Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Black Cat – episode 9

January 15, 2006 on 12:18 pm | In Black Cat | 1 Comment

“A Charming Cat”

You know, Black Cat has not actually provided a convincing argument for having been licenced. As far as I can tell, the cease and desist applied only to Tsubasa and Solty Rei. The internet is disappointingly underdocumented on this case, and some fans are the usual stupid “omg I can’t believe it’s been licenced!” people (if I have lost your custom because you hate licensors, good – you give anime fans a bad name).

Anyway, I have returned to Black Cat and will drop it only when something substantial comes up … like an actual licence announcement.

Rin contracts Sven and company to track down a fellow named Gyanza, who has been targeted by the Taoists. Sven decides to take on the job because he was the one who put Gyanza away in the first place.
Meanwhile Kyoko, the fire breathing Taoist girl, seems to develop a little crush on Train.

There’s not a lot to say about what was on offer here. It was generally a fun ride, but it brought into focus just how many dead women have featured in this series: the vast majority of the villains have been misogynists, and it’s not very pleasant to watch Gyanza drag a woman through the sewers of the abandoned city that he has the run of.
It’s understandable that Sven would be against this sort of person, but so many of them … it’s unhealthy.

The outlandish designs of the villains never cease to be cool (I’m particularly tickled by fire breathing school girls), but there have been weird choices made on the part of the art team: all battles with Gyanza were rendered in green hues, all of Kyoko’s popsicles were fluorescent and Eve … well, she punched someone with her pony tails. These parts of Black Cat are not so much artistic as they are weird.

Black Cat shall continue to be watched, if only in protest of stupidity.