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Black Cat (manga)

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Black Cat

Black Cat Manga.png

Cover of the twentieth English volume of Black Cat, published by Viz Media on May 5, 2009

(Burakku Kyatto)

Genre Action, adventure

Manga

Written by Kentaro Yabuki

Published by Shueisha

English publisher

AUS

Madman Entertainment

NA

Viz Media

Demographic Shnen

Magazine Weekly Shnen Jump

English magazine

NA

Shonen Jump

Original run July 10, 2000 June 14, 2004

Volumes 20 (List of volumes)

Anime television series

Directed by Shin Itagaki

Produced by

Masaya Shinozaki

Naoki Watanabe

Taito Okiura

Takashi Takano

Tetsuo Daitoku
Written by Shuichi Kouyama

Music by Taku Iwasaki

Studio Gonzo

Licensed by

AUS

Madman Entertainment

NA

Funimation Entertainment

UK

MVM Films

Original network TBS

English network

AUS

Cartoon Network

SEA

Animax

US

Funimation Channel

ZA

Animax

Original run October 6, 2005 March 30, 2006

Episodes 24 (List of episodes)

Light novel

Written by Tomohito saki

Published by Shueisha

Demographic Male

Original run March 10, 2003 October 24, 2005

Volumes 3

Wikipe-tan face.svg Anime and Manga portal

Black Cat (Japanese: Hepburn: Burakku Kyatto) is a Japanese manga series


written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shnen Jump
magazine from July 2000 to June 2004, with the chapters collected into twenty tankbon volumes by
Shueisha. The story centers on a man named Train Heartnet who withdrew from an elite group of
assassins called the Chronos Numbers to become a bounty hunter.

The series was adapted into a twenty-four episode anime series by Gonzo studio, which originally
aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) channel from October 2005 to March 2006. The manga
was licensed for English-language publication in North America by Viz Media and by Madman
Entertainment in Australasia. Funimation Entertainment licensed the anime for an English dub and
North American broadcast on their own Funimation Channel, with Madman releasing it in
Australasia and MVM Films in the United Kingdom.

In Japan, the Black Cat manga sold over 12 million copies, while in North America several volumes
have been featured in weekly top ten lists of best-selling manga. The anime has also been popular in
both Japan and North America. Manga and anime critics had praise for Black Cat's action, differing
views on the artwork and characters, and mainly negative comments for its plot which has been
criticized for having common shnen manga elements.

Contents [hide]

1 Plot

2 Production

3 Publication

4 Anime adaptation

5 Related media

6 Reception

7 References

8 External links

Plot[edit]

See also: List of Black Cat characters

Train Heartnet, once an assassin for Chronos, an organization bent on world peace that rules one
third of the world's economy, is now an easygoing Sweeper (licensed bounty hunter) traveling with
his partner Sven Vollfied. They meet and team up with professional thief Rinslet Walker in order to
break into an arms dealer's home and obtain some data, but encounter a human bio-weapon named
Eve that was created using nanotechnology. Sven and Train ultimately decide to free Eve from her
owner and train her to be a Sweeper. Rinslet is kidnapped by Creed Diskenth, a former Chronos
assassin that killed Train's friend Saya Minatsuki for changing Train's outlook on life and which
contributed to him leaving Chronos, to persuade Train to join his group the Apostles of the Stars in
order to overthrow Chronos and start a world revolution. The duel ends as a draw, with both Creed
and Train injured.
The Apostles of the Stars launch their first attack on the World Summit, killing the leaders from 20
top nations, causing Chronos to declare war on them. Chronos even notify Train of a new Sweeper
bounty on Creed in order to gain his help, though he resists, planning to go after him on his own
terms. Chronos assassin Jenos Hazard is sent to hire Rinslet to gather information on the Apostles,
however, this is really in order to use her as bait to lure Creed out of hiding and force Train to get
involved, who was lured to the same area via false Sweeper intel. Jenos and the other two members
of the special unit Cerebus launch an assault on Creed's lair, that results in it being turned to rubble,
while Train simply rescues Rinslet and leaves. Creed then tries to kill Sven, believing he is holding
Train back from joining him, but accidentally shoots Train with a nanomachine-enhanced bullet that
has the unplanned effect of reverting his body to that of a child. In order to return Train to normal,
Train, Sven and Eve visit nanotechnology expert Dr. Tearju, who is also Eve's creator. While there,
the Apostles of the Stars attack to force Tearju to join them in order to grant Creed eternal life
through nanomachines, but are defeated by a returned Train who can now fire a railgun shot thanks
to the nanomachines. However, Eathes was able to copy Tearju, gaining all of her knowledge, and
Train, Sven and Eve finally decide to put a stop to Creed.

