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.

Designer Babies

We are at the point technologically where humans can play God. 

Up to this point all a parent could do was give their child advantages after they were born. Such as wealth, status, education etc. Now thanks to advancements in genetics a parent can design their ideal child at conception. Enter the designer baby.

Science has identified the genes for intelligence, obesity, depression, heart, liver, kidney disease, alcoholism, addiction and numerous other conditions that affect society. Now they can isolate the desired traits a parent desires in their future child…say tall, blue-eyes, blond hair and have it created. 

Sound familiar? It should. Hitler used that as the description of his master race. Some scientists believe this technology will be used to create a master race. Which will eradicate all people weaker, different, or disabled. With techno-evolution (technology sped-up evolution) we could alter the course of mankind or destroy it. 

History has shown, for just as many experiments that are successful there are an equal number of failures. This fact has led to speculation that the technology will be used to breed mutants, which are abnormally gifted in all things. The whole subject sounds like a bad sci-fi novel but the science exists and is already in use. Watch the documentary below for more details.

AniManga: Zetman

I recently watched some anime that has me waiting for season 2.

The show is called Zetman. It's an Animanga meaning animation based off a manga series. I never read the manga so this post is strictly from my experience with the anime.

The story follows two characters Kouga (the rich kid wanna be hero) with an Iron Man suit named "Alphas." Jin (poor kid, no family, anti-hero) who was a super Player codenamed "Zet"  genetically engineered in a lab to be a killer of mankind. Players are genetically engineered monsters created by Kouga's grandfather to kill each other in gladiatorial like games. They can hide as a human until they regress to their monster form. Once they change they cannot return to human form. Also they develop a insatiable blood lust to devour people.

Things go wrong when the players gain awareness, stop fighting each other and escape. Once loose in the city some hide amongst the citizens while others just go bananas and start killing whatever they can find. Zet and Alpha's fight to stop the Players, Kouga's Father, several master manipulators and each other. This all happens in a tale full of love, lose and the delicious taste of cold-hearted revenge.

My only complaint about the show is this character the Sweeper. Its a masked suit of armor that appears out of nowhere and destroys Players who regress and attack people. The character is like the boogieman to the Players but they never explain who he is or who he works for. In the end the series was dope but it left a lot of questions unanswered. Which is why I hope there's going to be a season 2. Check out the clip from the show below.

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AniManga: Darker Than Black

This post is for my Otaku's and Anime addicts. I just finished this series Darker than Black and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. 

An uncharted area called Hell's gate appears in Tokyo and all the stars disappear and are replaced by artificial stars.  During this time people started gaining superhuman abilities. These humans are known as Contractors. They are cold blooded murderers, smothering unnecessary emotions with logic and rationale.

Contractors are given the name because of an involuntary compulsion to "pay the price" each time their power is used, which can range from eating particular foods and completing meaningless tasks, to self-harm and having their bodies change in peculiar ways. Various nations and organizations around the world train and utilize Contractors as spies and assassins, resulting in violent battles for valuable objects and information.

The story revolves around a Chinese contractor codenamed Hei who has the ability to use electricity. He undertakes various espionage and assassination missions in Tokyo under the direction of a secret organization known as the Syndicate. 

The show is fast paced and has enough action and betrayals to make you wanna watch the sequel. I posted a clip below of Hei fighting another powerful contractor named Wei. Check it out and if you like it, tell a friend to tell a friend.