Kerberos saga
Encyclopedia
The is a military science fiction
franchise
and alternate history universe created by the Japan
ese writer and filmmaker Mamoru Oshii
in 1986. The saga is centered around the fictitious Tokyo
police Special Armed Garrison which emblem and nickname is Kerberos (a.k.a. Cerberus
), the mythological three-headed watchdog
of hell
. Before it was officially renamed "Kerberos Saga" circa 2004, it was known as the or the .
The franchise is currently owned by Mamoru Oshii and the Barque company; It consists of works based on Oshii's original story spanning in various media including feature film
s, radio drama
s, comic book
s, animation film
s and monograph
s. Licensed products are mainly Special Armed Garrison powered suit
based action figure
s or garage kit
s, called Protect Gears, and Kerberos Saga episodes derived soundtracks, storyboards and guidebooks. Merchandising
includes posters, folding fans, mousepads, statuette bust
s, tee-shirts and even bottles of wine with a dedicated online shop
available on the official website.
in 2006 as part of a new Kerberos Saga project. This new episode was Kerberos Panzer Jäger
a radio drama
series narrating the Protect Gear's roots on the 1940s German-Soviet War
.
2006 was also the opening year for the Kerberos Saga's official website. Kerberos Saga official website owner Raiden (Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Media Bridge Inc.) released a collectible bottle of German wine
, Riesling
through the official online shop.
As a 20th celebration of the Kerberos Panzer Cop
original edition (1990 volume compilation by Nihon Shuppan Sha), the Kerberos Saga's new publisher Gakken
will release a collector boxset Kerberos Panzer Cop a Revision: 20th edition
(犬狼伝説 20周年エディション) . This boxset will feature both volumes from Kerberos Panzer Cop in B5 size original aspect with "digitally refine" graphic arts by Kamui Fujiwara
(original illustrator) a pamphlet and a new Revoltech Yamaguchi Protect Gear figure. Pre-ordering campaign will last from July 26 to the end of August 2009.
On March 2009, a new comic book chapter entitled Kerberos Panzer Cop: Special Issue, was pre-published in Gakken's Kerberos Saga monograph
Kerberos Panzer Cops: Tokyo War. This was released as a sample of the upcoming two-volume Kerberos Panzer Cop "revised edition" to which it will be included.
Secondary and guest appearance
characters introduced by author Mamoru Oshii are taken from his previous works such as culinary art
and rhetoric
masters Tachiguishi ("Fast Food Grifters" in the English adaptation) or Detective Matsui from the Patlabor
franchise.
Members of the saga's core organisation, the Shutokei's Special Armed Garrison, have an animal counterpart which is an allegory
and sometimes a metonymy
. This animal can be a mythological dog such as Cerberus
(the garrison's emblem
) and Laelaps
as in the comic book, or it can be a German dog breed
s as in Kerberos Panzer Cop
and its sequel Kerberos Saga: Rainy Dogs; this comic book series original title means "Dog-Wolf Legend" (犬狼伝説, kenrou densetsu). It can be a Japanese Wolf
(狼, Ookami) as in Jin-Roh ("Man-Wolf" in English) and in Kerberos & Tachiguishi which borrow drama parts to the Little Red Riding Hood
tale. Also it can be a stray dog as in the 1991 eponymous movie.
, Stauffenberg
's then-successful assassination attempt on Hitler, the occupation of Japan by Germany - instead of the United States - called "Weimar Establishment
" (ワイマール体制, weimaru taisei), and the prominent 26 February coup d'état
(a.k.a. "Kerberos Uprising") attempted by the Special Armed Garrison instead of the Imperial Japanese Army
.
area), some episodes happen in foreign cities including Taipei
and Tainan (StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops), Old Havana
(The Killers) and Stalingrad (Kerberos Panzer Jäger).
Among the Tokyo landmarks appearing in the saga are Odaiba
(The Red Spectacles), Shibuya
, the Tokyo International Airport
(Kerberos Panzer Cop Act4), Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department headquarters building
(Kerberos Panzer Cop Act8), the Prime Minister of Japan
's cabinet called Kantei
(Kerberos Panzer Cop Act8) and the University of Tokyo
's Yasuda Auditorium
(Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs Act3).
A recurring location is sewer
, it can be the Tokyo sewer as in Kerberos Panzer Cop (Act 1) and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade or abroad sewer as in Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs (Act 8). In all these works, sewer is the final stage holding the Special Armed Garrison (Kerberos) main character's last fight. In the Greek mythology, the Kerberos (Cerberus
) watchdog guards the gates of the Underworld, called Hades
, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping. Hence the sewer can be regarded as an allegory
of the Underworld
; the original title for the 1991 movie StrayDog is "kerberos: watchdog of jigoku" (ケルベロス 地獄の番犬, keruberosu: jigoku no banken) with jigoku being the realm of the dead in the Japanese mythology
.
