Kerberos Saga Chronicles
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The is an
alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...
political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The ...
media mix created by the
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese writer and filmmaker
Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...
in 1986. The most famous installment of the franchise, especially outside Japan, is the 1999 anime film '' Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade''. The saga is centered on the fictitious
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
police Special Armed Garrison whose emblem and nickname is Kerberos (a.k.a. Cerberus), the mythological three-headed watchdog of
hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
. Before it was officially renamed ''Kerberos Saga'' circa 2004, it was known as the or the . The franchise is currently owned by Mamoru Oshii; It consists of works based on Oshii's original story spanning various media including
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...
feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
s,
radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s,
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s, animation films and
monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
s. Licensed products are mainly Special Armed Garrison powered suit based
action figure An action figure is a poseable character (arts), character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are ...
s or
garage kit A garage kit (ガレージキット) or resin kit is an assembly scale model kit most commonly cast in polyurethane resin. They are often model figures portraying humans or other living creatures. In Japan, kits often depict anime characters, and ...
s called Protect Gears, and ''Kerberos Saga'' episodes derived soundtracks, storyboards, and guidebooks.
Merchandising Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more i ...
includes posters, folding fans, mousepads,
statuette A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...
busts, tee-shirts, and even bottles of wine with a dedicated
online shop Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the ...
available on the official website. The most famous paraphernalia of the franchise is the Protect Gears, the
powered exoskeleton A powered exoskeleton, also known as power armor, powered armor, powered suit, cybernetic suit, cybernetic armor, exosuit, hardsuit, exoframe or augmented mobility, is a mobile machine that is wearable over all or part of the human body, provi ...
suits worn by members of the Special Armed Garrison. They were designed by mechanical and character designers and '' RahXephon'' director
Yutaka Izubuchi is a Japanese anime designer, screenwriter and director. Izubuchi is credited for designing costumes, characters and creatures, but most of his designs are mechanical (both robots and other vehicles). He created and directed the ''RahXephon'' ser ...
.


Release chronology


Kerberos story arc

*1987 : '' While Waiting for the Red Spectacles'' (紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ), Radio drama *1987 : '' The Red Spectacles'' (紅い眼鏡), Feature-length
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...
film *1988 : '' Kerberos Panzer Cop - Part I'' (犬狼伝説 第一部), Comic book series (''Act1''~''4'') *1990 : '' Kerberos Panzer Cop: Original Edition'' (犬狼伝説 オリジナル版), Comic book volume (vol.1) *1991 : '' StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops'' (ケルベロス 地獄の番犬), Feature-length tokusatsu film *1999 : '' Kerberos Panzer Cop - Part II'' (犬狼伝説 第二部), Comic book series (''Act5''~''8'') *1999 : '' Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade'' (人狼), animated feature film ** 2018 : '' Illang: The Wolf Brigade'' (인랑), Korean live-action remake *2000 : '' Kerberos Panzer Cop: Conclusion'' (犬狼伝説 完結篇), Comic book volume (vol.2) *2003 : ''
The Killers The Killers are an American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingd ...
'' (キラーズ), Comic book short story *2003 : ''
Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs is a 2003-2005 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Mamoru Sugiura who was in charge of the continuity in the '' Kerberos Panzer Cop'' manga. The story is the sequel to the ''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' and a prequel to t ...
'' (Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕), Comic book series (''Act01''~''08'') *2005 : ''
Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs is a 2003-2005 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Mamoru Sugiura who was in charge of the continuity in the '' Kerberos Panzer Cop'' manga. The story is the sequel to the ''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' and a prequel to t ...
'' (犬狼伝説 紅い足痕), graphic collection (with "The Killers" and the previously unreleased "Act00") *2006 : '' Kerberos Panzer Jäger'' (ケルベロス 鋼鉄の猟犬), radio drama *2006 : '' Kerberos & Tachiguishi (ケルベロスX立喰師 腹腹時計の少女), Comic book series (''Act1''~''7'') *2007 : '' Kerberos & Tachiguishi'' (ケルベロスX立喰師 腹腹時計の少女), Comic book volume *2009 : ''Kerberos Panzer Cops: Tokyo War'' (ケルベロス 東京市街戦 首都警特機隊全記録), Monograph (with ''Special Issue'') *2009 : '' Kerberos Panzer Cop: Special Issue'' (前夜-ケルベロス騒乱異聞), Comic book short story *2010 : '' Kerberos Panzer Cop: A Revision'' (犬狼伝説 20周年エディション), Graphic collection collecting revised Volume 1 and 2, with ''Special Issue''


