30+ years after this show's release, and the great Shinjuku Sweeper is still teaching people like me how to Get Wild and Tough!

My first exposure to City Hunter came in perhaps one of the most fitting ways possible - by stumbling across it while channel surfing in my then Tokyo residency with Shinjuku a short train ride away. I have always possessed a great interest in pop-culture such as music, television, video games, anime, etc. from the 1970's and 80's, so seeing a show as old as City Hunter appear in the TV guide came as quite the pleasant surprise. Needless to say, my curiousity led to watching the entire 1st season on Blu-Ray.

I will be the first to admit that my love for 70's and 80's pop-culture - especially from that of Japan - often leaves me looking at stuff like City Hunter in the deepest of rose-tinted glasses, but after watching the entire 1st season, I can safely say that this show has something for every fan of action TV - not just anime.

Perhaps the biggest aspect of the show that came as a pleasant refresher was the age range of the main cast of characters. City Hunter does an incredible job of marketing itself as a show to which adults can relate, understand, and appreciate. Nearly every main character is over the age of 20 while a host of the antagonists are middle-aged and even older. The cast of characters, and even the soundtrack, humor, and satirical undertones paint a picture of Shinjuku's criminal underworld - something that fans of crime/law TV shows can appreciate.

Despite City Hunter's mature themes, it does a wonderful job of implementing comic relief on an episodic basis. Ryo Saeba is this incredibly tough, hardened, and talented hitman who gets the dirty work done, but his constant lecherous behavior towards the women of Shinjuku shows the duality of his character - an ace shot who defies the laws of physics but often becomes the butt of all the jokes. His relationship to his partner-in-crime, Kaori Makimura, is one of the most enjoyable man-woman duos I have ever seen in television. Seeing them lock heads on a regular basis always seemed to make me smile no matter what they were doing (or whose skirt Ryo was chasing).

Even if you aren't a fan of 80's music, there is at least one song from City Hunter's discography that you will want to hear on repeat. For me, that song would be "Footsteps" or "Want Your Love" by Momoko Kitadai - two all-English songs with some truly groovy lyrics. For others, it may be the show's OP 愛よ消えないで ("Love, Don't Leave Me!") by Kahoru Kohiruimaki or the ending "Get Wild" by TM Network. It's an incredible OST that matches the action-packed, urbanized life of Ryo's wild lifestyle.

Personal Ratings 1. Music: 95/100 - There are very few songs from City Hunter that fail to get your feet tapping and your head bopping. It's an 80's soundtrack that matches the fast-paced, bright lifestyle of 1980's urban Japan perfectly - there's nothing more to be said.

2. Plot: 66/100 - You could probably watch the first five episodes of City Hunter's 1st season and then jump around to any other episode. It establishes its plot very early on and repeats it for the entire season - a factor that can get stale, especially if you have little patience. With that being said, the concept may remain the same, but the specific themes and side characters do differ across each episode. The plot itself is incredibly fun and enjoyable, but very little changes across all 50+ episodes - if you don't like the story, well, it ain't gonna change that much.

3. Characters: 90/100 - In my opinion, City Hunter does a great job of establishing a set number of main characters and giving them the most time in the spotlight. Ryo and Kaori are both incredibly enjoyable characters that form one of the best partnerships in television that I've ever seen, while characters like Umibozu and Saeko make multiple appearances to support Ryo. Ryo and Kaori are enjoyable enough by themselves, but by adding other great supporting characters, the cast gets that much better.

4. Art & Animations: 88/100 - City Hunter is a classic personification of how incredible anime from the 1980's looked. When you see anime like City Hunter, you immediately know when it was made - a factor that, I believe, is attributed to how well the art style has aged. In terms of this classic style of animation, few anime of the time capture it as well as City Hunter.

Conclusions

City Hunter first tapped into my love for Japanese pop-culture from the 1980's and did not disappoint. While the plot did eventually get a bit repetitive, I always found each episode to have something unique to it, whether it was a new side-character or whatever new antics Ryo got himself into. The music and animations gave me the most enjoyment and I would highly recommend anyone give them a quick Google search.

Or better yet, watch the 1st season for yourself! Who knows, maybe in the process of learning how to Get Wild and Tough, you'll learn a thing or two about marksmanship from Mr. Saeba (just don't follow his example when trying to pick up women)!