Dominion Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2005-02-01
• 4 stars out of 5

Dominion is an anime classic with a little bit of everything: lovable characters (from the tank-crazed Britain to everyguy Al), fun action in abundance (even a couple Scooby Doo-style musical interludes), silly humor in all the right places, and (true to Shirow form) a really convoluted plot. The philosophy may get a bit heavy in the second half of the story, but even then the unexpected time spent on an outwardly superficial villain is an interesting change of pace. Throw in animation and a creative world that holds up well to the test of time and a funky soundtrack for good measure (in the sub only--the re-recorded songs and weak acting make the dub a poor choice on this one).

If you're a fan of Shirow's manga work, you definitely shouldn't miss Dominion--it's one of the most faithful anime adaptations--and anybody who enjoys a light comedy with a bit of a sadistic streak and a dose of convoluted plot and philosophy should give it a look.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2005-02-01
• 4 stars out of 5

Dominion is an anime classic with a little bit of everything: lovable characters, fun action in abundance, silly humor in all the right places, and (true to Shirow form) a really convoluted plot.

Of the half-dozen or so animated incarnations of Masamune Shirow's work in existence as of this writing, Dominion is probably the most true to his original vision (one of his earliest comics), despite the huge budgets and critical acclaim of several of the others. Not to say that Dominion is the best of the lot, but it captures his comedy-sprinkled drama and the feel of the original manga version very well, despite some significant changes to the story. Most of the other animated adaptations (Ghost in the Shell and its sequel most notably) diverge widely from the original comics.

It's also worth noting that Dominion is the most humorous of Shirow's comics, and definitely the funniest of those that have been animated, although the heavy philosophy that marks his other works does creep in.

There are two story arcs in this series, and they are somewhat different in mood. The first, though it has a few introspective moments, is basically high comedy: There are tank chases, hilarious (if a bit unsettling, particularly in light of more recent events) interrogation scenes, and a generally high spirited mood. The second story arc is no slouch on fun or humor, either, but it delves more deeply than you'd expect into the history of a seemingly very superficial bad guy. This unexpected philosophical mood will no doubt put off some people who came looking for empty comedy, but it does match Shirow's knack for blending comedy and complex storylines together. About the only thing that bothered me was the very ambiguous ending (heck, the whole story was pretty obtuse), but even that somehow seemed to fit.

As with any good anime tale, the thing that really makes Dominion a keeper is the characters. The character designs are memorable and more or less true to Shirow's; whimsical, funny, and all around cute. But even though this is a comedy series, they still have plenty of personality, and in a couple of cases, more depth than you'd think (how many comedy series have you seen that spent a significant portion of their running time looking at the traumatic past of the villain?).

Other characters, of course, are just silly caricatures, but you've gotta love them anyway--who can resist the tank-loving Captain Britain or lovable anime-everyguy Al. Al, in fact, deserves an honorable mention in the "poor anime guy fighting for the heart of the girl who doesn't seem to notice him" category; this guy isn't up against the girl's dream hunk, her family, or even her job--he's got a miniature patrol tank to compete with (and unsuccessfully at that).

Artistically, Dominion is an older series, but despite showing some of its age still holds up quite well. Its biggest strength is the feel of the characters and the world they inhabit, both for its originality and faithfulness to Shirow's original story (note that we're talking about the original Dominion series here, not Dominion: Conflict). Rather than your ordinary everyday futuristic skyscrapers, this city is covered with oddly organic looking structures, and even the tanks (most of them are bio-tanks) have a rather alien look to them. Despite this, the world still seems like a place where real people live, and the city streets always have an abundance of pedestrian traffic and extraneous action (car accidents, people getting run over by heavy things, that sort of stuff).

The animation, though not perfect and perhaps a bit heavy on slapstick and cartoony flavor (no SD, though), is quite good, particularly for an older series. The fast-paced chase scenes stand out as the best of the action, though several musical interludes catch the eye as well--the funked-up intro animation plus a striptease by the cat sisters and a couple of Scooby Doo-style tank chases set to music. Speaking of which, all of the music was re-recorded for the dub (with entirely different tunes), and the quality is noticeably lower; the score is weaker and more repetitive than the original, which features a weird (and very amusing) mix of '80s pop and old-fashioned Japanese themes.

The acting in the dub isn't particularly good, although the humor does survive the translation process relatively well. The Japanese acting, on the other hand, is hilarious, with lots of distinctive voices and a few standouts--Britain is great, as are the cat sisters and many of the minor Tank Police characters (Leona's voice fits perfectly, too). Buaku also has a very distinctive voice, but the comparatively quiet delivery of his lines doesn't really match either the general mood of the series or the apparent amount of on screen screaming--the lack of really over-the-top screaming in particular was kind of disappointing. On the bright side, his acting is fine, some of his more offhanded humor comes across quite well, and the style works better in the quieter moments in the second half.

In all, Dominion is well worth a look if you enjoy light, wacky (and occasionally a bit sadistic) comedy with an occasional dose of convoluted plot and philosophy, though the second half of the story is a bit slower and more philosophical than the first, so come prepared. If you're a fan of Shirow's manga work, you definitely shouldn't miss Dominion, and it may be worth adding to your collection.

Related Recommendations

If you enjoyed the manga series, have a look at this, but be warned that the plot is a lot different. You might also want to have a look at Shirow's other stories, Appleseed, Black Magic M-66, and Ghost in the Shell, but keep in mind that all of those are more serious stories.