Red Eyes

Red Eyes (レッドアイーズ, Reddoaiizu) is an ongoing Japanese manga written and illustrated by Jun Shindo and published by Kodansha. The manga is licensed for a French-language release in France, a German-language release in Germany and an Italian-language release by Panini Comics.^[1][2][3]

Summary

At the start of the series, the Republic of Regium is engaged in a costly war with the Federation of Dragnov. Dragnov wanted to reunify the two countries, but Regium was bitterly opposed to this and mobilized their army instead. In part due to winter conditions, the Regium forces had the upper hand at the start of the war, but gradually the Dragnov forces came close to overrunning Regium's last line of defence around the capital of Solgrenne, until Dragnov launched a new missile that caused serious damage to the capital despite being detonated indirectly 8 km outside the city, which convinced the Regium politicians to negotiate for a surrender, although the Regium Third Army refused to surrender and continued fighting.

The story follows Captain Grahad Mills, commander of the Regium special forces "Jackal" unit, that utilizes the most advanced SAA(Special Assault Armor) in existence. With the last line of defense faltering, the Jackals are deployed in a last-ditch attempt to hold the line, and succeeded at destroying all opponents in their sector. Unexpectedly though, Mills's subordinates all frame him for the murder of several Regium soldiers, causing him to be sentenced for execution. Mills then escapes from Prison, and tracks down the old members of the Jackals, trying to find out why they betrayed him.

The story's conflict takes place approximately in Eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, and Bulgaria, who however have drastically changed in theirs names and territories.

It is eventually revealed that the story takes place approximately several centuries after the 20th Century, and the reason many nations use American & NATO weaponry is because the United States had previously subjugated the world under a one world order controlled by itself.

In fact, in this world the United States succeeded in the Strategic Defence Initiative programm(SDI), therefore making the US invulnerable to ICBM attacks, as result the Cold War came to an end when the Soviet Union fell in the mid-eighties. However, the US continued their military programm eventually succeeding in the construction of the first laser strategic weapon, reducing a city to cinders in seconds. With this huge power the United States create in 2001 the D.U.P.E. (the Democratic Union for Peace on Earth) a super-state with its territory that encompass the entire continent of Asia (except most of the Middle East and Turkey), Oceania and America(except Canada). As consequence of the DUPE formation, the European Union is trasformed into a continental state from the previous European Nato countries but, the EU remain a second-rate power compare to the DUPE.

The year 2001 became the new first year of the new era, known as 1 GU (first year of the Great Unification's calendar), however in 50 GU (2050 AD) an unknown power is able to hack in the SDI system, forcing the system in SafeMode, making the system unable to process order from the DUPE command center (except its original mission to intercept any launched ICBMs and missiles). As result of losing its deterrence system, the other countries of the planet launch a full-scale attack against the DUPE forces, beginning the "20 years war" (World War III) that ended de facto in 70 GU (2070 AD) with no winner and the death of half the population of the planet.

Nations and alliances are created, formed and destroyed in the course of the war and after, one of them is the Regimu Kingdom, a new state that incorporate the former nation of Ukraine, Poland, Slovack, Romania and Bulgaria, but in 87 GU (2087 AD) a nazionalist revolt result in the fall of the monarchy and the creation of the Regium Republic(former Romania and Bulgaria), while the remaining three states remain independent until 129 GU (2129 AD) when the countries decide to form the Dragnov Federation. In 179 GU (2179 AD) the Dragnov Federation and the Regium Republic go to war against each other which last until 182 GU (2182 AD), with the loss of 2 millions of soldiers for the Federation and 2.2 millions of soldiers and 8 millions of civilians for the Republic, when the Federation is able to launch a new type of missile against the Republic which is undetectable from the SDI satellites, that are still carrying on their original mission after 110 years.

Characters

Jackals

Although there are eight Jackals in total, including Mills, oddly enough no mention of the missing eighth member is made when Mills asks both Waldmann and Lenny for information on the other members of the Jackals.

Captain Grahalt Mills

Nicknamed "Genocide" for destroying superior amounts of Dragnov troops alone, he prefers to work alone on the battlefield. He is a master of all forms of combat, managing to escape from a high security prison while killing the special forces soldiers who were guarding him. In the beginning swear vengeance against those who have betrayed him, but later decide to join the Third Army, feeling his original mission not complete and that he has a better chance to expose Krayz's plan.

Lieutenant Julian Krayz

Mills's second in command, he organized a mutiny because the Dragnov forces were winning and he wanted to be on the winning side. When assigned to eliminate enemy forces, he also killed friendly Regium soldiers and used their deaths to frame Mills as a traitor that attempted to defect to Dragnov. After the war, he became Colonel in the Dragnov armed forces as well as remaining as a Lieutenant in the Regium forces, effectively drawing pay from two armies. He's later reveal that he's an actual descendant of the Regimu Kingdom royal dynasty and he want to use the war to recreate the Regimu Kingdom, for this purpose he's also trying to gain access to the D.U.P.E. satellite network, thinking he's found a viable "key" to the system.

Captain Waldmann

Became Captain of the GIGN's(Regium's SWAT) 1st armored unit after the war. A proudy but, ambitious soldier, before the war ending, he had attempted to kill Mills by asking a homeless boy to give Mills a booby trapped package, but Mills survived and became Captain of the Jackals instead, a position that would have gone to Waldmann if Mills had died. Betrayed Mills because he felt that Regium had lost the war, and because he failed to kill Mills previously. Eventually killed by Mills after apologizing.

