Dominion Tank Police

The toughest police squad is here.

Dominion (ドミニオン Dominion) is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. Set in the fictional city of Newport, Japan, in a future in which bacteria as well as air pollution have become so severe that people must wear gas masks when outdoors, the series follows a police squadron that uses military-style tanks.

Dominion has been adapted into three original video animation series: the first was released in 1988, the second, New Dominion Tank Police in 1993 and the third, Tank Police Team TANK S.W.A.T. 01  in 2006. The 1988 OVA is four volumes long and animated by Agent 21, The 1993 OVA is six volumes long and animated by J.C.Staff while TANK S.W.A.T. is one volume long and animated by DOGA Productions. Nevertheless, our interest is only within the first OVA from 1988 so today's entry is about Dominion Tank Police only.

Ever played Metal Slug?

Cyber punk future.

In the not-so-distant future, Newport City is the pinnacle of modernity: The air is perpetually polluted by an ever-present bacterial cloud, the citizens are forced to wear gas masks in the street, and crime is so out of control that the police formed a special division to deal with it: the Tank Police. These are the best, the brightest, the most sadistic, of the city's police force. Okay, so they're feared by the general populace, they usually cause more destruction than they prevent, and they care more about their tanks than catching criminals, but they do perform a mean interrogation (pun intended). These guys are NYPD Blue, the LAPD, and Rambo all rolled into one.

Our story follows the newest member of the tank police, Leona Ozaki, and her adventures in getting used to the Tank Police's rather unorthodox crime control methods, falling in love (with her mini-tank Bonaparte), and battling the notorious criminal Buaku and his beautiful-as-they-are-deadly henchwomen, the cat sisters Annapuna and Unipuma.

Strange weaponry.

Hands up!

Dominion is an anime classic with a little bit of everything: lovable characters, fun action in abundance, silly humor with an ornery edge in all the right places, and (true to Shirow form) a really convoluted plot laced with philosophy. 

Of the half-dozen or so animated incarnations of Masamune Shirow's work in existence as of this writing, Dominion is probably the most true to the manga original (one of his earliest). Not to say that Dominion is the best of the lot, but it captures his comedy-sprinkled drama and the feel of the manga version (which it is effectively a prequel to) very well. Most of the other animated adaptations diverge widely, at least in mood, from the manga they're based on, regardless of critical acclaim and huge budgets. 

It's also worth noting that Dominion is the most humorous of Shirow's comics, and definitely the funniest of those that have been animated, although the heavy philosophy that marks his other works does creep in. 

There are two story arcs in this series, of somewhat differing mood. The first, though it has a few introspective moments, is basically high comedy: There are tank chases, cheerfully sadistic (if a bit unsettling, particularly in light of more recent events) interrogation scenes, and a generally high-spirited mood. The second story arc is no slouch on fun or humor, either, but it delves more deeply than you'd expect into the backstory of a seemingly superficial bad guy. This unexpected philosophical twist will no doubt put off some people who came looking for empty comedy, but it does match Shirow's knack for blending comedy and complex storylines together. About the only thing that bothered me was the very ambiguous ending (heck, the whole story is pretty obtuse), but even that somehow seems to fit, and of course you can read the manga to see what happens next. 

Free the nipple!

Effective weaponry.

As with any good anime tale, the thing that really makes Dominion a keeper is the characters. Although it's a comedy series, the cast has plenty of personality, and in a couple of cases, more depth than you'd think (how many comedies spend a significant portion of their running time looking at the traumatic past of the villain?). That unusual focus on the villains as more than just antagonists--they're more central than any of the secondary Tank Police members--is a distinguishing point carried over from the manga. 

Other characters, of course, are just silly caricatures, but you've gotta love them anyway--who can resist the tank-loving Captain Brenten or lovable anime-everyguy Al. Al, in fact, deserves an honorable mention in the "poor guy fighting for the heart of the girl who doesn't seem to notice him" category; this guy isn't up against the girl's dream hunk, her family, or even her job--he's got a miniature patrol tank to compete with. Unsuccessfully at that--the ongoing refusal to let human romance ruin the tank-love is a high point. 

The protagonist, Leona, is a scene-stealer--cute and seemingly innocent at the start, yet cheerfully and willingly committed to the Tank Police and its psychotic way of getting things done. She's got enough humanity and personality to keep her above caricature status, which of course makes it all the more fun watching her tank-devotion drive her to out-psycho the rest of the psycho squad. 

This is not what you think.

and neither this is.

Artistically, Dominion is an older series, but despite showing some of its age still holds up very well. Its biggest strength is, again, the characters--memorable character designs, expressive faces, some hilarious physical comedy, and all-around good character animation. The only flaw is a few bits of inconsistent character art (almost entirely on the Cat Sisters). 

Also noteworthy is the world itself, both for its originality and faithfulness to Shirow's original story. Rather than generic futuristic skyscrapers, Newport City is covered with oddly organic-looking structures, and even the tanks (most are made of bio-plastic) have a rather alien look to them. Despite this, the world still seems like a place where real people live, and the city streets always have an abundance of pedestrian traffic and extraneous action (car accidents, people getting run over by tanks...). 

The animation, though shy of perfect and perhaps a bit heavy on slapstick and cartoony flavor, is quite good by any standard, even more so when you consider its age. The fast-paced chase scenes stand out as the best of the action, though several musical interludes catch the eye as well--the funked-up intro animation, a striptease by the cat sisters, and a couple of Scooby Doo-style tank chases set to music. 

Speaking of which, the musical score features a funky (and very amusing) mix of light '80s J-rock, playful little interjections, and old-fashioned Japanese themes. 

Another shaved beaver.

Who took my nipples! I want 'em back!

USM's old-school English dub doesn't fare so well; all of the music was re-recorded for the dub (with entirely different tunes), and the quality is noticeably lower--weaker and more repetitive than the original. On the same note, the acting in the dub isn't particularly good, either, although the humor does survive the translation process relatively well. 

The Japanese acting, on the other hand, is hilarious--some great offhanded humor, lots of distinctive voices, and a few standout performances. Hiromi Tsuru is perfect as Leona--cute and lively, with just the right amount of psychotic edge. Yuusaku Yara is spot-on as Brenten, as are Michie Tomizawa and Yuko Mita as the cat sisters (points for not using the same voice actress even though they're twins), and many of the minor Tank Police members are almost as much fun. The only weak point is Buaku; while the unmistakable Jouji Yanami gives him a distinctive, gravely voice that fits his look, the comparatively quiet delivery of his lines doesn't really match either the general mood of the series or the apparent amount of screaming being animated--the lack of really over-the-top yelling in particular was disappointing. On the bright side, his acting is fine, some of his more offhanded humor comes across quite well, and his style works better in the quieter moments in the second story arc. 

In all, Dominion is well worth your time if you enjoy light, wacky, occasionally sadistic comedy mixed with a stiff dose of convoluted plot and philosophy. The second half of the story is a bit slower and more philosophical than the first, so come prepared, but it's good fun all the way through. If you're a fan of Shirow's manga work, you definitely shouldn't miss Dominion, and it should be worth adding to your collection.


Here's Act 1:

Here's Act 2:

Here's Act 3:

And last but not least, Act 4: