Bounty Hunter: The Hard

Simply put, Bounty Hunter is an OVA heavily inspired by classic American action. Cobra (1986) is probably the closest work to it and in terms of other animated works, Kenichi Sonoda's Riding Bean and Gunsmith Cats are good matches. It is very much a product of its time and does contain some dialogue/depictions that would not fly today but it adds to the gritty atmosphere of the main location featured, that is, New York City's South Bronx. Considering how short the film is, I don't really want to dive too deeply into it, however, what I do want to say is if you miss thedays gone by of good ol' fashioned action and all its over-the-top chase scenes, firefights, and questionable continuity, then you have come to the right place! Bounty Hunter does little to stand out but it is quite solid in terms of animation, character designs, background art, music, action, and it tells a decent story. The film, however, nails what it's trying to go for in terms of atmosphere and it's not afraid to point directly at the anguish plaguing the urban settings Hard (the film's bounty hunter and main character) finds himself scrounging for details in. South Bronx feels like a character in and of itself, making the film a somewhat immersive experience especially if you've ever had the pleasure of walking through NYC, having to tip-toe around broken glass and getting a whiff of the city's "unique odors". It's all here and hopefully this overview inspires you to give it a shot.

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