Patlabor: The Mobile Police (1988-2016) [Anime Review]

Patlabor; or, Remembering the Mecha Franchise 30 Years Later

     Labor: A robot specifically designed for construction work. Labor allow dramatic advances in construction but also in crime. To combat these new Labor crimes, the police created a special unit: The Patrol Labor. And thus, the birth of Patlabor.

Many anime series come and go, but there are some which imprint themselves on our memories. I remember clearly when a few years back a colleague of mine recommended to me “this hilarious anime about cops in giant robots”. Such a description was enough to get me hooked. I checked out the original OVA from 1988 and I remained a fan of Patlabor ever since, having watched every single entry in the series. This is my nostalgic look back at the under-appreciated (but certainly not forgotten) franchise originally known as Kidō Keisatsu Patlabor.

Release Info

Created by: Headgear Voice actors: Miina Tominaga, Toshio Furukawa, Ryuusuke Oobayashi

Language: Japanese Original Title: 機動警察パトレイバー No. of eps: 70

 

Synopsis

Welcome to the near future (approximately somewhere between 1998 and 2002). The world has made a huge development in terms of robotics and especially in manufactured “Labors” that have revolutionised modern industry. However, along with their usage, Labor-related crimes have skyrocketed as well. That’s why the Metro Police created a special Patrol Labor unit called Special Vehicles Section, the aim of which is to prevent such crimes. The story follows the members of SV Section 2, Division 2, who are the laughing-stock of the entire police force. Noa Izumi is an energetic young pilot of the top-of-the-line Ingram AV-98 Labor. She is aided by her commanding officer, Asuma Shinohara; second unit Ingram pilot, Isao Ohta; his commanding officer, Kanuka Clancy; two truck drivers: Mikiyasu Shinshi and Hiromi Yamazaki; as well as the Division’s chief, Captain Kiichi Goto. Although successfully completing missions, the team often demolishes everything that stands in their way, thus generating huge financial losses and destroying the image of the public service.

 

Condition Green!

After finally finding out some clear info about the release of The Next Generation: Patlabor (2014) adaptation, I decided to revisit the whole franchise and provide my thoughts on it, especially in view of the fact that it is roughly 31 years old. To be honest, I enjoyed every single minute of every anime episode, even more than when I saw the series for the first time.

 

However, some introductory information should be presented first. Patlabor was originally created by Headgear, an independent creative organisation consisting of Masami Yuki, Yutaka Izubuchi, Kazunori Ito, Akemi Takada, and Mamoru Oshii. It first appeared in the form of a manga (devised by Masami Yuki) which was released by Shogakukan in 22 volumes between 1988 and 1994. Subsequently, 7 light novels followed between 1990 and 1994.

In terms of anime, the series spans across 3 theatrical movies and 70 episodes which are divided into 2 separate timelines, so bear with me:

The Movie Timeline:

• Patlabor: Early Days (1988-1989)- The first 7-episode-long OVA directed by Mamoru Oshii which focuses on the origins of Tokyo MPD’s SV2 team.
• Patlabor: The Movie (1989)- I already wrote about this film here, but to be clear: SV2 investigates a series of mysterious Labour incidents during the construction of Babylon Project, an advanced technological attempt to connect small islands in Tokyo Bay and artificially create new land for the expanding Tokyo suburbs.
• WXII: Patlabor The Movie 3 (2002)- This one is more like a spin-off than a proper sequel. A year after the events from the first movie, two Tokyo MPD detectives work on the case involving missing scientists. They have participated in an experiment, the result of which was a genetically engineered monster who fled to Tokyo Bay.
• Patlabor: The Movie 2 (1993)- SV2’s final adventure. An unknown group of terrorists initiates a state of emergency across Tokyo. The only way to stop the threat is SV2 joining forces again, together with Captain Shinobu Nagumo, the leader of Division 1.
• The Next Generation: Patlabor (2014): Taking place 11 years after the events from the anime, this live action series focuses on a new SV2 team fighting Labor-related crimes.

TV Timeline:

• Patlabor: The TV Series (a.k.a. Patlabor on Television) (1989-1990): A 47-episode-long story taking place in a different continuity. This series has a structure similar to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex because it features many SV2’s one-off missions, slice-of-life shenanigans, as well as the whole story arc about battling an evil company known as Schaft Enterprises.
• Patlabor: The New Files (1990-1992): The OVA which consists of 16 episodes serving as the conclusion to the TV series.

Whew, that was quite an enumeration, nevertheless, an important one. If you do not know where to start, then I suggest trying Patlabor: Early Days which serves as a great introduction into the series. If you get interested, then you can check out the rest of the entries in whichever order you like (I personally mixed the TV series with the movies).

 

With regard to each entry, I safely recommend watching all of them. I always have little issues with Patlabor: The Movie 2 (a bit too slow-paced and having strong Ghost in the Shell undertones), but it is a great finale in its own right. In addition, WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 functions pretty well as an independent monster story, but is pretty underwhelming when compared with the other instalments. My all-time favourites shall remain the TV Series, New Files follow-up, and the first movie.

 

Speaking of TV Series, I really do not get why it is so looked down on contemporarily. To me, this a core of the Patlabor franchise. Without it, we would not get all these wonderful, hilarious, but also dark, and dangerous adventures of SV2. It provides a major character development and, consequently, by Patlabor: The Movie 2, one can really feel the amount of time spent with the characters.

 

In terms of the characters themselves, I love how they are a mixed bunch of unique personalities. Apart from comedy dynamics, each character has a clear story arc and undergoes a personal development as the story moves on. As a result, this makes them all even more wonderful and unforgettable as a team.

 

The futuristic vision of early 2000s is very light-hearted for a change rather than being cyberpunk rendition all over again. However, Headgear cleverly turns the world of Patlabors from harmless fun into a dark reality involving corrupt governments, espionage, and military coups. That’s how multilayered this franchise is.

 

Additionally, the animation itself coupled with beautiful Labor designs by Yutaka Izubuchi is just awesome. I literally have like 4 Patlabor posters hanging on my wall right now. On top of that, Patlabor would not have its distinct tone without the composer Kenji Kawai and his many musical contributions. With his music, one can feel as if living in the mecha world.

 

In 2014, Mamoru Oshii directed a live action called The Next Generation: Patlabor which was followed a year later by a theatrical film The Next Generation Patlabor: Tokyo War. Unfortunately, this reimagining of the series was not well received (at least financially). What is more, there is absolutely no legit English translation of this show. However, I took up the challenge and watched both the drama and movie raw. While not getting much of the details, I can say The Next Generation: Parlabor looks very solid, especially in terms of being faithful to its anime source, and certainly does not deserve the excessive bad rap it receives.

 

2016 saw the release of Mobile Police Patlabor Reboot, an 8-minute concept short reintroducing the franchise to a younger audience. The fate and Japanese reception of the reboot is unknown (I personally liked it). However, it’s been announced by Headgear that they are developing a new animated television series called Patlabor: EZY. You can check out the project’s official site here.

 

Recommendations

All things considered, Patlabor is just so much fun. Quoting a Youtube user: “Friends + Police Academy + giant robots = Patlabor”. Check it out if you can. There are some issues with the availability but where there’s a will there’s a way. Patlabor is a great show which needs some love especially in the CGI age. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the new anime because more people around the world should know about this cops-and-robots franchise. As Noa used to say at the end of each episode: Target, Locked On!

Overall score: 10/10