.
This mechanical design piece has been really manufactured, in limited quantities though, to appear in The Red Spectacles and StrayDog feature films. Scale models are since produced by toy companies such as Kaiyodo
and Takara Tomy
.
. (illustration by Kamui Fujiwara
, 2000)]]
The term kerberos is a reference to Hades
' three-headed watchdog of hell in the Greek mythology
. This fictitious creature is better known in western countries under its Latin form, Cerberus
, which is the character's name in the Roman mythology
.
Keruberosu (ケルベロス) the Japanese render for "kerberos" first appeared in 1987, in While Waiting For The Red Spectacles.
In Akai Megane, Kerberos is used as a nickname for the Panzer Cop officers trio consisting of Koichi Todome, Midori Washio and Soichiro Toribe. The teammates cooperate as if one, as a metaphor for the three heads of the Cerberus, with each character completing and backing-up his comrades with his own abilities.
The term is also used within the saga as a generic term to designate all Panzer Cops wearing Protect-Gears or Light-Gears. The Kerberos is also the mascot of the Metropolitan Police "Shutokei" (首都警特機隊, Shutokei kidotai) featured in flags, uniforms, equipment and vehicles.
However, the anti-government rioters designate the Panzer Cops with a pejorative term, "watchdog of hell" (地獄の番犬, jigoku no banken) rather than "Kerberos".
The Kerberos emblem designed by Akemi Takada
, first appeared as a backcover artwork in the Japanese VHS release of Akai Megane in 1987. Since then it is featured in most of the saga's works including Kerberos Panzer Cop (1988), StrayDog (1991), Jin-Roh (1999), the CD drama release of While Waiting For The Red Spectacles (2000) and Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs (2005).
The alternate spelling "Cerberos" was used in the Dark Horse Comics edition of Hellhounds (1994).
. In this episode, the Tachiguishi (立喰師) were known as "pro of tachigui" (立喰いのプロ).
series While Waiting For The Red Spectacles
(紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ, Akai megane o machi tsutsu), prior to the theatrical release of the live-action film The Red Spectacles
(紅い眼鏡, Akai megane). A manga series adaptation, Kerberos Panzer Cop
(Kenrou densetsu) started the following year and was compiled as a single volume (Acts 1~4) in 1990.
The following year was released StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (ケルベロス 地獄の番犬, Keruberosu jigoku no banken), the first theatrical adaptation of the manga.
In 1999, the manga series was completed (Acts 5~8) and re-released as two compilation volumes. Few months later was released Jin-Roh
(人狼, Jinrou) the anime adaptation of the first manga. It remains the franchise's most popular work outside Japan until today.
Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters (立喰師外伝, Tachiguishi retsuden), an animation feature spin-off was released in theaters and DVD in 2006.
犬狼傳說, a Chinese version complete volume (Acts 1~8) was available in Malaysia in 2000. A licensed, two volumes, Chinese version of the Japanese 2000 re-edition ("Frozen Version") was issued in Hong Kong
the same year. A similar edition was available in Korean language in South Korea the same year.
A traditional Chinese 2-volume licensed edition was published in Taiwan in 2002.
The English dubbed version of Jin-Roh was released in North America in 2001.
Two years later, the English subtitled version of the 1987 and 1991 live action films was released on DVD.
In 1998, the American Hellhounds: Panzer Cops all-in-one volume was licensed and distributed in the United Kingdom.
The following year Jin-Roh was premiered in France and later released in Germany. It was one year before the Japanese release.
produce Protect-Gear scale models.
In 2004, Killzone
was released in North America, Europe and Oceania. Killzone is a Dutch FPS
video game which its main characters, Helghast, are based on the Kerberos Protect-Gear created by Japanese mechanical designer Yutaka Izubuchi
(it's not clear whether the developers have permission from Izubuchi to use Protect-Gear as basis for the Helghast however). The game was released in Japan in 2005. A sequel was released in 2006 and the game series was extended in a comic book by John Ney Rieber
and Anderson Garcia
. This project was canceled due to Canadian independent publisher Dreamwave Productions
going bankrupt few months before the first volume was issued. Trailer
, an American video game series (1998~2004).
In 2005, Images of the Last Battalion
, an independent short anime directed by a student, Koichi Kishita, was released in Japanese film contests. The following year, the bootleg video was edited and projected as an official trailer at Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos Panzer Jäger
launch party and Kishita joined Production I.G's 3DCG team.
Japanese and Chinese Protect-Gear fans sculpted, modified, or repainted licensed toys. Some of these "custom" items are released as limited edition garage kits available in conventions and import action figure shops and websites.
