kerberos saga
A Japanese alternate history political thriller franchise created by Mamoru Oshii, stemming from his 1987 film The Red Spectacles.
It is set in an alternate timeline where the United States remained neutral during both world wars, and during World War II, Japan joined the Allies, Germany defeated the Soviet Union (largely from their development of the protect gears), and the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler succeeded, leading to the restoration of the Weimar Republic. After the war, a de-nazified but still authoritarian Germany occupies Japan, leading to anti-government riots and terrorism.
To combat the civil unrest, the Japanese provisional government set up a special counter-terrorist unit within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department known as the Capital Police Special Unit "Kerberos," who use the protect gears developed by the Germans during World War II.
Installments
- The Red Spectacles (1987, live-action)
- StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (1991, live-action)
- Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999, anime)