Patlabor 2: The Movie

It's 2002, 3 years after the events in Patlabor 1. The collapse of the United Nations Labor team in South East Asia began the build-up to form a deadly terrorist plan that threatens to send shock waves throughout Japan's military. A fighter jet crashed into a bridge as a first sign of disaster. With evidence of an impending military takeover, the scattered members of the original Second Division must gather to defend Tokyo against any possible danger or an outbreaking war.

This is known to be the most political Patlabor anime ever made. The topics discussed in it make it feel like your watching a live action film. As well as long monologuing scenes that can be a snore. But the characters, story, and labor robots are all there.

Unlike the other Patlabor anime. This one focuses on Captain Goto, Shinobu, & Detective Matsui throughout the movie. And it's very meaningful in war, terrorism, and politics.

This movie grabs me in a visual sense more than many other movies, in a way only a few films can compare such as 2001. The melancholy yet realistic nature of the film is one of the highlights. With a deep story, this is a very interesting movie. Actually the theme of this film is probably reality, and if what an image is portraying is actually real.

patlabor 2 is as good or better then patlabor 1 in my opinion. why can't we in America turn out gems like this? this movie has everything that you would want in a good movie. the script is super-tight, the characters are all interesting, the animation is beautiful, there's mechanized robots and cool battle-choppers, the action when there is, is very intense and well done. you actually care about the characters and what will become of them(a sign of a good movie).

this is not an anime movie for kids, not because of nudity or gore or language, its because the story is very deep and complicated and you need a mature mind to break it down. the movie brings back everybody from the first movie and goes deeper into the back story of 2 of the main characters from SV2. this time around the movie talks about government conspiracy and that without a true military big time confusion happens when you don't know who is in charge.

i love the fact that the movie is almost 2 hours long and full of intelligent dialogue with the occasional brief action. i watched patlabor like everybody else, thinking it had a lot of Mechs and non- stop action. boy, was i wrong...but i'm glad i got to see patlabor 1 & 2, cause it is as good or better then most stuff that Hollywood puts out.

wanna see a very good intelligent movie with action that doesn't dumb you down and is a anime no less...the buck stops right here. if you are a true fan of anime then patlabor 1 & 2 is essential viewing...enjoy!

Patlabor 2 is a very good anime, both by the technical quality of Oshii's team's work, and by a very good and smart screenplay, using politic and terrorism as background.

This movie show us that anime is not only for kids (see Disney) and that japanese anime can have beautiful picture and good screenplay.

Mamoru Oshii's "Ghost in the Shell" got all the hype, but his earlier film, "Patlabor 2," is by far the more mature, artistically successful film. This is anime at its finest - sharply detailed artwork, superb animation, and a story that WILL hook you.

Disguised as a Tom Clancyesqe techno-thriller, Patlabor 2 is actually a knowing, often cynical examination of global politics. The film at times resembles a surreal CNN report...if it were scripted by Noam Chomsky and directed by Alfred Hitchcock! What does that mean? First, the symbolic visuals are beguiling and plentiful. I would suggest you first view either "Psycho" or the "The Birds" and then Watch the Birdie in "Patlabor 2".

Patlabor 2 is a beautiful film. There are many stunning, surreal cityscapes that recall "Blade Runner." These scenes are accompanied by Keiji Kawai's meditative, haunting score. But the film's greatest impact is its disturbing plausibility. There may be giant robot police patrolling the streets of Tokyo, but the patterns of infrastructure and the chaos that breaks out when it breaks down seem all too real.

I give this anime my highest recommendation and I would especially recommend it to those who are either unfamiliar with Japanese anime or perhaps think animation is not a "serious" artistic medium. (This film will set them straight). Due to it's highly dense dialogue, I would recommend the dubbed version (unless you're fluent in Japanese or just prefer subtitles). The dubbing job is superbly acted and well-timed, preserving the original script's dramatic pauses and moments of silence.