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
and alternate history universe created by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese writer and filmmaker Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director, and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of popular anime, including Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Ghost in the Shell, and Patlabor 2...
in 1986. The saga is centered around the fictitious Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
police Special Armed Garrison which emblem and nickname is Kerberos (a.k.a. Cerberus
Cerberus
Cerberus , or Kerberos, in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping...
), the mythological three-headed watchdog
Guard dog
A guard dog, an attack dog or watch dog is a dog used to guard against, and watch for, unwanted or unexpected people or animals. The dog is discriminating so that it does not annoy or attack familiar people.-Barking:...
of hell
Hell in Christian beliefs
Christian views on Hell vary, but in general traditionally agree that hell is a place or a state in which the souls of the unsaved suffer the consequences of sin....
. Before it was officially renamed "Kerberos Saga" circa 2004, it was known as the or the .
The franchise is currently owned by Mamoru Oshii and the Barque company; It consists of works based on Oshii's original story spanning in various media including feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s, radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
s, comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, animation film
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
s and monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
s. Licensed products are mainly Special Armed Garrison powered suit
Powered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, or exoframe, is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist...
based action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s or garage kit
Garage kit
A garage kit or resin kit is an assembly scale model kit most commonly cast in polyurethane resin. They are often figures portraying humans or other living creatures. In Japan, kits often depict anime characters, and in the United States depictions of movie monsters are common...
s, called Protect Gears, and Kerberos Saga episodes derived soundtracks, storyboards and guidebooks. Merchandising
Merchandising
Merchandising is the methods, practices, and operations used to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity. In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer...
includes posters, folding fans, mousepads, statuette bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
s, tee-shirts and even bottles of wine with a dedicated online shop
Online shop
Online shopping is the process whereby consumers directly buy goods or services from a seller in real-time, without an intermediary service, over the Internet. It is a form of electronic commerce...
available on the official website.
Kerberos story arc
- 1987 : "While Waiting for the Red SpectaclesWhile Waiting For The Red Spectaclesis a 1987 radio drama written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. The music is composed and performed by Kenji Kawai.It was released in 2000 as a limited CD drama bundled with Kerberos Panzer Cop: Complete Book [Zen] edition.-Kerberos:...
" (紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ), Radio drama - 1987 : The Red SpectaclesThe Red Spectaclesis a 1987 absurdist, surrealist Japanese film directed by Mamoru Oshii, co-written with Kazunori Ito, and starring Shigeru Chiba and Mako Hyodo.This is the first film of the Kerberos saga and last episode in Oshii's Orwellian Watchdog of Hell feature trilogy.-Chronicles:Kerberos saga historical...
(紅い眼鏡), Feature film - 1988 : Kerberos Panzer Cop - Part IKerberos Panzer CopKerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
(犬狼伝説 第一部), Comic book series (Act1~4) - 1990 : Kerberos Panzer Cop: Original EditionKerberos Panzer CopKerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
(犬狼伝説 オリジナル版), Comic book volume (vol.1) - 1991 : StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (ケルベロス 地獄の番犬), Feature film
- 1999 : Kerberos Panzer Cop - Part IIKerberos Panzer CopKerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
(犬狼伝説 第二部), Comic book series (Act5~8) - 1999 : Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (人狼), animated feature film
- 2000 : Kerberos Panzer Cop: ConclusionKerberos Panzer CopKerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
(犬狼伝説 完結篇), Comic book volume (vol.2) - 2003 : "The KillersKerberos Saga Rainy DogsKerberos Saga Rainy Dogs, . Hayashi . .]]Kerberos Koichi Todome chases elite sniper Eito Kurosaki a.k.a. "Afghan Hound" in Asia with a vengeance. During the Kerberos Riot event , Kurosaki betrayed the Special Armed Garrison by letting know Bunmei Muroto about the coup d'état...
" (キラーズ), Comic book short story - 2003 : Kerberos Saga Rainy DogsKerberos Saga Rainy DogsKerberos Saga Rainy Dogs, . Hayashi . .]]Kerberos Koichi Todome chases elite sniper Eito Kurosaki a.k.a. "Afghan Hound" in Asia with a vengeance. During the Kerberos Riot event , Kurosaki betrayed the Special Armed Garrison by letting know Bunmei Muroto about the coup d'état...
(Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕), Comic book series (Act01~08) - 2005 : Kerberos Saga Rainy DogsKerberos Saga Rainy DogsKerberos Saga Rainy Dogs, . Hayashi . .]]Kerberos Koichi Todome chases elite sniper Eito Kurosaki a.k.a. "Afghan Hound" in Asia with a vengeance. During the Kerberos Riot event , Kurosaki betrayed the Special Armed Garrison by letting know Bunmei Muroto about the coup d'état...
