Nov 16, 2022
My first review on MAL! Yeh!
I finished this manga earlier today, via Shonen Jump+.
Black Cat is a basic shonen story. Train and Sven are a duo of "sweepers" which is basically their world's version of bounty hunters, so they spend their days hunting down criminals and making a living that way. If you've seen Cowboy Bebop, it kinda gives off those vibes, except Train and Sven don't travel through space. But Train did defect from an organization called Chronos after having a change of heart and deciding not to kill anymore.
Speaking of which, said organization consistently seeks Train out to re-recruit him throughout the
...
story, which he resists, meanwhile he runs into an old adversary, Creed Diskenth, who founded an organization called The Apostles of The Stars, with a sinister plan in motion. That's basically the main premise of the plot.
I'l try not to be scatter brained throughout this review so I'll start with the story. With the aforementioned things into consideration, the story is pretty good, albeit basic. As him and Sven search for their next bounty, they get tangled up in wild situations, often running into bad company. But as the narrative unravels, things that show up in each arc end up connecting, which all leads up to the final arc which plays out the way the typical battle shonen arc does. Early on, Train and Sven recruit another character with a very unique power, and throughout the story they learn to use this power in different ways, becoming stronger overtime. Train and Sven also pick up new tricks along the way, per the shonen formula. At various points they run into and work with a woman named Rinslet Walker, who is basically Faye Valentine from CB, often using the gang to suit her ends. I honestly wish she had more screen time, as I felt there was more potential for her, especially towards the end. In general, most of the narrative is basic and predictable, especially the final arc. The final battle was neat, but it didn't stray from the shonen formula at all. The ending also left much to be desired.
The art style was pretty good, as was the character designs. One thing you can count on in anime and manga is awesome character designs and Black Cat delivered for the most part. For being a manga from the 2000's, I think the character designs still hold up.
The characters themselves were pretty decent as well. As stated at the beginning, much of Train's arc revolves around having left Chronos and living his own life on his own terms, including making the choice to not take life anymore. Thus he comes up with creative ways to combat his foes without killing them. You learn why he left Chronos and chooses this lifestyle as the story progresses. Sven also has a past, not quite as deep as Train's but still enough to give him some depth. Aside from that, most characters are pretty simple.
Overall, I enjoyed this manga. While I'm not planning to reread this anytime soon, I still think it's worth your time. I do believe that you'll have a harder time with it if you're well versed in shonen, as opposed to the person who is brand new to anime and manga. I think everyone who likes shonen and just wants a good time will find something in Black Cat that they will enjoy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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