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Name: Lucas...
is a hyper-advanced cyborg- his body consists of all of his active drives; his memory of all of his active sources. These are all variable, but on a periodic basis his bio components crave energy and sleep and remind him of his basic identity-layer (yes, I crave sleeping)...

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Dominion: Tank Police

"I'd rather be DEAD than see the Tank Police kissing ass and perverting justice!!"
- Leona Ozaki, Phantom of the Audience.

In 1986, Masamune Shirow published a light-hearted mecha action story- the story of a futuristic police team utilising Tanks to fight crime and uphold justice. Initially Dominion was conceived and serialized in Monthly Comi Comi Magazine published by Hakusensha in 1985. It was collected into a tankubon edition by 1986 and finally in 1993 re-published under Seishinsha. Shirow's Dominion series was so popular that it spawned two animated features so far, with a third on the way in the near future. Also in 1995, Shirow published the long-awaited sequel to Dominion- Conflict 1: No More Noise. The anime and Conflict will be dealt with seperately in time to come, so for now let's concentrate on the original that started it all... Masamune Shirow's Dominion!

The Story

Dominion Tank Police is essentially a police story, but one with the magical touch of Masamune Shirow. In the futuristic metropolis of Newport City, pollution is suffocating the planet earth. Bacteria clouds make air filter masks a daily necessity. In every aspect of human life, environment preservation is top priority, from building structures to daily consumables. It is against this backdrop that the city's police force had to carry out their public duties of upholding the law. To counter the increasingly violent and extreme nature of crimes being committed, a special police unit- a Tank police squad was set up to deal with extreme circumstances of crime when normal police confrontation simply fail to deter the criminal acts.

However, while undoubtedly effective in terms of brute force, the Tank Police operations isn't without its critics and opposition. The very nature of mobilizing tanks in civillian areas brings expectation of heavy collateral damage and that is exactly what society is paying for to keep their streets safe. The debate rages on as parties claim that the Tank police does more harm than good, but at the same time faced with heavily armed criminals, Tanks appear to be the most effective solution and deterrent.

[The Newport Tank Police Group Picture- Mini Version]

Dominion centers around one super-criminal in particular- Buaku and his gang of minions. A criminal with apparent clout upstairs, Buaku is not shy when dealing with the Tank Police, deploying everything from androids, robot decoys, anti tank platforms, choppers and even firepower strong enough to fry a fully functional Tank. The Buaku case is a unique one, where only gold were robbed and money discarded and with special interest in a seemingly un-conventional scientific experiment- the Greenpeace Crolis. Leona's team chanced upon Crolis in one of Buaku's hideout and this particular green-coloured "doll" was recovered. Crolis' function was soon revealed- an experimental life-form spliced with plant genes. A walking air filter if you like. The clorophyl in Crolis' cells acts as active Carbon Dioxide consumers, generating fresh, pure oxygen much like a plant. It didn't tke long for Buaku to strike back and claim back Crolis- in a Virus Tank taking advantage of the Citizens Against Destructive Police (CADP) Organizaion's naivety to ambush the Tank Police right at their doorstep.

Bonaparte again proves its advantage in flexibility and agility, taking down a walking anti-tank giant but not without damage. In the aftermath of the battle, Buaku was successfully apprehended leading to a short-lived celebration and glorious police PR opportunity. It didn't take long for Buaku and gang to out-manouver the police in a well-executed Hospital escape.

With everything going according to plan, Buaku made arrangements for his final, ultimate goal- to blackmail the Government in exchange for a spacecraft and a free ticket to space. All along Buaku had intended to escape this dying planet and seek greener pastures in outer space, hence the elaborate effort to secure Crolis and all the gold. Sending the android sisters Annapuma and Unipuma on a Hospital raid, Buaku secured his hostages- babies. The Tank Police's hands are tied, but Leona is not going to take things lying down! Slipping into Buaku's escape craft unnoticed Bonaparte ripped through the machinery like a virus. Getting irritated, Buaku personally showed up to confront Leona head-on.

