City Hunter

STORY

This is a hard-boiled action comedy going with Ryo Saiba, the best sniper called ‘City Hunter’ in the world, and his partner Kaori Makimura. They receive and solve several difficult requests from clients who are in trouble.
The way to contact to City Hunter is to leave a message of ‘XYZ’ which is the secret code implying ‘”I am at the edge” on a message board at Shinjuku east exit.
The story goes seriously but also includes comedy parts as Ryo (also a sucker for beautiful women) approaches women and Kaori punishes him with a big hummer along with several unique characters.

(Tsukasa Hojo/1985-1991/35 books/Shueisha)

COMMENT by Shun

The main character is Ryo Saiba, definitely the coolest guy in the cartoon world.
Other candidates could be ‘Trunks’ in Dragon Ball Z and ‘Kaede Rukawa’ in Slum Dunk, but they are not as cool as Ryo; look, Trunks is just a daddy’s boy, and Kaede is a gloomy single-edged eyelid guy, aren’t they?
Amorous, strong, tender and humorous, Ryo Saiba is the sexist guy in the cartoon world (and, he can even notice the sound of gun hammer from a hundred miles away!)
The contents of this cartoon are that Ryo undertakes bodyguard or other requests from client.
One story finishes shortly when he solves a problem, and different story starts next.
Usually omnibus form cartoons tend to be boring after a while, but this comic became different by having variety of settings that both simple and anomalistic stories.
As a result, the comic could serialize 35 books as total.
Such as the excellent balance of serious and comedy parts, there are tons of things I would like to convey you in this comic, but in essence this comic is to enjoy “how cool Ryo Saiba is!”

Shun's Score 9

シティーハンター

STORY

裏の世界で最高の銃の腕を誇る、シティーハンターと呼ばれる冴羽リョウと、パートナーの槇村香が、ヤクザの娘、美女モデルから王国の王女まで、様々な難題を抱えた依頼人の数々の難事件を解決していくハードボイルドアクションコメディ。
シティーハンターとコンタクトを取る方法は、新宿駅東口の伝言板に「後が無い」の意味をもつ「XYZ」という暗号を書くこと。
シリアスなストーリーを主軸にしつつ、美女とあらばアタックをかける冴羽リョウに、巨大ハンマーで懲らしめるパートナー槇村香との心温まるコメディ要素、多彩な登場人物が脇を固め物語は展開してゆく。

(Tsukasa Hojo/1985-1991/35 books/Shueisha)

COMMENT by Shun

主人公はマンガ界かっこいい男ナンバーワンに君臨する冴羽リョウである。
ナンバーワンを狙う「ドラゴンボールZ」のトランクスや「スラムダンク」の流川楓などの台頭もめざましいが、トランクスはファザコンであったり、流川楓はよく見ると一重で根暗ということもあり、冴羽リョウの領域には程遠い。
大人の色気を漂わせ、強く優しくユーモアを兼ね備え、遠くの銃の撃鉄の音を察知できる冴羽リョウこそ、マンガ界ナンバーワンのモテ男なのである。
マンガの内容はというと、依頼人のボディーガードや頼まれ事を引き受け、事件を解決していくという数話完結のループ構造をとっている。
オムニバス形式のマンガは一般的に飽きやすいことが多いが、単純な設定の話もあれば、伏線を仕掛けた変則的なものもあり、飽きさせない作りとなっており、全35巻の長期連載となった。
シリアスパートとコメディパートの抜群の住み分けなど、伝えたいことはたくさんあるのだが、つきつめると「冴羽リョウ」のかっこよさを思う存分味わうためのマンガである。