Tachiguishi story arc

*1984 : '' Urusei Yatsura: Hisatsu! Tachigui Wars!!'' (うる星やつら ~必殺! 立ち食いウォーズ!!~), TV anime series (episode #99) *1987 : ''While Waiting For The Red Spectacles'' (紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ), Radio drama *2004 : ''
Tachiguishi-Retsuden is a 2006 live-action/animated hybrid film directed by Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii, who also wrote the eponymous novel on which the film was based. Both works are part of the Kerberos saga. Live-action film and manga adaptations were produce ...
'' (立喰師列伝), novel *2006 : ''
Tachiguishi-Retsuden is a 2006 live-action/animated hybrid film directed by Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii, who also wrote the eponymous novel on which the film was based. Both works are part of the Kerberos saga. Live-action film and manga adaptations were produce ...
'' (立喰師列伝), live-action/animated hybrid feature adaptation of the novel *2006 : ''
Onna Tachiguishi-Retsuden ''Onna Tachiguishi-Retsuden'' () taglined ''Ketsune korokke no Ogin: Paresuchina shitō hen'' (), is a live-action short movie directed by Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii. Title The original title translates in English as ''Female Fast Food Grift ...
'' (女立喰師外伝 ケツネコロッケのお銀), Short film *2006 : ''Kerberos & Tachiguishi'' (ケルベロスX立喰師 腹腹時計の少女), Comic book series (''Act1''~''7'') *2007 : ''Kerberos & Tachiguishi''(ケルベロスX立喰師 腹腹時計の少女), graphic collection *2007 : ''
Shin-Onna Tachiguishi Retsuden is the sequel to ''Onna Tachiguishi-Retsuden'' consisting of six loosely connected short stories. It was released in Japanese theaters November 10, 2007 and on DVD on April 23, 2008. Production While the original Tachiguishi was directed by Mamo ...
'' (真女立喰師列伝), Short film


20th anniversary

In order to celebrate ''The Red Spectacles 20-year anniversary (actually the movie's 1986 production since the theatrical release in February 1987), a new Protect Gear armour (Type 34 "Wolfpelz") was designed by
Jun Suemi Jun Suemi (末弥純 ''Suemi Jun'', born 1959) is a Japanese illustrator, born in Ōita, Ōita, Japan. Illustration works She has provided artwork, including monster design and graphic design, for various video games, fantasy and science-fict ...
in 2006 as part of a new Kerberos Saga project. This new episode was '' Kerberos Panzer Jäger'' a
radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
series narrating the Protect Gear's roots in the 1940s German-Soviet War. 2006 was also the opening year for the Kerberos Saga's official website. Kerberos Saga official website owner Raiden ( Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Media Bridge Inc.) released a collectible bottle of
German wine German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Ancient Rome, Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhine ...
, Riesling through the official online shop. As a 20th celebration of the '' Kerberos Panzer Cop'' original edition (1990 volume compilation by Nihon Shuppan Sha), the Kerberos Saga's new publisher
Gakken is a Japanese publishing company founded in 1947 by Hideto Furuoka, which also produces educational toys. Their annual sales is reported at ¥ 90 billion ($789 million US). Gakken publishes educational books and magazines and produces other ...
released a collector boxset '' Kerberos Panzer Cop a Revision: 20th edition'' (犬狼伝説 20周年エディション). This boxset features both volumes from ''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' in B5 size original aspect with "digitally refined" graphic arts by Kamui Fujiwara (original illustrator), a pamphlet and a new
Revoltech is a Japanese company which manufactures figurines and garage kits. Its headquarters is in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture.会社概要 ...
Yamaguchi Protect Gear figure. In March 2009, a new comic book chapter entitled '' Kerberos Panzer Cop: Special Issue'', was pre-published in Gakken's Kerberos Saga
monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
''Kerberos Panzer Cops: Tokyo War''. This was released as a sample of the two-volume ''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' "revised edition" to which it was included.犬狼伝説 20周年エディションBOX (コミック), Amazon.co.jp
/ref>