(犬狼伝説 紅い足痕), graphic collection (with "The Killers" and the previously unreleased "Act00") - 2006 : "Kerberos Panzer JägerKerberos Panzer JägerKerberos Panzer Jäger is a 2006 radio drama series based on a story written by Japanese filmmaker and novelist Mamoru Oshii...
" (ケルベロス 鋼鉄の猟犬), radio drama - 2006 : Kerberos & TachiguishiKerberos & Tachiguishiis a Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Mamoru Sugiura.- Plot :The story mixes elements of Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos and Tachiguishi lifework...
(ケルベロスＸ立喰師 腹腹時計の少女), Comic book series (Act1~7) - 2007 : Kerberos & TachiguishiKerberos & Tachiguishiis a Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Mamoru Sugiura.- Plot :The story mixes elements of Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos and Tachiguishi lifework...
(ケルベロスＸ立喰師 腹腹時計の少女), Comic book volume - 2009 : Kerberos Panzer Cops: Tokyo War (ケルベロス 東京市街戦 首都警特機隊全記録), Monograph (with Special Issue)
- 2009 : "Kerberos Panzer Cop: Special Issue" (前夜-ケルベロス騒乱異聞), Comic book short story
- 2010 : Kerberos Panzer Cop: A Revision (犬狼伝説 20周年エディション), Graphic collection collecting revised Volume 1 and 2, with Special Issue)
Tachiguishi story arc
- 1984 : Urusei Yatsura: Hisatsu! Tachigui Wars!!Urusei Yatsurais a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
(うる星やつら ~必殺! 立ち食いウォーズ!!~), TV anime series (episode #122) - 1987 : "While Waiting For The Red Spectacles" (紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ), Radio drama
- 2004 : Tachiguishi-RetsudenTachiguishi-Retsudenis a 2006 animation movie directed by Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii, who also wrote the eponymous novel on which the film was based. Both works are part of the "Kerberos saga"...
(立喰師列伝), novel - 2006 : Tachiguishi-RetsudenTachiguishi-Retsudenis a 2006 animation movie directed by Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii, who also wrote the eponymous novel on which the film was based. Both works are part of the "Kerberos saga"...
(立喰師列伝), animated feature adaptation of the novel - 2006 : "Onna Tachiguishi-RetsudenOnna Tachiguishi-RetsudenOnna Tachiguishi-Retsuden taglined Ketsune korokke no Ogin: Paresuchina shitō hen , is a live-action short movie directed by Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii.-Title:...
" (女立喰師外伝 ケツネコロッケのお銀), Short film - 2006 : Kerberos & Tachiguishi (ケルベロスＸ立喰師 腹腹時計の少女), Comic book series (Act1~7)
- 2007 : Kerberos & Tachiguishi(ケルベロスＸ立喰師 腹腹時計の少女), graphic collection
- 2007: "Shin-Onna Tachiguishi RetsudenShin-Onna Tachiguishi Retsudenis the sequel to Onna Tachiguishi-Retsuden consisting of six loosely connected short stories. It was released in Japanese theaters November 10, 2007 and its expected DVD release date is April 23, 2008.-Production:...
" (真女立喰師列伝), Short film
20th Anniversaries
In order to celebrate The Red Spectacles 20-year anniversary (actually the movie's 1986 production since the theatrical release is February 1987), a new Protect Gear armour (Type 34 "Wolfpelz") was designed by Jun SuemiJun Suemi
Jun Suemi is a Japanese illustrator, born in Ōita, Ōita, Japan.-Illustration works:He has provided artwork, including monster design and graphic design, for various video games, fantasy and science-fiction books, the Guin Saga novel series written by Kaoru Kurimoto and the Kerberos Panzer Jäger...
in 2006 as part of a new Kerberos Saga project. This new episode was Kerberos Panzer Jäger
Kerberos Panzer Jäger
Kerberos Panzer Jäger is a 2006 radio drama series based on a story written by Japanese filmmaker and novelist Mamoru Oshii...
a radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
series narrating the Protect Gear's roots on the 1940s German-Soviet War
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
.
2006 was also the opening year for the Kerberos Saga's official website. Kerberos Saga official website owner Raiden (Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Media Bridge Inc.) released a collectible bottle of German wine
German wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions ...
, Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
through the official online shop.
As a 20th celebration of the Kerberos Panzer Cop
Kerberos Panzer Cop
Kerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
original edition (1990 volume compilation by Nihon Shuppan Sha), the Kerberos Saga's new publisher Gakken
Gakken
is a Japanese publishing company founded in 1947 by Hideto Furuoka, which also produces educational toys. Their annual sales is reported at ¥ 821 billion ....
will release a collector boxset Kerberos Panzer Cop a Revision: 20th edition
Kerberos Panzer Cop
Kerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
(犬狼伝説 20周年エディション) . This boxset will feature both volumes from Kerberos Panzer Cop in B5 size original aspect with "digitally refine" graphic arts by Kamui Fujiwara
Kamui Fujiwara
is a Japanese character designer and manga artist. Fujiwara's father was a soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He excelled in mathematics and computer science when in grade school. He graduated from the Kuwasawa Design School, which is attached to Tokyo Zokei University...
