A look into City Hunter

I'm completely ignorant when it comes to the City Hunter manga, but the trailer for the new Netflix live action movie had me intrigued. This is kind of like anime brought to life. But will anybody who doesn't read manga enjoy this? Ryo is a premier sweeper navigating the gritty underbelly of modern day Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Balancing a cool demeanor with a fun personality, Ryo tackles high stakes challenges in the underworld and reluctantly forms an alliance with his late partner's sister to avenge his death. This is a silly, horny, action-packed extravaganza of a movie. Ryo, played by Ryohei Suzuki, is the playboy rogue investigator who scours the sketchy parts of the city, helping to track down missing people and bringing down undesirables.

And from his actions, you would think that he's very misogynistic, consistently oogling women while constantly using the phrase mekori, which I had to look that up. Turns out it can correlate to sex or erection. So it makes Ryo come across pervy, especially when he sings or says it directed towards women.

But then he has actions where he's very protective of women and their bodies. So this contradiction in his persona, it's made to be ridiculous to relieve tension in the story, while also serving as distractions to his opponents to accomplish his missions. There's a lot of juvenile humor included in Ryo's false bravado, which I think worked to enhance his endearing nature.

Multiple sequences use carefully choreographed maneuvers and props to create risque scenarios that only appear to be revealing. The action is so much fun because it features some spectacular fights, some close quarters combat, and then a bunch of anime inspired expert markmanship. Ryo can be lethal if he wants to be, never missing a target and never not placing a shot exactly where he means to.

And the way the scenes are edited together feature long takes of exciting choreography, but also some frenetic instances that mirror the confusion and the energy of a fight. Now, at the core of the story, there's a mystery Ryo is trying to solve. And people in the city, they're experiencing abilities that look like superpowers, but are more like people who just simply have increased strength and muscle ability.

Now, this portion, it's fine to progress the story ahead. But what was more compelling is the personal quest Ryo is on to solve a case that's extremely close to him. Now, Ryo has an unwitting partner in Misato Morita playing Kaori.

She's also got a vested interest in Ryo's personal case and their dynamic. It's one that starts off convincingly antagonistic and then transitions to a playful and protective friendship that feels earned. Although it does come on a little quickly.

Now, when I first started the movie, I didn't know that it was based on a popular manga. But once some of the odd and quirky behaviors began, which is almost immediately, I had to pause to just figure out what the heck I was watching. And then everything made sense.

And despite this originating from something drawn where anything is possible, this is strangely grounded while never losing sight of its source. The fights and the movements, they're all exaggerated, but not in ways that break tension or ruin the experience. But instead, they add managed lunacy.

So there's a wonderful mix of the absurd with realism. Now, this is a relatively quick watch and it hits a sweet spot of not outstaying its welcome, but not going so quickly that every bit of development is rushed. Now, some portions are accelerated, which then skimp on some relational progression.

But it's not something that drastically harms the storytelling or the connection with the characters. Now, for as much as I had fun with Rio's antics and all of the stylized action, the story itself, it's simple and it lacks depth in the mystery angle. As I mentioned, there are compelling arcs that deal with Rio's personal investigation.

But the relationship he shares with people on both sides of the law, they're not as developed as I would have preferred. There's enough to understand the story and go along with it, but there's more opportunity that's just not realized. So overall, this was an easy watch thanks to the quick and stylized violence executed by a cheeky and talented protagonist.

The production retains manga sensibilities, while also placing this squarely in the tangible world. The horniness of the tone and main character can be off-putting. But when viewed in context of his heart, the antics showcase an endearing contradiction with the outward projection of the persona versus his inward beliefs.

Some relationships and elements aren't bailed out fully, but the story still delivers a compelling and entertaining watch. My rating on this film? I give it four out of five stars.

Images from IMDd