Patlabor the Movie
The Patlabor franchise could well be described as a vast continent consisting of many independent countries. What on earth does this bizarre analogy mean you ask? Well the point I am attempting to put across is that each element of Patlabor can be viewed independently of the others. That is to say, you will not enjoy the long-running series any less if you have seen the trilogy of movies first and vice versa. In fact, with the limited availability of both OVA titles and the 47-episode TV series, the majority of fans will only have seen the Patlabor movies. It seems quite odd in fact that the movies are so readily available, while the other components of the franchise are quite hard to come by. But I digress, so on with the critique!
The result of great leaps in the field of robotics, Labors (the various mecha throughout the franchise) have become commonplace in workforces throughout the world. These bipedal mecha are perfect for heavy construction work, but also have various military applications. Sadly, with this new technology comes an all-new form of crime: Labor crime. In order to combat this, the police force has established the Special Vehicles Unit. These Patrol Labors are dubbed Patlabors (for obvious reasons) and act as the first line of defence against rogue Labor pilots, or defective Labor units. In this, the first Patlabor movie, a scientist on the Babylon project, a Dr. E. Hoba, mysteriously commits suicide by throwing himself from "the Arc"; a vast new Labor production factory. Dr. Hoba was the developer of the new HOS (Hyper Operating System) that has propelled Labors into a new realm of performance. However, a great storm is brewing around Tokyo with a worrying increase in the number of Labor crimes all over the city. It seems that Labors have been going rogue: functioning on their own, causing mass panic and baffling the military and police forces. Could the HOS be at the centre of this? And if so, just what is Hoba?s master plan? Only the plucky young members of Special Vehicles Unit division 2 can solve this case, but time is fast running out.
Though Patlabor features an array of impressive looking mecha, and the franchise is marketed on this basis, this movie is very much a detective story. From the start we are filled with intrigue: an unknown man commits suicide, but why? The military hunt down and capture a rogue Labor that when they open up has no pilot, but how could that Labor escape from the military all on its own? All of this is established in the opening 10 minutes of the movie, and sets the tone for the remainder. Something important to establish now is that if all out mecha mayhem is what you want, then perhaps a title such as Gundam Wing or Platinumhugen Ordian would suit you better. Patlabor certainly features some excellent mecha action, but it is far from the focus of the story.
Director Mamoru Oshii (also known for his work on Ghost in the Shell) certainly knew exactly how he wanted to portray the detective story that he had come up with, as is obvious in the various ways that the story is told. A prominent feature of the movie is the birds-eye view of Tokyo. This depicts the city in a calm and almost surreal fashion; something like a sleeping giant, waiting for something to happen. The birds-eye view technique is best employed when it follows the detective's investigation into Hoba?s life and his many places of residence. In these scenes, music is also excellently employed, as eerie violins play in the background, and the investigation is depicted through the animation rather than dialogue. Following a similar theme, the story is told in quite an ingenious fashion, with the standard narrator replaced by a series of news reports from news copters or on-scene locations.
Oshii's philosophy of detailed realism is yet again self-evident through the title's setting, animation and character designs. The man himself has stated on previous occasions that his stories start by copying the real world, then using his imagination to create new, yet believable additions to this world. Presumably he was referring to the Mobile Police Force and Labors that he has created. Despite the movie's 1989 vintage, the animation and character designs are simply pristine. The level of detail in all areas of the movie is fantastic; with the various images of old and new Tokyo the most inspiring. The characters themselves, though created in a now abandoned style, look excellent and really carrying over Oshii?s dedication to realism. Sticking with the characters for a moment, it is also a great asset to the movie (and in fact the entire franchise) that the central cast of Mobile Police Officers and Patlabor mechanics are so diverse and unique. Of the lot, Captain Goto has to be one of the most intriguing with his laid back manner and understated authority over his team. The cast are a delectable treat for any viewer, and give the titles a more universal appeal.