Shun's Score 9

代紋TAKE2

STORY

暴力団組員阿久津丈二は大学生の応援団と喧嘩で負け、土下座して詫びを入れる。
それからというもの丈二の極道人生は散々なもの、最後は鉄砲玉に命じられ、逃げる途中で自滅し生涯を閉じた。
再び目覚めると負け組み人生のターニングポイントとなった応援団との喧嘩の真っ最中であった。
丈二はタイムスリップした事に気付く、喧嘩には再び負けるものの、極道の凄み・啖呵で今度は応援団を詫びさせることに成功する。
1度目の人生でお世話になった親分の暗殺の阻止を最初の命題とし、２度目の人生のスタートを切る。

(Kazumasa Kiuchi&Jun Watanabe/1990-2004/62 books/Kodansha)

COMMENT by Shun

今の知識を持って過去に戻れるならば・・・誰しもが思う夢ではないだろうか。それを代わりに実現してくれるのが主人公阿久津である。
下っ端ヤクザであった阿久津は突然過去にタイムスリップし、未来情報という武器をひっさげて極道の世界でのし上って行く。自分だけが知りえる情報を使って巧みに成功を収めていく様子は、とても爽快である。
千葉での明石組の撃退から東京進出の流れは逆転の連続でハラハラし、また阿久津の器量がひしひしと伝わるお気に入りのパートである。

Shun's Score 9

Emblem Take 2

STORY

Joji Akutsu is a member of Yakuza or Japanese mafia. One day, he fights against a college student. He loses however, then he apologizes with kneeling down on the ground.
After that, he has no luck in his Yakuza life; at last, he receives an order being a hitman to kill enemy and dies on the way he runs away.
When he awakes again, he is just about during the fight against the college student, or the turning point that his loser life begins.
Joji notices that he came back through time-slip.
Although he loses the fight again, this time he successfully makes the college student apologize by threatening and blustering out using Yakuza’s status.
Setting the subject of protecting the boss (whom Joji once owed in the first life) from an assassin, he restarts his life as his second life.

(Kazumasa Kiuchi&Jun Watanabe/1990-2004/62 books/Kodansha)

COMMENT by Shun

"What if you can go back to the past with present knowledge…"
Isn’t that everybody desires?
Joji makes the desire come true on behalf of us in this comic.
A low level Yakuza member, Joji, successfully promotes using his present knowledge in Yakuza world.
It is quite exhilarating to see the guy succeeds with advantage information only he can have.
My favorite part is the scene that Joji’s team defeats Akashi-gumi at Chiba and forges ahead to Tokyo.
You often see adverse changes in that scene. Very exciting!

Shun's Score 9

Maison Ikkoku

STORY

Centering on a wooden apartment named ‘Ikkokukan,’ this is a love comedy comic focusing on the relationship between Yusaku Godai, an inhabitant of the apartment, and Kyoko Otonashi, a widow and the building manager there, along with other inhabitants.
Godai, a student who failed to enter a university, falls in love at his first look when Kyoko comes to the apartment.
Despite the funny inhabitants’ disturbance, he successfully passes the university next year.
Thereafter, Godai heightens feeling for Kyoko and tries to make a better relationship with her, but Kyoko never faces the reality with thinking of her lost husband all the time.
On the other hand, Kyoko joins to a tennis gym to wile away. But also there, she gets aggressively approached by the coach.
In the meantime, another female character Kozue who likes Godai appears.
With those different thoughts, several dramas arise.
This comic is renowned as a masterpiece of 80’s love comedy comics in Japan.

(Rumiko Takahashi/1980-1987/15 books/Shogakukan)

COMMENT by Shun

Regarded as ‘Rumic World’ (Rumiko’s original sense), the story begins slowly.
Expansion of story is slow and flat, so honestly saying the story is not exciting. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop reading the comics that drug me into the humorous world made by the inhabitants; I would say it is very comfortable.
Reading through the story, you would notice Godai is actually masculine, and how Otonashi changes from talking to her dog Soichiro, whose name is from her lost husband.
As solved the triangle? square? relationships, the cartoon makes me stick in the story.
Well, I guess the last scene was not like juvenile magazine though, it could be understandable when I recall their ever relationships.
In spite of that Kyoko Otonashi is a widow, she is counted as one of the most beautiful heroines in 80’s Japanese cartoons… go check her out once.
Let me explain her by referring Godai’s phrase in the book, ‘Easy to get jealous, jumping into conclusion, crying, cranky, but… I feel so pleased if she smiles.