Setting


Characters and organizations

As a military science fiction work the Kerberos Saga's main characters are members of the rival military and police services, namely the Shutokei (a.k.a. the "Capital Police" in the English language adaptation), the Self-Police ("Local Police" in the English adaptation) and the
JSDF The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...
. However, these conflictual forces have a common foe, Anti-government organizations and terrorists such as The Sect and its factions. Secondary and guest appearance characters introduced by author Mamoru Oshii are taken from his previous works such as
culinary art Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs ...
and
rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
masters Tachiguishi ("Fast Food Grifters" in the English adaptation) or Detective Matsui from the '' Patlabor'' franchise. Members of the saga's core organisation, the Shutokei's Special Armed Garrison, have an animal counterpart which is an
allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
and sometimes a
metonymy Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...
. This animal can be a
mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
dog such as Cerberus (the garrison's
emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...
) and
Laelaps The name Laelaps is a name attributed to the following: * Laelaps (mythology) Laelaps ( grc-gre, Λαῖλαψ, ''gen''.: means "hurricane") (Lelaps, Lalaps, Lailaps) was a Greek mythological dog that never failed to catch what it was hunting. ...
as in the comic book, or it can be a German dog breeds as in '' Kerberos Panzer Cop'' and its sequel '' Kerberos Saga: Rainy Dogs''; this comic book series original title means "Dog-Wolf Legend" (犬狼伝説, ''kenrou densetsu''). It can be a Japanese wolf (狼, ''Ookami'') as in ''Jin-Roh'' ("Man-Wolf" in English) and in ''Kerberos & Tachiguishi'' which borrow drama parts to the ''
Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brother ...
'' tale. Also, it can be a stray dog as in the 1991 eponymous movie.


Timeline

The Kerberos Saga is based upon an
alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...
with key events called . Altered historical events turned into fiction include Japan siding with the Allies, the Germany-won
battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
,
Stauffenberg The Schenk von Stauffenberg family is a noble (''Uradel'') Roman Catholic family from Swabia in Germany. The family's best-known recent member was Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg – the key figure in the 1944 "20 July plot" to as ...
's then-successful assassination attempt on Hitler, the
occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...
by Germany - instead of the United States - called , and the prominent 26 February ''coup d'état'' (a.k.a. "Kerberos Uprising") attempted by the Special Armed Garrison instead of the
Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
.


Main locations

Although the saga's plot is mainly located in the Japanese capital (as the Special Armed Garrison jurisdiction is limited to the
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
area), some episodes happen in foreign cities including
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
and
Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...
('' StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops''),
Old Havana Old Havana ( es, link=no, La Habana Vieja) is the city-center (downtown) and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) forming Havana, Cuba. It has the second highest population density in the city and contains the core of the original city of ...
(''
The Killers The Killers are an American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingd ...
'') and
Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
(''Kerberos Panzer Jäger''). Among the Tokyo landmarks appearing in the saga are
Odaiba today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially built in this area for defensive purposes in the 1850s. Reclaimed land offshore Shinagawa was dramatically expanded durin ...
(''The Red Spectacles''),
Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...
, the
Tokyo International Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...
(''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' Act4), Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department headquarters building (''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' Act8), the
Prime Minister's Official Residence The Prime Minister's Official Residence is the official workplace and residence of the Prime Minister of Japan. It is commonly referred to as , , or simply . Located at 2-3-1 Nagata-chō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100–8968, it is diagonally adjacen ...
(also known as Kantei) (''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' Act8) and the University of Tokyo's
Yasuda Auditorium is a building and clock tower at the center of the Hongo, Tokyo, Hongō campus of the University of Tokyo. It serves as the central symbol of the campus, where special events and graduation ceremonies are held. History The building was complete ...
(''Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs'' Act3). A recurring location is sewer, it can be the Tokyo sewer as in ''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' (Act 1) and ''Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade'' or abroad sewer as in ''Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs'' (Act 8). In all these works, sewer is the final stage holding the Special Armed Garrison (Kerberos) main character's last fight. In Greek mythology, the ''Kerberos'' ( Cerberus) watchdog guards the gates of the Underworld, called
Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...
, to prevent those who have crossed the
river Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...
from ever escaping. Hence the sewer can be regarded as an
allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
of the
Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...
; the original title for the 1991 movie ''
StrayDog , a 1991 Japanese film written and directed by Mamoru Oshii and starring Shigeru Chiba and Yoshikatsu Fujiki. It is the second ''Kerberos saga'' film. It was preceded by ''The Red Spectacles'', released in 1987. The film is a prequel to ''The Red ...
'' is "kerberos: watchdog of ''jigoku''" (ケルベロス 地獄の番犬, ''keruberosu: jigoku no banken'') with '' jigoku'' being the realm of the dead in the
Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of year ...
.


