2024 is truly the year of the king of the monsters! With the release of Godzilla Minus One and its Oscar win, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, it is safe to say that the franchise’s 70th anniversary shows a bright future for the beloved cinema icon. Recently, this popularity has come so far as to bleed into media outside of the Godzilla series, as is the case with Netflix’s newest live-action project: Yuichi Satoh’s action-packed crime-comedy City Hunter.
City Hunter is a 1985 manga series by Tsukasa Hojo that ran for 35 volumes until 1991, following the adventures of the lecherous, but suave city sweeper Ryo Saeba, who protects the streets of Shinjuku from low-life thugs, crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations. The manga was later adapted into anime in 1987 by the legendary Sunrise Studios behind Mobile Suit Gundam and Cowboy Bebop, and has received a handful of live action adaptations, both official and otherwise. Those who grew up in the 90’s may recall the 1993 Wong Jing film starring Jackie Chan (where he cosplays as Chun-Li), and in recent memory, Philippe Lacheau directed and starred in a successful French adaptation titled Nicky Larson in 2019.
Netflix’s newly-released 2024 film is directed by the aforementioned Yuichi Satoh, and stars Ryohei Suzuki (Hentai Kamen, Gatchaman) as the lead role, who investigates the murder of his partner, Hideyuki Makimura (played by Masanobu Ando of Battle Royale and Nightmare Detective), joined by his younger sister Kaori (played by Misato Morita of The Naked Director) as they venture through the dangerous criminal underworld that lurks within Shinjuku. Now, you may be wondering: “where does Godzilla fit into all of this?”
Because the story of City Hunter is primarily set in Shinjuku, this means that the location’s Hotel Gracery gets to appear every once in a while! That’s right, the same Hotel Gracery (that has been dubbed “the Godzilla Hotel”) is present throughout this feature, as it has become an iconic landmark within the district, making the world of City Hunter more tangible– especially for us kaiju enthusiasts.
Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time the hotel has been featured in City Hunter. Ever since the Hotel Gracery’s Godzilla attraction has been unveiled in 2015, this has allowed the monster king to make brief cameos whenever the famous manga and anime would be reinterpreted for modern sensibilities, such as when it appeared in the opening of 2019’s City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes as part of a gag that gives the illusion that Godzilla is breathing his trademark atomic breath.
However, the connections to kaiju eiga and tokusatsu do not stop there in the case of Netflix’s City Hunter. Aside from the fact that Netflix is home to Godzilla: Singular Point and Polygon Studios’ Godzilla Trilogy, the film was also a collaborative effort with Toho Studios, who handled post-production. Other faces tokusatsu fans worth their salt may recognize include:
-Asuka Hanamura (Kamen Rider Zi-O)
-Ayame Misaki (Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, Attack on Titan)
-Ami 201 (Kamen Rider Fourze)
-Tetta Sugimoto (Japan Sinks: People of Hope)
-Takaya Sakoda(GARO, Kamen Rider Kabuto, Juken Sentai Gekiranger)
-Mafia Kajita (Shin Godzilla)
It is worth noting that Mafia Kajita teases that he is hidden somewhere in the film as the character Umibozu.
Additionally, those with a keen eye will notice that some of the action choreography was done thanks to Stunt Team Gocoo– the same stunt team behind Attack on Titan and Shin Ultraman!
But, this is by no means to suggest that 2024’s City Hunter is carried by its connections to numerous facets of Japanese media. The movie is filled to the brim with highlights that range from emotionally engaging to absolutely hilarious, and it’s just downright exciting overall. Not only is it a passionate love-letter to the manga it adapts, but it truly succeeds at being a thrilling action piece with plenty of laughs to be had, and has garnered high praise from critics, audiences, fans, and creator Tsukasa Hojo alike.
City Hunter is now streaming on Netflix!
