The Next Generation: Patlabor (2014) [Drama Review]

The Next Generation: Patlabor; or, The Return of Ingram

     Time passes, and people change. The ringing of the Gion Shouja bell signifies the impermanence of this world... I guess. The idiosyncratic first generation was replaced by a mediocre second generation... and the third generation's reputation for incompetence is well established. The only things that haven't changed are me and SV2's Patlor Labor, the AV-98. No... after all those modifications, this guy's actually changed a lot too.

Ever since this drama came out in 2014, it was my dream to check it out. However, I was unaware about online drama sources back then and one of my (former) friends, who actually did watch the first episode somehow, told me that Mamoru Oshii lost his mind and it’s definitely not a Patlabor show. On top of that, numerous negative reviews surfaced on the net, not to mention the theatrical feature’s dire box office returns. However, being a long time Palabor fan and desiring to review all of the franchise’s entries, I finally managed to get a hold of this show and watch it in its entirety. This is my review of the live-action drama The Next Generation: Patlabor.

Release Info

Developed by: Mamoru Oshii Starring: Erina Mano, Seiji Fukushi, Toshio Kakei

Language: Japanese Original Title: THE NEXT GENERATION ‐パトレイバー  No. of eps.: 13

Synopsis

It has been 10 years since the establishment of SV2. The original members of Section 2 ended their duty and went separate ways, then a completely new team of dull and forgettable cadets came and went. Now, it is the time for the third generation to take over in a high-tech world that no longer has any need for Labours. Ever since the establishment of the Tokyo Babylon Project and new technological advancements in the West, Labours have become undesirable in Japan. Division 1 was disbanded and, as a result, Division 2 is on a continuous 24 hour stand-by with two old Ingram AV-98’s at hand. Nevertheless, there are still situations when the Mobile Police becomes useful.

 

Special Vehicles Section 2, Division 2, head out!

First of all, I think that it’s important to mention some of the criticism that this drama received upon its original release. The show was heavily panned for over-the-top comedy, lack of Labour action, and the casting of idol singer Erina Mano in the leading role. Are these claims valid? Well, yes and no, depending on your perspective. For all of the decision making was responsible Mamoru Oshii, the director of the original Patlabor: Early Days OVA and the two movies. While reading press materials from the production period, it appears that Oshii has some sort of love-and-hate relationship with the Patlabor franchise. He agreed to direct the drama on condition that it won’t be set in the future and that there will be a new set of main characters. In addition, he wanted to redesign Ingram but the producers would not let him do that. So, he ordered to create a full-scale, eight meter recreation of AV-98…

 

Having finally seen all 13 episodes, I think it is best to firstly address the things I liked. What I found awesome about the show? Definitely the world of The Next Generation: Patlabor. I loved the concept introduced in the prologue episode in which SV2 functions in the world relying on obsolete technology (Windows XP/Vista systems, PSP consoles, Sony Vaio laptops) where Labours are considered to be even more obsolete. Maybe it was a part of Oshii’s reproach towards the franchise or budget limitations (the character of Shige laments that Labors are good-for-nothing anime robots) but I liked how SV2 had to struggle in reality that has no purpose for giant robots.

 

What is more, the new characters are carbon copies of the original protagonists with minor personality changes here and there. In case if you’d get lost, the surnames refer to their anime predecessors and so we have: Akira Izumino (Erina Mano), Yuma Shiobara (Seiji Fukushi), Ekaterina Krachevna Kankaeva (Rina Ohta), Isamu Otawara (Yoshinori Horimoto), Shinji Mikiya (Kohei Shiotsuka), Hiromichi Yamazaki (Shigekazu Tajiri), and Captain Keiji Gotoda (Toshio Kakei). Also, the actor Shigeru Chiba returns to play Shigeo Shiba, the chief of the maintenance crew, whom he originally dubbed in the anime. Well, once you get over the initial outrage (where’s my Noa and Shinohara?!), you quickly get used to the new team and their follies.

 

Speaking of follies, SV2 has a lot of stuff to do, even though their assignments do not always require the use of Ingrams. For instance, they face off against an arcade game master, gun traders, amphibian kaiju, first class sniper and a dinosaur. All of that is accompanied by numerous Easter eggs, references, and satirical call-backs to the anime series. In fact, the show is the follow-up to both the Movie Timeline and the TV Timeline of the franchise. While reusing some of the good old stuff (SV2 descends down to the dungeons again, fights Red Labour, and disarms a time bomb), the drama replicates the light-hearted feel of the anime. All of this is neatly wrapped together by Kenji Kawai’s crazy epic music score. This is definitely one of his greatest works on Patlabor ever!

 

With regard to performances, all of the actors fit their roles perfectly. I did not mind Erina Mano as the lead. To be honest, I think she did pretty well and the same goes to Seiji Fukushi, Rina Ohta, Yoshinori Horimoto, and Toshio Kakei. In addition, the great Reiko Takashima guest stars in two episodes.

 

In terms of disadvantages, some of the stories are obviously prolonged and they could have been shorter (for example, the giant monster two-parter). Additionally, if you expect spellbinding mecha action, then hold your horses. Ingrams pop out in short sequences and, while these hardly can be called fights, there is pretty decent CGI work done. I should also mention that the deck up scenes of the real Ingram model are one of a kind.

 

Recommendations

Taking everything into consideration, I do not regret checking out The Next Generation: Patlabor. It was everything I wanted it to be and I can generously ignore the minimal appearance of Ingrams. If you can’t get hold of the English translated release, you can go ahead and watch the raw episodes. This great site dedicated to Patlabor contains synopses for the episodes and explanations of the references (I haven’t caught them all!). Now, I’m off to view the theatrical feature called The Next Generation Patlabor: Tokyo War (2015).

Overall score: 7/10