(original illustrator) a pamphlet and a new Revoltech Yamaguchi Protect Gear figure. Pre-ordering campaign will last from July 26 to the end of August 2009.
On March 2009, a new comic book chapter entitled Kerberos Panzer Cop: Special Issue, was pre-published in Gakken's Kerberos Saga monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
Kerberos Panzer Cops: Tokyo War. This was released as a sample of the upcoming two-volume Kerberos Panzer Cop "revised edition" to which it will be included.
Characters & organizations
As a military science fiction work the Kerberos Saga's main characters are members of rival military and police services, namely the Shutokei (a.k.a. the "Capital Police" in the English language adaptation), the Self-Police ("Local Police" in the English adaptation) and the JSDF. However, these conflictual forces have a common foe, Anti-government organizations and terrorists such as The Sect and its factions.Secondary and guest appearance
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
characters introduced by author Mamoru Oshii are taken from his previous works such as culinary art
Culinary art
Culinary art is the art of preparing and cooking foods. The word "culinary" is defined as something related to, or connected with, cooking. A culinarion is a person working in the culinary arts. A culinarian working in restaurants is commonly known as a cook or a chef. Culinary artists are...
and rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
masters Tachiguishi ("Fast Food Grifters" in the English adaptation) or Detective Matsui from the Patlabor
Patlabor
Patlabor also known as , is an anime and manga franchise created by Headgear, a group consisting of director Mamoru Oshii, writer Kazunori Itō, mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, character designer Akemi Takada, and manga artist Masami Yūki.The popular franchise included a manga, a TV series, two OVA...
franchise.
Members of the saga's core organisation, the Shutokei's Special Armed Garrison, have an animal counterpart which is an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
and sometimes a metonymy
Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept...
. This animal can be a mythological dog such as Cerberus
Cerberus
Cerberus , or Kerberos, in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping...
(the garrison's emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
) and Laelaps
Laelaps (mythology)
Laelaps was a Greek mythological dog who never failed to catch what he was hunting. In one version of Laelaps' origin, he was a gift from Zeus to Europa. The hound was passed down to King Minos. Minos had been cursed by his wife; he ejaculated scorpions and spiders that would devour the genitals...
as in the comic book, or it can be a German dog breed
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
s as in Kerberos Panzer Cop
Kerberos Panzer Cop
Kerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
and its sequel Kerberos Saga: Rainy Dogs; this comic book series original title means "Dog-Wolf Legend" (犬狼伝説, kenrou densetsu). It can be a Japanese Wolf
Honshu Wolf
The Honshū Wolf, known in Japan as the , , or simply , is one of the two extinct subspecies of the Gray Wolf once endemic to the islands of Japan. The Honshū Wolf occupied the islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū in Japan. The other subspecies is the Hokkaidō Wolf, native to the island of Hokkaidō...
(狼, Ookami) as in Jin-Roh ("Man-Wolf" in English) and in Kerberos & Tachiguishi which borrow drama parts to the Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
tale. Also it can be a stray dog as in the 1991 eponymous movie.
Timeline
The Kerberos Saga is based upon an alternate history with key events called "incidents" (事件, jiken). Altered historical events turned into fiction include the Germany-won battle of StalingradBattle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
, Stauffenberg
Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...
's then-successful assassination attempt on Hitler, the occupation of Japan by Germany - instead of the United States - called "Weimar Establishment
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
" (ワイマール体制, weimaru taisei), and the prominent 26 February coup d'état
February 26 Incident
The was an attempted coup d'état in Japan, from February 26 to 29, 1936 carried out by 1,483 troops of the Imperial Japanese Army. Several leading politicians were killed and the center of Tokyo was briefly occupied by the rebelling troops...
(a.k.a. "Kerberos Uprising") attempted by the Special Armed Garrison instead of the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
.
Main locations
Although the saga's plot is mainly located in the Japanese capital (as the Special Armed Garrison jurisdiction is limited to the TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
area), some episodes happen in foreign cities including Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
and Tainan (StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops), Old Havana
Old Havana
Old Havana contains the core of the original city of Havana. The positions of the original Havana city walls are the modern boundaries of Old Havana....
(The Killers) and Stalingrad (Kerberos Panzer Jäger).
Among the Tokyo landmarks appearing in the saga are Odaiba
Odaiba
is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential...
(The Red Spectacles), Shibuya
Shibuya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....
