>>>>>>>
From: Anderson, Erick How about Anime? Would "Ghost In The
Shell" fit the mold?
<<<<<<<
"Ghost in the Shell" is cyberpunk, and cyberpunk has deep
roots in hardboiled. It's one of the best science fiction
movies I've ever seen, although the dubbed edition is pretty
incomprehensible. The subtitled version is a lot clearer. I'd
say it's hardboiled. Another adaptation of a Shirow manga,
"Black Magic-66" is also pretty hardboiled. Other anime that
meets or at least comes close to hardboiled or noir standards
would include "Akira," "Kite," and "Perfect Blue."
But my favorite anime series, with some genuinely hardboiled
moments mixed in with the wild comedy, is "City Hunter." If
you don't know the series, here's the deal: If you're in
desperate trouble and nobody else can help you AND you're a
beautiful woman, then chalk XYZ and your phone number on the
public message board at Shinjuko Station. Rya Saeba will come
to your aid. He'll also make a crude pass at you, try to
catch a peek of you in the shower, and steal your underwear.
In my own mind, I divide his character into two fairly
distinct identities. There's Saeba-san, the world's biggest
lecher who falls apart at the sight of a pretty woman. And
there's City Hunter, feared by the underworld, a merciless
avenger, and a dead shot with his beloved .357 Magnum. The
half hour TV series is better than the full length movies,
but it's classic stuff if you can deal with the extreme
disjunction in Saeba's personality. And after a while, once
you get over the initial shock, you!
can see that his outlandish sexual drive and his
clowning are aspects of the same energy that makes him so
powerful in his City Hunter mode.
BobT
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