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Dominion: Tank Police (ドミニオン, Dominion) is a 1988 original video animation series based on the manga Dominion 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.

Characters

The Tank Police

Leona Ozaki Voiced by: Hiromi Tsuru & Rei Sakuma (Japanese); Toni Barry (English)

A young female officer in the Tank Police. Extremely enthusiastic about her work, and obsessively protective of her tank, which she calls "Bonaparte." Originally an officer in the motorcycle division before requesting a transfer to the Tank Police. Her name, in conjunction with her tank, is likely a reference to Napoleon Bonaparte.

Al Cu Ad Solte Voiced by: Masaaki Ohkura & Hiroyuki Shibamoto (Japanese); Steve Graf & Adam Henderson (English)

A young male officer, Leona's much calmer partner and co-pilot of Bonaparte. He is very taken by Leona but is always second in her affections behind Bonaparte and a very good computer hacker (In the final episode of New Dominion Tank Police, Al refers to himself as "Al Southwell").

Charles Brenten Voiced by: Yuusaku Yara (Japanese); Sean Barrett (English)

Leona's squad leader. Very macho, with little regard for regulations or the health, safety and property of civilians. He also is the best shot in the force, preferring a large, old-fashioned revolver (which he lovingly refers to as "the Castigator") to the automatic weapons used by other members of his unit. He also has a lifetime subscription to "How to Kill" Magazine. According to Shirow, he is named after the Bren Ten 10 mm handgun, as popularized by the then popular TV series, Miami Vice. In some translations he is known as "Britain", due to a mistranslation.

Chaplain

An unofficial police chaplain and tank pilot. Once took pity on a criminal, who then shot and killed his partner and escaped.

Jim E. Lovelock (Specs, Megane or Four-Eyes)

A scientific expert and tank commander. His knowledge and insights are often helpful on difficult cases and his calm and logical thinking are a blessing in crisis situations. He has a friendly rivalry with Chaplain.

Chief

The chief of police. Prone to tearing out what little hair he has left... and what's left over turned white due to the stress of the job. He also has a chronic ulcer that always acts up whenever the Tank Police cause too much collateral damage. In arguments with the previous mayor, he comments in the introduction that tanks are insufficient for keeping the peace, and would prefer 'replacing our guns with tactical nuclear weapons,' though it's unclear if he means this to be taken seriously.

Criminals

Buaku

The "super criminal" the Tank Police was formed to fight, specializing in bank robbery and general mayhem. He leads a gang, but appears to be backed by unknown individuals. Buaku's true origins are unclear between the OVA and the Manga itself. In the OVA, Buaku was apparently a "test dummy" for the Greenpeace Crolis project, who escaped destruction when government agents raided the lab and destroyed everything except for encoded data disguised as a nude portrait of himself. He ends up living on the streets and is eventually framed for a bank robbery by an unidentified woman and later arrested by police... which starts the chain of events that led him to become a criminal. In the Manga, it is said that Buaku started his criminal career over 80 years ago in Argentina.

In part 1 of the OVA his goal is to retrieve urine samples for a mysterious go-between for the unseen crime boss "Mr. Big." The Tank Police thwarted his plans, but are unable to arrest him.

In part 2 of the OVA he tried to retrieve the encoded data from the Greenpeace experiment, which is on display at a local auction house in Newport. In the Manga, his final criminal act is the theft of the Space Colony "Embryo", in which he succeeds and escapes to the stars with his gang, with the exception of the Puma Sisters, who were left on Earth to organize the final getaway.

AnnaPuma and UniPuma

Anna & Uni are a pair of tall, beautiful blonde android catgirls who were created as "love dolls" to be marketed for profit, but they developed beyond this superficial programming and became criminals, joining forces with Buaku. Except for the occasional spat, they are inseparable and sisterly in the most extreme ways. They despise the series' heroine Leona Ozaki, and the feeling is mutual.

Interestingly, for all that they were created as sex dolls, they are vastly superior to humans in terms of strength, agility, speed and ability to take damage. They also have what seems to be the equivalent of military-grade targeting computers. The oddest trait of their construction is that much of their large size is optional. They have the ability to shrink to child-size by expelling large amounts of water (and returning to normal size by ingesting water). This is revealed when it's discovered their normal size is too big to effectively pilot the tanks. Many of these traits don't come into play much (or at all) in the OVA, but are all present in the manga.

Others

Greenpeace Crolis (or Chloris)

A mysterious green-skinned girl with wings, kidnapped from the Critical Science Development Agency by Buaku's Gang. She is not actually seen in the OVA, but is an important element for the antagonists to reach throughout the course of the episodes.

The Counselor

Buaku's client before the Greenpeace incident in Part 1 of the OVA, he provides Buaku's gang with intelligence and "weapons" (vintage tanks) to obtain the urine samples necessary for the completion of Greenpeace.

Plot

The plot in the Dominion: Tank Police OVA is a two-part prequel to the original Dominion, with the first involving the Tank Police fighting against Buaku and the Puma sisters in their attempt to steal a large collection of urine for the construction of the "Greenpeace project". The second involves Buaku's retrieval of a painting of himself during his early years as an android, with Leona initially trying to stop him but eventually helping his cause after they are both trapped in a sewage system.

Role-playing game

The Dominion Tank Police Role-Playing Game was published by Guardians of Order in 1999.

Reception

Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies commented that 1988 OVA "has some serious themes - ecological disaster and the excessive power of state - but they're delivered lightly, wrapped in a shiny package of action, slapstick, and outrageous visual puns".

See also

• Dominion manga

References

1. McCarthy, Helen. 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 58. — 528 p. — ISBN 978-0061474507

External links

• Dominion (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia

• 1988 anime OVAs
• Central Park Media
• Comedy anime and manga
• Police comedies
• Masamune Shirow
• Science fiction anime and manga