What happened during the encounter? Did the good guys win? Does crime pay? And just what kind of criminal is this Buaku who stood up against a Tank and survived? Dominion leaves readers with questions to ponder... on the earth's pollution, on police brutality, and most fascinatingly- a very comprehensive analysis on the nature of Tanks and its practical use in normal everyday policing instead of on the battlefields. Shirow's The Mini Tank closing essay at the end of the book is an amazing recollection of Tank history, design and possibilities for the future. It certainly leaves Shirow fans craving for more...! ^_^

The Colourful Cast of Dominion

	Leona Ozaki The super-violent, alpha-female, tank-loving Tank Police protagonist, Leona has a reputation of being a toughie throughout Newport City Police. There is absolutely no doubt however as to the love of her life: her mini-tank Bonaparte. Leona has a never-say-die attitude and holds dearly to her police principles of upholding law and order, and blasting bad-guys to pieces at the slightest of opportunities. So don't be fooled by her sweet smile and gentle demeanors, rub her the wrong way and face the (violent) consequences! ^_^
	Al Cu Ad Solte Yes that's correct. Al's full name is Al Cu Ad Solte. To treat Al as one of the main characters would be an overstatement because honestly, he comes across pretty bland compared to all the personalities in the Tank Police. Due to Leona's overbearing character, Al seems always to be in the background although he had the enviable job of piloting Bonaparte, and the not so enviable problem of obviously falling for Miss Mini Tank Leona. As long as Bonaparte's around Al doesn't stand a chance with the lady's heart...
	Brenten Married to wife Tsalz with one child, Squad Leader Brenten is a manly man fond of... uhmm... manly pursuits such as pumping iron, firing weapons and the likes. His interests are action movies and obviously guns. Has a particularly strong disliking for paperwork and computers. Not one to show any weaknesses, Brenten is often hard on Leona and the other squad members, and is probably the biggest contributor to the Newport Police Chief's heart condition.
	Jim Lovelock Interestingly, Jim does not have a name in the original Japanese Dominion manga. Just a weird science guy whose knowledge is above average. Jim was accepted into the CSDA (Criminal Science Development Agency), his choice career path but eventually returned to the Tank police when the harsh realities of being taken advantage of and never given credit for good work done for the CSDA set in. Jim is the resident science expert on the Tank Police team, and his many exploits include cutting up Greenpeace Crolis for curiosity's sake.
	Chaplain Chaplain was transferred to the Tank police with a record on his files- for taking pity of some bad guy who in turn shoots his partner. Under strict observation from internal affairs investigators, Chaplain got himself in trouble again for second-guessing Unipuma at the Police Station shootout. A good man, but probably too good for criminal field work.
	The Chief Seemingly under constant stress bordering on going insane, the Newport Police Chief has his hands full every time the Tank Police go about doing their job. Although most of the time the Chief is going crazy, he is well aware of the criminal's masterplans and is very much in touch with the big cases. Tries his best to pacify angry citizens and his bosses, although not always succesful.
	Buaku Newport City's Top Wanted Super-Criminal, Buaku is on a rampage looting gold and terrorizing the Tank Police. While his motives remain shady, Buaku's violent and very illegal ways seemed to be receiving support from higher powers. This was evident in the unusually high tech and expensive weaponry and devices available at his disposal. It could be said that the Tank Police owed its existence to Buaku and his gang of criminals, but at he end of the day, the Tank Police were never his match...
	Annapuma & Unipuma The infamous Puma sisters are probably Dominion's most well known (and sexiest) characters. As Buaku's top hench-women, these two androids can take on an entire team of armed law enforcers, including the Tank Police. Often acts as decoys to divert the police's attention while Buaku executes his master-plan. A fearsome opponent for Leona and her Bonaparte! The Puma sisters are each approximately 182.5cm tall, and how do you tell these identical twins apart you ask? Well, the secret is their ears are different by 0.35mm between them! Honestly, they're not really bad, just sexy tools who need to eat ^_^...
	Greenpeace Crolis Not exactly a character, Crolis is actually more like a walking, breathing plant. Probably a secret experiment wanted badly by the CSDA, Buaku snatched Crolis as part of his masterplan. Loves sunlight (for obvious reasons), Crolis skin is green and she doesn't appear to show any consciousness or other human traits aside from being able to move and formed like a human being.

... And last, but not least, the big-bad Tank, and the mini-bad Tank!

Masamune Shirow's Dominion Published by: Dark Horse Comics / Studio Proteus Translation by Dana Lewis and Toren Smith ISBN 1-56971-160-7 Published in 1993, 1996 (2nd Edition) 184-page B&W Paperback Price: US$14.95 Note by Lucas: There is another chapter of Dominion that I would classify as an extension of this Dominion story. The book I'm talking about is Dominion Phantom of The Audience. However this will be another post at a later time... :)

posted by: Lucas at 04/27/05 20:43 | link | comments | Category: dominion

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