Patlabor: The Movie

This is the way "Patlabor 1" _should_ have been treated in an English-language release. This film is the foundation of Mamoru Oshii's signature style, which would be perfected in "Patlabor 2" and then reach international attention with the later "Ghost in the Shell" and "Innocence" features.

The new translation of the dialogue offers far more detail than the old version from the late '90s by Manga Entertainment, Bandai Visual USA seems to have really wanted to make a mark with this first release for the new company, and they achieved this.

The film itself is a classic Oshii blend of philosophy and action, based upon the characters he helped introduce with the "Patlabor: The Original Series" OVA, but turning the focus of the show from the adventures of the Patlabor cast to an introspective look at where Tokyo (and humanity in general) was heading. Many elements were far ahead of their time; today threats of killer computer viruses are common; all of us deal with them in our email accounts, but in 1989 the internet was in its early public infancy, and the idea of someone creating a virus to spread death and destruction was a fantastic concept. The fact that humanity's inventions could so easily be taken from their pure helpful purposes and turned to nefarious ends was a relatively new idea, one which challenged the prevailing viewpoint that humanity would only be helped and assisted by its new technological creations.

This release sets a new standard for how high-profile titles should be released, and I hope that it is a precedent that will be followed commonly. The documentaries on the extra disc were a little underwhelming compared to the standards set by Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" or even the well-conceived and excuted making-of documenatries that came with Pioneer/Geneon's "WXIII: Patlabor 3" special edition release.

But the 184-page Patlabor Archives book is a treasure for those interested in how and why "Patlabor 1" turned out the way it did, detailing much of the history of the film, why it is so different in tone from the Patlabor OVAs and TV series, and the innovative ways that Oshii used to turn the city of Tokyo itself into one of the central characters of the film. I read the entire booklet before watching the new version of the film, and it changed the way I viewed the movie, made me far more conscious of the social commentary that is in fact one of the film's central themes.

The storyboard is another gem for those who are interested in the process of how an idea for a film is translated into a finished work, and even glancing through it made me more conscious of some of the finer details in the film, things which are so subtle that they may escape detection even after multiple viewings, but because they were specifically laid out in the storyboards were deliberately placed to enhance some aspects of the film.

Is this Limted Edition of the film necessary to enjoy the picture? No, it's not. Get the new version of the basic movie if all you're interested in is a great thinking-man's movie with a few heart-pounding action sequences thrown in for variety's sake (it _is_ a mecha anime on the surface, after all). The basic film of this Bandai Visual USA version is far superior to the old Manga Entertainment one; if you already own that, you might consider picking up this one, anyway, because this translation mentions an awful lot of details that were left out of Manga's version. But the Limited Edition's special features will probably only be of interest to the devoted anime and Patlabor fans, for its illumination of how the anime industry and Mamoru Oshii actually work.

The downside of this, for those who have been following Patlabor for a long time, is that this is the fourth complete English-language cast for the Patlabor characters, a result of four different companies having been responsible for releasing this over time (Manga Entertainment doing the original versions of the first two movies, US Manga Corps doing the OVAs and TV Series, and Pioneer/Geneon doing WXIII: Patlabor 3).

I got interested into Mamoru Oshii's work after I saw the stunning "Ghost in the shell" and I have to say that I wasn't disappointed by this earlier release. It's an ambitious movie, that tries to renew the typical mecha-action story, and succeeds thanks to a multi-layered , complex plot that blends seamlessly science-fiction and detective story, very realistic in its premises (the mechas are very much everyday tools) but also with many interesting twists (the investigation scenes in the slums of Tokyo have an intriguingly surreal quality to them) True, it's not a relentless, action-packed movie, but I think that the battle scenes (the one in the streets of Tokyo is splendid!)have a stronger impact on the viewer when they make sense in the context of a story, and this is the case. The final climax, maybe, is not as powerful as I expected, but that's a minor flaw, because the rest is so good. Also , this is a movie, not a tv-series, so it has the kind of top-notch quality usually reserved to theatrical releases: superior character design, wonderfully "fluid" animation, and incredibly detailed machines, mechas, landscapes etc. The sequel is supposed to be even better, and I'll get it for sure. Strongly recommended.

I need to start by saying I have not watched anything but the Patlabor Movies so I have no clue what the series is all about. I also need to say that I bought this film on the heels of watching Macross Plus, my favorite anime EVER, and was expecting an action mech film. Boy was I suprised.

The first time I watched this, I literally fast forwarded through most of it to get the the action. Imagine my dismay when I got there and there seemed to be NONE! I threw down the movie in disgust and left.

Weeks later my friend who got me into Anime saw it and asked to watch it. I told him I thought it was crap but why not. This time...I actually watched the movie and I was blown away with its deep story, amazing imagination and palpable theme of discovery and mystery. For plot line and story, look at the other reviews, I'm just here to give opinion.

Patlabor uses Labors, or mecha, not as show stealing engines of destruction but as obvious evolutions of police enforcement. As such, there is no flashy gundam style energy exchange or more deliberate destruction of the mechwarrior fame. But what you do get is a deep plot of industrial espionage, mysterious dissapearences and a suprisingly realistic look at what future law enforcement would actually look like, detective work too.

In the end, I realized that all anime need not be about amazing action. Patlabor has a pretty good action scene towards the end but that is not why I suggest this movie. I say watch this because it shows what anime can also bring to our DVD players. A well written, well studied movie that would probably crash at the box office because everyone expects it to shoot stuff.

