CITY HUNTER NETFLIX RECENSIONE: Più due parole su TUTTI i LIVE ACTION realizzati sulla serie di HOJO

CITY HUNTER NETFLIX RECENSIONE: Più due parole su TUTTI i LIVE ACTION realizzati sulla serie di HOJO

You should know that at the end of the 90s between 1997 and 1999 when I was 11 and 13 years old I often hung out on "Teleregione", a regional channel that broadcast here in Puglia. Like many local televisions, Teleregione had a sort of twinning with some Northern televisions . Regional channels that were not on our frequencies here in the South and therefore there were time slots in which the teleregion broadcast what was broadcast on "Italia 7". "Italia 7" broadcast City Hunter in the evening at around 8pm or so! A few episodes were enough for me to fall in love with the series and there wasn’t an evening that I didn’t sit in front of the TV to watch it. Heard this story before, right? But wait because there is a fact! Which TV region broadcast City Hunter cyclically. It broadcast the entire series which incidentally were 114 episodes divided into two series and as soon as it finished the next day it started again from episode 1 until the last episode again and then again from episode 1 and I followed all the cycles, there was no it was an episode that I hadn’t seen three or four times, because then sometimes there were also reruns in the morning, so there were also periods in which I watched it in the morning before going to school. And there really are episodes that I will have seen dozens of times! The shocking thing is that when they accidentally skipped an episode, and I knew it because City Hunter cases were usually split into two parts, OR when they accidentally aired the previous day’s episode, and this happened a lot! It’s not like they put the skipped episode back on the next day. no! it was lost and to see it I had to wait the whole cycle for them to come back to broadcast that episode again . I was obsessed with City Hunter It amused me with its comedy it made my heart beat with that sentimental veil that hovered between the two protagonists the music drove me crazy it drives me crazy Even today I sat in front of the TV tuned to regional television every evening. And it was a mess because sometimes the programming was delayed by 5 10 20 minutes, sometimes it skipped and I was there waiting for the teleshopping to end, the Padre Pio advertisements, the usual four episodes of the Warner cartoon that were shown on repeat or the episodes of "Very Strong Family" before it moved to Telenorba. City Hunter was also my first manga, the one that made me discover what manga are. One day my cousin who also followed it showed up with a City Hunter comic she bought at the newsstand, the Starlight ones! I still have them! It was strange to read it backwards. "Crete" and "Hunter" were called Ryo and Kaori and I didn’t understand why. If I have to think about the anime I fell in love with, City Hunter was certainly the first then there were others but even today when I rewatch the historical series created by Sunrise – I haven’t done it for a few years I should make up for it – or by following the recent animated films, the Tsukasa Hojo series, are still capable of making me feel certain sensations and sending shivers down my spine. And now the Live Action film has been released on Netflix: will it have managed to get me into the Mood of the real City Hunter? I’m still IRD "The Delirious Reviewer" and welcome back to my channel. But if you don’t know me, I welcome you and invite you to subscribe to this channel immediately by clicking the subscribe button [Music] directed by Yuichi Sato and written by Tsuro Mishima is a Netflix and HoriPro production. The film opens by introducing the protagonist Ryo Saba known as City Hunter. In the ITA dub of the first anime series his name was Hunter. Ryo has an agency together with this partner Makimura, who in the ITA dub of the anime was Jeff. Makimura is a former policeman and the two are basically metropolitan hunters. Ryo and Makimura accept special cases which usually have to do with the criminal environments of Shinjuku where the film and the series are set and are hired through the letters XYZ written on a public board. Ryo is a dirty womanizer but on the battlefield he is fearless and unstoppable, a perfect marksman. What happens? That while they are looking for this influencer who had disappeared on commission, Makimura, Ryo’s partner, investigates a drug that had been used in war through experiments that increase people’s strength and then cause their death only after a few hours. Makimura has this sister Kaori – who in the Italian anime was Creta – to whom she must reveal that Kaori is actually not really her sister but was adopted by Makimura’s father who was a policeman who had taken her with him since he had shot down the Kaori’s real father who was a criminal, only that a moment before he reveals everything to her he is killed by one of these guys who had actually taken that drug, Angel Dust "the dust of the Angels" and here we can immediately see