The work City Hunter, written by Japanese mangaka Tsukasa Hojo, is a manga and later a Japanese anime that follows the story of Sweeper (a type of bounty hunter) Ryo Saeba and his partner, Kaori Makimura.
From the adventures of the duo, 35 issues of manga were born, published between 1985 and 1991 in the famous magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, which also published successes such as Dragon Ball, Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto and One Piece. As for the anime, it has 4 seasons and more specials and theatrical and direct-to-video films.
Unfortunately the title has not officially arrived in Brazil. However, the work is a great success in Japan and other countries, such as France and China, and has some film adaptations. Let’s take a look at each of them.
City Hunter: manga and anime adaptations
Operation Silver Fox (Operation Silver Fox)
The most unknown and also different production of the opera. The Hong Kong film is a slightly manga-inspired adaptation. As was common in films of the time, the film focuses on martial arts and curiously arrived in Brazil on home video.
Although not a famous film, the film features big names in Chinese cinema. The direction was entrusted to Corey Yuen (director who worked on films such as Yes, Madam! and American Explosive Charge), as well as Wong Kar Wai, the award-winning Chinese director of great films such as Love for Flor da Pelé and Amores Expressos.
In the lead role we have action movie star Andy Lau and actress Anita Mui.
In this Hong Kong adaptation, star Jackie Chan plays super-smart womanizer and detective Ryo Saeba. He is accompanied by his assistant Kaori Makimura (Joey Wong), sister of Hideyuki Makimura (Michael Wong), his former and deceased partner.
Hideyuki requested that the womanizer Ryo never try to seduce his sister. However, Kaori is secretly in love with Ryo and is completely annoyed that he ignores her feelings and continually hits on other women.
In the plot, Ryo is tasked with finding the missing daughter of the CEO of a major newspaper. However, they end up on a cruise ship taken over by terrorists.
The film is written and directed by Wong Jing and also stars Kumiko Goto, Chingmy Yau, Gary Daniels, Leon Lai and Richard Norton.
The City Hunter anime is quite popular in France. However, in the country, the work is known as “Nicky Larson”. In 2018, this French adaptation was released as a feature film. Tsukasa Hojo, the creator of City Hunter, accepted the adaptation after reading the script.
Philippe Lacheau wrote (along with Julien Arruti and Pierre Lacheau), directed and starred in the production as Nicky Larson/Ryo Saeba. In the plot, exaggerated womanizer and talented street cleaner Nicky Larson is hired to protect a fragrance that makes anyone who wears it absolutely irresistible.
However, the bandits steal the fragrance when Larson is distracted. Now he has to take it back. Actress Élodie Fontan plays assistant Laura Marconi/Kaori Makimura. The cast also includes Tarek Boudali and Julien Arruti.
City Hunter (2011)
This South Korean drama adapts differently from what we see in the original “City Hunter.” The production mixes romance and crime thriller and takes several creative liberties compared to the original work, mainly abandoning comedy and jokes.
In the plot, Lee Yoon-sung, nicknamed City Hunter, has received intensive training and aims to avenge his parents’ death. Becoming the city’s guardian, he exposes political corruption.
Lee Min-ho plays City Hunter/Lee Yoon-sung, while Park Min-young plays a version of Kaori Makimura called Kim Na-na. The drama was successful and had international repercussions.
City Hunter (2024)
Japanese adaptation produced and distributed by the streaming giant Netflix, the film City Hunter is very faithful to the animation and the manga in terms of character characterization and action scenes. Protagonist Ryohei Suzuki offers the same traits as Ryo Saeba in his portrayal, being both comedic and serious.
As for the plot, there are slight differences compared to the original material, with the addition of more “fantastic” elements. In the story, after the death of his workmate Makimura, Ryo must team up with his colleague’s sister, Kaori, to find the criminal organization responsible for the murder.
The post Check out the live-action adaptations of the “City Hunter” manga appeared first on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
