GunSmith Cats Burst

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.