ngels and demons are two prominent figures of Dogs that appear frequently throughout the storyline. The two can be used to mount heaps of irony on certain aspects of the time period, environment, and so on. It is pretty clear that the two are very important symbols of Dogs.
The logo of Dogs features a black dog that is nestled in between two letters. This dog can refer to Heine, who has a “monster” inside – a black dog. It can also refer to all of the main characters of Dogs, backing up the term of “stray dogs.”
The black dog also reminds me of Cerberus, the three-headed beast of the Underworld in Greek mythology. Taking this into consideration, the black dog can also be a derivation of a demon. (I've just recently remembered that the dog Heine possesses in his neck is named Cerberus. My apologies.)
Heine also possesses a demon inside of him, as stated before. Nil has the body of an angel – literally. When Heine first meets Nil for the first time, he saves her life. Removing the two characters that represent the symbols, the demon has saved an angel. Later on, Nil is seen to calm Heine down when he seems to be off in his own world, brooding over his past or disturbed about his recurring dreams of Lily. In one of the chapter covers, Heine’s picture is seen, accompanied by these words to the left.
A man obsessed with demons.
Likewise, on the same chapter cover, Naoto has these words.
A woman that’s been abandoned by angels.
These two statements on the same page give off parallels of the two characters, and also of the two symbols. Naoto and Heine’s pasts are actually quite similar to each other, except Heine is trying to forget and Naoto is trying to remember. The two have been paired off with opposite symbols. This can somewhat emphasize the irony of their situations when placed side by side.
The church that Naoto comes across during Bullets & Carnage has an angel perched at the top. Later on, when she tries to protect Nil from the gang of thugs, the angel has more of a role.
The first panel of the page has a close-up view of the angel. Afterwards, it is followed by a fight scene with loud, violent sound effects – all of which are happening in a church. This puts in a more serious and depressing matter that applies to the characters of Dogs: that there is no heaven or sanctuary for them.
Another thing to consider is how both Heine and Naoto protect Nil. Nil, without a doubt, is the most pure person in the story, despite her past suffering. Naoto, when seeing her for the first time, seems to have a softer expression, going hand in hand with her chapter caption. Perhaps Naoto is thinking of the angels that have abandoned her, as her caption suggests.
Angels & Demons
