Note: This review is based off of all 24 episodes of Black Cat. I also have read the manga, so while I tried to view this show as its own separate thing, it is possible that my opinion of this show has been influenced by the manga.

I stumbled across this show due to the partnership between Funimation and Crunchyroll. A group of shows were brought over from Funimation, and I was looking at what exactly was added. I read the description to Black Cat and with no particular reason, I decided to give the show a shot. While there are some flaws, Black Cat was an enjoyable watch that I have no regret taking a chance on.

Black Cat nails many of the criteria needed for a good show. First, the characters are timeless. To put it simply, the main characters, some of the villains and even some of the side characters of Black Cat are some of the most original characters I have ever come across. They act in unique and believable ways, while not following the stereotypical anime attitudes. Second, the music is fantastic. Each song feels detailed and they fits the mood perfectly. While the ED's were mediocre, they did the job. The OP on the other hand is amazing. It gets you set up perfectly for the show, adding a sense of mystery, adventure, and action all at the same time. Third, the writing for the story is outstanding (with an exception I will get to later). The plot is detailed and enjoyable, while the pacing feels perfect. The story is incredibly well written. Surprisingly, much of Black Cat is anime original. The plot was altered to a significant degree. Regardless, the plot is still incredible. Finally, the art work is breathtaking. Once you can look past the dated graphics, you can see gorgeous shots, with superb color choice and excellent scenery.

Sadly, there are two major flaws that hold Black Cat back. First, the animation is lousy. While the character animations still feel natural, the animation in general feels choppy Throughout the entire show, the choppy animation never disappears. Before you give me the "it is an old show" excuse, allow me to explain. To make this fair, I scaled back my opinion of the animation and compared it to other shows of the time. Regardless, when compared to shows before it, such as Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist, the animation still seems poor. Second, the ending is just not that good. This is the exception mentioned above. To be as spoiler free as possible, no specific details will be shared about the ending, but the ending feels rushed and the final four episodes come out of nowhere.

Overall, Black Cat is a classic. It was enjoyable, and completely worth watching. While it is regrettable that those flaws existed, they should not stop anyone from watching the show. I recommend this show to anyone who is interested. I am glad that I took a chance on this show.

Overall Rating: 8/10

PS: Check out the manga. It is a great read and it is different enough from the anime that they will feel like separate things.

A lot of you are probs gonna watch this and think "this artwork is 'blank' ", that's because it's an old show since years and years ago it was on Funimation, and this is one of the shows Crunchyroll is adding to the catalog from their partnership w/ them. I absolutely loved this show when Verizon FiOS didn't suddenly not have the Funimation channel anymore (- _- ). And it's a relatively good story/plot expecially for the time it was actually out

The worst part is they could have done this right. Black Cat suffers from a large disconnect with the original work as well as having pacing issues and plot holes that come from that. With the 24 episode limit they should have used there time more wisely.

The reason I have given this one star is not because the show is necessarily bad but that it should have been better especially with the last four episodes.

The anime rendition of Black Cat takes liberty's with the story and has a completely different ending. It also adds to much while taking away from overall theme and plot. Most of the nano-machine plot lines are filler and just create holes in the story. If they had forgone all of the filler especially the last four episodes they might have pulled this off and had the time to fix the pacing.

I can understand the time idea they used to save from flash backs but with the last four episodes this makes little sense. They should have known how much time they had to work with when they started. So there are two possibility's I can see for this. First sponsors were concerned about it selling and added changes because they can't get it through there heads that good work will sell it self. Second the animators (as in the company not the job) really wanted to do a story focused on Eve.

The time change also had an impact on changing Train as a character and his relationships in the show. Creed ends up being a less complex villain and more crazy stalker guy. While Train becomes more of a rebellious teenager than the easy going person he is in the manga. I've seen other anime do this kind of thing right and it makes this one all the more disappointing.

Than there's Eve. This show is horrid in its portrayal of Eve and her transformation from a weapon to a person. I will admit there is a transformation thought a far less impact-full one. In this that transformation witch was so natural and subtle in the manga seams forced and kind of awkward. As a side note To Love Ru has a good rendition if you want more.

Don't get me started on the last four episodes.

PS. SORRY ABOUT ANY SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

i don't believe this has spoilers but feel free to pass by if you think it might


the animation is poor due to the lack of attention. I came across this in manga version and while vons still carried shonen jump. Is it the animation dated? yes, however the story it was inspired by is timeless, and even got me into serious anime watching. Its not stereotypical and the characters are all unique in their behavior. Is it as good as the manga, no. Though you can say that this series suffered from studios pushing an anime before the story properly finishes syndrome, that shouldn't and honestly doesn't take away from the show. if you are a fan of kentaro yabuki then please watch this and make some sort of plea to him that he stop to-love-ru and make an eve continuation featuring train and sven as mentors or something.