, also known as ''Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade'' in its American release, is a 1999 Japanese
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
action political thriller film directed by
Hiroyuki Okiura and written by
Mamoru Oshii
is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), '' ...
. Based on the first chapter of volume 1 of Oshii's manga ''
Kerberos Panzer Cop'', it is the third film (first chronologically) in the ''
Kerberos Saga'' after 1987's ''
The Red Spectacles'' and 1991's ''
StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops'', and is the only fully-animated film in the saga. The film stars
Yoshikatsu Fujiki, Sumi Mutoh,
Hiroyuki Kinoshita,
Kousei Hirota, and
Yoshisada Sakaguchi.
''Jin-Roh'' is set in an authoritarian postwar Japan in the saga's alternate history where
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
won
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, occupied Japan (a member of the
Allies in this timeline), and eventually
denazified
Denazification () was an Allies of World War II, Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazism, Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removi ...
back into the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
. Germany's attempts to globalize and modernize Japan spark civil unrest and the rise of
the Sect, an anti-government left-wing terrorist group. With regular Self-Police unable to handle spiking terrorist activity, the Japanese government forms the Capital Police and their
Special Armed Garrison "Kerberos", a heavily-armed counterterrorist unit equipped with powered exoskeletons called Protect Gears. ''Jin-Roh'' follows Kerberos member Kazuki Fuse who, after witnessing a young terrorist he was ordered to execute kill herself in a suicide bombing, meets Kei Amemiya, who claims to be the girl's sister; their relationship develops in the midst of a violent
interservice rivalry
Interservice rivalry is rivalry between different Military branch, branches of a country's Military, armed forces. This may include competition between army, land, Marines, marine, navy, naval, Coast guard, coastal, air force, air, or space for ...
between Kerberos and the
Public Security Division, the Capital Police's intelligence unit.
The film premiered on November 17, 1999 in France, and June 3, 2000 in Japan.
Bandai Entertainment
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution company, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and ...
and
Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...
licensed the film for an English-language release in North America and Europe in 2000. It has been relicensed in North America by
Discotek Media
Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
History
Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retr ...
, with a DVD released on April 29, 2014, followed by a
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
on January 27, 2015. A live action Korean remake, ''
Illang: The Wolf Brigade'', was released in 2018, featuring a different setting and renamed characters but largely the same premise and plot.
Plot
In an alternate 1950s
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, the
Self-Police respond to a riot in
Akasaka that escalates into violence. In the storm sewers below, members of the Sect deliver Molotov cocktails and satchel charges to the rioters, aided by Nanami Agawa, a young Sect "Little Red Riding Hood" courier. When several
riot police
Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.
Riot police may be regular police officers who act in the role of riot police in particular situations, or they may be separate unit ...
officers are incapacitated by a Sect-provided satchel charge, the Self-Police move in on the rioters, while the Capital Police deploys Kerberos, who easily wipe out the cell and destroy their explosives. Kerberos member Kazuki Fuse confronts Nanami as she flees, but freezes up when ordered to execute her instead of apprehend her. Rather than surrender, Nanami detonates her satchel charge, killing herself and causing a power outage that leads to the Self-Police losing control of the situation above. The incident damages Kerberos's reputation and deeply affects Fuse, who is reprimanded for his inaction and ordered to redo training under
drill instructor
A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors.
Australia
Aust ...
Hachiroh Tohbe.
A remorseful Fuse, acting on information from his friend, Public Security head Atsushi Henmi, visits Nanami's grave and meets Kei Amemiya, a girl who claims to be Nanami's older sister and does not hold him responsible for her demise; they quickly develop a bond. However, Kei is revealed to not be Nanami's sister, but a former Little Red Riding Hood courier coerced into acting on behalf of Public Security, who seek to dissolve Kerberos and merge with the Self-Police to shift their counterterrorism strategies from brute force to intelligence. Public Security attempts to use Kei to entrap Fuse at a museum with the goal of discrediting Kerberos, but he sneaks in, incapacitates the Public Security agents, and escapes with Kei, evading the Self-Police. Kei reveals her role in the deception and suggests they run away together, but Fuse insists on staying, and they fall in love.