Lieutenant Lenny Kruger

Was once wounded by a sniper and Mills took two rounds for him, saving his life. Betrayed Mills because Krayz was using his sister, Leila, as a hostage, who became his subourdinate after the war. He later fight against Mills, but he's clear he has no intention to kill him and once been defeated by Mills, he beg Mills to kill him feeling unworthy, however Mills forgive him of his betrayal and "order" him to join Mills' group, he later return to be Mills trusted aide and second command and a valutable soldiers in the Third Army.

Lars Odd

A famous sniper during the war, used a sniper variant of the Swashbuckler. He sent his sick brother to a military hospital for treatment, and it is implied that Krayz used him as a hostage to get Lars to betray Mills. His brother died anyway, and Lars quit the army to live in the mountains, swearing never to kill again. He later decided to temporary withdraw his promise to help Mills reach the Regium Third Army, but he died in a sniping operation against a Dragnovian turret that was preventing Mills from crossing the mountains, managing to fire a round down the barrel of the turret, but taking a direct hit from the gun in the process.

Klaus Gadon

Betrayed Mills because he wanted the war to end, but then later joined the Third Army and became in charge of supply and logistics. Responsible for feeding Krayz information about Mills's activities.

Rod Sterioni

Joined the Third Army after the war, but has not been seen since he tried to get Lars to join him in the Third Army. He is later reveal that he actually leave the Army to join Krayz's plan and that he originally wanted to use Lars to kill the commander-in-chief of the Dragnov forces in Regium, but he's later able to complete himself the mission, sneaking in the Dragnov occupation forces headquarters and executing the commander-in-chief, masked as a cleaner.

Others

Saya Hamilton

A homeless woman that stayed in the same derelict building that Mills used as a bait to lure Waldmann. Insisted on staying with Mills afterwards. Her hometown was being evacuated at the end of the war when trigger happy Dragnovian troops blew up a refugee truck that was carrying her family and friends.

Colonel Classad

A hero of Regium, he was the commander of the Ranger Regiment, an inter service special forces unit. He recruited Mills when he was working as a pump attendant at a gas station, when ordinarily only elite members of the military would have been selected. Near the end of the training, Colonel Classad led a rebellion involving several platoons of active duty Rangers to seize the SAA at the training camp, the rebels's intention was to start a war with Dragnov as they were dismayed by the government's lack of honor and willingness to give in to Dragnov in regards to territorial demands. Classad however deliberately forced a confrontation with Mills and forced Mills to shoot him after a lengthy battle, which transformed him into the killing machine "Genocide". Mills then wiped out the other rebels single-handedly.

Lieutenant Leila Kruger

Sister of Lenny Kruger, and　adjutant of Krayz, whom she has an intimate relationship with.

Colonel Leon Ridas

Strategist of the Third Army, with uncharacteristic unkempt hair. Largely responsible for the Third Army's success so far, and partly responsible for the "Miracle of Lent", wherein Ridas directed the eight members of the Jackals, commanded by Mills, and held off an entire Dragnovian armored division for 2 days.

Technology

Most aspects of technology in RedEye are fairly similar to that of the current modern world. Tanks are armed with 120 mm cannons, infantry generally uses rifles, machine guns and grenades. The major exception is the development of powered armor called SAA. Ballistic missiles have fallen out of use because old military satellites launched by the previous superpower destroy anything that reaches a high-enough altitude. A new missile launched by Dragnov used a new propellant that left no heat signature, preventing satellite detection.

Special Assault Armor

SAA (Special Assault Armor) are powered armor suits that protects the wearer against most weapons up to 20 mm (however it still has weak spots such as actuators, joints and unarmored portions around the face), and has a power source capable of sustaining it for eight hours of continuous combat. SAA troops are generally armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun and underslung grenade launcher, although the advanced models used by the Jackals feature cannons and anti-tank missile launchers. In a pinch, SAA may be operated via remote control.

Ayriel Gainer Industries (Regium Republic)

APF-175 "Bardish" : The mass production SAA used by the Regium Armored units during the war.

ASP-177E "Swashbuckler" : The most advanced SAA at the beginning of the series, used by the Jackals.

ASP-NC1200R "Blackbird" : Used by the GIGN's 1st armored unit, developed specially for CQB. Waldmann wore a special uparmored version of this suit named "Darkhawk", that was immune to the standard 12.7 mm H/AP rounds used in SAA weaponry.

XSP-180MK-54 : A high-spec SAA, successor to the high performance Swashbuckler SAA used by the Jackals. Failed the tests as the wearer had difficulty controlling it due to the extreme high sensitivity of the controls. Equipped with a 15 mm cannon and a hyper velocity armgun capable of penetrating multiple armored targets.

Gayer Arms Fabric (Dragnov Federation)

FFR-A4 "Barme" : The SAA used by Dragnov during the war, nicknamed "Turtle" due to its bulkiness.

FR-A12 "Zebra" : The prototype model developed by the GAF, much of its technology is derived from AGI. Fitted with homing anti-armor and anti-air missiles, and fitted with advanced targeting systems that can track targets through walls.

FR-A5M2 "Cobra" : Higher spec SAA used by the Cobras, the Dragnovian forces equivalent of the Jackals.

References

1. ↑ "RED EYES" (in French). Panini Comics. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
2. ↑ "RED EYES 1" (in German). Panini Comics. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
3. ↑ "MANGA 2000 14" (in Italian). Panini Comics. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 

Red Eyes Chp. 20 Page 17, Map of the story's conflict

External links

• Red Eyes (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia