is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

written and illustrated by

Masamune Shirow , better known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. Shirow is best known for the manga ''Ghost in the Shell'', which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television movie, an an ...

. Set in the fictional city of Newport, Japan, in a future in which

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

as well as

air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...

have become so severe that people must wear

gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mask ...

s when outdoors, the series follows a police squadron that uses military-style

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

s. ''Dominion'' has been adapted into three

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

series: the first was released in 1988, the second, in 1993, and the third, in 2006. The 1988 OVA is four episodes long and animated by Agent 21, the 1993 OVA is six episodes long and animated by

J.C.Staff , is a Japanese animation studio founded in January 1986 by Tomoyuki Miyata, who previously worked at Tatsunoko Production. The studio's first release was ''Yōtōden'' in 1987. They have produced several well-known anime series, such as '' Food ...

, while ''TANK S.W.A.T.'' is one episode long and was animated by DOGA Productions. The manga was published by

Hakusensha is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company mainly publishes manga magazines and is involved in series' productions in their games, original video animation, music, and their animated TV ...

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

and later by Seishinsha. It has been published in English by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

. The

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

has been released in English translation in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyro ...

and in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, hence ...

, under their U.S. Manga Corps division. The ''New Dominion Tank Police'' series was also distributed in the UK, Australia and United States by Manga Entertainment, but later expired.

Maiden Japan ''Maiden Japan'', released as ''Heavy Metal Army'' in Japan, is a live EP by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The title is a pun of Deep Purple's live album '' Made in Japan''. Release There are at least two different versions of ...

licensed the six-episode 1993 ''New Dominion Tank Police'' OVA series for distribution in North America in 2013.

Characters

The Tank Police

;Leona Ozaki : :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 the early 19th-century French ruler

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. ;Al'Cu Ad Solte : :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. He is a very good computer hacker. His name was changed to Al Southwell in English dub. ;Charles Brenten : :Leona's squad leader. Very macho, with little regard for regulations or the health, safety and property of civilians. He is the best shot in the force, preferring a large, old-fashioned revolver (which he lovingly refers to as "the

Castigator Castigation (from the Latin ''castigatio'') or chastisement (via the French ''châtiment'') is the infliction of severe (moral or corporal) punishment. One who administers a castigation is a castigator or ''chastiser''. In earlier times, cast ...

") to the automatic weapons used by other members of his unit. He has a lifetime subscription to ''How to Kill'' magazine. According to Shirow, he is named after the

Bren Ten The Bren Ten is a semi-automatic pistol chambered for 10mm Auto that was made by Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises Inc. from 1983 to 1986. While the Bren Ten's design has an appearance similar to the 9×19mm Parabellum CZ-75, it is larger and stronger w ...

10 mm handgun, as popularized by the then popular American TV series, ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

.'' In some translations he is known as "Britain," due to an error in translation. ;Chaplain : :An unofficial police

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

and tank pilot. He once took pity on a criminal, who took advantage by shooting and killing his partner and escaping. ;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 critical to 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 turned white due to the stress of the job. He has a chronic ulcer that 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 weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s,' 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

catgirl A is a female kemonomimi character with feline traits, such as , a cat tail, or other feline characteristics on an otherwise human body. Catgirls are found in various fiction genres and in particular Japanese anime and manga. Catboy is a term f ...

s who were created as "

love doll Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...

s" 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. :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). When it's discovered their normal size is too big to effectively pilot the tanks, they reveal their ability to become smaller. Many of these traits do not appear much (if at all) in the OVA, but are all featured 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 briefly seen in the OVA, but is still 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.

Voices

:The additional voices in the English dub include Bill Bailey, John Bull, David Graham,

Garrick Hagon Garrick Hagon (; born September 27, 1939) is a British-Canadian actor in film, stage, television and radio, known for his role as Biggs Darklighter in '' Star Wars: A New Hope''. His many films include ''Batman'', ''Spy Game'', ''Me and Orson ...

, Kate Harper, and Peter Marinker.

