AD Police: To Serve and Protect
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese animated television series set in the Bubblegum Crisis
universe.
A.D. Police began as a three-part OVA series seen as a prequel to the Bubblegum series that was called A.D. Police Files released in 1990. Nine years later the production team decided to use the world view/ background of the original A.D. Police and fleshed it out a bit more, making an animated series consisting of 12 30-minute episodes. By updating the storyline as well as adding more updated elements of reality that have to do with the coming of the new millennium, the makers of the new A.D. Police series sought to create a series that surpassed its predecessor.
In the not-too-distant future VOOMERS (VOodoo Organic Metal Extension Resource), robots manufactured by the Genom Corporation, take care of most of the manual labor in Genom City. Recently the VOOMERS have been malfunctioning and becoming BOOMERS, crazed robots who are often involved in many violent and criminal activities. This is when the A.D. Police comes into play. They are Genom City's anti-robot crime division, specially trained to deal with VOOMER-related situations. Kenji Sasaki is one of the A.D. Police's most skilled officers. His biggest problem is that he doesn't follow orders and his partners either end up getting killed or seriously injured. Enter Hans Kleif, Kenji's newest partner and an amnesiac who was recently transferred to Genom City. Together the two must overcome their differences, fight their past demons, and come together to ensure that Genom City survives the onslaught of the BOOMERS.
A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve is available in North America in a 2-disc special edition DVD from ADV Films. The original series is on DVD from Animeigo.
Throughout the series Kenji, Hans, and the rest of the A.D. Police Force find themselves pitted against Liam Fletcher, the series' main antagonist and a leading figure in the Packer Syndicate. The series features different members of the police force responding to BOOMER-related situations and growing closer, not only as a unit of police officers, but as a group of friends. The series places an extremely heavy emphasis on the growing relationship between Kenji and Hans although others, such as the romantic connection between Kenji and Kyouko, also play an important role.
Kenji is a lone wolf who refuses to work alongside anyone, believing that he can do anything on his own. Recognized among the A.D. Police force due to his superior vision and reflexes, his only major falling is his tendency to put his partners into unnecessary danger. He is the strong and quiet type but begins to open up gradually thanks to his girlfriend, Kyoko, and his partner, Hans.
Hans Kleif
After an accident in which a piece of shrapnel gets embedded in his brain, Hans loses all memories of his past. He was transferred from the regular police force in Germany and joins the A.D. Police as the resident rookie. His great sense of humor and friendly attitude make him much easier to get along with than Kenji, and it comes as no surprise that the two do not get along well when they first meet. Slowly but surely Hans gets adapted to this new life, but he still worries about the memories he lost.
Hideaki Kurata
Kurata is a man who refuses to leave the frontlines of the war against the BOOMERS. He has had many chances for promotion but has always refused the jobs that would take him away from the action. He cares for his crew members, and refuses to leave their side. His love with his ex-girlfriend, Nancy, also makes it harder for him to leave his job.
Nancy Wilson
Nancy is a beautiful and assertive New York native. She used to date Kurata, but the couple broke up and Nancy married another. She is recently divorced and her responsibilities as the Section Manager often seem to supersede those of a mother. Because of her busy work life, Nancy's four-year-old daughter is often left under the care of Nancy's sister.
Jose Collins
Jose was born into the family of a rich banker, but his entire family was killed in a terrorist bombing. Because of this experience he decided to become a bomb disposal expert. The only member of the A.D. Police to marry and have a child, Jose has vowed to defend his new family at all costs.
Karen Jordan
Karen is the crew's expert in long-distance shooting. She is half African-American and Japanese. Her father abandoned her and her mother when Karen was still young, creating a wound that would fester into a deep hatred of men. However, that hatred begins to alleviate due to her friendship with the other members of the A.D. Police.
Mary Malon
Mary was a member of the New York Police Department before joining the A.D. Police Force. She is highly skilled and is considered to have an obsession with guns. She also enjoys behaving like the senior officer around Hans since he is the crew's newest member.
Kyouko Miyano
Kyouko is Kenji's girlfriend, and the two met when Kenji saved her from an attacking BOOMER. Kenji keeps his relationship a secret since he doesn't want to appear weak in front of the other members of his crew. It is only around Kyouko that Kenji's emotions come to the surface. She usually plays her violin for him after he is finished solving difficult cases since it brings him some measure of peace.
Bubblegum Crisis
is a Japanese cyberpunk direct-to-video animated series. It displays strong influences from Blade Runner, also making occasional references to it.- Setting :...
universe.
