There have been several adaptations of the manga City Hunter, which ran in Shounen Jump magazine from 1985 to 1992. There was an anime that started in 1987, a live-action 1993 Hong Kong film loosely based on the manga, a movie called City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes, and more. Now Netflix has joined in with their live-action film coming out on April 25th. Read on to learn more.
The City Hunter Manga
The manga had a short official English translation in the 2000s, but after the company shut down, the translation stopped. Until 2022, no one else had made an attempt, so fans were stuck only watching adaptations or reading fan translations. With the translations still being relatively new, and with the great success of Netflix’s live-action One Piece adaptation among others, fans are surely looking forward to this show!
What is City Hunter about?
City Hunter follows Ryo Saeba and Hideyuki Makimura, who have a private investigation business called City Hunter, as they travel through the gritty underworld of the Shinjuku district in Tokyo. After Hideyuki is killed during an investigation, his sister, Kaori Makimura, insists on joining Ryo. From here, the story focuses on both investigating Shinjuku’s dangerous underbelly — including a strange drug called Angel Dust — and the budding romance between these characters.
Will this adaptation be good?
While there’s no guarantee that the movie will be good, the movie does have the approval of the manga artist himself. Tsukasa Hojo had an early look and said that he enjoyed it and thought it was well done. It was filmed in Shinjuku, the anime’s theme song is incorporated throughout, and it’s a way for fans to see the series come to life.
Watch the latest trailer here:
Remember, the film comes out on April 25th. Don’t forget to tune in and judge it for yourself!
For another article on the City Hunter adaptation, click here.
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