Age Rating: Older Teen
Genre: Action
Price: $7.99
On the surface, Black Cat is a rather ordinary tale, that is, as far as manga tends to go. Two bounty hunters, called Sweepers, hunt day to day looking for big bounty guys to arrest and turn in to law enforcement. Jobs are scarce at times, and so they end up living job to job, feeding themselves with whatever's left after they pay expenses, hotels, information costs, and the like.
Author Yabuki throws a bit of a curve ball into the mix, however, with his main character Train Heartnet. Once called the "Black Cat", he is a runaway assassin who worked for Chronos, a kind of gang/secret organization. Crossing paths with a black cat is sure to bring bad luck, and Train lets people know it. His gunplay and physical prowess give this book a majority of its thrills and his behavior much of the humor. He is very much a feline character, going from serious murderer to playful goofball in a matter of frames. When he acts especially goofy, a little cat springs up in the same frame. He even wears a cat's bell around his neck.
The first volume of the series shows off the main characters, and gets them on a big mission right away (it probably wouldn't be nearly as interesting if it had been any other way). It's well paced, and deliberate in its timing. Yabuki has done a good job keeping away from info-dumps and extensive character introduction. Instead, he slowly gives out pieces of information about all the characters, which is probably the best way to write this sort of story.
The art is expressive, and flows well with the story line. Occasionally, things get a bit choppy, but it only lasts for a few panels, and it's back to its regular self. I can't say that I favor the wild getups the characters seem to wear on a day to day basis; I think if I were a bounty hunter, I'd try to be a little more discrete. Still, characters are memorable, and easy to recognize, which makes reading the manga easy and effortless. The cover, with its dark browns and odd color scheme leaves a little something to be desired.
The biggest problem this book has is the lack of originality. Some readers may be turned off by its copycat style, and anyone with a bit of anime prowess will compare the series to Cowboy Bebop. Despite the story’s limitations, Yabuki walks through aged ground with a knowing step, and has created a very fine introduction to a potentially great series.
7.5