City Hunter 2: Collection 2

Based on the popular manga by Tsukasa Hojo, City Hunter 2: Collection 2 features private eye Ryo Saeba as a sort of modern day Japanese version of Philip Marlowe, with a penchant for difficult cases and distressed damsels. Hiring Ryo is easy enough: just post a message on the wall of the train station and he's on the job, often assisted by Kaori, a seemingly demure woman who responds to Ryo's heated attraction to the opposite sex by taking out an oversized mallet and pounding him on the noggin (this Bugs Bunny-style slapstick, a running gag in the series, is actually rather out of place given the overall style and personality of the City Hunter episodes). Ryo's adversaries run the gamut from thuggish yakuza to mad scientists to common criminals (there's even a tussle with killer psychics!), and Ryo himself is a delightful protagonist, offering a bold mix of insouciance and physicality mixed with just the right touch of goofiness. Beautifully conceived and designed, City Hunter is a total treat for the mind and eyes, and this massive collection of 31 episodes, while presented only in the original Japanese language versions with clear English subtitles, will be most welcome amongst anime fans. Rated 15-up, this is highly recommended. [Note: the three-disc City Hunter 3 is also newly available for $44.98.] Aud: P. (P. Hall)