Friday, February 8, 2013

AniManga: Dogs Bullets & Carnage


Dogs, is a popular manga by Shirow Miwa. It began in 2001 as a mini-series titled Dogs: Stray Dogs Howling in the Dark. It had a short run then came back in 2005 as Dogs: Bullets and Carnage. I started following the series during Bullets and Carnage.

The story is set in a futuristic city where genetically modified beings have been given enhancements that make them virtually immortal. There are crime syndicates similar to the mafia which organise assassinations, and mutants with animal characteristics and there own code of law.

The story focuses on four people that become connected by a series of coincidences. Each person is an anti-hero looking for answers to their individual past. My favorite is Badou. He's a nicotine addicted journalist that becomes psychotic if he goes to long without a cigarette. He's a mix of comedic relief and bad-ass gunslinger. 

The other three main characters are Naoto, a female with superb sword skills also known as the Blade Maiden. Mihai, a retired mafia enforcer, and Heine a genetically modified boy with a collar attached to his neck that gives him super-human abilities.

All the characters are searching for an entrance into the underground facility called "Below". This is where most of the human experimentation and assassination training takes place. The rest is done by private sectors throughout the city. Some of the political leaders are also modified humans with there own secret agenda. The plot is a twisted, blend of comedic genius and hardcore gunplay. The fight scenes are surreal. There is allot of bullets and carnage just like the title says.

In 2009 a four-episode OVA adaptation was released. The anime was good but it was only a prelude to the series. I liked the action and it covered the origins of all the characters except Heine. His story is the most intricate and needs the the best explanation. 

Hopefully there is a follow-up series to compliment the OVA cuz the manga is dope! I posted part 2 from the OVA below, check it out.


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