how the film takes up the main subplot of the Manga. In fact, the manga is structured in cases but the common thread that binds the whole series is precisely the angel dust, a bit like the black organization in Detective Conan. He probably won’t say anything to those who only followed the cartoon because in fact the anime completely purged the entire Angel Dust subplot. So Ryo together with Kaori who in fact becomes the new partner of City Hunter plus the help of Saeko who in the local dubbing was Selene or sometimes Selena depending on the mood of the Italian adapters. She is this beautiful detective who often partners with/exploits Ryo Saeba. In short, Ryo and Kaori with the help of Saeko go in search of Kurumi the influencer to get her out of trouble and protect her but also to find the connection with the angel dust, find out who had Kaori’s brother killed and avenge him. this is the plot of Netflix’s City Hunter but let’s take a step back. Netflix’s Live Action isn’t the first City Hunter movie to feature real-life actors. In reality , two films and a series of Hojo’s work had already been made by the most disparate countries and now we will analyze them for a moment. Let’s start with the first live action ever made on City Hunter, it is a 1993 Hong Kong film "City Hunter – The Movie" directed by Wong Jing starring Jackie Chan which I don’t think needs any introduction which is precisely City Hunter and Joey Wong as the Partner. Wong played the co-star of the late ’80s Saga Chinese ghost stories. so City Hunter from 1993 I’ve seen this movie twice . About fifteen years ago in Italian and then these days in the original. I remembered absolutely nothing about the first viewing. The only thing I remembered about this film was a feeling. I remembered the effort I made the first time to get to the end, this City Hunter made in Hong Kong doesn’t really have anything to do with Hojo’s work, in reality it’s a City Hunter film with Jackie Chan in it who uses Kung Fu . Let’s say that it is obviously difficult to enter the comic atmosphere of this type of martial arts comedies of that era. In my opinion, the film has a construction that bores right from the start and then let’s say three-quarters of the way through it throws off some pretty good choreography. Oh well, it’s Jackie Chan and then there’s some funny skits, there’s also a quote from Street Fighter which I recommend absolutely catching up on YouTube and for the rest it’s hard to get to the end and I repeat it has nothing to do with it being broadcast in 2011 a live Action Drama series based on City Hunter directed by Jin Hyeok now you know when I said before that the Hong Kong film with Jackie Chan had nothing to do with it ? Well, no! That little something in the back of City Hunter had it, a fragment of the original work could be glimpsed. Here is this Drama by City Hunter it really only has the name there is really nothing but nothing that can be linked to the work of Hojo if not the title. different names completely different story very different hairstyles and clothing to give an example this would be the Korean City Hunter. Huh? Light Yagami? "is it you? [Laughter] Yes it’s true I am Kira This is the protagonist of the series played by a still very immature Lee Min ho who would be the one from the Apple series "Pachinko – The Korean wife" and it has nothing to do with it… it’s not a Don Giovanni, it doesn’t make cases it doesn’t have a jealous partner, nothing, it’s a simple mix of action it’s so-so, it makes you watch it. It’s nice but really this it has nothing to do with it. A guy could watch it and never connect it to City Hunter. the second film made about City Hunter is not Asian but French written and directed by Philippe Lacheau and entitled Nicky Larson e le parfume de cupidon "Nicky Larson?? " Yes his name is Nicky Larson because in France City Hunter was re-titled so Ryo Saeba became Nicky Larson. Yes guys Italy was absolutely not the only country that westernized names! and not bad. Philippe Lacheau who among the other things he plays Ryo Saba , that is, Nicky Larson demonstrates that he knows Hojo’s work very well and creates an undoubtedly entertaining action comedy with good directing techniques. Of course, the costumes of Ryo and Falcon are a bit of a carnival but everything is very City Hunter style; Umibozu or Falcon is identical but I don’t know I don’t feel it here City Hunter That is to say, it’s faithful, the spirit for better or worse is the same, let’s say it takes more of the zany part of City Hunter even if it doesn’t lack some slightly dramatic elements forced And I repeat that you can see that Lacheau knows the series I think he was a big fan and he did a fun job, among other things there are also some sounds taken from the anime and even some OSTs of the historical anime there is even a of the songs because City Hunter had a song department that was heard very often during the action scenes. One more beautiful than the other! and here you can hear footsteps one of the most famous and beautiful ones so Ok for