Balto? Lassie? Pfft. These guys would pwn them all.
A manga/anime action/adventure series by Yoshihiro Takahashi about dogs who follow a rather bushido-esque code of fighting and loyalty. The series has drama, swearing, and gore.Ginga Densetsu Weed (Silver Fang Legend: Weed) is a sequel series to Ginga Nagareboshi Gin. Taking place 10 years after the events of Nagareboshi Gin (some translations give it as fourteen years, but if you use dog years, then everyone's happy), Weed, the son of Gin, must fight to save the father he's never met from Hōgen, a Complete Monster of a Great Dane that threatens his father's paradise. This series was adapted into an anime in the early 00s, starting to air on Animax in 2004. The manga ended at the total of 60 volumes in 2009.Popular enough in Finland, Denmark and Sweden to produce a complete series DVD box release. Considering the amount of cursing and blood coming from dogs, America is not likely to see a dub anytime soon. You can dig the fansubs up from somewhere, though.
Tropes used in the animated adaptation:
Abusive Parents: Kyōshirō's main motivation for learning how to fight.
Amazing Technicolor Dogs: Subverted as most dogs are in normal colours but however Weed, Gin and Tokimune are coloured blue despite labelling them as silver-grey.
Angry Guard Dog: Weed encounters one of these in the first episode of his series. And kicks its ass.
Animals Are Easier To Draw: Averted in the anime that while the dogs were drawn badly, the humans were drawn well.
Animals Lack Attributes: every dog is drawn this way, despite the fact one character is known for biting the testicles off of his enemies.
Animation Bump: The very first and very last episodes are suddenly much more streamlined and detailed. (And almost cute, if there weren't so much blood.)
But even those episodes didn't emulate Takahashi's style. The episodes coming closest to Takahashi's style are 6, 10, the selection of generals for Hōgen's army in episode 17, and 21.
And Shōgun the axe-wielding baboon in the manga... literally.
Badass in Distress: Poor Gin, John and later, Hiro were captured by Hōgen after they were outnumbered by Hōgen's soldier and were forced to surrender when Reika was taken hostage.
In Hokkaidō arc from the manga, almost all of the Ōu Soldiers (led by Gin) were trapped in the gorge at both sides by Victor and the militant German Shepherds.
Blood from the Mouth: Happens many times to characters who are in a prolonged battle
Body Double: Gin's substitute Tokimune and other doubles of John and Akame
Broken Aesop: While Weed's sympathy and "if you kill them you're just like them" philosophy is arguably the biggest Aesop in the anime. Even after Hōgen proves himself a Complete Monster time and time again, Weed refuses to kill him or allow any of his followers to kill. He even tackles Gin to rescue Hōgen from execution. This is the reason Jerome goes off on his own and Kyoushiro almost follows him. However, after Hōgen declares himself king of Gajō because Gin refuses to kill him, he gets struck by lightning and the narrator explains that the gods have passed judgment, implying the even gods themselves recognize that Hōgen just needs to die.What.
Cruel Mercy: The fate of Kamakiri after his defeat by Hiro
Cursed with Awesome: Though Zetsu tenrō battōga is a stronger attack that inflicts more damage to the opponents, the downside is that the attack user gets exhausted easily from putting more energy by spinning.
Dead ex Machina: During the final battle, Weed was beaten to the point of death by Hōgen that Gin could not help his son but to shed tears in defeat. Just when Weed's friends rush to fight Hōgen, Weed suddenly rises up from the dead with the help of the ghosts of Ōu soldiers. This scared Hōgen so much that Weed took his advantage to defeat him with his final battōga.
Death By Falling Over: Kaibutsu was finally defeated by Weed, Ken, Kagetora and Jerome who pushed off the cliff and got himself impaled by a sharp branch from the log in the middle of the waterfall.
Did Not Do the Research: For starters, it's all too tempting to shout, "Dog packs do not work that way!" Though this may be creative license at work here.
Fake Defector: Kyōshirō pretended to betray the Ōu Soldiers so that he could inflitrate Gajō to find out about Hōgen's plans but it didn't go as planned...
The villainous blind labrador Batto (not so much in the manga) also counts.
As well as the three-legged Husky Hakurō and the deformed Murder S (Sniper), both in the manga.