They team up with a group called the Sweeper Alliance to storm the Apostles of the Stars' island,
organized by Chronos assassin Lin Shaolee in disguise to act as decoys for Chronos' own attack.
Separated upon arriving, Train, Sven and Eve each get involved in fights with members of the
Apostles, while Chronos, who landed after them, get to Creed first. Sephiria Arks faces off against
Creed, but loses. Sven, Eve and Chronos then fight bio-warrior weapons fused with nanotechnology,
while Train begins his battle with Creed. Creed has obtained immortality, although he reveals to
Train his only weakness; his brain cannot be repaired like the rest of his body. Train defeats Creed
using one last full-powered railgun shot to destroy his Imagine Blade and Eve uses her own
nanomachines to take those that give Creed immortality out of his body. Train and Sephiria allow
Creed to walk away, and the survivors of the Apostles of the Stars are shown on the run or hiding.

Production[edit]

Main article: List of Black Cat chapters

Six months before Black Cat began, Kentaro Yabuki's one-shot version titled Stray Cat was published.
While it already included Sweepers and Tao, Train and Sven were Delivery Men instead.[1] With
Black Cat he wanted to expand on ideas he used in his previous serial Yamato Gensoki; an assassin
betraying an organization, and the use of chi or life energy.[2] His weekly schedule was four days to
write the chapter and two to draw it, taking one day off.[3] When the manga ended serialization,
Yabuki expressed desire to make a sequel labeling this series as "Part 1". As he was not sure if there
could be a sequel, he still remarked that the characters of Train Heartnet and Eve may appear in
other titles he will create in the future.[4]

Publication[edit]

Written and illustrated by Yabuki, Black Cat was originally serialized in Japan by Shueisha in Weekly
Shnen Jump from July 10, 2000 to June 14, 2004.[5][6] One hundred and eighty-five chapters were
collected into twenty tankbon volumes by Shueisha. The first volume on January 6, 2001, with the
final volume released on October 4, 2004.[7][8] The series was re-released in twelve bunkobon
format volumes, published from September 16, 2005 to February 17, 2006.[9][10] Black Cat has also
been published as part of the Shueisha Jump Remix series of magazine-style books. Nine volumes
were released between March 24, and July 19, 2008.[11][12]

It was licensed in English in North America by Viz Media as they first announced at the 2005 San
Diego Comic-Con International.[13] The first volume released on March 7, 2006 with the final
volume released on May 5, 2009.[14][15] Madman Entertainment published Viz's English release in
Australia and New Zealand,[16] from September 10, 2008 to June 10, 2009.[17][18] The series was
published in Chinese by Tong Li Publishing,[19] in Dutch by Glnat Benelux,[20] in French by
Glnat,[21] in German by Carlsen Comics,[22] and in Italian by Star Comics.[23]

Anime adaptation[edit]

Main article: List of Black Cat episodes

Gonzo studio adapted Black Cat into a twenty-four episode anime series, directed by Shin
Itagaki.[24] It was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) from October 6, 2005 to March 30,
2006.[25] Episode fifteen was not broadcast by TBS, but only included in the DVD release in
Japan.[26] On its airing on Animax all episodes were broadcast.[27] The series was released across
twelve Region 2 DVD volumes from December 21, 2005 to November 22, 2006 by GDH. Each volume
was also published by Animate and Movic in Premium Edition which included various extras.[26] The
DVD volumes were gathered in a limited release DVD box set by Gonzo on April 23, 2008.[24][26]