me it was promoted as clearly better than the one made in Hong Kong but I can’t say I felt the sensations of the original work and why do I say this? because the Netflix version directed by Sato instead succeeded because it took the heart of the anime and manga and brought it to the physical level but without making it too artificial and managing to recreate all those elements that generally constitute the nature of the City episodes Hunter managing to create those same atmospheres. I’ll give an example. Usually the plot of the original work is Ryo and Kaori who are hired to protect a woman from some bad guy. Usually this woman has a private life to lead, she often has a particular job. And what happened in the manga and anime? That Ryo and Kaori entered the life of the protégé and this was very interesting because it gave rise to extremely funny situations that were always different from each episode. Here in the live Action it happens: Ryo and Kaori find Kurumi the girl they had to look for and protect she is an influencer In fact she is a famous cosplayer and has to participate in this Cosplay event and these situations are created in perfect City Hunter style I really felt Hojo’s work here among other things, in addition to there being some gags that make you laugh like those of otaku, I try not to go into too much detail so as not to give spoilers. they also used the trick of the cosplay event to insert elements that would have been unthinkable in the film if they wanted to bring the story to a minimally realistic level. but now let’s move on to the most convincing work of the film. I’m obviously talking about the writing and staging of the character of Ryo played by Ryohei Suzuki who did a monstrous job. He has always been a big fan of City Hunter. He dreamed of playing him. My Japanese teacher, with whom I had pleasant discussions about the film, and who also introduced me to the French version, sent me some interesting interviews with Suzuki where one can perceive the passion with which he took on this role but also how knew Hojo’s work well. First of all, I like that they made a compromise between faithfulness to the Manga Anime with the adaptation for the film adaptation, therefore elements such as Ryo’s Mini Minor or Mini Cooper are taken back, but for example his clothes are adapted a bit although However, City Hunter’s clothing does not is nothing transcendental. But I didn’t perceive the carnival effect like in the French version. Ryohei Suzuki’s Ryo Saeba has precisely those characteristics that he had in the anime and they are staged in a functional way such as Ryo is a character who goes from total imbecility to a seriousness of ice with a snap of the fingers or vice versa. In the live Action there was a scene which was that of the Mokkori Dance, whoever saw it knows what I’m talking about, which made me burst out laughing! because it is a serious scene which with the change of sequence transitions into idiocy in perfect City Hunter style and it works, you don’t feel the kitsch effect. But it is precisely the balance between seriousness and comedy that does not betray expectations. Ryo’s side of being an invincible strong man even if he isn’t can be felt. in the film they put the emphasis exactly where it needed to be placed, those who watch the film without ever having followed the original work will perceive all these things. And this is exactly how a live action taken from an animated or paper work should be, it doesn’t have to be something suitable only for the enthusiast but it must also be for those who have never followed it and it is not so much the question that the user will then also approach the Manga and anime. Yes this is a good thing, but the viewer must be able to identify with the film without ever needing to have followed the Original work or needing to go and recover it, I have already made this point in a video of mine entitled "Dragon Ball and One Pieces can’t be done in live action: Is it true?" in which given the imminent release of One Piece live action, we discussed whether it was possible to create live action based on manga and anime; the answer obviously is and always has been Yes. Returning to Netflix’s City Hunter, the entire construction of the film fully reflects the structure of the City Hunter cases. for example, there is a scene where Ryo goes to the armory with Kaori and then unleashes himself against the enemy gang using weapons and ammunition in abundance. Also this fact that he goes from plan B to plan C. I felt immersed in that world but without having the perception of being watching a cosplayer parade, then there is also this thing they put in which is a recurring aspect of Ryo in the manga and anime that when one of his people is kidnapped, be it Kaori or the protege of the moment, he actually already knows where she was taken, because he previously secretly attached a GPS to her or the fact that he has numerous criminal informants of shinjuku who know him and know not to piss him off ! The authors were also good at creating the bond