I am taking some time this month to look back at a lot of old ADV Film releases I never got around to back in the day. One that I have been meaning to watch for the longest time is Gunsmith Cats, a pretty big success concerning early 90's Anime OVA's. Starring Rally Vincent and her partner May, they both run a gun store and work as bounty hunters. They get roped into investigating a weapon smuggling ring or one of the A.T.F. Agents will turn her in for not holding a proper weapons license for the guns Rally owns, and promises to grant her one at job completion.
The first thing I want to point out is this is one of the most 80's American cartoons I have ever seen in my life. This OVA is a showcase of guns, pretty ladies, explosions, and action. The idea that Rally should be forced to get a license for her guns seems is what is portrayed as sleazy, not the fact she hasn't done it. Even one of the show's villains is shown to be an advocate of gun control for sinister reasons. I bring this up not because I think this show actively reflects the original creator's politics, but because I think it reflects a genuine love of 80's American action movies. Of course, the villain of the show is going to be for gun control and Rally doesn't want to lose any of her guns, they make for great things in an action movie.
In that regard, the plot is playing second fiddle to everything else. That being said, it isn't a bad plot at all. Over the three episodes of the OVA, they go deeper into the Weapon Ring as well as ramp up the action with the main antagonist of the show, former Russian K.G.B. Agent Natasha Radinov. It's really fun to see the relationships between all the characters, my personal favorite being between Rally and the ATF agent that drags her into this whole mess. He's both incredibly likable, and underhanded and dirty in terms of tactics he will use. That said, he's still one of the good guys and is trying to do the right thing. There is a lot of intense action and tension that works because of how much you love the characters, anytime they are in peril it matters to you because they matter to you.
And let's not forget the show's love of pretty ladies, because the show does not shy away from showing off Rally. I mean there is a scene where somehow a crane only tears off the front of her shirt so she finishes off one of the fights in her bra, as well as taking care of intruders while still in her underwear. So yeah, if fan service is a turn-off for you, you should probably avoid this one. That said, I only have an issue with fan service when it distracts, but here it is a pretty fundamental part of what the show is going for, nothing about the fan service is at all distracting.
You don't come into Gunsmith Cats with any kind of expectation of a deep story and super high stakes. You come in because you want to see pretty ladies with guns kicking ass, explosions, and action. The characters are a lot of fun, it is very easy to get behind the characters, and the action is fantastic. I highly recommend Gunsmith Cats, and I am shocked it took me so long to watch this one.
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