Earlier today, Anime Boston announced that director Kenji Kodama, producer Naohiro Ogata, and screenwriter Yoichi Kato will attend Anime Boston as guests of honor. Both Ogata and Kodama collaborated on City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes
The two are the second and third Japanese guests for the convention. They will join the following:
- Yoko Shimomura
- Billy Kametz
- Greg Ayres
- Michelle Ruff
- Tara Sands
- Johnny Yong Bosch
Naohiro Ogata has been active at Sunrise since 1997. Through his career, Ogata has worked as a producer on numerous fan favorite titles, including Inuyasha, Mobile Suit Gundam UC, and City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes.
Kenji Kodama has been active in the industry since the 1970s. Through his career, Kodama has helmed numerous iconic properties, with more than 50 credits to his name. His biggest roles include Case Closed, City Hunter, and Lupin III Part II.
Prior to his work at Sunrise, Kodama worked at Tokyo Movie, where he worked on titles like Star of the Giants and Little Ghost Q-Taro as an animator.
Yoichi Kato entered the entertainment industry as a screenwriter for TV documentaries, news, and music shows. He later moved into the anime industry, where he would provide scripts for titles that include Aikatsu!, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, and Yo-kai Watch.
City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes hit Japanese theaters on February 8.
Kenji Kodama (Kekkaishi, Case Closed) was tapped to direct the project at Sunrise, with Yoichi Kato (Aikatsu!, Yo-Kai Watch) writing the script. Kumiko Takahashi (Cardcaptor Sakura, Witch Hunter Robin) provided character designs.
The film is the first entry into the mainline City Hunter anime franchise since 1999, which saw the airing of TV special Death of the Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba. The feature will move the setting to current-day Shinjuku, away from the glitz and excesses of the bubble era that the original had spawned from.
Akira Kamiya, who played Ryo Saeba in the original City Hunter anime franchise and spinoff show Angel Heart, will return to reprise his role as the sex-crazed sweeper. Likewise, Kazue Ikura, who played Kaori Makimura in the original City Hunter anime, will return to play the role.
Tsukasa Hojo’s City Hunter manga made its début in the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1985. The series ran through 1991, spanning 35 compiled volumes. The title received four anime TV series, as well as a feature film, three made-for-TV movies, and two OVAs. All animation was previously produced by Sunrise.
ADV Films released the entire run of City Hunter, save Death of the Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba, in North America. They described the title as:
Meet Ryo Seaba: ladies’ man, troubleshooter and expert marksman. When you need more help than the police can provide, he’s the solution. He’s the City Hunter, and if he can’t solve your problem, no one can. Welcome to the world of City Hunter where freelance troubleshooter Ryo Saeba works to keep the streets of Shinjuku safe. When calling the police just won’t do, leave an “XYZ” message on the board at Shinjuku Station and the City Hunter will respond to your plea for help, especially if you happen to be a beautiful woman!
A Hong Kong live-action film adaptation starring Jackie Chan hit theaters in 1993, and a K-drama adaptation made its way to the airwaves in 2011. A Chinese live-action film adaptation will be released in December 2018 at its earliest, and a French adaptation under the title Nicky Larson is also in the works.
Tsukasa Hojo wrote an alternate-world spinoff of City Hunter, titled Angel Heart. The series ran in Shinchosha’s Weekly Comic Bunch from May 2001 through August 2010, spanning 33 compiled volumes. A sequel manga, titled Angel Heart: 2nd Season ran from October 2010 through May 2017, spanning 16 compiled volumes.
Angel Heart received a 50-episode anime series, which began airing in the Summer 2005 broadcast season. TMS produced the adaptation, while Toshiki Hirano (Devil Lady, Magic Knight Rayearth) took the director’s chair.
Source: Anime Boston (Press Release)
City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes Team to Attend Anime Boston 2019 – Samantha Ferreira
