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REVIEW: Under the Dog

Way more interested in a second Sword of the Stranger than Schoolgirls Shoot Guns 9-billion.

Under the Dog is such a dumb name. What is that even mean?

Under the Dog is such a dumb name. What is that even mean?

The biggest problem I have with Under the Dog, is they could of just taken up the offer from a publisher, this was advertised as something "too risky", and while it certainly does stand out, it is not something that you are unlikely to see airing late at night. I feel like I've been deceived, I know the trailers advertised it as an action show, but the way they talked about it, it seemed like a highly driven si-fi similar to GITS.

I'm 100% for Masahiro Ando getting more work that is tailored to his skills though. I like Hanasaku Iroha quite a lot, and the fact that he directed it, along with Snow White, shows just how versatile he really is, but he shines brightest when he has a big budget and lots of action. That is the single thing that I wanted to see from this OVA, and I got it. I want to see him direct a full TV series with this level of action. More UTD would be great, but if that's a no-go, please, at least give him another action oriented series!

I really enjoyed Under the Dog. For a one-shot action OVA, it's a good watch. I don't really get all the hate for the story. It's standard stuff but there's not much you can do in 28 mins. As for Anthea not being the main character, it says right on the KS page that Hana is lead for the OVA. I was actually impressed with the lean storytelling. There's no heavy info-dumping, flashbacks, or long exposition to bog down the pacing. I also like how Hana's character was handled in a similarly lean and subtle way without dragging the pacing down. And I liked the twist at the end as well. The important thing is that action was good. Ando is a great action director and UTD has really good action scenes with great choreography and animation. The shootout on the stairs and Anthea taking on the beast-thing were my favorites.

MarshalBanana wrote:

The biggest problem I have with Under the Dog, is they could of just taken up the offer from a publisher, this was advertised as something "too risky", and while it certainly does stand out, it is not something that you are unlikely to see airing late at night. I feel like I've been deceived, I know the trailers advertised it as an action show, but the way they talked about it, it seemed like a highly driven si-fi similar to GITS.

It wasn't just about being too risky, it was also about being able to "own" their show/IP. As it says on their Kickstarter page, they own all the rights and control to Under the Dog. Their KS success will make a great sales pitch if they ever decide to go for funding from a production committee. As a couple people have said, UTD is a perfect fit for Netflix and with them getting into the anime market now, I can totally see Netflix helping to fund a whole series. Perhaps not a bad thing.

kpk wrote:

Under the Dog is such a dumb name. What is that even mean?

This was all explained in the Kickstarter 2 years ago:


n•der the dog

ˈəndər T͟Hə dôg

phrase

1. when one is in a situation so disagreeable that they would wish to rather be "under the dog," a place of dishonor, misery, and filth, in order to escape their current state of affairs

noun

1. (underdog) a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest

2. one born under the sign of the dog (Canis Major - Sirius) embodying loyalty, speed, the hunt, and watchfulness


From Ishii-san:

“If your parents, family, or classmates are taken hostage and if you die, your family will die too. If you fail, your family will die. If you run away, your family will die. In such a situation where you are driven into a corner [...] and must kill [your] fellow compatriots.” What would you do? How would you live out your life? Your death? “[...] if you have only the choice of dying, how will you die, how can that death help the world that you have left behind?” This is what it is to be “Under the Dog.”

Hello, everyone. I’m Jiro Ishii, the author of Under the Dog’s original story.

Today, I’m going to talk about the title “Under the Dog”.

For English speakers, the title “Under the Dog” may sound a bit funny. You might have thought it’s meant to be “underdog”, perhaps. The title “Under the Dog” comes from a song by a Japanese rock band named GREAT3; it is one of the songs in their debut album “Richmond High” (released on Sept. 6, 1995).

The song made an enormous impact on me.

I’ll quote some of the phrases from the song:

[Note: What you see here is NOT the official English lyrics. The translation is provided just as a reference.]

宝物は きれいに箱に つめて
Takara mono wa kirei ni hako ni tsumete
Precious items, packed neatly in a box

大切に しまいこみ 隠してほしい
Taisetsu ni shimai komi kakushite hoshii
Should be carefully put away and hidden

だって すぐに 誰かが しのびこんで
Datte suguni dareka ga shinobi konde
Because someone will just sneak in

それをただ 憎むべきものに 変えるから
Sore wo tada nikumu beki mono ni kaeru kara
And turn it into only something hideous

(from Under the Dog, lyrics by Akito Katayose)

I’ve just made my debut as a game creator back then. So I was terrified of my work of art being modified and transformed into something different from the original by a bunch of hands of various people.

The above phrase gouged out my heart, as I read it as a message to myself. It also helped me imagine and create the main characters of Under the Dog –– the teenage boys and girls who get deployed and tainted by global conspiracy and conflicts.

Lastly, I will introduce the lyrics below where the term “under the dog” is sung:

[Note: Once again, what you see here is NOT the official English lyrics. The translation is provided just as a reference.]

そんなに 悲しいなら
Sonna ni kanashii no nara
If you are so sad

犬の下で 眠ればいいさ
Inu no shita de nemure ba ii sa
Just sleep under the dog

そんなに 苦しいなら
Sonna ni kurushii no nara
If you suffer so much

犬の下で 眠ればいいさ
Inu no shita de nemure ba ii sa
Just sleep under the dog

Oh Under the Dog そのまま ずっと
Oh, under the dog sono mama zutto
Oh, under the dog, keep on sleeping

(from Under the Dog, lyrics by Akito Katayose)

If you could get something out of the above phrase and feel it in the animation we are making, it would give me much gratification as the story creator of Under the Dog.

Here's an explanation from the original creator:

I'm just annoyed that they promoted this as some far out there show that the industry was not going to touch. When it really isn't, I understand bending the truth as "Action Show with Highschool Girls" would not of go down well with the audience they were after, but at least something close.

They never "bent the truth" whatsoever. The original scenario was spelled out very clearly in the Kickstarter on Day 1. They had multiple updates and posts about it. There were even comments complaining about it being about High School girls on the Kickstarter page. Which were addressed. Anyone who feels like they were lied to somehow, wasn't paying any attention to this project at all.