Fuse and Kei seek refuge in the same sewers from the riot shootout and are met by members of "Jin-Roh" ("Wolf Brigade" in English), a secret deep-cover counterintelligence group led by Tohbe and Hajime Handa that protects Kerberos from organizational threats like Public Security. They provide Fuse with an
MG 42 and a full set of Protect Gear, and reveal they knew of Kei's role and consider her living proof of Public Security's conspiracy, before leaving with Kei. Public Security teams led by Henmi arrive, having followed a tracking device hidden in Kei's bag, but are met by a fully-armored Fuse, who kills the agents in a shootout and finishes off a mortally-wounded Henmi in a duel.
Fuse reunites with Kei and Jin-Roh in a junkyard, but is distraught when he is ordered to kill Kei to ensure she is never recaptured by Public Security. Kei embraces Fuse and sadly recites the dialogue of
Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...
, describing the grotesque appearance of the wolf disguised as a loved one. Horrified at what he has to do, Fuse has a crisis, before he shoots and kills Kei. Somewhere nearby, Tohbe solemnly compares Kei's fate to the demise of Red Riding Hood and the triumph of the wolf.
Cast
*
Yoshikatsu Fujiki (
Michael Dobson in the English version) as
* Sumi Mutoh (
Moneca Stori in the English version) as
*
Hiroyuki Kinoshita (Colin Murdock in the English version) as
*
Eri Sendai (
Maggie Blue O'Hara
Maggie Blue O'Hara (born 19 March 1975), also credited as Maggie O'Hara, is a Canadian actress noted for her voice acting. She is well known as the voices of Madison Taylor in '' Cardcaptors'' and Shadowcat in '' X-Men: Evolution''.
Career
...
in the English version) as
* Kenji Nakagawa (
French Tickner in the English version) as
*
Kousei Hirota (
Dale Wilson in the English version) as
* Ryuichi Horibe (Ron Halder in the English version) as
* Yukihiro Yoshida (
Michael Kopsa in the English version) as
*
Yoshisada Sakaguchi (Doug Abrahams in the English version) as
*
Tamio Ōki
was a Japanese voice actor. He was affiliated with Mausu Promotion.
Filmography Anime
Film
Drama CDs
Video games
Tokusatsu
;1967
* The X from Outer Space (Dr. Berman (Actor by Franz Gruber)
;1976
*Choujin Bibyun ( Sakasabash ...
as
Production
Mamoru Oshii had wanted to create what ultimately became ''Jin-Roh'' several years prior. It was planned to be the third and final live-action feature film of the Kerberos trilogy, but its production wasn't possible until 1994, while Oshii was already working on ''
Ghost in the Shell
''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized between 1989 and 1991, is set in mid-21st century Japan and tel ...
''. As he was unable to produce two films in the same time, but also did not want someone else to direct his final episode, Oshii decided that the third episode would be an anime instead, as opposed to the live action productions used for ''The Red Spectacles'' and ''StrayDog''.
The project was originally pitched as a six-episode
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...
, as Oshii knew
Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution company, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and ...
was interested in having him do a series for them and his original ''
Kerberos Panzer Cop'' manga was formed by six chapters. As he proposed the project to
Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution company, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and ...
at a meeting, they asked him to direct ''Ghost in the Shell'', but nonetheless greenlit the series for pre-production.
[Dan42's JIN-ROH lair (Interviews)](_blank)
. Dan42.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-12. The production eventually evolved into a feature film following the international success of ''Ghost in the Shell'', as
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1991, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...
wanted a similar hit and saw potential in ''Kerberos Panzer Cop'' after the manga had been published in the West as ''Hellhounds''.
After reluctantly giving up the directorial role, Oshii considered who to hand the project to. He originally sought ''
Patlabor 2: The Movie'' animation director
Kazuchika Kise, but he had no interest in chief direction at the time. He then committed ''Jin-Roh'' as a debut film to a trusted young collaborator,
Hiroyuki Okiura, who had worked with Oshii on animated films such as ''Ghost in the Shell'' and ''Patlabor 2.'' Oshii considered him the most able candidate among the younger staff of the studio, and both Production IG and Bandai Visual, knowing about his directing ambitions and his interest in creating a serious drama, wanted him to do his debut for them.
Oshii wanted to at least be entrusted with the screenplay, as the prospect of working with Okiura changed his previous reluctance for merely writing films. This was not originally in Bandai's plans for the film, but Oshii expected
Kazunori Itō, his usual screenwriter, to reject their offer as he had previously told him that he did not want to write a story involving dogs following his work for ''The Red Spectacles''; after he did so, he was offered the role. He ultimately still found the experience frustrating both during the writing process ("The moment you write, you want to direct") and after realizing the result would unavoidably be much different from what he pictured in his head. Lacking any creative control on the process, he chose to distance himself from the animation production while looking forward to the final product.
