To round off my Patlabor experience I watched Patlabor 3 the Movie: WXIII (2001). The WXIII in the title is short for Wasted 13 – more on that below. The movie was great and I recommend it to science-fiction fans but with a warning. This movie is not a standard Patlabor story. It’s a side story and there’s almost no mecha action. Like Orguss 02, Patlabor 3 the Movie takes place in the same setting as the title but focuses on different characters and a different storyline than usual. The characters of Special Vehicles Section 2 are only seen very briefly and don’t figure prominently into the plot.

Patlabor 3 is a high-tech detective story and shows us two Tokyo police investigators, Kusumi and Hata, who try to find the source of a chain of murders and labor attacks near Tokyo Bay. They discover the perpetrator is not a terrorist but a biotech lab’s experiment, number 13 of the “Wasted” series, that escaped into Tokyo Bay while being transported by plane. Number 13 didn’t survive by mere chance, however. A scientist, distraught at the loss of her husband and only child, injects cells from her deceased child into number 13 and feeds it special chemicals to increase its chances of survival. Detective Hata develops feelings for the scientist and tragedy ensues.

The escaped lab experiment turned killer is a theme done to death in numerous lousy science-fiction movie but in Patlabor 3 it is done well. The carefully crafted plot and poignant exchanges between characters make it a movie worth seeing more than once. Although some reviews online state this movie is making a statement about “a society choking on its own technology” I didn’t see the social commentary in Patlabor 3 that was present in the preceeding two movies. That may be because a new director, Takayama Fumihiko, took charge of this project. Takayama was more interested in letting the story unfold than trying to get an audience of science-fiction fans to question the value of technology (a losing proposition).

My only disappointment was, if you’re going to make a detective story in the world of Patlabor, why not use Detective Matsui? Matsui got precious little screen time in Patlabor and he would have been perfect for this movie. It’s too bad we saw so little of that character over the years.

Patlabor 3 is an interesting and suspense-filled movie. If you have the time to see it you’ll be rewarded.

I had a great time watching the second Patlabor movie (1993).  Although it bogged down in the middle and risked boring the audience it was a good movie overall and I would recommend it to mecha fans.

The story takes place about 3 years after the events of the first movie and the TV series. The plot was basically a copy of a 2 episode story from the first OAV story. I was happy to see this since that earlier story was good enough to deserve a more thorough treatment. Tsuge, a disgruntled member of the Japan Self Defense Force sees modern Japanese society as being too complacent. Tsuge feels the only way to make the Japanese people “wake up” is to destabilize the government and cause a panic. Captain Goto of Special Vehicles Section 2 sees the plot coming together and sends his team to stop Tsuge.

The animation quality was great. The character designs are again different from the first OAV and TV series. They look better than the first movie but it still would have been better to stick with the established look. Although mecha action was too small a part of this movie, what there was was great. With mecha designs by Izubuchi Yutaka, Kawamori Shoji and Katoki Hajime how can you lose?

Captain Goto seems to be the main character of this movie. Since he was always my favorite character that certainly made me happy. Although the rest of the characters of Special Vehicles Section 2 take a smaller role in this movie than they do in most other Patlabor anime, they still had more screen time and expressed their personalities more than in the first movie. It’s interesting to note that Kumagami Takeo wasn’t in the movie. I guess she wasn’t considered a core character. Like the first movie, we also get to see more of detective Matsui – another character I always liked.

The rebel group sends an attack helicopter to destroy the machines of Special Vehicles Section 2.

One of my minor disappointments of the movie was how, after three years, Goto had made no success in gaining the affections of Captain Nagumo. Isn’t three years long enough for someone as crafty as Goto to win her heart? At the end of the movie Goto seems to be giving up when he looks at his team of officers and says, “At least I’ll always have them.”

I think I finally understand what director Oshii Mamoru was trying to do with the first two Patlabor movies. Both movies have long scenes with no dialogue and ambient music that appear to encourage the audience to become introspective. I think what Oshii was trying to accomplish was to subtly tell the audience that the villains have a point. While the heroes are still heroes and the villains still need to be stopped, the villains do raise some points worth considering. The mad software programmer from the first movie and the disenchanted Defense Force fugitive are both upset with the effects of rapid economic and technological development on Japanese society. They feel the Japanese people have abandoned too much of what it means to be Japanese, and ignored the people of foreign nations, in order to pursue peace and prosperity.

The police labors are covered in a kind of bullet-proof armor that looks like clothes for giant robots.

This kind of social commentary isn’t found much in the OAVs or TV series. I thought that, while the attempts at a deeper discussion in the films was interesting, it wasn’t handled all that well. The first movie’s point that Japan was developing too quickly and the second movie’s point that Japan’s peace and prosperity were illusive and only possible at the expense of other nations’ happiness were both too simplistic and reactionary. If themes this deep are going to be discussed in a movie, they should be treated more intelligently. Other points of view and more information should be provided to better represent the issues. For example, a long discussion is placed in the middle of the second movie where both characters readily accept that Japan’s peace and economic success are the result of profitting off of foreign wars. But I don’t think this is true. I think if the armed conflicts in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East were to stop Japan would still be prosperous (perhaps even more so).