Manga

''Dominion''

The first chapter of the manga was published in 1985 in

's magazine ''Monthly Comic'' special feature. After that the manga was serialized in Hakusensha's ''Monthly ComiComi'' magazine in 1986 and was later released as a single ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' in the same year. The plot of the manga is set in the future on a highly polluted Earth. Due to unbearable air quality, the people who inhabit the metropolis of New Port City are forced to wear oxygen masks when outside. Bandit Buaku, accompanied by two android twins called the "Puma Sisters," tries to capture a top-secret government project that applies a plant's biology to a human's genome allowing for self-oxygenation. In doing so he hopes to prevent the establishment from forcibly changing the human race instead of solving the pollution issue. Captain Brenten and his squadron of Tank Police, composed of officers Leona Ozaki and Al'Cu Ad Solte among others, set out to put a stop to Buaku using their brute military force.

"Dominion: Phantom of the Audience"

omake ''Omake'' (, usually written ) means ''extra'' in Japanese language, Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga term to mean "extra or bonus." In the United States, the term is most often used in ...

(or short story) titled "Dominion: Phantom of the Audience" was originally published as part of a "Special Graphix Dominion" ''ComiComi'' special issue in 1988. Seishinsha collected it in the ''Dominion F'' volume with a reprint of the original manga on January 27, 1993 and in North America it was published by

on March 1, 1994. It involves a fictional sport called "Smartball" and features Leona and the rest of the Tank Police crew.

''Dominion Conflict One: No More Noise''

was originally published in the ''Young Manga'' magazine in 1992 and 1993, and one collected volume was published on February 21, 1995 by Seishinsha and in North America in March 1997 by

. It is not considered to be part of the same continuity as the original stories. While the story revolves around Leona Ozaki and the members of the Newport Tank Police, and ''Conflict One'' contains some of the same elements as in the original stories, other aspects have been downplayed, altered, or completely removed. Originally planning four ''Conflict'' series, Shirow has placed ''Dominion'' on hold while he worked on other projects. These included the various ''

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of ''The Ghost in the Shell'' ...

'' anime and ''Man-Machine Interface''. ''Conflict Two,'' originally planned for 1997, has yet to be published. ;New continuity Many elements set ''Conflict'' apart from the original ''Dominion'' story. Shirow has asked people to think of ''Conflict'' as another time line altogether. *Pollution issues: Newport no longer suffers from the poison smog that kept the city in a haze. Many images in the manga feature skyline shots showing clear skies, and aircraft is much more common. *Formalization of the Tank Police: The Newport City Police Department is shown as a full station house. The chief is still in command, but many other divisions have been added (including traffic control, investigation, forensics, data processing, and internal affairs), making the unit much more realistic. The Tank Police have been changed and are presented as a much larger organization with a clearly defined role in police operations. *Bonaparte. With a larger and more structured Tank Police, Bonaparte is no longer a unique vehicle created by Leona. The Kenbitsu Heavy Industries Bonaparte Mark 9 is a modular urban combat vehicle used by all Tank Police platoons. *Characters. There is a much larger cast, and many previous characters do not appear in ''Conflict.'' Missing are Chaplain, Mohican, and the Mayor, as well as Buaku and Greenpeace. Al'Cu Ad Solte, Leona's tank driver and love interest, has also been dropped. ;Plot Set in November 201X, ''Conflict One'' presents the changed Newport City. It is no longer plagued by severe pollution. The story begins with Urushi-maru the "Skyscraper Pirate" and his partner attacking the Nankaiden department store while being pursued by the Osaka Air Police. Tank Police Sergeant Leona Ozaki gets involved when she fires on Urushi-maru's plane, causing the pirate to drop his stink bombs on Nankaiden's rival Hokutenro (the presumed backer of Urushi-maru's attack). While searching for Urushi-maru, Leona must deal with the selection of the next generation of police tanks, relationship issues, public backlash against the Tank Police, personal rivalries with the current members of her old traffic division, and—to her greatest displeasure—the addition to her unit of the former criminal android AnnaPuma. ;Characters *Charles Brenten. Tank Police Commander (T-30A). Head of the 3rd Platoon, Brenten is still firmly in control of his reduced unit. As Platoon Commander he oversees three Squads. He is joined in this story by his brother Brady, a pro-wrestler. *Leona Ozaki. Tank Police Sergeant (T-31-1). Leona is now one of three squad leaders operating under Commander Brenten. A well-known figure in both the Newport Police and the Tank Police Battalion, Leona commands a squad of three Bonaparte-class tanks. *AnnaPuna. Tank Police Officer (T-31-2). Formerly a member of the Buaku Gang, as an android she was found not to be criminally liable. Assigned to Leona's squad, she becomes Leona's new driver and partner. *Habana. Tank Police Corporal (T-32-1). Injured earlier in his career, Habana now uses a wheelchair. Leona's second in command. *Shinozaki. Tank Police Officer (T-32-2). Member of Leona's squad. *Asada. Tank Police Officer (T-33-1). Member of Leona's squad. *Shimizu. Tank Police Officer (T-33-2). Member of Leona's squad. A One-Monther (a fast-track management candidate present only for form's sake.) *Yon. Tank Police Sergeant (T-34-1). Leader of the 2nd squad. (In the original ''Dominion'' manga, this character was known as Jim E. "Specs" Lovelock.) *Pak. Tank Police Sergeant (T-37-1). Leader of the 3rd squad.

