StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops, lit.
, a
1991 Japanese
film
directed by Mamoru Oshii and starring
Shigeru Chiba and Yoshikatsu Fujiki. It is the first
theatrical adaptation of the
Kerberos saga manga
Kerberos Panzer Cop, the second one
being
Jin-Roh (1999).
Kerberos saga
Overview
This film is the second episode of the
Kerberos feature trilogy. It
is preceded by
The Red
Spectacles, released in 1987, and followed by
Jin-Roh premiered in 1999.
However the trilogy's timeline is set backward; this film is the
prequel to
The Red Spectacles and the sequel of
Jin-Roh.
Kerberos
Primarily, the term
Cerberos is a reference
to
Hades' three-headed watchdog in
Greek mythology. It is also used to
designate the Panzer Cops.
Protect-Gear
The Protect Gear is the full body armour used by both the Kerberos
Riot Police, the Metropolitan Police, and the Customs assault
units. Various types are used within the saga.
Tachiguishi
As
tachigui professionals, the
legendary Fast Food Grifters have the privilege to eat in
stand-and-eat street restaurants without paying.
Prequel (1988)
StrayDog is the live action film adaptation and story
extension of the 1988~2000, manga
Kerberos Panzer Cop.
This comic book was illustrated by
Kamui
Fujiwara and written by Mamoru Oshii. In the 1990s, the first
volume was published in North America, Germany and United Kingdom
as
Hellhounds: Panzer Cops.
Story
Chronicles
Kerberos saga historical background and significant dates in both
the real and fictitious History.
Prologue
The film begins with the last stand of the
Kerberos unit. After disobeying an
order to disarm and disband, they have held out for an unspecified
time: talk between the fatigued Kerberos cops suggests that they
might have been stuck there for three days, three months, to three
years. A power amplifier system issues orders for a final stand and
for
Koichi Todome,
Midori Washio, and
Soichiro Toribe to come to the central
building. A Kerberos named
Inui wanders through the halls of the Kerberos headquarters and
then witnesses officer Koichi Todome boarding a helicopter. Angry,
Inui feels betrayed by his master and asks why he's running away
and not fighting until the end like he has ordered to his men. As
the helicopter takes off, the army breach the headquarters.
Plot
Three years later, Inui is released from prison and leave Japan,
while left on parole.
His contact from the mysterious Fugitive
Support Group reported Koichi Todome was exiled in Taipei
, Taiwan
. It
is revealed later that Inui's release was engineered by the
Public Security Force (公安部隊) and that his contact,
Hayashi, is actually an agent of this intelligence service
looking for Koichi who escaped once with the intention of creating
a new Kerberos organization abroad and returning to Tokyo. Inui
picks up on the trail of Koichi after finding
Tang Mie, a
teenage Taiwanese girl that Todome has been involved with. She
tells Inui that Koichi also left her, and the two team up to search
for the Panzer Cop officer. They find Koichi fishing pawns, and
after a brawl, the trio settle down together.
However, the peace is soon broken. Hayashi contacts Inui to propose
him a deal, either Koichi surrender to be extraded and the Japanese
government will be forgiving allowing the young man to remain in
Taiwan with his beloved Tang Mie, either himself and Koichi will be
hunted by the Public Security Force forever. In order to defeat the
Public Security Force platoon, Inui needs Koichi's saved
Protect-Gear and equipment. The two Kerberos fight together and
Inui is the strongest. With his superior's suitcase in hand, Inui
heads toward Hayashi's rendezvous point, an abandoned hotel. Inui
confronts and captures the agent and orders him to help with the
wearing of the Protect-Gear. Armed with Koichi's
MG42 machinegun, Inui stalks the hotel and kills the
Public Security Force squad. However, when killing the squad's
leader in an abandoned Kerberos fortress, he is fatally wounded and
passes away, in the ground, slowly, alone, like a dog...
Epilogue
Soon after Inui has been murdered, Koichi is left alone in Taipan,
he grabs his now empty suitcase and returns to Tokyo. What happens
to him in the capital as he seeks for the friends he once left
there is narrated in
The Red
Spectacles.
Characters
Releases
Audio
The OST
Stray Dog Original Soundtrack is included as a
bonus disc (DVD case) in the North American edition. As a
comparison the bonus CD available in the Japanese release,
Night Show, features the trilogy soundtrack, with 5 tracks
per movie, plus 2 unreleased numbers from
Akai Megane.
- 1991.03.21: StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops
[CD] (Apollon, BCCE-1)
- 11 tracks
- 2003.02.25: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy
[4DVD+1CD+1BOOK] (Bandai Visual / Emotion, BCBJ-1519)
- 5 tracks
- 2003.03.26: Kenji Kawai Cinema Anthology [5CD]
(King Record / Star Child, KICA-9601~4)
- 11 + 1 tracks
- 2003.11.04: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy
[3DVD+1CD] (Bandai Entertainment, 2430)
- 11 tracks
- 2003.11.04: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy
[3DVD+1CD] (Bandai Entertainment, 2430)
- 11 tracks
Video
The LD "upgrade edition" includes a bonus disc featuring one hour
of extra material including the documentary
Dog Days. The
latter was made available in the
Dog Days After bonus disc
available in the Japanese
Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy
boxset. This boxset was released in North America without the
extra, namely a 76 pages book and
Dog Days After.
- 1991.09.25: Keruberosu: Jigoku no Banken [VHS]
(Bandai Visual, BES-567)
- 1991.12.19: StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (upgrade
edition) [2LD] (Bandai Visual / Emotion, BELL-475)
- 2003.02.25: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy
[4DVD+1CD+1BOOK] (Bandai Visual / Emotion, BCBJ-1519)
- 2003.11.04: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy
[3DVD+1CD] (Bandai Entertainment, 2430)
- 2003.11.04: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy
[3DVD+1CD] (Bandai Entertainment, 2430) English
subtitled
- 2003.11.04: StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops
[DVD] (Bandai Entertainment, 2432B) English subtitled
References to other works
Awards
Trivia
- The English version title, "StrayDog Kerberos Panzer
Cops", was already used in the Japanese theatrical poster as
well as in the domestic market VHS back cover, as an alternate
title.
- The video editions cover art uses photography by Haruhiko Higami which was originally created
for, and published as, the Kerberos Panzer Cop 1990 edition
softcover.
Cast
Notes
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
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