Note:<\/b> Those who intend to take up City Hunter<\/i> should not read this article until they are far, far, deeply immersed in the series – and only then if they’re thick-skinned.<\/p>\n
Angel voice, a new but nostalgic echo<\/I>
\n –“Angel Night” OP for City Hunter 2<\/I><\/p>\n
A post at Kakumei<\/a> alerted me to the fact that a new anime called Angel Heart<\/I><\/a> is to be part of the upcoming Spring season. The comment “what’s that? City Hunter!” intrigued me, and I set out on a quest. Taking my readings somewhat further<\/a> I found that, 14 years after City Hunter ’91<\/i> comes a “sequel”. “Parallel universe” and “coincidentally the same characters” arguments don’t cut it. City Hunter<\/I> is a world where danger is supposed to lurk, and tragedy can strike. Think of Angel Heart<\/I> as a bus stop: one might choose to get off at the end of City Hunter<\/i> or to stay on, venturing to parts unknown. Double think and remove any knowledge of Angel Heart<\/I> from your mind. Walk away!<\/p>\n Angel Heart<\/i> is the story of the professional killer “Glass Heart” – a woman who feels remorse for the crimes she has committed. Glass Heart commits suicide, but is saved by surgeons by way of heart transplant. You can probably see where this is going … (or not, seeing as this is nothing<\/i> like what City Hunter<\/i> has offered) the heart that Glass Heart receives is that of Kaori, hit by a car on the day of her wedding to Ryo. The core issue presented to Ryo at the outset is impotence. The most dramatic moments in City Hunter<\/I> occurred when Ryo was powerless to do anything to stop disaster. In this instance, Kaori is not claimed by a bullet, or by anything<\/I> to do with the underworld, but rather as a result of her own kindness: saving a child from being hit. The idea of Angel Heart<\/I> so upset me that I knew there was one thing that would stop me from ever watching it: Kamiya Akira. For a while now I have thought that I might be unable to watch Macross<\/I> again because Kamiya is<\/i> Ryo – and to see anyone else in the role would be criminal. At the moment I understand that Kamiya is reprising the role of Ryo (last played six years ago) one more time. Kamiya handles the role perfectly, and with the somewhat delicate material on offer here, this will definitely be necessary.<\/p>\n Thinking about this issue has made me realise how much I love City Hunter<\/i>: Kaori, Ryo and everyone else. The series is written in a way to make the recurring characters as friends to the point that to see any one of them die, even Reika, is upsetting. Getting this news in the week I saw an episode of City Hunter 2<\/I> that truly moved me is an extreme coincidence. Angel Heart<\/I>, whether or not I choose to watch it (indeed, if someone chooses to sub it), has done something important for me. In light of its announcement, I have realised how important City Hunter<\/I> and its characters are to me. I will cherish the time I have left with Kaori and Ryo, and then perhaps move on, as Ryo inevitably will. Angel Heart<\/i> is not just about its tragic base: from it, something new has to grow. Note: Those who intend to take up City Hunter should not read this article until they are far, far, deeply immersed in the series – and only then if they’re thick-skinned. Angel voice, a new but nostalgic echo –“Angel Night” OP for City Hunter 2 A post at Kakumei alerted me to the fact that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-angel-heart","category-city-hunter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batrock.net\/anime\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIt is not pretty, and for this reason mangaka Tsukasa Houjo suggests that he has written an “alternate universe” for fear of upsetting City Hunter<\/I> fans. And I am<\/i> upset.<\/p>\n
\nGlass Heart eventually finds herself at Cat’s Eye, where she meets Ryo. Ryo has given up the role of City Hunter but connects to Glass Heart through the shared link of Kaori.
\nSo as not to weigh the series down completely, Ryo does learn to move on somewhat; that is, he still hits on the visions that pass by Shibuya. Saeko can see that Ryo is not completely reverted to “mokkori pervert” mode, but this is how the series has always worked: serious Ryo hiding underneath the outgoing Ryo.<\/p>\n
\nThe unstated reason that Ryo rarely let on to Kaori his feelings was because he wanted to shield her from that world. Time and time again he saved her, and now it seems that it was all for nought. Not even City Hunter can stop that sort of tragedy.<\/p>\n
\nThe other odd aspect is that, in reality, Kaori has been dead for four years, Angel Heart<\/i>‘s manga having debuted in 2001. Yet, due to chance, I found out just this week. Almost definitive proof that chance is indeed a harsh and fickle mistress – precisely the idea peddled in Angel Heart<\/i>.<\/p>\n
\nUndoubtedly, it would be interesting to see what that will be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"