Okiura favored traditional animation, and thus the film was almost completely drawn by hand, requiring 80,000 cels.
Oshii, who characterized him as "allergic to computers", admitted that had he directed the film he would have relied on computer animation just as he did in ''Ghost in the Shell'' and no more than 30,000 cels would have been needed.
Still, the celwork was subsequently processed through the Animo software to enhance some visual effects, textures, and camerawork.
The film's musical score was composed by
Hajime Mizoguchi.
Release
''Jin-Roh'' was first seen in the early 1999 film festival circuit, including the
49th Berlin International Film Festival and the 19th
Fantasporto
Fantasporto International Film Festival (Portuguese: Festival Internacional de Cinema do Porto) is an international genre film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal.
Screening and awarding fantasy, sci-fi and horror orient ...
in February.
It was subsequently shown in Cannes'
Marché du Film, which presumably netted its early French theatrical release on November 17. The Japanese preview of the film took place on June 19 in the
Roppongi
Roppongi (, , 'six trees') is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area and popular night club scene. A few foreign embassies are located near Roppongi, and the night life is popu ...
20th Century Films theater.
Media
Printed media
* June 2000: ''Jin-Roh Behind Of The Screen'' (official making book)
:Japanese text, Mamoru Oshii, Production I.G,
* September 2000: ''Jin-Roh Maniaxx'' (magazine book)
:Japanese text, Mamoru Oshii, Kadokawa Shoten,
* December 2000: ''Jin-Roh Screenboard Book'' (official storyboard)
:Japanese text, 522p., Hiroyuki Okiura, Production I.G
:L.E. DVD set only
Soundtrack
* June 2000: ''Jin-Roh Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (CD)
:
Hajime Mizoguchi feat.
Gabriela Robin,
Czech Philharmonic, Victor Entertainment VICL-60569
* March 2002: ''Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade Sound Track'' (CD)
:Bandai Entertainment
:L.E. DVD set only
Reception
An early comment on the film was given by
Blue Sky animator André Mazzone, who was shown the film in May 1999 as part of a delegation from the studio to Production IG's headquarters. He praised it for the beauty of its animation and character designs and the "subtle and crafty twists" in the story, and commented that the differing approaches to production meant directors were freed from needing to appeal to a wide target audience and allowed to have much greater creative control than in Hollywood animated features, favoring the sophisticated productions anime was known for.
The following month the film shown in Cannes' Marché du Film, where
Variety's Derek Elley noted it for pushing cel animation to its limits in the action scenes and for Okiura's focus on stillness in between while considering it a less complex work than its predecessor ''
Ghost in the Shell
''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized between 1989 and 1991, is set in mid-21st century Japan and tel ...
'' lacking its "stomach-churning, visionary moments".
''
Hyper'' commends the film for its "art direction and character design which are beautiful examples of hand-drawn animation and the music fits the action (or lack thereof) brilliantly. However, the film's "slow, deliberate pace" was criticized.
Helen McCarthy in ''500 Essential Anime Movies'' called the anime "a must-see" and praised the score and the design, commenting on "some breathtakingly composed scenes".
Awards
Remake
A South Korean live action remake, titled ''
Illang: The Wolf Brigade'', directed by
Kim Jee-woon, updated the setting from an alternate history 1950s Japan to a dystopian mid-2020s South Korea, where the plot revolves around plans to
unite the two Koreas. The film stars
Gang Dong-won,
Han Hyo-joo, and
Jung Woo-sung, and was released on July 15, 2018.
References
;Bibliography
*
* Gustav Horn, Carl (2002). "Frontiers of Total Filmmaking: Mamoru Oshii Creator of Jin-Roh." Pamphlet from DVD. ''Jin-Roh: the Wolf Brigade Special Edition''.
*
External links
''Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade''at
Production I.G
*
*
{{Mainichi Film Award - Animation Film Award
1999 anime films
1999 films
Action anime and manga
Bandai Entertainment anime titles
Films about terrorism in Asia
Films directed by Hiroyuki Okiura
Animated films set in the 1950s
Animated films set in Tokyo
Japanese alternate history films
Japanese political films
1990s Japanese-language films
Kerberos saga
Production I.G
Political action films
Political thriller anime and manga
Viz Media anime
Japanese adult animated films
Films scored by Yoko Kanno