Black Cat
Full Series Review - by Rihga

Author: Yabuki Kentaro
Length: 20 volumes (184 chapters + bonus stories)
Licensed by: Viz: Shonen JUMP manga

The only real difference between a good JUMP title and a bad one is whether or not you want to beat the characters over their heads with a tire iron. If you do, then you're not going to make it into the series very far. If you don't... well, then you're like me with Black Cat, and you gobble it up, lick the plate and then wonder what's for dessert.

BC is a pretty standard JUMP title as far as plots go: the good guys fight the bad guys, some of the bad guys turn out to be pretty good guys, a few of the good guys get killed (but none of the ones you really care about), the good guys beat the bad guys, and everyone goes home more-or-less alive and happy. The fight scenes are same ol', same ol' – named attacks, lengthy explanations, and supernatural powers that conveniently pop up when needed. The art is simple but energetic, and all the characters – complete with wacky hair styles and outfits whose pieces don't really make sense – are instantly recognizable. Which is good, because BC is carried by its cast.

The lead, Train Heartnet, is Himura Kenshin with a gun, right down to the “there's-a-girl-who's-dead-now-but-she-changed-my-life” and the “I'll never kill again” promise. There are a few differences – Train is maybe a little goofier, and his story not quite as dramatic – but scrawl a XIII tattoo into Kenshin's neck and the two could just about pass as twins.

Never mind. He's not the one you need to care about. It's his partners, Sven the self-proclaimed gentleman and Eve, a bookworm badass, who keep the story fun. Creed performs his role as the Big Bad with more crazy than you can shake his invisible sword at, making him interesting and detestable all at once. Throw in a slew of side characters who slide in and out of the story with a wink and a blown kiss – from Rinslet the fanservice thief to Jenos the flirtatious assassin, and all the way down to River (whose hair used to work as a stunt double on Dragonball Z) – and Black Cat clips along at a pace that never gets boring and stays, if not pulse-pounding-edge-of-your-seat riveting, at least enjoyable. Sure it's mindless fun, but at least it's fun.

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Favorite Character: Sven Vollfied and his magic briefcase. The man just may grow up to be Batman. Charden takes a close second, though where the hell is he during the second half of the series? I smell plot holes.
Character Most Likely to Be Beaten with a Tire Iron: Kirisaki Kyoko. She thinks she's adorable, but really she just needs a good slap across the face.
Favorite Story Arc: The opening story where Train and Sven meet Eve. I also really enjoyed the part where Eve and Kid-Train help out the orphan kids.
Most Useless Story Arc: Train and Eve briefly find themselves trapped in the Doctor's “Warp World,” where very little actually happens, and both characters learn important life lessons that they'd already learned volumes ago. Rihga says, “Can we just get back to shooting bitches, please?”

Final Grade:It started as a B+, but trailed off during the fight-a-thon at the end. Let's go with a steady C. It's worth buying, but not until Viz starts compiling it into Vizbig anthologies.

~R