StrayDog Kerberos Panzer Cops, known in Japan as , a 1991 Japanese film directed by Mamoru Oshii and starring Shigeru Chiba. It is the theatrical adaptation of the manga Kerberos Panzer Cop.

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 the prequel of 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

• Inui
• Koichi Todome
• Tang Mie
• Hayashi
• Midori Washio (offscreen)
• Soichiro Toribe (offscreen)

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

• Lassie TV series (America, 1954-74)
• Star Wars movies trilogy by George Lucas (America, 1977~1983)
• The Hunt for Red October movie by John McTiernan (America, 1990)
• Mitsuwa dog character ("Mitsuwa! Mitsuwa!", "Lassie of Mitsuwa").

Awards

• Officially invited to the Yubari International Adventure and Fantastic Film Festival 1991 (Japan).

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

• Shigeru Chiba: Kōichi Todome (都々目紅一)
• Yoshikatsu Fujiki (藤木義勝): Inui (乾)
• Sue Eaching (スー・イーチン): Tang Mie
• Takashi Matsuyama (松山鷹志): Hayashi aka "Man in White" (白服の男)

External links

• Kerberos saga official website (Japanese)
• Protect-Gear producer Buildup's official product page (Japanese)