The future isn't a very nice place. There's crime in the streets, corruption in the government, computer hacking frenzy, dogs sleeping with cats - well, you get the picture. A special task force has been created to combat crime in the city of Oeda - the Cyber Cops, comprised of the very criminals themselves! And to insure compliance, each crook is fitted with a special collar - if it's tampered with, the crook will literally lose his head! CYBER CITY: THE DECOY is the second volume in the CYBER CITY series, which follows the exploits of three criminals forced onto the side of angels.

Cyber Cop Goggles investigates a war-torn building, finding one of his contemporaries on the squad attempting to remove his control collar. Dude admits to Goggles that he stole vital files from the Cyber Cops database, but before he reveals the ones who hired him, he makes one wrong move, and it's bye-bye to "Mr. Fix-It." Goggles checks in with his controller Hasagawa, who concedes losing those files is a bad thing. Meanwhile, fellow Cyber Cop Sengoku, with his trusty robot Varsus, uncovers military involvement at a murder site. When he goes to investigate the nearby base, Sengoku's joined by Benton, who's bust on a body parts smuggler lead him to the same conclusion - there's something not quite kosher going on with the soldier boys.

Goggles is questioned by a roving band of Special Forces operatives about the hacking of files from their database. Goggles disavows any knowledge, but after the militia leave, he reveals the thief - his old partner Sarah! Her files show a new weapon the military is building. Goggles and Sarah make a break for it in his vehicle, pursued by more Special Forces soldiers. At the Cyber Cop base, military head honcho Mishiba contacts Hasagawa. Mishiba claims Goggles stole the top-secret files, so they're sending their prototype killer cyborg to stop him. Hasagawa breaks off the Ôconversation' to warn Goggles, and he tells G he has 8 hours to find and beat the military's new weapon, because Hasagawa activates the timer on Goggles collar!

Finally infiltrating the military base, Sengoku and Benton find a laboratory of horrors - body parts preserved for the new cyborg, and computer simulations of a fight between the android and...Goggles!? What does Mishiba's agenda have to do with Goggles? How is all this connected to the Cyber Cop? And Goggles learns a deadly secret from Sarah, which might cost him his life!

Borrowing from "Dead Lock" and "Escape From New York" with a dose of "Blade Runner" thrown in, CYBER CITY offers the viewer a complex, exciting, and action filled disc. The best anime is like a book - it allows us to experience the story from the perspective of the characters, instead of simply being the Ôobserver'. As one would expect from Yoshiaki Kawajiri (the director of NINJA SCROLL), CYBER CITY is a many-layered film, with new twists and turns around every corner. We're right there with the Cyber Cops, as the truth is shown revealed through betrayals, manipulations, and intense confrontations. The plot never becomes overbearing or confusing, and the action sequences are just terrific. The final showdown between Goggles and the cyborg is an incredibly brutal scene, an awesome piece of filmmaking. The characters are very strong and very complicated - from Goggles' code of honor to Hasagawa's backbone facing down Mishiba. There're no stereotypes here! The animation is top-of -the-line quality for a TV series. The picture is sharp and detailed, with out many of the shortcuts seen in many TV anime shows. The sound is clean and clear, as would be expected.

CYBER CITY: THE DECOY has been released on DVD with a few extras. Foremost is a subtitles director's commentary. This reveals a lot behind the series, and this episode in particular - it's Kawajiri's favorite! There are the obligatory previews and trailers, as well as an art gallery. It would have been nice to have some sort of "Cyber Cop" files to update those of us who may not have seen the first DVD of the series. The rap sheets of Goggles, Sengoku and Benton are shown during the credits, but I don't read Japanese.

CYBER CITY: THE DECOY should be considered one of the best anime shows out there. You're pulled in by it's complex story and engaging characters, and then totally blown away by the incredible action. It's been said a little goes a long way, but CYBER CITY: THE DECOY gives you a lot, and that goes even further! Another triumph for Kawajiri!