Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Reviewed by Carolyn Garner

Bandai Entertainment

Based on Subtitled version

Rating 16 and up (R)

What it’s (basically) all about: In an alternate reality Tokyo, the totalitarian government harshly maintains its rule through martial law.  Law enforcement is divided between the more traditional Local Police and the heavily armed special branch called the Capital Police.

The story begins in the middle of a quickly escalatng riot between the Capital Police and the re-formed and stronger group called The Sect.   The government considers The Sect to be a "terrorist" organization and a brutal beatdown begins after a satchel bomb is thrown at the cops during the riot.  Members of The Sect, including a girl named Nanami, who delivered the satchel bomb are chased through the sewers as they try to make their escape.  They are not successful and Nanami uses a satchel bomb to blow herself up in front of Constable Fuse, rather than be arrested.

He is disciplined for not shooting first and then reconditioned as a soldier.  He is haunted by Nanami's face and on a visit to her burial vault meets a girl, Kei, who looks remarkably like Nanami and claims to be her older sister.  Kei gives Fuse a copy of Little Red Riding Hood that she was going to leave in her sister's vault.  As the relationship between them develops, she tells Fuse a more traditional version of the fairy tale as a twisty tale of political intrigue unfolds around them.  No one is as they first seem and it only takes a moment to get swept up by plans beyond their control. 

Nitty Gritty: Jin-Roh is an adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor) "Kerberos Saga" manga, Ken-Roh Densetsu. The single widescreen disc clocks in at 105 minutes running time.  It includes both Japanese and English language options in DTS and Dolby Digital.  English subtitles are included.

Jin-Roh's realistic animation is marked by several references to a more traditional version of Little Red Riding Hood.  Young female terrorists are called red riding hoods.  There's a semi-secret group called the Wolf Brigade that may be working several sides of the conflict to different ends.  During a hallucinogenic nightmare, Fuse is followed by a pack of wolves that converges on Kei and tears her to shreds.

Even with the fairy tale references, the story is brought back to earth by allegory recalling the turbulent political situation in Japan during the 1960s and early 1970s.  Did you know that Mamoru Oshii was a leftist student protestor at that time?  With Jin-Roh, he questions what it means to be man (and beast) and the necessity of change, which is rarely welcomed.

There's hardly any language to watch out for in the subtitled version (which is the one I watched).  The violence, however, is plentiful and graphic, but blood (not guts) based.  There were lots of blood spatters, bodies flying from explosions, and deaths by automatic gunfire.

There were no sexual situations, save for a kiss near the end of the movie, although Kei's breasts are exposed during the wolf attack in Fuse's nightmare.

Special features include trailers for other Bandai features like Escaflowne: The Movie, Ceres: Celestial Legend, Gundam: Endless Waltz, and Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive.  There is also an insert with a pictorial character and organization guide, although you could consider some of the information "spoiler"-like.

Survey says:  This definitely for adults and older teens, because of the graphic bloodshed and some of the more mature themes.  Students of modern history or fans of alternate reality stories would probably check this title out.

Personal Ad:  I've meant to watch Jin-Roh for about six years now.  I'm glad I finally did, because it's one of those stories that sticks with you and makes you want to find out more about the different themes and references.

Senior Editor's note: There are several different versions of Jin-Roh available, each with its own set of special features. We ask that you keep this in mind when ordering for your collections.