The anime was licensed for an English-language dubbed release by Funimation Entertainment in
June 2006.[28] The episodes were later broadcast on the Funimation Channel.[29] The series was
then released across six Region 1 DVD volumes released between December 19, 2006 and July 24,
2007.[30][31] The DVDs were gathered in a box set and released on March 18, 2008.[32] On May 29,
2012, Funimation re-released the box set in a "Super Amazing Value Edition" (S.A.V.E.) edition.[33]
Madman Entertainment distributed a box set of the series in the PAL region on September 17,
2008,[34] while MVM Films released it on November 15, 2010 in the United Kingdom.[35]

The cover of Black Cat Original Soundtrack Nikukyu

An anime soundtrack entitled Black Cat Original Soundtrack Nikukyu was released on March 15,
2006 by EMI Music Japan.[36] It contains the anime's background music that was composed by Taku
Iwasaki, and the three pieces of theme music used for the series: the opening theme "Daia no Hana"
(, lit. "Diamond Flower") by Yoriko, the first ending theme "Namida Boshi" (,
lit. "Tears of Stars") by Puppypet, and the second ending theme "Kutsuzure" (, lit.
"Blisters") by Ryji Matsuda.[36][37][38]

Related media[edit]
Tomohito saki wrote three light novels based on the series. Simply titled Black Cat and Black Cat 2,
the first two were released on March 10, and August 25, 2003.[39][40] Titled Black Cat: Hoshi no
Zanshou (BLACK CAT , lit. "The Star's Afterglow"), the last one, was released in Japan on
October 24, 2005.[41]

In 2005, there were three drama CDs, simply titled Black Cat 1-3, released by Shueisha on February
28, July 1, and October 4, respectively.[42][43][44] An internet radio program was broadcast from
March 30, to September 28, 2006, by the Onsen and hosted by Takashi Kond and Misato Fukuen,
the voice of Train and Eve respectively.[45][46] Later, Frontier Works collected in into three CDs and
released on October 21, November 18, and December 16, 2006.[47]

There have been two video games based on the series released in Japan. Black Cat: Kikai Shikake no
Tenshi (BLACK CAT , lit. "The Mechanical Angel") was released for the
PlayStation 2 on March 30, 2006 by Capcom.[48] Black Cat: Kuroneko no Concerto (BLACK CAT
, lit. "The Black Cat's Concerto") was released for the Nintendo DS on June 21, 2007 by
Compile Heart.[49] Characters of the Black Cat series have also made appearances in the games
Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars.[50][51] In Japan, various other types of merchandise
were released, including action figures, plush dolls, key chains, clothing, cosplay pieces, and a trading
card game by Movic.[52]

Reception[edit]

Black Cat's twenty volumes have sold over 12 million units in Japan.[53] Volumes from Viz's English
publication of the series have also been featuring in best-selling manga rankings such as The New
York Times[54][55] as well as Nielsen BookScan.[56] During 2006, Black Cat was North America's 9th
best manga property according to ICv2.[57] In ICv2's Top 50 Manga, Black Cat was listed as the 15th
manga property from North America during the first half of 2008.[58] In ICv2's Top 25 Manga
Properties Q1 2009, it was the 22nd best manga property from North America during 2009's first
quarter.[59]

The Black Cat anime premiered in Japan with a 3.4 percent television viewership rating.[53] In 2005,
Japanese television network TV Asahi conducted a "Top 100" online web poll, and Black Cat placed
93rd.[60] In the subsequent year, it ranked 17th in a "Top 20" poll conducted by Japanese anime
magazine Animage.[61] Navarre Corporation cited the DVD releases of Black Cat as one the reasons
for Funimation's profit increase during the last quarter of 2006.[62] The anime was listed as North
America's 22nd anime property in summer 2008.[63]

