Customer Reviews

Patlabor - The Mobile Police The Original Series Collection

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes, Patlabor movies 1 and 2 are both way better in quality and storyline then this, the original OVA series. However, much like Cowboy Bebop, Patlabor was obviously a fan-driven experiment. Like Bebop, the stories are interesting because the characters are, and there is also a shared abuse of 'over-the-top' comedy at times, the inexplicably goofy sea-monster episode being the worst 'offender' (yes, I loved it). What started out as a Gundam parody bait-and-switch for mecha fans (for a show featuring such cool and detailed mecha designs, the action scenes are very few and far between) mutates into a frighteningly realistic portrait of near-future Japan, filled with social unrest and political intrigue. And you can observe director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) developing rapidly (by the "Longest Day" episodes, you can see his trademark 'static conversation in cars cut with short, hyper-real action' style in full swing). Like the Hakkenden, an imperfect, but heartfelt gift to intelligent anime fans of the day.

While many may give Robotech or older Anime (pre-Akira) props for making them anime fans, this series was the one that had me hooked. The characters were just like people you knew or have known, and the storylines were well written. If you like Anime with good doses of humor (and there's an abundance, yet it's not overbearing and does not detract from the stories), then give this one a try.

Takes place in a future Tokyo (the late 1990's)! where giant, pilot-operated construction machines called Labors do all the work but are increasingly employed by criminals, requiring a police force of Patrol Labors, dubbed 'Patlabor', to combat them.