In Gateway country, people rule. Well, at least until someone plants a virus into the system before he dies and all of the sudden labors are on the rampage, and it would take more than Pinkerton's Men to stop these guys. If you are looking for a fast-paced in your face action with a hyper cool robot title, look no further... for another anime. But, if you a are looking for an anime that poses deep questions such as "Who am I really?", "My purpose is?", "Will the Cubs ever win a World Series?, and...aw nevermind, it's not like that either. All I can say is that Patlabor is a smart, and stylized mecha movie with enough techno stuff and mystery to boot. But of course, the Patlabor series is one of the best mecha anime series ever, so what's not to expect? Especially at the hands of director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell). The big difference about Patlabor is that instead of focusing on the mecha, it focuses on the people. Labors aren't the solve-all, end-all super robots out to save the world, they're functional machines, and could be related to much like cars today. That's where Patlabor works its magic, with the characters. Masami Yuki, one of the creators of Patlabor, and Headgear, took what was originally a parody of Gundam into an anime that has come into a light of its own. Patlabor is great show and a great movie, and Patlabor 2, even beter that the first, is considered Oshii's masterpiece. Highly recomended to dedicted fans and the casual otaku alike, Oshii show us that technology does not always mean progress, and nothing is ever failsafe.

Let me start by saying that the movie itself rates a 5-star. I'm giving this 4 stars only because I am fairly annoyed at the English dubbing because it is obiously aimed more at children. This is NOT a movie which should be treated this way. If you're not fluent in Japanese (I only know barely enough Japanese to tell if a translation is WAY off), watch this one with the literal English subtitles. OK, a passing knowlege of post-WWII Japan helps a lot too, but that's true of any of the great Japanese Animes (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, etc). OK, to be fair, it's probably to keep a more PG rating since this Anime doesn't feature gratuitous sex, outfits as not-there as Jennifer Lopez's Acadamy Awards gown, or naked, bathing females with large bouncy...ehm...you get the idea.

While not quite as "deep" as Ghost in the Shell, it is still definately more of a thinking person's Anime than an animated Action/Adventure flick. As with other Anime directed by Oshii Mamoru, defitately worth buying, if only to save money on the rental fees, because this is one to watch multiple times to catch the dramatic layers you'll miss the first couple times.

If you enjoy Drama and Anime, this is a great one to get. If you are looking more for giant robots destroying each other then there a wealth of other amime with less drama and more action to suit your taste.

I have a small collection of anime which is growing exponentially now, thanks in part to my renewed interest in the genre after viewing this film. What seperates this from many anime is it unique use of the Mecha of "Labors" in its plot, instead of just the same robot battle fair that we've all seen. The movie does not centure around action but around the actual story and the characters as they work together (and sometimes against each other) to solve the big mystery in time to stop the terrible threat to Tokyo and possibly the entire world.

You know, in the days of fast cars, fast music(and fast lifespans for music), fast women, fast food, and any thing else that can be concidered fast(let me know if there is anything I have left out), sometimes, you need to slow down a bit. Starting with Shenmue, I came to the conclusion that not every thing has to be fast paced to be enjoyable. As far as movies go, Patlabor fits that bill quite nicely.

More of a crime drama/exploration film, I think the first thing that jumped out at me is the direction. Mamoru Oshii did an excellent job with not only the cinamatagraphy, but the setups as well. Needless to say, nothing felt jarring at all in the movie. Another thing that helped the tone of the movie was the soundtrack. The soundtrack was very well composed(not something I normally say about anime soundtracks. Especially with j-pop openings).

To me, the movie is kinda of an exploration of man and his machines. Man creates machine. Man becomes dependent on machine. Man, therefore becomes machine. It seems as though the antgonist in this movie saw this horrible revolation and commits suicide. Not before sending Tokyo to impending doom with his plan(not gonna share details. I have told enough).

I think one thing that would have made this movie better was if I had saw the original TV series(which I hear is pretty good). But alas, no DVD means no purchase as I am now on strict DVD only diet. But even so, the characters were, if not a little under developed, still deffentatly enjoyable. I just wish they had shared a little more background info. Oh well.

Another thing that I thought worked to its advantage, was the lack of gratuitous mech action. I myself am not big mecha fan. But when the scenes that had the mechs in them were, from my standpoint, more emphasised, made it better. Rather than mindless battles that was one of many elements that made Gundam Wing hard to watch.

Overal, good movie that is well directed and has cool storyline. Not fast paced fare but I was able to mangage. After all, Vampire Princess Miyu is one of my favorite animes. And that is pretty slow anime. Oh well, guess its not for everyone.

An interesesting plot, an amazing story, a perfect soundtrack, a very good pictures and the "savoir-faire" of Mamoru Oshii (don't forget Ghost in the Shell) make this anime a must-see.

People looking for gore should turn to Ninja Scroll (my favorite movie, which I highly recommend). I think it's refreshing to see an anime that contains very little violence. It operates on detective work and technology.

The story takes place in the near future. Labors are robots that humans operate, and they're used for policing. The robots have been going berzerk; E. Hoba, the person who wrote the program for the labors, committed suicide, so it's not like anyone can turn to him. Also, it seems that Hoba was the one who created the bug in the labors anyhow.

Noah and Azuma take matters into their own hands and begin to investigate. They're basically only rookies, and it's hard for them to get approval from their superiors. It makes for quite the interesting story. I liked it a lot.

Patlabor is one of the finest animated films to come out of Japan. My only problem is that the DVD has so many bugs in it, it almost ruins the film. Pixelated globs appear on the opening credits, still shots shudder and frames freeze when the layers switch over. In addition the hacks at Manga made a decision to "pan & box" this film (a disgusting state between true letterboxing and pan & scan). If Mr. Oshii were dead, he'd be rolling in his grave over this rubbish DVD.