Patlabor

It's the year 1999, the world we live in has Labors(human operated robot carriers) used for construction and giving mankind an easier living style. After The suicide of a mysterious man from the massive constructing Babylon Project a computer virus was created to infect the Labors. And make them cause havoc on their own free will. Which leads to Section 2 of the Patlabor team in investigating this incident. Before the Tokyo district faces it's destruction.

I first saw this movie back in 2005, and it imminently got me into the franchise. Which I had no idea it existed before. Compared to the popular TV series. This movie has all the characters we all recognized and know. Only the theme to this movie is more serious than the theme of the TV show. In other words more seriousness and less comedy.

But that didn't change the plot a bit. As the movie does have some great and believable moments in it, that make you forget it's animated. Plus it's directed by Masumo Oshii who was one of the dudes who made this franchise possible. And really knows how to make it the way it should.

If you like a unique Sci-Fi anime or interested in seeing something new. Patlabor the Movie has been highly recommended by various websites. It's enjoyable even if you don't know the series.

It's worth noting before I begin that this was my first encounter with the Patlabor series - I went in knowing nothing of the characters or overall plot of the series. I mention it because, though it posed absolutely no problems for my understanding of the piece, it does relate to the one criticism I have.

Positive things first, though, of which there are many. Most impressive, as with much of Ishii's work, is the scenery. From the highly industrialised city streets to the run-down shacks mastermind Hoba made his homes, each location is fantastically rendered and informs the mood of the piece easily as much as any of the characters. Not that Patlabor - The Movie is really lacking there, though; Both Asuma and Gotoh make for brilliantly likable protagonists, while aforementioned and never-seen villain Hoba is a more than worthy foil. The plot moves along at the right kind of pace - brisk enough to keep the viewer interested, but relaxed enough to allow one to savour the rich atmosphere of the world Ishii creates.

If there's a problem, then, it stems simply from the fact that this is what it is; a spin-off movie which is only part of an ongoing series. As such, and great as the characters may be, there is very little in terms of development - next to none, in fact. Yes, this is an expected and necessary result of the movie's very nature (it can't do anything that's really going to significantly affect the plot line of the series); still, it dulls the impact of an otherwise excellent film. Of course, there may be (and I expect there are) many nuances of dialogue, story etc. that are lost on a viewer with no prior knowledge of the series and perhaps viewing the film in context would provide a more rounded experience. Regardless, as a stand-alone film, it's less involving than it could be.

Despite this minor quibble, though, Patlabor - The Movie is a great introduction to a series I plan to familiarise myself with further in the future.

This movie is widely considered a masterpiece. The story is set in an alternate history where by the late 90's Japan is using large robots called "laborers" in the Military, but also in municipal functions like construction, and especially, the Police.

Something is causing laborers in Japan to go berserk and reject human control, sending them on a rampage. It's up to the people of Special Vehicles Section 2 to discover the cause before it's too late! Some may be disappointed by the fact that the laborers for which the title gets it's name aren't featured in every single scene: this film is not about constant fighting and action, though the action scenes that do exist are very well done and fascinating. Because this is more of a crime/mystery movie instead of hardcore action, people with different tastes may not enjoy it as much.

This was the first anime movie I ever saw and it got me hooked with it's completely original story and lovable characters and robots! Certainly an animation masterpiece!

Isaac Asimov meets Akira in this detective-oriented science-fiction Japanese Manga film. Set in the near-future, Tokyo is undergoing a huge re-development program: old suburbs are being demolished and man-made islands are being constructed in Tokyo Bay. Most of the work is being done by giant man-operated robots called Labors. Labors are prone to go out of control and cause chaos, so units of the Police force have been set up to deal with them. These units, divided into squadrons, also use giant robots to tackle the out-of-control Labors. Asuma Shinohara is a sergeant in Second Squadron, who discovers that the crazy behaviour of the Labors is due to a bug in their operating system which was deliberately put in by Eiichi Hoba, the OS programmer. Hoba has since committed suicide confidant that his plan to destroy Tokyo will take effect...

Patlabor is typical Manga with plenty of action and violence, but also a good deal of appeal and characters. These range from Asuma, quick-tempered and insubordinate, but a good detective; Captain Goto, the quietly manipulative commanding officer; and Officer Noa Izumi, Asuma's long-suffering, child-like colleague-cum-girlfriend, who ultimately saves the day.

I have a small collection of anime which is growing exponentially now, thanks in part to my renewed interest in the genre after viewing this film. What separates this from many anime is its unique use of the Mecha or "Labors" in its plot, instead of just the same robot battle fair that we've all seen. The movie does not center around action but around the actual story and the characters as they work together (and sometimes against each other) to solve the big mystery in time to stop a terrible threat to Tokyo and possibly the entire world. Great film. I am going to buy the second one this week; I hear it is even better.