, the Tokyo International Airport
Tokyo International Airport
, commonly known as , is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, south of Tokyo Station....
(Kerberos Panzer Cop Act4), Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department headquarters building
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department serves as the police force for the entire Tokyo metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a superintendent general, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission and approved by the prime minister.The Metropolitan Police, with a staff of more...
(Kerberos Panzer Cop Act8), the Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
's cabinet called Kantei
Kantei
The is the principal workplace of the Prime Minister of Japan.- About :Located at 2-3-1 Nagata-chō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8968, it is diagonally adjacent to the National Diet Building. The new residence went into service in April 2002 and replaced the former residence, built in 1929. The former...
(Kerberos Panzer Cop Act8) and the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
's Yasuda Auditorium
University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus
Being one of the five campuses of University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus is home to the department of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences, and a number of advanced research facilities and campus services. It’s the...
(Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs Act3).
A recurring location is sewer
Sewerage
Sewerage refers to the infrastructure that conveys sewage. It encompasses receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, screening chambers, etc. of the sanitary sewer...
, it can be the Tokyo sewer as in Kerberos Panzer Cop (Act 1) and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade or abroad sewer as in Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs (Act 8). In all these works, sewer is the final stage holding the Special Armed Garrison (Kerberos) main character's last fight. In the Greek mythology, the Kerberos (Cerberus
Cerberus
Cerberus , or Kerberos, in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping...
) watchdog guards the gates of the Underworld, called Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping. Hence the sewer can be regarded as an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
of the Underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
; the original title for the 1991 movie StrayDog is "kerberos: watchdog of jigoku" (ケルベロス 地獄の番犬, keruberosu: jigoku no banken) with jigoku being the realm of the dead in the Japanese mythology
Japanese mythology
Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...
.
Protect Gear
Protect Gear has become a generic term to designate all full body armours used by the police and military special assault units in the Kerberos Saga. Actually, "Protect Gear" is the name of the Special Armed Garrison's specific Kampfküriss Typ 92 (92式特殊強化装甲服) designed in 1986 by Yutaka IzubuchiYutaka Izubuchi
is a Japanese anime designer and director. Izubuchi is credited for designing costumes, characters and creatures, but most of his designs are mechanical...
.
This mechanical design piece has been really manufactured, in limited quantities though, to appear in The Red Spectacles and StrayDog feature films. Scale models are since produced by toy companies such as Kaiyodo
Kaiyodo
thumb|320px|Kaiyodo Figure Museum Kurokabe is a Japanese company dedicated to figurines and garage kits. Its headquarters is in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. While the company mostly focuses on anime related characters, it recently has acquired other licenses, e.g...
and Takara Tomy
Takara Tomy
is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
.
Kerberos
SoichiroKerberos saga characters
This is a character guide to the radio drama, film, manga and anime works Kerberos saga . Characters are sorted by organizations or groups according to the original works...
. (illustration by Kamui Fujiwara
Kamui Fujiwara
is a Japanese character designer and manga artist. Fujiwara's father was a soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He excelled in mathematics and computer science when in grade school. He graduated from the Kuwasawa Design School, which is attached to Tokyo Zokei University...
, 2000)]]
The term kerberos is a reference to Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
' three-headed watchdog of hell in the Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. This fictitious creature is better known in western countries under its Latin form, Cerberus
Cerberus
Cerberus , or Kerberos, in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping...
, which is the character's name in the Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
.
Keruberosu (ケルベロス) the Japanese render for "kerberos" first appeared in 1987, in While Waiting For The Red Spectacles.
In Akai Megane, Kerberos is used as a nickname for the Panzer Cop officers trio consisting of Koichi Todome, Midori Washio and Soichiro Toribe. The teammates cooperate as if one, as a metaphor for the three heads of the Cerberus, with each character completing and backing-up his comrades with his own abilities.
The term is also used within the saga as a generic term to designate all Panzer Cops wearing Protect-Gears or Light-Gears. The Kerberos is also the mascot of the Metropolitan Police "Shutokei" (首都警特機隊, Shutokei kidotai) featured in flags, uniforms, equipment and vehicles.
However, the anti-government rioters designate the Panzer Cops with a pejorative term, "watchdog of hell" (地獄の番犬, jigoku no banken) rather than "Kerberos".
The Kerberos emblem designed by Akemi Takada
Akemi Takada
is a Japanese manga artist born on March 31, 1955 in Tokyo, Japan. She is a popular anime character designer, noted for her long collaboration with director Mamoru Oshii. She graduated from Tama Art University, after which she worked for Tatsunoko Pro. She is currently a freelance manga artist with...
, first appeared as a backcover artwork in the Japanese VHS release of Akai Megane in 1987. Since then it is featured in most of the saga's works including Kerberos Panzer Cop (1988), StrayDog (1991), Jin-Roh (1999), the CD drama release of While Waiting For The Red Spectacles (2000) and Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs (2005).
