Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs, (犬狼伝説 紅い足痕 (Kenrou Densetsu Akai Ashiato, lit. "Dog-Wolf Legend: The Red Footsteps"), is a 2003-2005 Kerberos saga manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Mamoru Sugiura who was in charge of the continuity in the Kerberos Panzer Cop manga. The story is the sequel to the Kerberos Panzer Cop and a prequel to the StrayDog movie.

Plot

Kerberos Koichi Todome (都々目紅一) chases elite sniper Eito Kurosaki (é»'崎英斗) a.k.a. "Afghan Hound" in Asia with a vengeance. During the Kerberos Riot event (see <i>Kerberos Panzer Cop Act 8), Kurosaki betrayed the Special Armed Garrison by letting know Bunmei Muroto about the coup d'état. Kurosaki left the bessieged Self-Police headquarters using an helicopter and escaped overseas, since then, Koichi is after him, the once brothers in arms are now deadly enemies.

The Killers (キラーズ)

"The Killers" (キラーズ, kirāzu) is an independent short story which is a parody of Ernest Hemingway's classic "The Killers". Two Latinos dressed in black enter the bar restaurant "Papa's Lunch Room" ("Henry's Lunch Room" in the 1927 eponymous short story, "Papa" being Hemingway's nickname) located downtown in a Latin American city; arguably in Old Havana due to the Spanish Colonial architecture and the presence of a Yank tank 1954 Chevrolet 210. Hemingway lived in Old Havana during the 1930s. Three other customers are silently waiting in the restaurant each one on a separated table, the first one is a yakuza wearing black sunglasses and a tuxedo (a cameo appearance of Golgo 13), the second one is a middle-aged hairy bearded man wearing a black cassock and a large crucifix necklace like some Roman Catholic priest. The third customer (老殺し屋) is a British style old man wearing a beret and a smart costume, a violin case is standing near him. The two men in black ask for the menu and order sandwiches to the young waitress chewing bubblegum. As they eat, a young boy enters and delivers a large package to Golgo 13, the latter goes to the toilet bringing the packet with him. Suddenly a Latino brutally hits the restaurant's chef with his sandwich plate, binds him and brings him to the toilet. The other Latino puts a Glock 17 and a FN Hi-Power automatic handguns on his table and asks for the waitress about Koichi Todome. The second Latino comes back from the toilet armed with a Lupara sawed-off shotgun, soon followed by Golgo 13 smoking a cigarette and holding a Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Then the old man takes a drum magazine M1928 Thompson submachine gun from his violin case, and the priest unveils a katana from his cassock. Each men are aiming at each other stand still. When the girl bursts her bubble gum all men suddenly attack eventually killing them each other. Lone survivor, the girl frees the chef and rides her Vespa to the outskirts. She enters a coast hotel, bumps a woman (Midori Washio) and run up stairs to the room 203 to tell Koichi Todome. The latter is lying in his bed, barely noticing the girl, he's still wearing his famous trench coat, and a large suitcase containing his Protect Gear is on the ground (see The Red Spectacles and StrayDog). Finally Midori thanks the girl who leaves, grabs her Mauser C96 pistol and heads to the staircase. The story ends with Midori entering room 203.

Related works

Kerberos Panzer Cop

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs is the follow-up to the 1988~2000 manga Kerberos Panzer Cop written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara. Flashback sequences from the Kerberos Panzer Cop key event called "Kerberos Riot" are depicted in Rainy Dogs.

StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops

The plot of Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs happens before the events depicted in StrayDog, Koichi left Latin America with his suitcase and is now living in Taiwan.

Killers

The short story "The Killers" was published prior to Rainy Dogs and in order to coincide with the theater release of Mamoru Oshii's eponymous live-action compilation movie Killers.

The Killers

Mamoru Oshii's The Killers is a parody of the eponymous classic short story by American writer Ernest Hemingway published in 1927. Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, a known influence of Oshii, adapted The Killers for the screen in 1956 as his first student short film.

Golgo 13

The yakuza character "Togo 13" appearing in The Killers is a cameo of Golgo 13 from the eponymous franchise.

Issues

Like its prequel, Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs was first serialized in a B5 comics magazine before to be published as a compilation volume.

Ace Tokunoh serialization (B5)

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs was first published in Ace Tokunoh (エース特濃, Esu Tokunou), a comic magazine owned by Kadokawa Shoten.

• 2003.05: Ace Tokunoh vol.1

The Killers

キラーズ

• 2003.06: Ace Tokunoh vol.2

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs - Act 01: Break Up

Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕

• 2003.0X: Ace Tokunoh vol.3

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs - Act 02: Technical Shot

Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕

• 2003.09: Ace Tokunoh vol.4

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs - Act 03: Bank Shot

Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕

• 2003.0X: Ace Tokunoh vol.5

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs - Act 04: Cannon Shot

Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕

• 2004.01: Ace Tokunoh vol.6

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs - Act 05: Hug Shot (color)

Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕 (color)

• 2004.0X: Ace Tokunoh vol.7

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs - Act 06: Follow Shot

Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕

• 2004.05: Ace Tokunoh vol.8

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs - Act 07: Time Shot

Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕

• 2004.07: Ace Tokunoh vol.9

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs - Act 08: Eight Ball Shot

Rainy Dogs 紅い足痕

Original edition (A5)

The compilation volume was published by Kadokawa in its "New Type 100% Comics" collection (ニュータイプ100%コミックス). The dusk cover features a red obi with the manga's international title "Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs". The previously unreleased prologue "Act 00: Set Up" was added to help in the understanding of the complex background and the 2003 short story "The Killers" (first issued in Ace Tokunoh vol.1) was also included as an epilogue.

• 2005.10.26: Kerberos Saga: Rainy Dogs

犬狼伝説 紅い足痕

A5 (384p.) Kadokawa Shoten

ISBN 4-04-853780-6

References

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Kerberos saga official website (Japanese)