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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Thursday, 01 May 2008 16:00 |
 Creed who? You'd be forgiven for thinking the threat of Mr Diskenth had been forgotten about in this volume (for a while, anyway), as matters of romance, regression and lost pets take precedence. But while Creed may be keeping a low profile, his colleagues aren't...
13 - The Love Cat
There's discord in the ranks of Creed's organisation - some of his members don't see the point in following his instructions, which really isn't the behaviour one expects of an Apostle, and Creed's retribution is swift. That's taken by others that they're just tools for Creed to use, nothing more - and in the case of Kyoko, the prospect of being used as a tool to fight Train really doesn't appeal. Prompted to do what she feels is right by her partner Charden, she opts to leave the Apostles behind and follow the course of true love - but the Apostles don't let their members leave quite so easily. Before they catch her, though, Kyoko gets the chance to show her feelings to Train...
14 - The Kitty Cat
The bullet that Train took to save Kyoko was laced with nanomachines - the effects are unpredictable, and in Train's case they turn him into a little kid. His mind is as it should be, he just doesn't have the body to match - and the rest of the gang are making the most of their opportunity to tease and humiliate their new little brother. Hopefully, Rinslet will have the contacts to find a way to return him to normal, but in the meantime, there are some kids who could use his help in dealing with a corrupt property developer...
15 - The Distant Cat
The Chronos Numbers are challenging Creed and the other Apostles, and they're not faring well. The Apostles' terrorist activities are increasing all the time, and with Creed now making televised appeals for people to join his cause, Chronos is rapidly losing influence. To the organisation's Elders, their problems began when Creed and Train where "allowed" to defect - now, they want an example to be made, and so Number 1, Sephiria, is dispatched to deal with Train...
16 - The Cat and the Lizard
The biggest bounty in history has just been placed on Creed's head - 3 billion, enough money that a veritable horde of people, sweepers and otherwise, are now after him. Not that Creed's worried - he's just hoping that Train has seen the Wanted posters and comes to take a shot at the bounty himself. Train has to find out about it first, though, and Sven's doing as good a job as he can of making sure he never does. Result? Train's busy trying to find a lost pet. But this is no ordinary pet...
It took me to volume four, but I think I've finally figured out what Black Cat is really all about and it's not the pending confrontation between Train and Creed, as spectacular as that should hopefully be once it happens. It's all about Train putting his life as a Chronos Number a bred killer to one side, and learning to live like a normal human, all as a result of the influence that Saya had on him before she was killed. Once you realise that (and in hindsight all the "family" gags that get sent in Sven's direction are a pretty big hint to it), the series makes a lot more sense. It's always been enjoyable it just seemed a bit disjointed or uncertain of what it was doing if you approached it from the idea that the Train v Creed issue was going to be the central theme.
Another big hint that Creed isn't the real story is his almost complete absence from this volume he appears in three short scenes, and that's his total contribution. But while he's on the sidelines, his Apostles are far more in the mix, first with Kyoko and Charden and their realisation that Creed's creed really isn't for them, then with the attempts of other Apostles to deal with Train themselves. I love Kyoko's character she's a complete headcase and brightens up any scene she appears in, but there are also some interesting parallels between her and Train. As Saya was to Train, the voice that made him see reason, so Train has inadvertently been to Kyoko.
Trains also becoming a happier person as the series goes on, and becoming more determined to make sure that, while in his world there are some problems that only a gun can solve, he's not going to use one to kill again. That's where Chronos comes into the picture the organisation that maintains control through fear and death, and that Train no longer believes in. They're shown here as having both good sides and bad, members with morals and members who will kill on a whim an interesting example of shades of grey, but one that almost seem irrelevant to the story other than to back up the occasional point.
This is only a minor problem, though overall, I enjoyed watching this volume, with its good mix of the serious and the fun and a decent range of storylines for the gang to get involved in. Finally getting a handle on what the series is trying to do only makes it more enjoyable.
Despite the occasional failing, Black Cat continues to be an enjoyable & generally light-hearted series. There's not as much straight action in these episodes, with the focus being more on the comic & slice-of-life side of things, but there are enough appearance by the Apostles and problems for Train to solve that there's little chance of boredom setting in. If you've enjoyed the previous volumes, this won't disappoint.
Watch the trailer for this volume
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