an image of a woman holding a wooden sign with the word 1 00 on it
FRANCOIS EPIN ART & DESIGN CONSULTING

190 - Nicky Larson – City Hunter (シティーハンター) Laura Marconi – Kaori …
See original version (French)

Estimate €200 - €300
Sale commission
Description
Nicky Larson – City Hunter (シティーハンター) Laura Marconi – Kaori Makimura Hand-painted cell sheet used in the production of the City Hunter anime, based on the work of Tsukasa Hōjō (北条 司). Executed in ink and gouache. Produced by Sunrise Studios from 1987 to 1991 H23 L27.5 cm Kaori’s mace is the series’ most famous weapon — not for its actual combat function but for its purely comic purpose. An object of physically impossible weight, systematically drawn in response to Ryô’s lecherous behaviour, it serves as a constant visual counterbalance to the main character’s dangerous nature: Ryô can neutralise any armed opponent, but he is powerless against his partner’s mace. The inscription ‘100’ is part of the series’ codified absurdity — a number whose unit is never specified but whose meaning is immediately clear to any viewer of City Hunter: unapologetic excess, deserved punishment, uncompromising physical humour. The rolled-up blouse signifies total physical commitment to the gesture — Kaori isn’t making a half-hearted threat; she’s mobilising her entire body. The frontal pose, with the club held with both arms in profile within a frontal frame, is the classic composition of a warning before a strike — Kaori faces Ryô, who is off-screen, in a moment suspended between threat and execution. This still, together with lot 189 (Ryô concentrating at the wheel of a battered car), forms a diptych depicting the two fundamental registers of *City Hunter*: the tension of pure action on the one hand, and the codified physical humour on the other. One depicts the sharpshooter beneath the mask of the seducer; the other depicts the partner who punishes that mask when it goes too far. Together, they encapsulate the dynamic of the entire series in two stills.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
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
You may also like