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The continuation of the now somewhat obscure “cute bounty hunter girls with guns and grenades” manga naturally offers the same type of adventures to it’s prequel, and still delivers much of the same greatness that is Gunsmith Cats. In case you aren’t familiar with the series, I highly suggest you find yourself a place to read the original manga (1990-1997) before continuing onto Burst.

We see bounty hunter Rally Vincent at it again, but with a little more emphasis added to the other characters this time around. Almost every chapter ends on a slight cliff-hanger so there is hardly a dull moment. There’s just enough ... push to make you repeatedly say “Dang...I gotta read another chapter…” until you wind up finishing an entire volume. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the scenes because they were so unbelievably ridiculous, something that Burst definitely carried over from what we had seen previously.

If you told me that Rally and the rest of the girls were going to be even CUTER this time around, I wouldn’t have believed it possible. I am not sure exactly as to what Kenichi Sonoda did, but let’s just say he did a fabulous job at bringing a new glow to our beloved weapon-wielding ladies. Not only that, but overall I found I was actually more satisfied with the overall look and feel of the artwork from Burst in comparison to the prequel. Considering how much I liked the original artwork, I found Burst to be a great pleasure to read through plainly for the improved visuals.

There’s a lot of stuff to learn as far as firearms are concerned as well. Sonoda dedicated a page here and there with interesting facts about guns and ammo-types, so while you are enjoying all the fun you’ll actually be learning a thing or two as well. In addition, uncommon terminology is often explained in the margins in case you may not be familiar.

As mentioned earlier, I very much liked the fact that this publication allowed more time to Rally’s cohorts. Bean Bandit especially seemed to get a little more attention this time around, and some of my favorite and most memorable moments in the read revolved around him. As if his driving and fighting skills weren’t evident enough within the original Gunsmith Cats series and Riding Bean, this edition takes it to a different level. How many men have you seen catch an RPG with their bare hands...WHILE DRIVING!? Let’s just say this guy is a force to be reckoned with, and you are doing yourself a disservice by not reading this if you are a fan of over-the-top action.

Essentially, i’m trying to say that if you enjoyed the first publication, Burst isn’t likely to disappoint! From my perspective, Sonoda took everything that was great from his original manga and improved it. It's exactly the type of sequel I was asking for.
I liked it just as much, if not more this time around and I consider it a must-read for any fans of guns, cars, cute ladies, and the finest action manga has to offer. It acts as a great send-off for the Gunsmith Cats crew, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


P.S. If you are planning to watch the 3 episode OVA first to familiarize yourself with the title, don’t let it be your overall impression. It’s not bad, but it really doesn’t even compare to the Gunsmith Cats Manga in my opinion. Also, if you are having trouble finding a place to read, feel free to send me a PM and i’ll help you to the best of my ability.

Want to see good and bad people alike get swindled by a fat man with a suitcase and a giant index-finger?
Give this a shot!

With the new revamp “sequel” this past year titled “Warau Salesman New”, I was surprised to see not a single review for the original series. Essentially, if you have a pessimistic side to you and enjoy dark comedy, you’ll probably get a decent amount of entertainment out of this one. I’ve only been able to find the first season, so this will only be reviewing the first 25 episodes.

In Warau Salesman, Every 10-minute episode features a brand new character. The ... desires of said character are given to you at the beginning of the episode. Once Moguro appears, he offers a too-good-to-be-true deal for the character. Some characters fall for it right away, others he has to be more persistent with. Rest assured, he closes the deal and you get to see the aftermath of the character’s now-met desires. Depending on how scummy the character it is, the more satisfying Moguro’s wrath becomes. Or in stark contrast, the character doesn’t deserve the treatment at all and you end up feeling pretty sympathetic toward them.

It started airing in 1989, so don’t expect too much from the quality of the animation, artwork and sound. I actually like the old school style, so this was a big plus for me. The thing I liked the most in the artwork were the scenes focusing on the city itself, as it often gives a polluted and sleazy feel to the show. You would also expect the new character’s personalities to bleed into each other and all be the same, but I was impressed that they were able to give new characters a personality of their own for each episode.

Whenever I was having a bad day, I turned an episode of this on and it instantly made me appreciate my life again which is what I liked most about it. Though it has comedic elements, there are some pretty sad and relatable characters within the show. You are bound to relate to at least one of them if you watch long enough. It's an episodic show, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. Warau Salesman does what it does very well, so you are bound to enjoy the rest of it if you enjoy the first episode.

Overall this is a great show if you are having one of those irritable days where you are annoyed by everything and everyone. I got a good amount of enjoyment of it in that respect. Next time you get into one of those cynical and depressing moods, maybe think about giving Warau Salesman a try.