Bounty Dog is one of the myriad sci-fi OVAs released in the 90s, and in many ways, it reflects the fact that it is just part of a crowd at the end of the day. While it does harbor some fun and creative ideas, and manages to be generally entertaining in a passive kind of way throughout, it doesn't capitalize on its unique aspects enough to really stand out. Beginning with the story, it is easily this anime's strongest aspect. The core concept of a fully settled, metropolitan version of the moon, harboring a dark alien secret within, somehow connectedwith a bounty hunter and his painful past, is actually a really good one, and has the potential to go quite far narratively. The execution itself doesn't really live up to the quality of its ideas, however, feeling distinctly rushed and somewhat disjointed. It definitely would have benefited from having some more time to marinate- I could have seen this being a cerebral slow-burn cyberpunk kind of show, like Ghost in the Shell or something like that. Still, it is a fun time in any case, inasmuch as you personally enjoy 90s OVAs.

The art is interesting, with a strong art direction that captures a gritty, cyberpunk version of Japanese futurism, and features some impressively animated fight scenes, though it sort of does a number on itself by applying this weird yellow piss filter over episode 1. Episode 2's art is far superior, in my opinion.

The sound is solid, meeting all basic standards of quality, though it must be said that the soundtrack is a good fit, with a citypop-style OP that serves as a very strong hook for the show as a whole.

The characters are generally pretty good, again meeting the basic standard of quality that I'd expect from this kind of work. They feel like they have agency in the story, too, and aren't just being moved along by necessity, which bolsters the general interest they bring to the table. Of them, our protagonist Yoshiyuki and his mercenary coworker Shoko are my favorites. Yoshiyuki is your archetypal blade runner-esque badass which is always fun to watch, and Shoko is a wisecracking mercenary girl who brings some much needed levity to the melodrama that can often come off as a little overbearing. Overall, Bounty Dog is a fun, if generally unremarkable, anime. It was worth my time, but at the end of the day it definitely lacks a more definite appeal.