The English voice actresses Amanda Winn (Rally Vincent) and Kimberly Yates (May Hopkins) pretty much nail their roles respectively. When I read the manga in English, it’s their voices I hear in my head. Even some of the supporting characters English voices hold up reasonably well. The music, especially the opening song, works extremely well for the series. It provides ample homage to American crime/action shows with the mixture of 70’s style rock and jazz.

So, with that out of the way, the OVA is automatically a must-see, right? Well, it isn’t without its problems. For one, I think there is a decline in quality from the first to the third episode. The animation itself holds up, but not so much the character designs. They do a good job in the first episode replicating Sonoda’s art style, but it changes gradually by the second, and almost completely in the third episode. Rally and May are recognizable throughout, but they just look inconsistent at the end. I don’t get it, it’s like another team animated episode 3.

Although the main cast of voices are done well, other such as the Edward Haint’s voice just sounds amateurish and doesn’t convey that proper level of sleaziness, yet polish, that we have come to expect from our elected officials. By episode three, the remaining characters that show up (Roy especially) is performed rather poorly. Some of it is the script, but most of the issues are most likely the voice actors themselves.

The overall plot is conveyed in a rather brisk speed, with a similar pace to American crime action shows like Magnum P.I. or Miami Vice. But in the attempt to wrap up everything at the end of the third episode means some things don’t get fully fleshed out. State Assemblyman Edward Haints plan to pass more gun control measures while secretly leading an illicit gun running business is fitting as a two-faced politician. But he comes off more as an aloof, but seedy politician than some actual mastermind. And his nefarious plan, isn’t given the gravitas it needed. It just seems illegal gunrunning was a smaller part of a bigger plan. Perhaps he wanted to leverage his position as Mayor to flood Chicago with as many of his illegal businesses he had a hand in. We also don’t get any clarification regarding the motive for the ATF branch director George Black. Was he blackmailed into helping Haint? Was it just for money? If it was the latter, how much was he getting that was worth his job and reputation? Or was it just politics, thinking flooding the streets with weapons would justify the Chicago ATF Field Division? Was he willing to pull another Operation Gunrunner in Chicago? The ATF comes off as being corrupt, which is on par with the manga. Rally constantly works with the Chicago PD and the Courts but must also deal with personal and political corruption that plague various leadership positions.

Both Rally and May make a great duo and the OVA does a good job conveying their comradeship as genuine. Also Becky, who is usually only interested in the bottom line as an information broker, remains a consistent friend. Bill is portrayed rather sleazily, but still has a few redeeming qualities and comes to the rescue a few times. As for a proper adversary, I don't think Natasha quite delivers in that aspect. She is fittingly skilled, but doesn’t carry the same complexity as some of the manga antagonists, whether it be Gray, Bonnie and Clyde, or especially Goldie. Some of the supporting characters like Detective Roy and Officer Kate, suffer a bit poorly in the OVA being introduced late into episode 3. Roy especially, since he is more a friend and father figure for Rally in the manga, often using his police connections to shield her from trouble.

Finally, for all the attention to detail the series, there are also some job and firearm discrepancies that the average audience wouldn’t otherwise notice. For one, commercial Bounty Hunting has been illegal in the state of Illinois since 1963. The entire premise of the show would not be valid. Another error is the types of firearms Rally would be allowed to sell commercially in the city of Chicago. Given their strict gun laws, certain handguns and rifles would not be available for sale in her shop. Chicago restrictions even exceeded the national 1994 Assault Weapons Ban (since lapsed in 2004), which the OVA may or may not be occurring during that time.

Am I being nitpicky with the final points? Perhaps. But I did so because of the missed potential of Gunsmith Cats OVA, especially with the groundwork laid out by the manga. It gets so much of the ingredients right, but lacked a long enough baking time that warrants the chef’s kiss. I do give it props for delivering enough high-octane action all the way through the 90 minutes run time. And it’s still a much better adaptation than what Hollywood would deliver if they ever got the rights to adapt the series today. I like my Girls, Guns, Cars, and Grenades old school, without the side of modern patronization. And Gunsmith Cats, at least mostly, delivers.