, it never stopped. Overall [8/10] This manga was always fun and the characters were perfect, I'd definitely reccommend it to to pass some time.

Wow! Let me tell you, I absolutely adored this anime! From the plot to the villains, to Kyoko killing people by kissing them and making their insides melt from extreme heat! Some reviews here talk about "seen it all before" or "so and so had an idiot son" or something. Don't take those reviews to heart. If you love action, suspense, horror (a little at times), psychological thrillers (it's a bit at some points), cool fights, and neat superpowered people, this manga is definitely something for you! A shonen manga that has the style of a shoujo manga, that's how I would describe it. Bounty hunters with littlemoney because bounty hunting is a tough life when other people nab up the big guys before you even get a chance to look at who's wanted. It's easy for some people to complain about some of the characters. One, for example, is Sven. One of the main characters, Sven wears a three piece suit (I think it's considered 3-piece) with a hat. And no, his hat isn't a trilby (what those "nice guys" and neck-beards wear), it happens to be an actual fedora. He has the appearance of a guy from the 1930's or so with his old-time gangster appearance. He preaches about protecting women and children and people who are unable to defend themselves. He lives by the code of gentlemen --chivalry. This actually isn't all that bad. I know, what comes to mind with this type of character is a frightening neck-beard roaming 4chan or something. But Sven Vollfied is certainly not one of those kinds of people. Sven happens to be a very intelligent inventor who creates all the weapons he uses, unleashing them from his briefcase. If you want to know what's up with the eye-patch you'll have to read the manga! Train has a typical tortured backstory (which was depicted horribly in the anime, mind you --but handled fairly well in the manga). But that doesn't stop him from being a lovable protagonist. All he wants is food, and he can eat through your credit for a place serving food. Eve is a precious cinnamon roll, not free of sin though. In all, I absolutely recommend everyone I know to read this manga, and I urge you to give it a shot! You won't be disappointed!