News
Shout! Factory Releases 1993 City Hunter Live-Action Film on Blu-ray Disc in April
posted on by Adriana Hazra
Jackie Chan starred in the film which loosely adapts Hojo's original manga. Shout! Factory previously released the film on Blu-ray Disc and DVD bundled with another Jackie Chan film Battle Creek Brawl. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment previously distributed the film on DVD in North America.
Hojo's City Hunter manga ran from 1985 to 1991 and has 35 volumes. Coamix and Imagineer's MangaHot app and website is publishing the City Hunter manga in English, and MangaHot describes the story:
Ryo Saeba, a.k.a. City Hunter. A sweeper who fulfills all his client's needs. He'll do anything from bodyguarding to contract killing, but he'll only take the job if a pretty woman is involved, or the client's sincerity makes his heart tremble. Together with his partner Kaori Makimura, the kid sister of his late best friend, Ryo fights the evil haunting the shadows of the city!!
The manga inspired four television anime series, one earlier anime film, and several video and television specials including a 2015 original anime DVD. ADV Films released most of these anime projects in North America. The original anime premiered in April 1987. The City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes anime film opened in Japan in February 2019, and a new anime film will open in 2023. The manga is also inspiring a Japanese live-action film starring Misato Morita that is slated to stream on Netflix worldwide in 2024.
Discotek Media announced its license of the original City Hunter anime projects and the recent City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes film in April 2019. Crunchyroll is streaming the City Hunter television anime series, specials, and films.
A Korean live-action television series adaptation premiered in 2011, and Hulu streamed this version in the United States. A French live-action film adaptation opened in France on February 2019. A separate Chinese live-action film adaptation has been green-lit in China.
Thanks to GATSU for the news tip.
Sources: Shout! Factory, City on Fire (J.J. Bona), Amazon