On top of that, the long, introspective scenes in the movies intended to drive home the deeper messages were rather dull and probably caused a lot of viewers to wander off and never complete the movie. The “art house” feel isn’t for everyone.

Still, all things considered I enjoyed the movie and recommend that science-fiction fans check it out. Those of you who are mecha fans will probably shed a tear over all the cool mecha designs that only stand around in the movie. Just think how cool it could have been if there had been more action!

I watched the Patlabor Movie (1989) last night and thoroughly enjoyed it.  If you’ve seen any Patlabor then you shouldn’t miss this movie.  The story centers around a plot by a mad programmer who wants to stop Tokyo’s development by creating a hidden flaw in a new operating system for labors.  Once a certain low frequency sound is made by the wind a hidden program takes control of the labors and sends them on a rampage.  Learning about the plot just before a hurricane with the right wind speed comes to Tokyo, Special Vehicles Section 2 springs into action to try to prevent a tragedy.

Some Patlabor fans might be put off by the movie.  It doesn’t have the comedy and “slice of life” character drama that was so much a part of the TV series.  I thought the movie was not only great but quite appropriate.  The action and intrigue stories were always a part of Patlabor.  The first OAV series established that well.  The first part of the TV series had much to offer there too.  The movie focused keenly on the action and high-tech thriller storyline and as a result had to sacrifice screen time normally given over to character development.  Several of the regular characters didn’t get much screen time at all.  Asuma and Noa, along with Captain Goto were the focus of the story.

The movie returns balance to Patlabor by giving the audience more action and hard science-fiction.  I think stories like this one are needed – especially after the last 12 episodes of the second OAV were almost entirely comedy and “slice of life” stories.  Too many fans look at the Patlabor TV series and think that’s what Patlabor is all about.  The Patlabor movies are important components of the whole package.

The main disappointment for me was the character designs.  Although the animation quality was great, the characters looked ugly and, well, wrong.  Sticking closer to the character designs from the first OAV and the TV series would have served the movie well.

If you want a good hard science-fiction movie then you can’t go wrong with Patlabor.

The AV-98 Ingram Unit 1 "Alphonse" is back!

Patlabor’s second OAV series started in November 1990 and ran for 16 half hour episodes.  Really, the second OAV series is a continuation of the TV series.  It makes Patlabor 63 episodes instead of 47.  I really enjoyed the second OAV series and highly recommend it but only to those who have already seen the TV series.

The Griffin is back!

The first four episodes bring the Griffin back for another action-packed story.  After that, the episodes are comedy and character drama.  I liked them but Patlabor ended at the right time.  If it had gone any further it would have dissolved into a soap opera and lost its edge.  Action, espionage and mecha are a part of Patlabor and removing them is a mistake.

The members of Special Vehicles Section 2

It was really nice seeing more of the AV-0 Peacemaker and the Griffin.  We also learn where why Izumi Noa named her Ingram Alphonse.  It was the name of a pet dog and then a pet cat when she was little!  As if to remind the audience, one of the new opening credits animation sequences resurrects the dead dog to let it run around with Noa and Asuma.  Kind of creepy but it was probably meant in good fun.  Some of the new opening credits sequences made for the second OAV series were the best I’ve seen and it’s a shame they could be used in the TV series.

The Griffin plays the part of an alien monster in the hillarious spoof of the last episode of the original Ultraman series.

I certainly enjoyed this expansion of the TV series and am glad it was produced.  If you’ve seen the TV episodes then you shouldn’t miss this.  Now, on to the Patlabor movies!

I’ve just finished the 47 episodes of the Patlabor TV Series. Patlabor ran from October 1989 to September 1990. Patlabor is a truly great TV show and I highly recommend it to all mecha and science-fiction fans. I wrote about Patlabor’s basic premise not long ago so there’s no need to go over it again. After watching the entire run of Special Vehicles Division 2′s adventures protecting Tokyo my enthusiasm for the show hasn’t diminished at all.

The AV-98 Ingram that Izumi Noa pilots.

Most mecha shows have an overall plot and divert from it occasionally for side stories. The Patlabor TV series, like the OVA series that came before it, doesn’t have an overall story. The series is made up of different stories. Some are short while others take several episodes. Some, like the black ops research department of Shaft Japan, come back from time to time but no particular story can be seen as the focus of the show. I think this fits Patlabor quite well. Patlabor gives us a look at the lives of the officers of Special Vehicles Division 2 and most people’s lives don’t have an overall plot. Like real life, some stories are funny, some sad and some leave you scratching your head.

Special Vehicles Division 2's headquarters are on a landfill in Tokyo Bay.

