Dominion Review: Masamune Shirow's Gleefully Chaotic Tank Police Manga

Quick Take

• A police officer who is obsessed with tanks in a future city where the air itself is poison
• Masamune Shirow at his most anarchic and comedic — closer to comedy than to Ghost in the Shell
• Short, irreverent, and very much of its era (mid-1980s)

Who Is This Manga For?

• Fans of Masamune Shirow curious about his lighter, earlier work
• Readers who enjoy action comedy with police procedural elements
• Those interested in 1980s cyberpunk/sci-fi manga
• Ghost in the Shell fans who want to see the same world-building sensibility in a comedic register

Content Warnings & Age Rating

Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: Violence in action-comedy context, mild adult humor, tank mayhem

Light enough for most readers. The tone is comedic throughout.

Yu's Rating

Category	Score
Story Depth	★★☆☆☆
Art Style	★★★★☆
Character Development	★★★☆☆
Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers	★★★★☆
Reread Value	★★★☆☆

Story Overview

In a future where atmospheric contamination has forced the population indoors and into protective gear, crime is rampant and the Newport City police maintain order through force.

Leona Ozaki is a tank policewoman who loves her mini-tank Bonaparte to a degree that concerns her colleagues. When the cat-burglar duo Puma Sisters steal a bioweapon called Greenpeace, Leona and her increasingly chaotic unit are assigned to recover it.

The plot is largely a vehicle for action sequences, comedy, and Shirow's gleeful commitment to the premise that tanks are the solution to every law enforcement problem.

Characters

Leona Ozaki is the heart of the series: energetic, single-minded about tanks, and oblivious to the destruction trail she leaves. She is written as a comedy protagonist — the gap between her conviction and the chaos she causes is the central joke.

The Puma Sisters (Anna and Unita) are the antagonists who become surprisingly sympathetic. Cat-person bioroid thieves hired to retrieve something dangerous, they are more competent than most of the police and considerably better designed.

The squad members function as a comedic ensemble — varying levels of resignation to Leona's methods.

Art Style

Shirow's art at this early stage already shows the technical detail and world-building investment that would define Ghost in the Shell. The city design, the police vehicles, the costuming — all detailed and internally consistent.

The action sequences are kinetic. The comedy sequences are physically broad — big expressions, slapstick timing.

Cultural Context

Dominion was serialized in the mid-1980s, when cyberpunk was establishing its aesthetic vocabulary. The polluted, overcrowded, corporate-government city is standard cyberpunk. Shirow's contribution is to make the police — who in most cyberpunk are either complicit or absent — the protagonists and to play their institutional dysfunction for laughs.

The tank as fetish object is very specifically an 80s Japanese thing — mecha culture translated into police procedural.

What I Love About It

I want to be clear that Dominion is not a serious manga. It is Masamune Shirow having fun with a premise that delights him, and the delight is contagious.

The Puma Sisters are genuinely well-designed characters who deserve a better manga than this one. The scenes between Leona and Bonaparte (her tank) are funnier than they have any right to be.

If you come to this expecting Ghost in the Shell depth, you will be confused. If you come expecting action comedy from a brilliant artist with a particular fondness for military hardware, you will have a good time.

What English-Speaking Fans Say

Western readers who know Ghost in the Shell sometimes approach Dominion as a curiosity and find it more fun than expected. The consensus is that it does not pretend to be what Ghost in the Shell is, and is better for not trying.

The Puma Sisters have a dedicated fan following disproportionate to the series' length.

Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning

The sequence where Leona deploys Bonaparte in response to a situation that categorically does not require a tank — and is entirely correct that it solves the problem — is the series' thesis statement in miniature.

Similar Manga

• Ghost in the Shell — Shirow's serious work; same world-building, different register
• Appleseed — Shirow's other classic; more earnest but similar action
• Black Lagoon — action with comedic elements; much darker
• Gunsmith Cats — American-set action comedy from the same era

Reading Order / Where to Start

Start from Volume 1. Complete in 2 volumes — an afternoon read.

Official English Translation Status

Dark Horse Comics published the English edition. The series is complete. Check current availability.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Short and complete — minimal time investment
• Shirow's art is exceptional even in comedy mode
• The Puma Sisters are genuinely interesting
• Very funny when it commits to the joke

Cons

• Thin story; this is action and comedy, not narrative depth
• The era's humor is dated in places
• Very short (2 volumes) — less of a commitment than a quick read

Format Comparison

Format	Notes
Physical	Dark Horse editions; may require secondary market
Digital	Check availability
Omnibus	Dark Horse released various collected editions

Where to Buy

Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.

Start with Volume 1 →