A.D. Police began as a three-part OVA series seen as a prequel to the Bubblegum series that was called A.D. Police Files released in 1990. Nine years later the production team decided to use the world view/ background of the original A.D. Police and fleshed it out a bit more, making an animated series consisting of 12 30-minute episodes. By updating the storyline as well as adding more updated elements of reality that have to do with the coming of the new millennium, the makers of the new A.D. Police series sought to create a series that surpassed its predecessor.
In the not-too-distant future VOOMERS (VOodoo Organic Metal Extension Resource), robots manufactured by the Genom Corporation, take care of most of the manual labor in Genom City. Recently the VOOMERS have been malfunctioning and becoming BOOMERS, crazed robots who are often involved in many violent and criminal activities. This is when the A.D. Police comes into play. They are Genom City's anti-robot crime division, specially trained to deal with VOOMER-related situations. Kenji Sasaki is one of the A.D. Police's most skilled officers. His biggest problem is that he doesn't follow orders and his partners either end up getting killed or seriously injured. Enter Hans Kleif, Kenji's newest partner and an amnesiac who was recently transferred to Genom City. Together the two must overcome their differences, fight their past demons, and come together to ensure that Genom City survives the onslaught of the BOOMERS.
A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve is available in North America in a 2-disc special edition DVD from ADV Films. The original series is on DVD from Animeigo.
Background
In 1999 Tokyo was ravaged by an enormous earthquake, leaving the city a desolate wasteland. The government functions relocated to the surrounding suburbs, leaving the former capital to deteriorate into a slum. Reconstruction of the area was thought impossible until a company named Genom, a corporation that made humanoid machines called VOOMERS, began to implement a plan to rebuild Tokyo in 2005. Tokyo has been reborn as "Genom City", a metropolis completely under the control of Genom. This resurrection did not come without a price, as overdrive accidents concerning illegal VOOMERS produced by "Packer Syndicate" have been on the rise.Plot
The story is based around the lives of Sasaki Kenji and Hans Kleif, two young A.D. Police Detectives who find themselves forging a bond after being forced to work together in order to stop the rogue VOOMERS from turning Genom City back into an urban wasteland. Kenji is a loner who is known for his lack of teamwork. It is this attitude that causes many of his previous partners to be injured or even killed. His latest partner, Paul, was heavily injured during their last mission together and it is said that nobody is willing to work with Kenji. He goes to his favorite bar and has a fight with a man named Hans. When he goes to his office the next morning, he is informed that Hans is actually his new partner.Throughout the series Kenji, Hans, and the rest of the A.D. Police Force find themselves pitted against Liam Fletcher, the series' main antagonist and a leading figure in the Packer Syndicate. The series features different members of the police force responding to BOOMER-related situations and growing closer, not only as a unit of police officers, but as a group of friends. The series places an extremely heavy emphasis on the growing relationship between Kenji and Hans although others, such as the romantic connection between Kenji and Kyouko, also play an important role.
Characters
Sasaki KenjiKenji is a lone wolf who refuses to work alongside anyone, believing that he can do anything on his own. Recognized among the A.D. Police force due to his superior vision and reflexes, his only major falling is his tendency to put his partners into unnecessary danger. He is the strong and quiet type but begins to open up gradually thanks to his girlfriend, Kyoko, and his partner, Hans.
Hans Kleif
After an accident in which a piece of shrapnel gets embedded in his brain, Hans loses all memories of his past. He was transferred from the regular police force in Germany and joins the A.D. Police as the resident rookie. His great sense of humor and friendly attitude make him much easier to get along with than Kenji, and it comes as no surprise that the two do not get along well when they first meet. Slowly but surely Hans gets adapted to this new life, but he still worries about the memories he lost.
Hideaki Kurata
Kurata is a man who refuses to leave the frontlines of the war against the BOOMERS. He has had many chances for promotion but has always refused the jobs that would take him away from the action. He cares for his crew members, and refuses to leave their side. His love with his ex-girlfriend, Nancy, also makes it harder for him to leave his job.
Nancy Wilson
Nancy is a beautiful and assertive New York native. She used to date Kurata, but the couple broke up and Nancy married another. She is recently divorced and her responsibilities as the Section Manager often seem to supersede those of a mother. Because of her busy work life, Nancy's four-year-old daughter is often left under the care of Nancy's sister.
Jose Collins
Jose was born into the family of a rich banker, but his entire family was killed in a terrorist bombing. Because of this experience he decided to become a bomb disposal expert. The only member of the A.D. Police to marry and have a child, Jose has vowed to defend his new family at all costs.
Karen Jordan
Karen is the crew's expert in long-distance shooting. She is half African-American and Japanese. Her father abandoned her and her mother when Karen was still young, creating a wound that would fester into a deep hatred of men. However, that hatred begins to alleviate due to her friendship with the other members of the A.D. Police.