Heel Face Turn: Jeez... where do we start? Weed is like a magic talisman for getting this reaction.
Probably the most memorable of these is Rocket.
Heroic Second Wind: Weed is badly beaten by Hougen at their fight and nearly dies, yet manages to stand up again after being encouraged by the spirits of past Ohu soldiers.
Hong Kong Dub: Sort of. The dog's mouths don't always move in synch with what they're saying, if at all, and even when someone has a mouthful of enemy throat, they can still speak clearly. This gets especially frustrating if they're supposed to be thinking.
Actually this is done on purpose, they aren't actually speaking Japanese, they're barking.
But every animator does this differently: one doesn't animate the mouths, second draws the dogs barking and third animates the dogs like they were talking.
Humans Are Bastards: Motivation for Hōgen, Genba, and Kaibutsu. Plus, you do actually see people doing things like shooting dogs and running them over.
The manga subverts this. Some humans are bastards, some are not. The anime doesn't really focus on humans very often, but at least in the case of Jerome and his original allies, it seems they were well cared for - however this was by the same people who made Kaibutsu what he is, so it's really a mixed bag.
Hypercompetent Sidekick: Jerome is one of most competent dogs of Weed's pack until he was banished by his leader after killing Lecter and Thunder.
Though in the manga, he came back from his banishment after Murder S' defeat and remains as Weed's hypercompetent sidekick.
Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja: Akame and Tesshin both count, like whoa. Tesshin is even referred to as the 'ninja dog of Kōga'.
Intellectual Animal: All the dogs qualify, plus some boars. (Interestingly enough, none of the bears ever talk.)
Japanese Politeness: Played with. It's considered rude to mock an opponent, but if they mock you, it's seriously on. If a dog jeers unprovoked, he's probably a bad guy, and expect Gin and Weed to epitomize this trope.
Living Prop: The background characters, Harutora and Nobutora. Basically they are Kagetora's brothers who are introduced in both manga and anime with no lines and role other than as soldiers.
Howling dogs in the sad scenes, such as John's death, sound more like humans screaming or coyotes barking instead of the true dog howls. It seems that the animators, writers and voice actors of the anime just didn't care.
Just one of many moments ruined by terrible animation: Tokimune's death at Kaibutsu's jaws. No, not the actual death - a shot of Weed screaming "Father!" looks like he's having a friendly conversation.
Not Quite Dead: When Weed, who nearly died from Hōgen's beatings, is magically resurrected with the help of ghosts during the final battle.
Hōgen pulls this off WAY too many times. In this troper's opinion, it is rather pitiful that while a gigantic monstrous demon bear is taken down after one hit with a battōga, Hōgen doesn't bite it until roughly THREE battōgas and a direct lightning strike.
Actually, this troper is a huge fan of the original series and Akakabuto fought against an army of dogs attacking him, was blinded, shot, hit by two Shiroi Senkōs (= attacks as fast as light) and took two battōgas before being decapitated by the third. Also, arguably Gin and Riki were at a whole different level than Weed was when he went up against Hōgen, thanks to their harsh trainings as bear hounds and a life of fighting, where Weed for some reason is an able fighter simply thanks to his blood despite never really training.
Pragmatic Adaptation: The violence and gore had to be toned down for the anime adaptation.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Every freaking warrior of Ōu is one of these, and those who aren't want to be.
Put on a Bus: Teru and the younger members in Kyōshirō's pack were left behind in the care of Chōrō at the Kōga territory while the Ōu soldiers move on to their destination.
In the manga, Teru and the younger members return as Badass Adorable ninja pups in Hokkaidō arc when Kyōshirō went to the territory to look for recruits.
Rule Of Cool: Don't ask how a dog spinning in midair suddenly becomes the equivalent of a mechanical saw, just watch how awesome it is.
Shoot the Dog: When Genba was heavily-wounded, paralyzed and gone insane from the damage by Tesshin (and in the anime's case, Shigure), poor Hōgen had to mercy-kill his brother by snapping his neck (in the manga, Hōgen bit his brother's head and ripped his whole brain out).
Taking the Bullet: Jerome does this to protect his pack from the dog hunters though he is still alive. He refuses treatment from Tesshin as he prefers to keep the bullet in his leg as sort of a punishment for himself.
