a drawing of a red car with a man and a woman in it
FRANCOIS EPIN ART & DESIGN CONSULTING

189 - City Hunter (シティーハンター) Ryô Saeba in his red car Hand-painted…
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Estimate €250 - €450
Sale commission
Description
City Hunter (シティーハンター) Ryô Saeba in his red car Hand-painted celluloid sheet used in the production of the anime City Hunter, based on the work of Tsukasa Hōjō (北条 司). Executed in ink and gouache. Associated animation cell glued to the sheet. Produced by Sunrise 1987–1991, Japan H23.2 L27.7 cm A tight bend, cracked headlights, badly dented bumpers — and at the wheel, Ryô is focused and determined, with no trace of his usual nonchalance. It is precisely this expression that gives the piece its narrative value. Ryô Saeba is a character whose permanent mask is light-heartedness — he jokes, he flirts, he displays a calculated nonchalance even in the most dangerous situations. To see him focused and determined, his features taut, his gaze fixed on the road, is to see the mask slip. The battered car suggests that something important has already happened. Ryô’s expression suggests that something even more important is about to happen. In *City Hunter*, these rare moments of Ryô’s absolute concentration — without humour, without posturing, without detachment — invariably signal the scenes where someone he is determined to protect is in real danger. The sharpshooter hiding behind the seducer re-emerges precisely in these moments: when laughter is no longer an option, when speed and precision are the only answers. The composition of the shot conveys all of this simultaneously: the battered car body in the background tells the story of the sequence — the hits it has already taken, the obstacles it has already overcome — whilst Ryô’s face in the foreground reveals his response to that story. No panic, no hesitation: pure concentration, absolute determination, a tight turn at full speed. The accompanying still frame captures the preparatory stage of this dual interpretation — the artist simultaneously crafting the facial expression and the deformation of the car body, both elements needing to be legible and coherent within the same frame.
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About the sale Knights, Armour and Samurai + Animation Art Selection
Auction location
Auction time 06/28/2026 at 3:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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