City Hunter

  One of the legendary Shonen Jump Manga in 80s which I just got to finish reading until now, published in the era where Hokuto no Ken series reigns supreme, City Hunter do make good use of the similar artstyle, carving a name for its own. City Hunter is a modern setting Japan action manga featuring the story of a Ryo Saeba, a skilled Sweeper which are freelancers skilled with fireweapons doing oddjobs that tend to involve underworld society most of the time. However despite being one of the best in his craft, Ryo Saeba is a chronic skirtchasing lecher who only takes request from beautiful damsels in distress most of the time and his lecherous antics often results him getting punished by assistant Kaori with comically large hammer. City Hunter is a big name in manga industry simply being one of the pioneer that marks the Manga genre transition from hyperviolence era of mid 80s into Slapstick lighthearted adventures which will spawn big titles such as Ranma 1/2 and Ghost Sweeper Mikami.

  I was first exposed City Hunter series when I was a kid in early 2000s reading some magazine which featured this series as one of its articles. It was only until now that I managed to finish reading City Manga which is to be frank an anticlimactic experience for me. Perhaps because I had read several 90s big title mangas with Slapstick comedy, City Hunter does not particularly resonate strongly with me despite it is being the OG of this archetype. As the main selling point of City Hunter does not have particular strong effect on me, City Hunter's glaring flaw become more apparent which is the lack of main overarching story to build hype for the main character. 

 Thus as a result I feel that City Hunter never really put main strength of Ryo Saeba into good use whose true nature is a man of danger who can act perfectly as a ruthless efficient killer or a ladies man. Instead we got a skirtchaser who act like a buffoon most of the time in manga despite he can easily make any top tier ladies fall in love with him. One thing that is undeniable is that artwork quality of City Hunter is a Top tier classic of its era, an echo of the past that will never return as the mangaka had done his part dutifully. At some point I will probably give Angel Tears a read which is some sore of spiritual successor of City Hunter even the latter is not exactly my cup of tea.