The manga has been praised for its fast-paced action, which "epitomizes the action genre",
according to Anime News Network's Carlo Santos.[64] Alexander Hoffman from Comics Village
praised Yabuki for starting the story off with action rather than having a large amount of "info-
dumps" for extensive character introductions.[65] Writing for Manga Life, Michael Aronson
commended it for having a restrained pace, layout and action scenes, calling it "more western" than
Japanese because of it.[66] Holly Ellingwood of Active Anime commented that Black Cat "knows how
to pack the action and the excitement to good effect, visuals and nail-biting suspense."[67] Sheena
McNeil stressed that despite its flaws the series' action "makes it all worth reading."[68] Ken Haley
of Pop Culture Shock said that "writing and characterization-wise" it is a typical shnen manga.[69]
Santos, Hoffman and McNeil criticized its plot for being "predictable", clichd, and "not terribly
original" respectively.[64][65][68] Leroy Douresseaux of Comic Book Bin called it "an easy going
version of Bleach",[70] while Hoffman found it reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop,[65] and McNeil
compared it to Dragon Ball Z.[68]

Santos called its art "plain",[64] while McNeil commented that it "is very nice" but "there's nothing
wow-ing about it,"[68] and likewise Haley considered the art sufficient enough to get "the job done",
but that none of the characters are "cool or eye-catching".[69] Conversely, Hoffman labeled the art
"expressive",[65] and Douresseaux deemed the character designs "imaginative."[71] While Aronson
and Hoffman dubbed the characters "likeable" and "memorable,"[65][66] Douresseaux asserted
Yabuki "create[d] a joyful jumble of motivations and backstabbing" for them.[70] On the other hand,
Santos affirmed they "just don't feel real" as their motivations "aren't emotionally moving in any
way; they're just plot points that give the characters motivation."[72]

The contrast between "Train's seriousness and Sven's comedy" was appreciated by Sandra Scholes
of Active Anime.[73] Margaret Viera of the same site hailed its comedy usage as "well done and
perfectly placed within the storyline."[74] Its mixture of genres was appreciated by Scholes, as well
as by IGN's Jeff Harris who said "it never appears too overdone."[75] Ross Liversidge of UK Anime
Network, however, commented that this makes it "a little hard to discern what the series is aiming
for."[76] While Stig Hgset, writing for THEM Anime Reviews, said the supernatural powers are "kept
at a fairly realistic level",[77] Liversidge felt the anime's ending was "just slightly too fantastical to be
taken seriously."[76] Hgset and Harris praised the show's imagery,[75][77] with the latter claiming
that it has a "story that in many ways improves on the original manga and fixes some of its
problems."[75]

References[edit]

Jump up ^ Yabuki, Kentaro (2007) [2002]. Black Cat. 8. Viz Media. pp. 168215. ISBN 978-1-4215-
1037-8.

Jump up ^ Yabuki, Kentaro (2006) [2001]. Black Cat. 3. Viz Media. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4215-0607-4.

Jump up ^ Yabuki, Kentaro (2007) [2002]. Black Cat. 9. Viz Media. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4215-1038-5.

Jump up ^ Yabuki, Kentaro (2009) [2004]. Black Cat. 20. Viz Media. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-4215-2379-8.

Jump up ^ Yabuki, Kentaro (July 10, 2000). [The Man Called Black Cat]. Weekly
Shnen Jump. Black Cat (in Japanese). Shueisha (32).

Jump up ^ Yabuki, Kentaro (June 14, 2004). [A Carefree Tomorrow]. Weekly


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Jump up ^ (20) (in Chinese). Tong Li Publishing. Archived from the original on August 3,
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^ Jump up to: a b "Black Cat" (in Japanese). Gonzo. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014.
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"LOVE". Black Cat. Episode 13 (in Japanese). January 19, 2006. Tokyo Broadcasting System.

"". Black Cat. Episode 23 (in Japanese). March 30, 2006. Tokyo Broadcasting System.

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