The most famous sweeper in anime has arrived in our cinemas, the “flag raiser” par excellence, with a new adventure that heralds the last battle in its title… but will it be true?
“City Hunter – Angel Dust”, directed by Kenji Kodama, is a feature film that looks to the past, to the trafficking of a drug that has the ability to enhance the human body, which Hideyuki Makimura, Kaori’s “brother” had investigated and for who had been murdered. An organization on which he had never completely put an end to
The film begins with Ryo and Umibozu who, disguised in Cat’s Eye onesies, help the three thieves steal a painting, in which the powerful drug is kept, but a masked individual manages to steal it.
Meanwhile, Kaori accepts the assignment of a beautiful influencer, Angie, who has lost her cat and asks for help via the writing XYX on the Shinjuko Station board… but is it true? Who is behind the theft of the powerful drug?
The work focuses on its tried and tested clichés, Ryo who flirts with the beauty of the moment, the giant hammer who punishes him by the jealous Kaori to give life to the funny gags, the shootouts, the car chases, the duels and the various twists, moving and dramatic moments alternate with funny ones. That is, there is everything that made City Hunter a successful title.
Furthermore, there is a fluid animation with a very realistic touch, especially when it concerns the panoramic views of the city. However, compared to the last film released in 2019 (Private Eyes), the screenplay gets lost halfway through the film, it appears rather botched, there is no linearity that we have always seen, poorly developed characters, the same motivations as Angie they are weak, unclear and his past leaves more than one question.
The narrative would like to give us some more notion of who Ryo is, his past and his ties with a Kaibara character who perhaps acted as his father. Everything remains pending, undermining some foundations of the City Hunter saga, creating a certain disruption and revealing nothing if not creating confusion, as the decisive battle should have been with Kaibra… but it doesn’t happen.
The same open ending seems to be the prelude to a new beginning of a new season, as demonstrated by the final theme “Get Wild”, used as the closing close song of the regular series.
Pleasant yes, exciting no. Also because I had the feeling that some fundamental aspects had been slightly modified, a rereading of the last chapters of the manga? I don’t know but with the consequence that some characters have become very marginal like the case of Saeko.
Element of color, as a cameo, Lupine III and Jigen appear on the sixteenth…