Black Cat, a manga I read in my novice otaku days and have reread many times since....

STORY: 8

Okay, while the beginning starts off seemingly random without an explanation of any kind, I think that, given the fast-paced and upbeat nature of the manga, it was the perfect way to start it off. It's early on, and you kind of just want to jump in to the character's life right away, no drawling backstory. Train's past is revealed in small parts which is good for not giving things away too early. He starts as an easygoing, likeable character, but when it starts unveiling some of Train's actions in the past, you start to wonder how much of the Chronos Black Cat is left in him still. While the basic idea is overused, it isn't that much of a big deal when you think about the stuff it's paired with; science and tao in one story? HUH?! I haven't seen that before. Couple that with a crazy former-partner, a shape shifting little girl and a gigantic re-animated dinosaur and you're in for a fun ride. I realize, as many people have pointed out, that the characters especially bear a remarkable resemblance to those of Cowboy Beebop, but hey, it was a good manga, who can blame the author? I could do WITHOUT the slutty thief, but more on that later.

ART: 8

Okay, point one, THE COVERS! Wow, super eye-catching, and the color scheme is a crazy Looney-Toons type thing with colors that stand out and sometimes clash against each other with a retro-ghetto sort of feel I personally love. In terms of the manga art, I have to say it's a LITTLE static and the fight scenes are kind of bland at times, but even though the characters have the same generic face shape, the drastic difference in clothing, posture and expression makes every single character unique in appearance. One last thing, Sven's hat. Does it remind anyone else of Reborn?

CHARACTERS: 6

Like I said before, a lot of the characters resemble those of Cowboy Beebop. Not a huge deal if it weren't for the fact it was the two main characters. Train, obviously based off of Spike. Easygoing bounter-hunter man who's always the good guy, beating the shit outta the nasty villains and of course, awesome at gunplay. Rinslet, slutty thief who I wish so desperately didn't exist. Would Train have fallen off a roof if she didn't exist? NOPE. Although, she does play a role in the rescuing of Eve, so cudos to her for that.

ENJOYMENT: 8

Despite obvious flaws, Black Cat had it's role-on-the-floor humour and its cry-till-you-have-no-more-tears sadness, but it makes for an enjoyable light read, and memorable for it's crazy villains and tao power twist!

OVERALL: 7

Black Cat had a lot of potential for improvement (and don't ever watch the anime after reading the book. You'll think it's some BAAAAD shit), and I really wish the author could have gone the extra little mile to make it a stunning manga, but still worth your time by all means!