The alternate spelling "Cerberos" was used in the Dark Horse Comics edition of Hellhounds (1994).
Tachiguishi
As tachigui professionals, the legendary Fast Food Grifters have the privilege to eat in stand-and-eat street restaurants without paying. The Fast Food Grifters first appeared in the episode #122 (February 8, 1984) of the TV anime series Urusei YatsuraUrusei Yatsura
is a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
. In this episode, the Tachiguishi (立喰師) were known as "pro of tachigui" (立喰いのプロ).
Glossary
- Jãger: German word for "hunter". PanzerjägerPanzerjägerPanzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
was also used during World War II to designate armoured anti-tank vehicles armed with anti-tank cannon and MG34 machinegun. - Jigoku no banken (地獄の番犬): Japanese for the "watchdog of Hell" aka Cerberus.
- Kerberos (ケルベロス, keruberosu): Greek word for CerberusCerberusCerberus , or Kerberos, in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping...
(Latin), the hellhound of HadesHadesHades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
in the Greek mythologyGreek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. - Tachigui (立ち食い): Japanese term for stand-and-eat street bars and restaurants.
- Tachiguishi (立喰師): Japanese for "Fast food grifters".
- Panzer: German word (from the French pancierPanzerA Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
) for "armored" from World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. - Protect-Gear (プロテクトギア, purotekuto gia): The full body armor used by the Kerberos Panzer CopKerberos Panzer CopKerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
s and Kerberos Panzer JägerKerberos Panzer JägerKerberos Panzer Jäger is a 2006 radio drama series based on a story written by Japanese filmmaker and novelist Mamoru Oshii...
s. - Weimar Republic (ワイマール体制, waimāru taisei): The Weimar RepublicWeimar RepublicThe Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
ruled Germany from 1919 until 1933. This term appears in Kerberos Panzer Cop (Act 4, Chapter 1) and Kerberos Panzer Jäger. The term was translated as "Weimar Establishment" in the English version of Hellhounds and was censored (removed) in the Korean version of Kerberos Panzer Cop.
Japanese releases
The saga started in January 1987 with the Japanese broadcast of the radio dramaRadio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
series While Waiting For The Red Spectacles
While Waiting For The Red Spectacles
is a 1987 radio drama written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. The music is composed and performed by Kenji Kawai.It was released in 2000 as a limited CD drama bundled with Kerberos Panzer Cop: Complete Book [Zen] edition.-Kerberos:...
(紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ, Akai megane o machi tsutsu), prior to the theatrical release of the live-action film The Red Spectacles
The Red Spectacles
is a 1987 absurdist, surrealist Japanese film directed by Mamoru Oshii, co-written with Kazunori Ito, and starring Shigeru Chiba and Mako Hyodo.This is the first film of the Kerberos saga and last episode in Oshii's Orwellian Watchdog of Hell feature trilogy.-Chronicles:Kerberos saga historical...
(紅い眼鏡, Akai megane). A manga series adaptation, Kerberos Panzer Cop
Kerberos Panzer Cop
Kerberos Panzer Cop, also known as Kerberos Panzer Cops literally , is a 1988 to 2000 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara with mechanical design by Yutaka Izubuchi. This comic series tales events prior to those portrayed in Oshii's 1987 live-action feature...
(Kenrou densetsu) started the following year and was compiled as a single volume (Acts 1~4) in 1990.
The following year was released StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (ケルベロス 地獄の番犬, Keruberosu jigoku no banken), the first theatrical adaptation of the manga.
In 1999, the manga series was completed (Acts 5~8) and re-released as two compilation volumes. Few months later was released Jin-Roh
Jin-Roh
is a 1999 Japanese animated feature film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura. The film is the third adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos saga manga, Ken-Roh Densetsu, after The Red Spectacles released in 1987 and StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops released in 1991 in Japanese theaters.The film takes place in...
(人狼, Jinrou) the anime adaptation of the first manga. It remains the franchise's most popular work outside Japan until today.
Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters (立喰師外伝, Tachiguishi retsuden), an animation feature spin-off was released in theaters and DVD in 2006.
Asian releases
Kerclros Panzer Cop 犬狼伝説, an unlicensed Chinese version of the 1990 manga volume was published in Taiwan in the early 1990s.犬狼傳說, a Chinese version complete volume (Acts 1~8) was available in Malaysia in 2000. A licensed, two volumes, Chinese version of the Japanese 2000 re-edition ("Frozen Version") was issued in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
the same year. A similar edition was available in Korean language in South Korea the same year.
A traditional Chinese 2-volume licensed edition was published in Taiwan in 2002.