Shun's Score 8

メゾン一刻

STORY

一刻館という名の木造アパートを舞台の中心とした、住人五代勇作とアパートの管理人である音無響子のラブコメディ。
浪人生の五代は新しくやってきた一刻館の管理人である未亡人音無響子に一目ぼれすることになる。
愉快な住人たちに勉強の妨害をされつつも、次の春には大学に合格。
響子への想いを募らせる五代は何とか彼女といい関係になろうと努力するのだが、亡き夫への思いに浸り現実と目を背けてしまう。
また響子が入会したテニスジムでは、響子に一目ぼれしたコーチが猛烈なアプローチを始める。
強力なライバルが現れる一方で、五代を慕うこずえが登場。それぞれの想いが交錯しドラマが産まれる。
80年代ラブコメディーマンガの金字塔として名高い作品である。

(Rumiko Takahashi/1980-1987/15 books/Shogakukan)

COMMENT by Shun

「るーみっくわーるど」と称される独特の世界観でゆっくりと物語は始まる。
あまり起伏のない展開で、正直なところストーリーが面白いと声を大にして言うことはできないんだけど、一刻館の住民達が作り出す世界が心地よく、なんとなく引っ張られて読み続けてしまう。
読むにつれて、最初は頼りがいのなかった主人公五代君も男気があるやつだと知り、また、亡くした夫の名前を付けられた犬の「総一郎さん」への、ヒロイン音無さんの問いかけ（ひとり言）から、五代君に対する心情の変化を知る。
徐々に三角関係、四角関係も整理されて行き、五代君と音無さんの距離は近づき、気がつけば続きが気になり始め虜となった。
最後の流れは少年誌らしからぬ展開で違和感を覚えたが、それまでの２人のことを思い出し直ぐに納得することができた。
ちなみにヒロイン音無響子は未亡人ながらも８０年代３大美女の１人に選ばれるほど。
音無さんの説明として、作中での五代君の一言を引用。
「やきもち焼きで早とちりで泣いたり怒ったりだけどその人が笑うと…おれ最高にしあわせなんだ…」

Shun's Score 8

Tanabata no Kuni

STORY

During civil war period in Japan, a warlord army aimed to invade a village but was defeated by mysterious power of the villagers despite the army had a numerous manpower.
At present day, the main character, Yoji Minamimaru, has a strange power that he can make a small hole on paper or cup if he desires.
One day Yoji is called from Marugami seminar (studies of history and ethnology), the professor is already gone and Yoji finds several things on which an egg-size hole is ripped at the professor’s office.
At the same time, a strange homicide that half of human head is ripped off happens at a town.
In order to research the relationships among his strange ability, the holes the professor left, and the homicide, Yoji goes to the town Marukawa-cho, and he faces several problems and realties there.

(Hitoshi Iwaaki/1997-1999/4 books/Shogakukan)

COMMENT by Shun

Deeply set-up scenario packed in just four books and well-organized last scene which makes all questions readers may have solved, this cartoon is a masterpiece of the writer Hitoshi Iwaaki as well as his best-known cartoon Parasite. Comparing only the completion rate of the comics, I would say this is better than Kisejyu.
Although it is a great satisfaction you feel from the admirable last scene, I sometimes hear that some people say it is too simple that the word Sachiko, a village girl, speaks is only ‘welcome’ when Yoji visits the village again after everything is solved.
No matter what they say, however, I can see a special feeling included in the simple and short words ‘welcome back,’ and it deserves for the last scene, regarding Sachiko’s thanks, who has lived alone in narrow and dark world, to Yoji who released her free.

Shun's Score 9