Tears of Blood: The mortally-wounded John has bloody tears in his last moments.
Theme Naming: The borzoi brothers Rocket, Jet and Missile are named after the speeding machines.
The Starscream: Kamakiri always wished to take over Hōgen's position, but of course, he fails at this.
Toilet Humour: During the hot spring scene, when the characters go offscreen a dog suddenly asks "Hey, who the hell farted?", and another exclaims "Argh, my nose is bending!". They all burst out laughing.
Took a Level in Badass: Weed throughout his series, and Tesshin between the prequel series and this one.
In the manga, the mortally-wounded GB took a huge level of badass when he rips off Hybrid Bear's claw before dying completely.
What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: From the outside it looks like a cute dog story but on the inside it is more like a brutal samurai tale containing bucketloads of blood and ruthless violence.
You Have Failed Me: Hōgen and his allies are not merciful when someone screws up (screwing up here having the meaning of being in any way connected to a bad incident).
You Killed My Father: Happens to poor Hiro when Kamakiri killed his father as a puppy. Later on, he fights Kamakiri singlehandly in a showdown, and guess what... he castrates Kamakiri, leaving him bleeding to death.
The trope is also subverted twice (not a double subversion) with Weed. Shortly after he arrives at Ōu, he finally sees his father, Gin... and then sees his father die. The first subversion is only in the manga: humans are responsible, but Weed blames Kaibutsu instead. (In the anime, Kaibutsu kills 'Gin' directly.) The second subversion: it turns out that it wasn't Gin, but instead a look-a-like. Weed's father is alive, but doesn't show up until later.
Tropes used in the manga:
A Friend in Need: In one manga arc, Daisuke (Gin's owner) and Hidetoshi come to Hokkaidō to investigate an army of dogs led by Weed moving to the place. Upon reaching the site, they saw the dogs howling over the unconscious Gin. Daisuke shouted for his former pet to wake up, and with The Power of Friendship and love, it worked.
Animal Control Does Not Exist: While in the first volumes we hear about Hook's time in a shelter and see a dog catcher in volume 3, the amount of abandoned dogs, especially purebred ones, is staggering. There also seems to be a sort of 'meh' mentality among the owners about their pet, since only once does anybody come to look for their pet who escaped to join Weed. And even then the dog leaves permanently later
Catapult Nightmare: The injured captive Gin wakes up from a nightmare where his son was ambushed and brutally killed by Hōgen before Weed could rescue him.
Combat Medic: Akame is not only an old ninja dog who fights but also a medic who helps the injured dogs with herbs and even putting the injured Tesshin's intestines back in its place in an Ōu soldier-style surgery.
Demoted to Extra: Happens to some dogs as the manga progresses, most notably Mel, Hook and Shigure
Died in Your Arms Tonight: In the manga, the dying GB asks for Weed to hug him. Needless to say, his wish is fulfilled, and GB dies as Weed is still embracing him in what is a massive Tear Jerker.
Emphasize Everything: Every narration in the manga is always filled with descriptions that glorifies Weed or bearhound blood.
Evil Cripple: Sniper comes back under the name Murder S in the manga with a doggy cart when he heard that Gin was captured by Hōgen. When Hōgen and his soldiers had to move to Gajō, Hōgen decided that Murder S should not be a burden by breaking his cart which also revealed his metal legs. Murder S then Took a Level in Badass when he trained himself to fight with using his metal back legs turning him into a deadly opponent.
Eye Scream: Murder S (Sniper) (who came Back from the Dead and deformed from the fall) was kicked and scratched into his fleshy left face by Gin during a fight.
Happens to Hiro in a flashback and recently to Musashi.
Gasshole: Near the beginning of the manga, GB gets so nervous that he accidentally farts in front of his boss Nero. But then again, he might do it on purpose because Nero and his dogs had just smelled Weed nearby, so GB's fart effectively hid his scent from them. When the dogs get mad at him, he replies "I don't have that much control when nature calls!".
Gentle Giant: Moss may look intimidating, but he is actually very sweet towards puppies.
Hammerspace: During the moment when Reika gave birth to her four puppies, the tearful Sasuke was able to produce a handkerchief out of thin air!