North American releases
A six issues English adaptation of the first manga volume was published in 1994, in the United States and Canada as Hellhounds: Panzer Cops. A compilation volume edition was published in 1997.The English dubbed version of Jin-Roh was released in North America in 2001.
Two years later, the English subtitled version of the 1987 and 1991 live action films was released on DVD.
European releases
Hellhounds: Panzer Cops, the English adaptation of the first manga volume, was translated in German and serialized in a German book from 1996 to 1997.In 1998, the American Hellhounds: Panzer Cops all-in-one volume was licensed and distributed in the United Kingdom.
The following year Jin-Roh was premiered in France and later released in Germany. It was one year before the Japanese release.
Toy lines
With each new episode release, Japanese toys and model kits manufacturers such as Kaiyodo, Medicom or TakaraTakara
Takara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
produce Protect-Gear scale models.
'Killzone' video game
Killzone
Killzone is a first-person shooter exclusive to the PlayStation 2 game console, developed by Netherlands-based Guerrilla Games and released on November 2, 2004 in North America. A sequel, Killzone: Liberation was released on the PlayStation Portable and another followup, Killzone 2 was released for...
was released in North America, Europe and Oceania. Killzone is a Dutch FPS
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game which its main characters, Helghast, are based on the Kerberos Protect-Gear created by Japanese mechanical designer Yutaka Izubuchi
Yutaka Izubuchi
is a Japanese anime designer and director. Izubuchi is credited for designing costumes, characters and creatures, but most of his designs are mechanical...
(it's not clear whether the developers have permission from Izubuchi to use Protect-Gear as basis for the Helghast however). The game was released in Japan in 2005. A sequel was released in 2006 and the game series was extended in a comic book by John Ney Rieber
John Ney Rieber
John Ney Rieber is an American comic book writer. He has been writing for the comics The Books of Magic, Captain America, G.I. Joe and Tomb Raider.-Bibliography:Comics work includes:*Shadows Fall Issues #1-6...
and Anderson Garcia
Anderson García
Anderson Garcia is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent....
. This project was canceled due to Canadian independent publisher Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996 and is best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series...
going bankrupt few months before the first volume was issued. Trailer
Fan works
After the North American release of Jin-Roh, various Kerberos Protect-Gear skins were created by fans to be used in the popular Counter Strike FPSFirst-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
, an American video game series (1998~2004).
In 2005, Images of the Last Battalion
Images of the Last Battalion
Images of the Last Battalion is a 2"29, black and white, Retro-fiction 3DCG/Animation short film directed by Koichi Kishita in 2005, then he was student at the Digital Hollywood graduate school of Tokyo...
, an independent short anime directed by a student, Koichi Kishita, was released in Japanese film contests. The following year, the bootleg video was edited and projected as an official trailer at Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos Panzer Jäger
Kerberos Panzer Jäger
Kerberos Panzer Jäger is a 2006 radio drama series based on a story written by Japanese filmmaker and novelist Mamoru Oshii...
launch party and Kishita joined Production I.G's 3DCG team.
Japanese and Chinese Protect-Gear fans sculpted, modified, or repainted licensed toys. Some of these "custom" items are released as limited edition garage kits available in conventions and import action figure shops and websites.
Sources
- Kerberos saga official website (Japanese)
- Kerberos saga at the Hobby JapanHobby JapanHobbyJAPAN CO. is a Japanese hobby magazine and publishing company, specializing in roleplaying, war, and tabletop games, as well as action figures, toys, and artbooks for successful anime, manga and light novel franchises.- Role-playing games :...
website (Japanese) - Production I.G official English website (English)
- Kenji Kawai official English website (English)
- GA Graphic official website (Japanese)
- Monthly Comic Ryu official website (Japanese)
- Production I.G Special Site (Japanese)
- Kerberos Panzer Jäger official website (Japanese)
- Kerberos Panzer Jäger@Raiden Kinema channel 2 (Japanese)
- Kerberos Panzer Jäger@Raiden Kinema channel 9 (Japanese)
- Mamoru Oshii's official website (Japanese)
- Kenji Kawai's official website (Japanese/English)
- JOQR Radio (Japanese)
- Images of the Last Battalion@Digital Frontier Grand Prix 2005 (Japanese)
- Axis Animation (English)
- Watch Impress (Japanese)
- Jin-Roh DTS Edition booklet, Bandai Visual (Japanese)
- Jin-Roh Maniaxx, Kadokawa Shoten, ISBN 4-04-853219-7 (Japanese)
- Kenrou Densetsu, Nihon Shuppansha, ISBN 4-89048-271-7 (Japanese)
- Kenrou Densetsu Fukyoban, Nihon Shuppansha, ISBN 4-89048-402-7 (Japanese)
External links
- Kerberos saga official website (Japanese)
- Kerberos saga official shop (Japanese)