Adaptations

Original video animations

* ''Dominion Tank Police'' (1988-1989), animated miniseries directed by Takaaki Ishiyama and Koichi Mashimo *: The first OVA series is a four-part prequel to the original manga, leading up to Buaku's discovery of Greenpeace. * ''Dominion Tank Police 2'', or ''New Dominion Tank Police'' (1993-1994), animated series directed by Noboru Furuse *:''New Dominion Tank Police'' appears to be a direct sequel to the original manga. Leona's Bonaparte is a different color and minor differences to its body show that she had to rebuild it after the initial Bonaparte's destruction. This anime also shows the first animated incarnation of the Fuchikoma, which originally appeared in Masamune's ''

'' manga. * ''Tank S.W.A.T. 01'' (2006), animated short film directed by Romanov Higa *: Takes place near the events of the ''Conflict'' arc; the pumas being members of the police department. Unlike in the manga, however, they do not appear to have to reduce their size in order to fit into the driver's section of the tanks.

Role-playing game

''The Dominion Tank Police Role-Playing Game'' was published by

Guardians of Order Guardians of Order was a Canadian company founded in 1996 by Mark C. MacKinnon in Guelph, Ontario. The company's business output consisted of role-playing games (RPGs). Their first game is the anime inspired ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth''. In 2006 Gua ...

in 1999. It uses the

Tri-Stat System Guardians of Order was a Canadian company founded in 1996 by Mark C. MacKinnon in Guelph, Ontario. The company's business output consisted of role-playing games (RPGs). Their first game is the anime inspired '' Big Eyes, Small Mouth''. In 2006 Gu ...

David L. Pulver David L. Pulver (born 2 November 1965 in Kingston, Ontario) is a Canadian freelance writer and game designer, author of more than fifty role-playing game rulebooks and supplements, including the award-winning ''Transhuman Space''. Early life and e ...

worked on this and a number of licensed, standalone games for the company.

Reception

Helen McCarthy Helen McCarthy (born 27 February 1951) is the British author of such anime reference books as ''500 Manga Heroes and Villains'', ''Anime!'', ''The Anime Movie Guide'' and ''Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation''. She is the co-author of ...

in ''500 Essential Anime Movies'' commented that the 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". McCarthy, Helen. ''500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide''. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 58. — 528 p. —

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{J.C.Staff OVAs 1986 manga 1988 anime OVAs 1993 anime OVAs 1995 manga 2006 anime OVAs Central Park Media Comedy anime and manga Police comedies Dark Horse Comics titles Hakusensha manga J.C.Staff Maiden Japan Masamune Shirow Science fiction anime and manga Seinen manga Role-playing games based on anime and manga