I first saw Dominion Tank Police in my local Blockbuster videos many years ago when I was a teenager. They had a small animation section, and this was one of the videos available besides the usual suspects such as Akira and Project A-Ko. It also helped that the cover showcased the two Puma sisters in leotard outfits, wielding weapons while straddling their motorcycles. Everything a growing boy needs. One of my friends eventually purchased the DVD for me as a gift.  It started out as a typical sci-fi dystopian anime, but I was surprised by the comedic nature and absurd machinations. Brenton blasted point blank after road raging at an ambulance driven by Bauku? Check. Tank shoot-out in a hospital? Check. A naked lady cradling a tank gun mid coitus? Check. Blow-up landmines in the shape of a phallus? Triple check. The series’ comedic slapstick is borderline looney tunes violence, although characters can and do get injured when plot dictates.

But Tank Police isn’t entirely comedy. Leona’s struggles briefly as a new member of the Police Tank Force, initially unsure about their unethical and aggressive manner of dealing with criminals. Bauku’s efforts to uncover the true meaning of his existence uncovers the grotesque human experimentations, as well as the state’s efforts to cover up these scientific crimes. The perpetual bacterial smog forces the homeless and downtrodden to struggle and survive throughout the dark, depressing Newport City. If Hollywood made this series today, these issues would no doubt be highlighted constantly, with modern critiques on “police brutality” and “climate change”. Whereas the OVA and Manga treats them mostly as backdrop, a satire that doesn’t come at the expense of the overall comedy and pacing.

Despite the unusual setting, and intrigue, the show is mainly character driven. We mostly follow Leona, as a newcomer to the Tank Police force, as a literal and metaphorical babe in the woods. This could have easily derailed the series, making her either too annoying or exceedingly competent in an attempt to overshadow her male colleagues. I have even read some articles advocating her presence makes the series pro-feminists. But I disagree, Leona is shown to make numerous mistakes in order to fit in with the unit. She isn't trying to change procedures or become morally better than anyone else. If anything, she becomes just as ill-tempered and violent as the rest of the officers, willing to engage in immoral interrogation tactics and threatening the Mayor with her service pistol during a heated exchange. Leona proves her worth to her peers and earns it, she doesn't try to tear the unit down to her ideals. Bauku, as the main protagonist, receives substantial backstory with the last two episodes dedicated to his efforts to uncover his mysterious past. His brash demeanor and criminal activity is almost a facade for his actual thoughts and desires. Bauku can be violent, callous, crafty and greedy. But he didn't become a criminal leader because he wanted to; he needed to in order to survive and search for answers. 

I usually watch the English dub version; it was what I grew up with. Character voices generally match their personalities and timing is usually on point. Remember, this is a period when publishers generally didn’t pay much attention to that sort of thing, especially for Japanese animations. It’s not 100% perfect, but the voice actors and translated script took some creative liberties to better their performance. I especially enjoy their take on Anni and Uni Puma, giving them a “Southern Belle” accent that would seem out of place in that setting. It just makes them that more endearing. Britton sounds like how an insane, dedicated tank commander should, 4-Eyes and Chaplain voice their stereotypes very well, and even Leona’s squeaky voice matches her petite personality with few annoyances. The only one that comes off hit or miss at times is Bauku. Especially in later acts when a wider range of emotions is needed to portray his feelings when uncovering his past. Some of the more dramatic deliveries are a bit too monotonous to portray these scenes as well as they could. But it’s a minor nitpick in an otherwise acceptable performance.  

English voice acting wasn’t the only thing to change when released in the U.S. The soundtrack as well, starting with the opening song. The original Japanese version starts with with a Pop-Japanese song called Cherry Moon de Odorasete, which is very much influence by music of that decade. It has generic love-themed lyric, but can be enjoyed outside the context of the show. The English version, however, switches it out for a catchy 80’s electronic-r&b like repetitive vocal (Tank Police/Feel the Power that we got/We’ll give it our best shot). It is especially tailor made for the show’s opening. The show also uses the instrumental versions of the English theme song as background music, almost entirely changing the Japanese music for whatever reason. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, the Japanese soundtrack did have more options to choose from to convey different scenes. But much of it sounds like it was made for an old-school RPG on the Super Nintendo or Playstation. The English soundtrack has less tracks to choose from, and can become almost repetitive.  But I am more bias toward the English version. It’s like a warm, nostalgic blanket every time I hear it. The Japanese soundtrack was later released separately, but not the English version that I can find.