“Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade” is the product of two of Japan’s renowned anime creators. “Ghost in the Shell” director Mamoru Oshii, and Hiroyuki Okiura, a key animator on “Akira,” Each take a different role for “Jin-Roh,” Oshii as writer and Okiura as director. The same style from their previous works shines through.

“Jin-Roh” is the story of an alternate history of Japan where a police state has been set up as a means to keep order. Two police factions are in constant struggle with each other, all while battling a revolutionary organization known as the Sect.

To complicate things further, another faction, known as the Wolf Brigade, has infiltrated the police organizations to accomplish their own goals.

While “Jin-Roh” is about a political struggle, with the inner workings of a great conspiracy movie, it is also about love.

The main character, Fuse, struggles with the suicide of a Sect member and meets her sister in the process of trying to cope. Together they uncover more mystery and intrigue and get drawn further into the twisted world of “Jin-Roh.”

“Jin-Roh,” because of its multiple connections and deep inner workings, is the type of movie you can sit back and enjoy not just once, but time and again.

There is a lot to learn and the world is so well constructed you will notice new details with each viewing. It is a very intriguing and enjoyable film much in the same vein as the creators’ previous works, and highly recommended to any fan of anime.

As far as the DVD goes, Bandai Entertainment has delivered two versions. First is a movie-only version which literally has no extras; and the second is a three-disc set with plenty of extras and the movie soundtrack.

Whichever set you choose, “Jin-Roh,” much like any animated work, benefits from the DVD format. It is presented in anamorphic widescreen, with a full set of sound options. While “Jin-Roh” is not your vibrant and colorful animated film, its gritty, stylistic world looks great.

A surprising sound feature is a very well done dub of the original Japanese dialogue. While the movie moves at a decently slow pace, making it easy to follow the subtitled version, the English voices are very good and fit well into the world. There are a couple less-than-spectacular performances, but mostly from minor characters, which really does not detract from enjoyment.

As for the special edition of the DVD, there are extras for those who wish to dig deeper into the ideas of “Jin-Roh.” They include creator/director interviews, cast interviews, art galleries and others. Sadly, the special edition carries a hefty price tag, making it rather inaccessible for a casual DVD collector.

“Jin-Roh” is a deep story, set in a well-thought world with great characters and plenty of intrigue. Both the political and love plots work well separately, as well as mixed together, for the films twists, to make “Jin-Roh” an easily enjoyed film and DVD.

Content: *** 1/2

Video/Sound: **** 1/2

Extras: N/A (movie-only);

*** 1/2

Chris Weishaar is a sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication from Bronson.