between Ryo and Kaori; there was a dramatic sequence with the glass that was very reminiscent of a scene from the series and it gave me very similar sensations. Sato directed the film discreetly and directed the actors excellently and then Mishima’s screenplay is excellent. Kaori’s character convinced me as well. Of course you can’t see that really angry Kaori from the anime. She’s also in one of these interviews with Suzuki, she’s really sweet! Of course the film is definitely not perfect It has some shortcomings So in the film there are Saeko Nogami among the secondary characters. There is no Umibozu, it will certainly be there in the possible sequel that we hope there will be. As for Saeko, Ecco is perhaps the least successful; I think it’s a matter of time, but maybe even a matter of political correctness. I don’t know. So Saeko in the film Let’s say she doesn’t fight, she’s a bit behind the yellow lines and I had to laugh because they gave her the pose Same as the anime that is where she is like this But the fact is that she always has it she walks like this So she is a character that remains on the sidelines Also because the "exploitation" factor has almost been eliminated, I’ll explain: Saeko is a beautiful woman and second but here the emphasis was not on her sensuality – it being understood that the film does not necessarily have to be 100% faithful and in any case Saeco exploits her beauty to make Ryo do everything she wants so much so that she in the anime he owes Ryo a lot of sexual favors let’s say payments in kind. There is a hint of this in the movie because you can read it from Ryo’s cell phone that she has this debt to him but the matter ends there it is not explained and in my opinion those who have not followed the series will not be able to get there so in short a character who at the moment seems incomplete Let’s say that this is perhaps the only flaw I have found but not because he is not faithful but simply because I think he is a character who can give much more. The doubt came to me; Isn’t it because they didn’t want to look into the matter further for reasons of political correctness? Because in any case she is a woman who exploits her body to get what she wants. in reality Saeko in the Manga Anime beyond this is also described as an excellent ass-kicking detective on the battlefield. Who knows, maybe in the second film they will give me more satisfaction and speaking of political correctness we also get to our Ryo; In fact, in the anime manga he literally puts his hands on each other, treacherously groping the customers who are usually beautiful girls but also girls he stops on the street. obviously they are Japanese gags from the times which usually ended with him getting kicked in the balls or a hammer on the head, a bit like master Roshi or the genius of the turtles in Dragon Ball, but here there is no such side of him it’s a track, and I could imagine it from a Netflix product ! another aspect perhaps removed For the same reason is the fact that Kaori is often mistaken for a man in the anime and manga. Ryo himself often makes fun of her for this reason; I thought; didn’t they remove this thing because it could fall into body shaming? However, in conclusion for me the live action of Netflix’s City Hunter is promoted. I had fun I was passionate I heard City Hunter I felt those chills and I recognized them. I recommend watching it both to those who have followed the series and to those who have never followed it. In fact, it is also an aspect that I appreciate the fact that it can be appreciated by any type of spectator. Please absolutely let me know if you have seen it, if you agree with me or have a different opinion, write it in the comments. I want to know what you think, if you like my contents, support me with likes, comments and shares. Ird greets you and sends you back to the next one

#cityhunter #liveaction #netflix #recensione
Di recente ho avuto modo di guardare in più occasioni il film live action realizzato su CITY HUNTER basato sul manga di Tsukasa Hojo.
Partendo già solo da come hanno reso Hunter / Ryo Saeba, penso che non potessero renderlo meglio di così. Quel suo passare dalla massima serietà all’imbecillità totale, o viceversa dall’espressione demenziale all’espressione di ghiaccio mi ha stupito perché lo hanno reso identico al manga/anime.

Personalmente mi ritengo soddisfatto di questa versione seppur non del tutto perfetta, in questo ne spiego i motivi, inoltre dico due parole anche sulle altre traspozioni con attori in carne ed ossa. Ad esempio il City Hunter del 1993 con Jackie Chung e Joey Wong, quello passato inosservato nel 2019 realizzato in Francia direttato ed interpretato da Philippe Lachaeu, ed infine il drama coreano a puntate del 2011.

0:00 Quando conobbi City Hunter su Teleregione
5:09 La trama del live action di Netflix
8:34 Tutti i live action realizzati sull’opera di Tsukasa Hojo
15:19 Perchè questo Live Action funziona!
18:25 Il Ryo Saeba di Ryohei Suzuki
22:33 Il problema di Saeko: Politically Correct?
25:35 Kaori e il body shaming