Through his excellent recreation of modern Tokyo and fantastic story telling, Mamoru Oshii has produced one of the most memorable animated movies of the last few decades. Patlabor has it all: an intriguing and well thought out plot, an excellent core of central characters, splendid animation, intense though sparse mecha action scenes and even a few sprinklings of well deployed humour. This title is a memorable one for me, and at the time of writing I have watched it four times without any decrease in enjoyment. Taking into account that the Manga Entertainment boxed set including both this and the second movie is readily available, and there really is no excuse not to enjoy the fantastic world (or continent) of Patlabor.
The result of great leaps in the field of robotics, Labors (the various mecha throughout the franchise) have become commonplace in workforces throughout the world. These bipedal mecha are perfect for heavy construction work, but also have various military applications. Sadly, with this new technology comes an all-new form of crime: Labor crime. In order to combat this, the police force has established the Special Vehicles Unit. These Patrol Labors are dubbed Patlabors (for obvious reasons) and act as the first line of defence against rogue Labor pilots, or defective Labor units. In this, the first Patlabor movie, a scientist on the Babylon project, a Dr. E. Hoba, mysteriously commits suicide by throwing himself from "the Arc"; a vast new Labor production factory. Dr. Hoba was the developer of the new HOS (Hyper Operating System) that has propelled Labors into a new realm of performance. However, a great storm is brewing around Tokyo with a worrying increase in the number of Labor crimes all over the city. It seems that Labors have been going rogue: functioning on their own, causing mass panic and baffling the military and police forces. Could the HOS be at the centre of this? And if so, just what is Hoba?s master plan? Only the plucky young members of Special Vehicles Unit division 2 can solve this case, but time is fast running out.
Though Patlabor features an array of impressive looking mecha, and the franchise is marketed on this basis, this movie is very much a detective story. From the start we are filled with intrigue: an unknown man commits suicide, but why? The military hunt down and capture a rogue Labor that when they open up has no pilot, but how could that Labor escape from the military all on its own? All of this is established in the opening 10 minutes of the movie, and sets the tone for the remainder. Something important to establish now is that if all out mecha mayhem is what you want, then perhaps a title such as Gundam Wing or Platinumhugen Ordian would suit you better. Patlabor certainly features some excellent mecha action, but it is far from the focus of the story.
Director Mamoru Oshii (also known for his work on Ghost in the Shell) certainly knew exactly how he wanted to portray the detective story that he had come up with, as is obvious in the various ways that the story is told. A prominent feature of the movie is the birds-eye view of Tokyo. This depicts the city in a calm and almost surreal fashion; something like a sleeping giant, waiting for something to happen. The birds-eye view technique is best employed when it follows the detective's investigation into Hoba?s life and his many places of residence. In these scenes, music is also excellently employed, as eerie violins play in the background, and the investigation is depicted through the animation rather than dialogue. Following a similar theme, the story is told in quite an ingenious fashion, with the standard narrator replaced by a series of news reports from news copters or on-scene locations.
Oshii's philosophy of detailed realism is yet again self-evident through the title's setting, animation and character designs. The man himself has stated on previous occasions that his stories start by copying the real world, then using his imagination to create new, yet believable additions to this world. Presumably he was referring to the Mobile Police Force and Labors that he has created. Despite the movie's 1989 vintage, the animation and character designs are simply pristine. The level of detail in all areas of the movie is fantastic; with the various images of old and new Tokyo the most inspiring. The characters themselves, though created in a now abandoned style, look excellent and really carrying over Oshii?s dedication to realism. Sticking with the characters for a moment, it is also a great asset to the movie (and in fact the entire franchise) that the central cast of Mobile Police Officers and Patlabor mechanics are so diverse and unique. Of the lot, Captain Goto has to be one of the most intriguing with his laid back manner and understated authority over his team. The cast are a delectable treat for any viewer, and give the titles a more universal appeal.
Through his excellent recreation of modern Tokyo and fantastic story telling, Mamoru Oshii has produced one of the most memorable animated movies of the last few decades. Patlabor has it all: an intriguing and well thought out plot, an excellent core of central characters, splendid animation, intense though sparse mecha action scenes and even a few sprinklings of well deployed humour. This title is a memorable one for me, and at the time of writing I have watched it four times without any decrease in enjoyment. Taking into account that the Manga Entertainment boxed set including both this and the second movie is readily available, and there really is no excuse not to enjoy the fantastic world (or continent) of Patlabor.