As well as GB and Sasuke's comic relief moments when they were insulting at each other with a long pole! See it for yourself...◊
Heel Face Turn: Buruge, Batto, Kite, Tōbei, Maxime and Lydia in the manga.
He Who Fights Monsters: Shōji Sudō the retired policeman had a hatred for dogs ever since Hōgen and Genba had killed his partner on the fateful mission. He is so determined to ensure that there are other dogs who follow Hōgen's example that in one case, he was ready to shoot Moss and the injured Tesshin who stayed behind to rest. Fortunately, he heard the other dogs' howls which stopped him from shooting both just in time. In the end, he finally shot the worn-out and heavily-wounded Hōgen after the final battle.
High Heel Face Turn: Lydia the only female of the Russian Dog Army betrayed Victor after falling in love with Jerome who was briefly taken captive.
Identical Grandson: Weed's son Orion looks like his greatgrandfather Riki at the end of the manga.
I Want To Be A Real Man: Takeshi, who is one of Kyōshirō's followers, is a scared little puppy who got kidnapped by Kamakiri. After he escaped with the help of a Heel Face Turned Tōbei, he saw Kyōshirō in trouble fighting against Hōgen's mooks. This pushed his Berserk Button; he rushed in to help his mentor to fight them, but fails to when the mook beat him to near-death. Thankfully, it got better when the other heroes turned up in time and saved Kyōshirō from death as well as reviving the unconscious Takeshi.
Even though this Troper could read very little Japanese/Chinese in the manga, this Troper could guess that he was screaming "I'M A REAL MALE!!!" in that scene when he rushed for Kyōshirō to help him.
Interrupted Suicide: Chōrō the oldest Kōga dog was dismayed when he found his disciple Tesshin befriending Weed instead of defeating him. The upset Chōrō went to the cliff and tried to jump off to drown in the river below when Weed, Tesshin and his friends managed to turn up on time and saved him. After Weed talked him out of suicide, Chōrō found his purpose by becoming a mentor of the puppies who were left behind.
Kidnapped By An Ally: Buruge and his pack were sent out by Hōgen to find Weed but he was surrounded by Weed's pack. In turn, Weed managed to talk him out by warning him that the humans might blow up Gajō and lets him go. This allowed Buruge to quit his mook job and help out Ōu Army in finding Hōgen.
Lightning Bruiser: George, the second son of Ben and Cross may look weak for a saluki-mix. Unlike his Great Dane-mix brother Ken, he is not only fast but also has his father's strength.
My God, What Have I Done?: Aramu got very guilty when he was ordered to kill his friend Maxime and throw him into the gorge where the Ōu dogs were held captive by Victor's orders (though Maxime wasn't really dead). However, he finally got over his guilt when he drowned both Victor and himself underwater as Weed was unable to finish off Victor.
Redemption Equals Death: Subverted when Buruge used to be Hōgen's Mook until he quits his mook job and joins the Ōu Army, he doesn't die in both arcs (Battle for Gajō arc and Dogs vs Monkeys arc). Later on in Hokkaidō Arc, Buruge dies from fighting against the militant German Shepherds as an Ōu Soldier.
Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Averted. Gin and Weed gather thousands of dogs, both pets and strays, to fight the villainous dogs Hōgen and Victor. The humans are startled at the sight.
Wasteland Elder: Chōrō the oldest Kōga dog in the ruined Kōga territory. Though the territory is not exactly ruined, he and the new generation of Kōga dogs reside in the underground cave.
Women In Refrigerators: Happens to the poor female dogs in both manga and anime. Especially for Sakura, Lenny, Minnie and Joe's mate Hitomi.
Even Lydia and Cross became victims of this trope, but at least they got better.
Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Averted in Hokkaidō Arc with the Ōu Soldiers and Victor's army were fighting in the gorge. When the reformedLydia tries to defend Jerome from the German Shepherd Mook, Victor's brother Bozlef grabs her tail and slams her to the wall temporarily knocking her out.
You Shall Not Pass: A worn-out and injured Moss the mastiff tries to fight a horde of militant German Shepherds while the young dogs try to escape from the gorge. Unfortunately, he died of his injuries and the concerned young dogs ran back to him.
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