What Sonoda title would be complete without skimpily-clad girls and guns?

It was 1989 when popular character designer Sonoda Kenichi's RIDING BEAN exploded on the OVA scene and, following its pickup by AnimEigo, became one of the most successful one-shot OVAs in the English language market. Unfortunately for fans, Artmic and Youmex, the two companies who jointly held rights to BUBBLEGUM CRISIS, also shared rights for RIDING BEAN. Consequently, the split that cut off BGC at eight volumes also precluded the possibility of any further adventures of Bean Bandit and his blonde markswoman partner, Rally Vincent. Long time Sonoda fans know, however, that new, younger incarnations of Rally and Bean resurfaced in the 1991 Comics Afternoon debut of GUNSMITH CATS. As the first two volumes of the manga title proved to be successful, fans waited with the hope that GSC would soon make the cross-over to anime.
Well, six years is hardly "soon," but November 1995 at long last saw the animated versions of Rally, partner "Minnie" May Hopkins, and informant Becky Farrar hit the video market. It's a bit of a cliche to say "And it was worth the wait," but the three chapter series of original stories is every bit as energetic, sexy, and entertaining as the early manga chapters.
With Rally's preference for firearms that are not quite legal and May's predilection for anything that explodes, how is it that they find themselves teamed up with the ATF ? That is the opening premise. And there is still time to show off Sonoda's meticulously detailed knowledge of firearms in a scene between gunsmith Rally and her customer. Following this, viewers meet Bill Collins, an ATF agent. It seems that Rally's last nab, Jonathan Washington, is suspected by the ATF of leading a huge gun-running operation and Collins has come to "ask" for help from the Gunsmith Cats. Not surprisingly, Rally initially declines, only to be blackmailed by the scruffy operative, who dangles a Class 3 Firearms License as a bonus (which would serve to legitimize much of Rally's operation).
Now, with the ATF trailing her every move, Rally finds herself springing Washington in an attempt to deal with his organization. Naturally, this would not be GSC without a no-holds-barred, suspend-disbelief fire fight to prove exactly how much of a crack shot markswoman Rally really is. In the first chapter, "Neutral Zone," there are two alone in a scant thirty minutes. First, Rally surprises a trio of would-be thieves in her own home, expertly disarming them in the dark. Later, the climactic battle finds Rally and agent Collins battling Washington's men as they try to escape from his warehouse.
The story arrangement and planning is deliberate and thoughtful. "Neutral Zone" closes out cleanly and could stand alone as its own one-shot title. By the same token, the opening of the second chapter introduces a new character, the Russian assassin Radinov, thereby allowing "Swing High!" to open new plot avenues while drawing in viewers who may not have seen or remembered all the details of chapter one. This is a fast, fun series. Following another warehouse fire fight, Radinov captures May, leading to a high-speed chase down Lakeshore Drive. And of course, "High Speed Edge," the final chapter, in addition to revealing Radinov's employer, culminates with what Rally has been waiting for: a chance to take Radinov one-on-one.
For avid RIDING BEAN fans like this reviewer, we can address the first issue: Rally's appearance. Over the many years that fans had to speculate over an animated GSC, a spirited debate arose over the "correct" Rally. Would she return in her blonde, light-skinned anime incarnation that helped popularize RIDING BEAN? Or would she stay faithful to her manga look of dark skin and dark hair? Well, the series makes a clean break and sticks with the darker Rally, which may leave long-time RIDING BEAN fans with the bittersweet realization that now the original, blonde Rally is the anomaly rather than the standard.
New look, new sound. Taking over for MATSUI NAOKO is NEYA MICHIKO, best known as CUTEY HONEY. This is an effective replacement, for Michiko makes Rally edgier than Naoko did. The spunky, impulsive bomb freak Minnie May is voiced by Araki Kae, who may be better known in fan circles as the equally vivacious Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi. Rounding out the principals is the ever-popular Hisakawa "Skuld" Aya as the no-nonsense Becky.
The artwork is exquisite. Naturally, Sonoda's character designs are drop-dead gorgeous, but it is more than just people that stand out here. Since Chicago is one of Sonoda's favorite cities in the world, it is not surprising that he actually knows what it looks like. The opening pan approach to the city from Lake Michigan in "Neutral Zone" is straight out of a postcard. The high-speed chase down Lakeshore Drive feels real. But, it is the smaller things such as the detail in street lamps and city clocks that truly demonstrate that Sonoda does his homework. With a production credits list that spans Chicago to Tokyo to Santa Monica and acknowledgments that tally dozens of Chicago sources and even includes the ATF, GUNSMITH CATS is an absolutely stunning international production that can only lead to further joint projects. Maybe it really is "worth the wait."

GUN SMITH CATS OAV SERIES
CHAPTER 1: NEUTRAL ZONE - VPLV-70576 1 - Nov 1995 - ¥5800
CHAPTER 2: SWING HIGH! - VPLV-70577 - 1 April 1996 - ¥5800
CHAPTER 3: HIGH SPEED EDGE - VLPV-70578 - 1 Sept 1996 - ¥5800
EACH CHAPTER 30 MINUTE STEREO CAV LD or VC
Copyright © Sonoda Kenichi/Shuueisha, VAP, TBS