While Waiting for the Red Spectacles


While Waiting for the Red Spectacles is a 1987 science fiction radio drama written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, with music composed and performed by Kenji Kawai. The first work in the Kerberos Saga, it is a prequel and companion piece to the 1987 film The Red Spectacles, and follows police detective Koichi Todome while he is exiled from an alternate history Japan following his involvement in the "Kerberos Riot", a major event in the saga's history.
First recorded in January 1987, it was released in 2000 as a limited CD drama bundled with Kerberos Panzer Cop|Kerberos Panzer Cop: Complete Book edition.

Story

The narration follows Koichi Todome while he is exiled from Japan after the Kerberos Riot, an internal conflict between rivalling police factions, before Inui came to Taiwan seeking him. The portrayed events can be localized in the saga's timeline between the prologue of The Red Spectacles and StrayDog.
In 1999, 3rd night: Story of the incident of Fast Food Grifter Cold Badger Masa's clubbing to death was adapted in comic to become Kerberos Panzer Cop Act 6. In 2004, the novel Tachiguishi-Retsuden was released, extending the Tachigui arc introduced in While Waiting for the Red Spectacles.

Track listing

  • 1st night: Kerberos Night - The Rise and Fall of the Panzer Detective
  • 2nd night: Kerberos Night - Dog's name: "Koichi Todome"
  • 3rd night: Tachiguishi Night - Story of the incident of Fast Food Grifter Cold Badger Masa's clubbing to death
  • 4th night: Tachiguishi Night - The Fast Food Grifter becoming a myth ?
  • 5th night: ''Tachiguishi Night - Does the dog throw into the darkness of the battle and just leave ?''

    Releases

The drama was broadcast on Radio Nihon in January 1987, one month before the release of The Red Spectacles. In September 2000, it was released as a CD drama bundled with the Kerberos Panzer Cop: Complete Book ''manga.
The two musical themes were released, in 2003, in Kenji Kawai's "Cinema Anthology''" audio CD boxset.

Production

Cast