Releases


Japanese releases

The saga started in January 1987 with the Japanese broadcast of the
radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
series '' While Waiting for the Red Spectacles'' (紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ, ''Akai megane o machi tsutsu''), prior to the theatrical release of the live-action film '' The Red Spectacles'' (紅い眼鏡, ''Akai megane''). A manga series adaptation, '' Kerberos Panzer Cop'' (''Kenrou densetsu'') started the following year and was compiled as a single volume (Acts 1~4) in 1990. The following year was released '' StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops'' (ケルベロス 地獄の番犬, ''Keruberosu jigoku no banken''), the first theatrical adaptation of the manga. In 1999, the manga series was completed (Acts 5~8) and re-released as two compilation volumes. A few months later was released ''
Jin-Roh , also known as ''Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade'' in its American release, is a 1999 Japanese action political thriller anime film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura (in his directorial debut) and written by Mamoru Oshii. ''Jin-Roh'' is the third film in Osh ...
'' (人狼, ''Jinrou'') the anime adaptation of the first manga. It remains the franchise's most popular work outside Japan until today. '' Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters'' (立喰師外伝, ''Tachiguishi retsuden''), an animation feature spin-off was released in theaters and DVD in 2006.


Asian releases

''Kerclros Panzer Cop 犬狼伝説'', an unlicensed Chinese version of the 1990 manga volume was published in Taiwan in the early 1990s. ''犬狼傳說'', a Chinese version complete volume (Acts 1~8) was available in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
in 2000. A licensed, two volumes, Chinese version of the Japanese 2000 re-edition ("Frozen Version") was issued in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
the same year. A similar edition was available in the Korean language in South Korea the same year. A traditional Chinese 2-volume licensed edition was published in Taiwan in 2002.


North American releases

A six-issues English adaptation of the first manga volume was published in 1994, in the United States and Canada as '' Hellhounds: Panzer Cops''. A compilation volume edition was published in 1997. The English dubbed version of ''Jin-Roh'' was released in North America in 2001. Two years later, the English subtitled version of the 1987 and 1991 live-action films was released on DVD.


European releases

''Hellhounds: Panzer Cops'', the English adaptation of the first manga volume, was translated into German and serialized in a German book from 1996 to 1997. In 1998, the American ''Hellhounds: Panzer Cops'' all-in-one volume was licensed and distributed in the United Kingdom. The following year ''Jin-Roh'' was premiered in France and later released in Germany. It was one year before the Japanese release.


Toy lines

With each new episode release, Japanese toys and model kits manufacturers such as Kaiyodo, Medicom, or Takara produce Protect-Gear scale models.


Fan works

After the North American release of Jin-Roh, various Kerberos Protect-Gear skins were created by fans to be used in the popular Counter-Strike
FPS FPS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "F.P.S." (''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''), an episode of the TV show ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' * '' fps magazine'', a defunct magazine about animation * ''The Fabulous Picture Show'', a televi ...
, an American video game series (1998~2004). In 2005, ''Images of the Last Battalion'', an independent short anime directed by a student, Koichi Kishita, was released in Japanese film contests. The following year, the bootleg video was edited and projected as an official trailer at Mamoru Oshii's '' Kerberos Panzer Jäger'' launch party and Kishita joined
Production I.G is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...
's 3DCG team. Japanese and Chinese Protect-Gear fans sculpted, modified, or repainted licensed toys. Some of these "custom" items are released as limited edition garage kits available in conventions and import action figure shops and websites.


See also

* '' Patlabor'' (created by
Headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...
, in which Mamoru Oshii and Yutaka Izubuchi are members) * ''
Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...
'' by Robert A. Heinlein (popularizes the idea of
powered exoskeleton A powered exoskeleton, also known as power armor, powered armor, powered suit, cybernetic suit, cybernetic armor, exosuit, hardsuit, exoframe or augmented mobility, is a mobile machine that is wearable over all or part of the human body, provi ...
)


References


Sources


Axis Animation
(''English'')
GA Graphic official website
(''Japanese'')

(''Japanese'') * Jin-Roh DTS Edition booklet, Bandai Visual (''Japanese'') * Jin-Roh Maniaxx, Kadokawa Shoten, (''Japanese'')
JOQR Radio
(''Japanese'')

(''English'')
Kenji Kawai's official website
(''Japanese/English'') * Kenrou Densetsu Fukyoban, Nihon Shuppansha, (''Japanese'') * Kenrou Densetsu, Nihon Shuppansha, (''Japanese'')

(''Japanese'')

(''Japanese'')

(''Japanese'')
Kerberos saga
at the '' Hobby Japan'' website (''Japanese'')
Mamoru Oshii's official website
(''Japanese'')

(''Japanese'')

(''English'')
Production I.G Special Site
(''Japanese'')

(''Japanese'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerberos Saga Mass media franchises Military science fiction Japan Self-Defense Forces in fiction Alternate history Dystopian fiction