Dominion Tank Police

I stumbled across this (Act-I) by pure dumb luck and this was more than a decade ago. This was'nt even what the cover label on the tape mentioned. It amazed me. It intimidated me. It shocked me. I eventually forgot about and almost a decade later, I happened to think about it again. Then went and bought both acts. They were even better than I had experienced at first.

My only complaint is that while the Tank Police keep on going on and on about being at war with crime, warranting tanks and heavy artillery, it would seem as though they are really having a hard time with criminals. That is either never shown or is simply a lie as they appear to be taking it easy most of the time. If that bit about being in a state of war was really propaganda, it certainly has not been shown as such.

I don't think the original Japanese version could have been any where as good as the Americanized version of this. But regarding the story, there has certainly been some proper explanations lost in translation but it can be excused.

I remember owning this 1988-1989 Anime mini-series on VHS tape back in the day. And I remember it fondly, and I watched it quite a lot back then. So needless to say that when I had the opportunity to sit down here in 2023 to watch it again digitally, of course I jumped at the chance to do so.

The storyline in "Dominion", which was released as "Dominion: Tank Police" here in Europe, was and still is a good one. Writer Koichi Mashimo did a good job in constructing an entertaining and enjoyable storyline for the four episodes this mini-series ran for. Now, I haven't read Masamune Shirow's Manga, so I don't know how true writer Koichi Mashimo was to the source material.

I only have had the opportunity to sit through Englished dubbed versions of "Dominion", both back in the late 1980s and again here in 2023. A shame really, because I prefer to watch things in their original language. With that being said, I also have to claim that the English dubbing in "Dominion" actually is good. Many dubbings tend to be cringeworthy and take away a great deal of enjoyment from whatever you're watching, but that was luckily not the case in "Dominion".

The character gallery in "Dominion" is good. I always had a fondness for the criminals in "Dominion"; that being Buaku and the twin catgirl sisters AnnaPuma and UniPuma. They were the comedy element in the series, and it panned out quite well.

The art style and animation in "Dominion" is good. Sure, it definitely shows signs of being from the late 1980s and being of Masamune Shirow's design. But it still holds up today.

If you enjoy Anime, then "Dominion" is well-worth sitting down to watch, especially if you enjoy something that isn't overly serious from start to end.

My rating of "Dominion" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Don't have much to say about this other than I think that these movies are underrated in England, they're funny and very well written out etc. I watched my first one a few days ago and I will admit that I'm quite impressed at the story lines and also the characters involved since they are at times stone head stupid and then at others can be REALLY senstive and funny 0=]

Watch this if you like Anime and have a laugh, this movie won't be very good for thought provoking drama or such like, but it is something just to waste the time away....

Why did this amazing totally mindblowing series only have to last for 2 acts spread over just over 2 hours? Just when it gets better and better and more emotional, they leave the story hanging and we have go refer to the bloody comic. That itself would have just about covered 1-2 more episodes. Is that too much to ask? Its hard to believe that the Japanese were making this in the late 80s while the other parts of the world were making childish nonsense? I think even though Ghost in the Shell is much more popular, the Tank Police are closer to Shirow's heart. The follow on series, Crusher Police or New Dominion Tank police, is no way in the same league.

Dominion tank police is an exercise in contradictive film making. The storyline across the 4 parts blends mindless action, slap-stick humor, touching humanity and thought provoking philosophical questions. It's hard to believe that there was only one director, as the style changes from episode to episode. A must-see movie for anyone who likes anime.