Black Cat - a fun action adventure helped by a hot villan!!!!
Synopsis: Train Heartnett, code named Black Cat is the thirteenth member in an organization known as Cronos. Cronos are an elite group of “erasers”, professional assassins that are sent in to assassinate targets they deem too dangerous or too corrupt to be dealt with in any other manner. But Train learns a valuable lesson in human compassion from young “sweeper”, professional bounty hunters, Saya Minatsuki. He learns there is more to life than being the cold hearted killer he has become and soon yearns for a life of freedom where he can make his own choices and follow his own path. He leaves Cronos and his path crosses that of Sweeper Sven Volfied. They cross paths while investigating a bio-weapon that turns out to be a genetically created girl named Eve. After Train decides not to kill her Sven takes her in as well as Train. They form a small “unconventional” family unit and group of Sweepers living their lives free and as they choose.
Unfortunately their lives are disrupted by the appearance of Train’s x-partner Creed Diskence from Cronos who himself has left the organization but to pursue more sinister and destructive goals. Creed is determined to see Train return to his cold hearted nature and help him and his newly formed group of villains cause havoc in the world. Train must learn what his true nature is and where he really belongs in this world he has chosen to live freely in.
Black Cat is an anime in a similar genre to Getbackers, there is a large cast of fun and interesting characters each with there own unique abilities. Set in an alternate world where people develop these unique abilities and then put them to use for either evil or good. The anime itself is fun, exciting, and full of action, it keeps one very entertained and the fight sequences are impressive to watch. The real heart of this anime lies in the characters of Sven, who acts as both a mentor and father figure to both Eve and Train. He shows them compassion willing to go to great lengths to keep them safe as well as respecting them as individuals. The “unconventional” family unit is at the core of this anime. It is touching to see the bond and relationships form as well as strengthen throughout the series. Black Cat has a good mixture of action and adventure with heart and emotions. It has good character development of its main protagonists including that of the villain of the piece Creed.
What it does suffer from is the fact that with such a large cast of interesting side characters there is not enough time to flesh out all the individuals. Some characters suffer from less back story and less screen time even though they are captivating and interesting. At 23 episodes it covers a vast amount and there is never a dull moment. It is well paced throughout the series up until the last episode where it would have been nice to see a little more of the individual battles as well as what happens to all the characters after the final conclusion. The last episode feels a little rushed in comparison to the rest of the series but even that is not enough to bring down the overall enjoyment factor of the series. It may have been better to have had that extra one episode just to give us a little more detail and insight but Black Cat does have a satisfying ending and a good conclusion to its story line.
The animation itself is good, clean and attractive with vibrant colours and with sequences that have been animated well. The battles as said earlier are exciting and very well orchestrated, full of detail and life with beautiful character movements. The colours are always in tune with the mood of the anime, you know when things have taken a darker turns when the colours themselves become darker. At the same time there is such a varied and beautiful spectrum of colour used during climactic scenes that the anime always looks alive and vibrant. Black Cat also has a beautiful score that uses a mixture of orchestral pieces, up beat contemporary scoring and simple melodies. The anime is well scored from exciting and passionate battle music that drives even more power into battle sequences to wonderful classical piano pieces played to emphasis the situation and character development of villain Creed. Black cat also has a simple and touching melody and song sung by the character of Saya, it’s an almost sad but touching song that reminds one of simpler times and forgotten childhoods. The song is repeated many times throughout the anime and acts as a reminder to Train of the simple and free life he wants to achieve, it a song from the heart and can dwarf even the most passionate of orchestra pieces with its calming tone.
In conclusion Black Cat is very much worth watching, with its fun cast, exciting story and touching relationships it has a little bit for everyone in it and I recommend it.
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