There are comedy episodes in Patlabor and they’re quite funny. I appreciated the fact that the writers didn’t overdo the number of comedy episodes. They got it just right. The plausibility of the show was always high. Not only was there exciting episodes where the characters battled with the black ops research team of Shaft Japan but the episodes dealing with insurance agents and marriage brokers kept the series very believable.

The Griffin runs amok and causes havok.

I was surprised at the number of episodes devoted to dealing with the J9 Griffin. From promotional images for the series I had the impression for years that Griffin was in a large portion of the show and fought the character’s Ingrams many times. As it turns out, it was only in a handful of episodes. Still, those episodes certainly didn’t disappoint this mecha fan.

Mecha fans should note that the majority of Patlabor mecha designs created appear in the TV series. Although the animation quality may be higher in the OAVs and movies, the bulk of the mecha is in the series.

The Patlabor TV Series has everything I’d want in a TV show.  Great characters, interesting stories, good humor, action and intelligence. You shouldn’t miss this one! Unfortunately, Patlabor is difficult to get a hold of these days. I rented some DVDs from Netflix but I had to supplement that with BitTorrent downloads to see every episode. Purchasing the series is tough too. It’s been out of print from some time. Although a little tougher to get than other series, Patlabor is worth it.

Not long ago I was able to watch the first Patlabor OAV series subtitled. It first came out in April 1988. I’m now starting to watch through the Patlabor TV series. I’ve been looking at Patlabor art books ever since I was a teenager so getting a chance to watch the anime was a big deal for me.

Watching the first OAV series was an experience I find difficult to describe. I would have to say it was like sitting down to a rare and sumptuous feast – and then standing up with a begging bowl like Oliver Twist and asking, “Please, sir. Can I have some more?” The seven episodes of the first OAV series were amazing. Interesting and likable characters, excellent animation, great mecha designs, surprisingly intelligent stories and a well thought-out setting. I was transported to the realm of mecha and science-fiction fan Nirvana. Wait. Scratch that. I wasn’t extinguished so I’ll say it was the mecha/sci-fi fan’s province of the Western Paradise so often mentioned in Pure Land Buddhism. Anyways, I was transported. However, when the experience was finished I realized I hadn’t seen the black Griffin and many other mecha from the art books. There was a lot more to Patlabor and I was suddenly hungrier than ever to see it.

I tried to rent or buy the Patlabor TV series but it is now quite difficult to buy and Netflix took volumes 1 and 3 out of circulation. Box Torrents (now www.bakabt.com) rescued me with a BitTorrent download. Now I’m supplementing the volumes I can’t rent from Netflix. I’ll soon watch episode 6 but I just had to blog about it even though I’m not yet finished with the show.

Some people hold up Votoms as the high water mark of realistic robot shows. There are good reasons for that with which I will certainly not argue. However, to see Votoms and miss Patlabor would lead to a very incomplete education in mecha anime. Rather than allow my readers to become incomplete anime/science-fiction fans I’ll tell you why Patlabor should be added to your list of “must see TV”. The realistic robots genre of mecha anime brings mecha closer to our world with more believable mechanical designs and situations. Votoms offers us smaller, no-frills military mecha mass-produced on a large scale. The battles in which they engage are far more realistic than what you’ll find in super robots shows. However, Votoms only gives the viewer a part of the realistic robots genre. Patlabor shows us our modern world with mecha in it. Although the mecha designs of Patlabor are closer to Gundam or Macross than to Votoms, the setting of the story and the situations in which those mecha designs operate are well thought-out and highly plausible.

We see not only mecha battles but bureaucratic funding battles within the metropolitan police department. Characters not only worry about stopping the forces of evil but also about hiding mistakes from their supervisors and courteously serving the public. Giant robots are worked into our world so seamlessly that a viewer couldn’t be faulted for walking away from his screen and expecting to see one out the window of his home. The day-to-day world of people using mecha in Japan was covered in Dai-Guard but that was overdone. It was parody. Patlabor doesn’t go over the top. It presents its episodes with such an artful mix of action and drama that the sizable science-fiction aspect of the show almost goes unnoticed. It is the other side of the realistic robots coin from Votoms and similar shows.

If you haven’t seen Patlabor yet you really should. It’s top notch anime.

published Mar. 2009
ISBN 978-4-05-605088

This newer Patlabor artbook was purchased from Hobby Link Japan.  It’s a very nice book with many great color illustrations of labors from the Patlabor anime.  If you’re a Patlabor fan this book is worth the purchase.

There are many pages of text devoted to how the labors were researched and built in the Patlabor setting.  There’s also a lot of information on the corporations behind the labors.  I really wish I could get this text translated into English for the Gears Online Web site.

My only disappointment with this book is there is virtually no line art.  The color illustrations are pretty much all you get with this one.  If a fan is looking for comprehensive art of the mecha of Patlabor this book is not the one to recommend.