Dominion (manga)
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, Dominion Tank Police, was released in 1988, the second, New Dominion Tank Police in 1993, and the third, Tank S.W.A.T. 01 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, while TANK S.W.A.T. is one episode long and was animated by DOGA Productions.
The manga was published by Hakusensha, Kodansha and later by Seishinsha. It has been published in English by Dark Horse Comics. The anime has been released in English translation in the United Kingdom and Australia by Manga Entertainment and in the United States by Central Park Media, 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 licensed the six-episode 1993 New Dominion Tank Police OVA series for distribution in North America in 2013.
Characters
The Tank Police
;Leona Ozaki;Al'Cu Ad Solte
;Charles Brenten
;Chaplain
;Jim E. Lovelock
;Chief
Criminals
;Buaku;AnnaPuma and UniPuma
Others
;Greenpeace Crolis;The Counselor
Voices
Manga
''Dominion''
The first chapter of the manga was published in 1985 in Hakusensha'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 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.
''Phantom of the Audience''
An omake 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 Dark Horse Comics 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''
Dominion Conflict One: No More Noise by Masamune Shirow was originally published in the Comic Gaia 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 Dark Horse Comics. 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 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, 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.
Set in November 202X, 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.
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 is Tank Police Commander. 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 is Tank Police Sergeant. 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 is Tank Police Officer. 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 is Tank Police Corporal. Injured earlier in his career, Habana now uses a wheelchair. He is Leona's second in command.
- Shinozaki is Tank Police Officer and a member of Leona's squad.
- Asada is Tank Police Officer and a member of Leona's squad.
- Shimizu is Tank Police Officer, member of Leona's squad, and a One-Monther.
- Yon is Tank Police Sergeant and a leader of the 2nd squad. In the original Dominion manga, this character was known as Jim E. "Specs" Lovelock.
- Pak is Tank Police Sergeant and a leader of the 3rd squad.
Adaptations
Original video animations
- Dominion Tank Police, 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, animated series directed by Noboru Furuse
- :New Dominion Tank Police appears to be a direct sequel to the original manga. Leona's Bonaparte has 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 Ghost in the Shell manga.
- Tank S.W.A.T. 01, animated short film directed by Romanov Higa
- : Takes place near the events of the Conflict arc, where the pumas are 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.
Music
Role-playing game
The Dominion Tank Police Role-Playing Game was published by Guardians of Order in 1999. It uses the Tri-Stat System.David L. Pulver worked on this and a number of licensed, standalone games for the company.