Mary Malon
Mary was a member of the New York Police Department before joining the A.D. Police Force. She is highly skilled and is considered to have an obsession with guns. She also enjoys behaving like the senior officer around Hans since he is the crew's newest member.
Kyouko Miyano
Kyouko is Kenji's girlfriend, and the two met when Kenji saved her from an attacking BOOMER. Kenji keeps his relationship a secret since he doesn't want to appear weak in front of the other members of his crew. It is only around Kyouko that Kenji's emotions come to the surface. She usually plays her violin for him after he is finished solving difficult cases since it brings him some measure of peace.
English cast
- C. Markham Anderson (Jose Collins)
- Christine M. Auten (Karen Jordan)
- Victor Carsrud (Bad Guy A, Additional Voices)
- Emily CarterEmily CarterEmily Carter is an American writer. She has been married to ex-punk rock guitarist Johnnie Sage Ammentorp since 1999...
(Mary Malone) - Juliet CesarioJuliet CesarioJuliet Cesario is an American actress, well known for her voice work in anime, notably the series' You're Under Arrest, Oh! My Goddess as Belldandy, and the 2009 release of Clamp School Detectives...
(Iris/Ilia) - Kevin Charles (Additional Voices )
- Kaytha CokerKaytha CokerKaytha Coker is an American voice actress. She is known for dub voice work for ADV Films and Seraphim Digital.-Notable voice roles:*A.D. Police - Nancy Wilson*All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku - Arisa...
(Nancy Wilson) - Kelli CousinsKelli Cousins-Major anime roles:*Chance! Pop Sessions as Akari Mizushima*Diamond Daydreams as Akari Harada*Excel Saga as Ropponmatsu 1*Full Metal Panic! as Seina*Kino's Journey as Kino*Martian Successor Nadesico as Harumi Tanaka...
(Additional Voices) - Randy SparksRandy SparksRandy Sparks is a musician, singer-songwriter and founder of The New Christy Minstrels and The Back Porch Majority. Prior to that, in the late 1950s he had a solo career and released two albums under the Verve label, a self-titled album in 1958 and Walking the Low Road in 1959...
(Kenji Sasaki) - Rozie CurtisRozie CurtisRozanne Damone Curtis is an American actress, choreographer, director, producer, writer and voice actress. She is mostly known for doing voiceovers in English dubs for Japanese anime and works with ADV Films and Seraphim Digital. Currently, she is the manager of community outreach for Theatre Under...
(Koram) - Jason DouglasJason DouglasJason Douglas is an American stage and film actor who is gaining increasing visibility of late by breaking into mainstream film and television work. He is also a known anime voice actor who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000.-Anime Voices:* A.D...
(Hans Kleif) - Tiffany GrantTiffany GrantTiffany Lynn Grant is an American voice actress and script writer who is known for her English-dubbing work with the former ADV Films on such anime films and television series as Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which she voiced the character Asuka Langley Soryu...
(PA Voice, Additional Voices)
Japanese Cast
- Susumu ChibaSusumu Chiba, born September 13, 1970, is a seiyū . He is contracted under the Office Osawa Co. LTD. One of his best known roles is as Fujiwara-no-Sai from the anime Hikaru no Go. Also called as Chibashinpo or PUROGURESU.-Anime:*07-Ghost '*A.D...
(Kenji Sasaki) - Takumi YamazakiTakumi Yamazakiis a Japanese voice actor.-Anime/OVA:* Wiseman and Harald Hoerwick in .hack* Naobi/Yata in .hack//Roots* Doctor West in Demonbane* Hanemaru in Flame of Recca* Joe Hayakawa in Final Fantasy: Unlimited* Bansai Kawakami in Gintama* George de Sand in G Gundam...
(Hans Kleif) - Yukari NozawaYukari Nozawa' is a Japanese actress and voice actress who is affiliated with Seinenza Theater Company.-TV Anime:*A Spirit of the Sun *AD Police *Master Keaton *Scrapped Princess *Seven of Seven...
(Nancy Wilson) - Koji IshiiKoji Ishiiis a Japanese voice actor currently affiliated with Vi-Vo.-Notable voice roles:*Chief Koutarou Taiga in The King of Braves GaoGaiGar and The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL*Kimura-sensei in Azumanga Daioh*Jose Collins in A.D...
(Jose Collins) - Chiharu TezukaChiharu Tezukais a Japanese voice actor who works for Arts Vision.-Anime:*Karen Jordan in AD Police*Johnny in Beyblade*Marimo Marino in Crush Gear Turbo*Lasagna in Groove Adventure Rave*Yoshiharu Amachi in Let's Dance With Papa*Yumi/Mrs...
(Karen Jordan) - Takako Kodama (Mary Malone)
External links
- A.D. Police: AIC's official website
- A.D. Police: Anime International
- A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve review at DVDTown.com