SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Micitype Pretty Good

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

aci_J Director Mamoru Oshii is best known for his 1995 sci-fi landmark piece Ghost in the Shell, and less so for his meditative 1985 arthouse piece Angel's Egg, but Mobile Police Patlabor: The Movie remains as an interesting touchstone for the development of the genius director. Based on the manga and OVA series of the same name, the film takes place in Japan in the near future, where giant robots or 'Patlabors' have revolutionised industry. In the wake of global warming and overpopulation, the Japanese government begins the 'Babylon Project,' which will reclaim thousands of acres of land from the Tokyo seafront by utilising the power of the Patlabors, which are hundreds of times more efficient than human workers. Yet, a series of worrying incidents where Patlabors go berserk and cause great destruction sets Asuma of the 'Mobile Police' - a section of the metropolitan police that utilises the Patlabors to fight crime - on the case, and the mystery he plunges into has far more dangerous consequences than he ever imagined.The rich world building and level of detail in the film that would later play a major part in the appeal of Ghost in the Shell is evident here, even in this early part of Oshii's career. Each line of dialogue is utilised efficiently to discuss geo-politics, bureaucracy and engineering in this fictional future. The level of detail put into the design of the Patlabor's themselves by Yutaka Izubuchi also helps further reinforce this realistic yet relatable tone.Although the film doesn't do a great job getting new viewers of the series up to speed, leaving several blind spots such as the sudden appearance of Kanuka Clancy in the third act, it does a good job of introducing us to the characters of Asuma and Nao, who's chemistry in turns drives the soul of the film, alongside the richly detailed fictional landscape. Asuma's work on solving the mystery is also far from perfect, sometimes overloading viewers with exposition instead of explanation, but for the most part he's an engaging point of focus for the viewer, mainly thanks to Toshio Furukawa's excellent voice work.In terms of Oshii's later career, a lot of his tendencies can be traced back to this formative work. Namely, his eye for detail and preference for dialogue instead of action. Plus, his visual direction is as excellent as you'd expect, giving us striking compositions and engaging framing. Yet, this is at the same time the least Oshii-esque film in his career, since it comes across as less of an Oshii film, like with Ghost in the Shell and Angel's Egg, and more of a Oshii-directed Patlabor film. Even so, whether you're an Oshii newbie or an Oshii expert, a Patlabor newbie or a Patlabor expert, there's definitely something for you here. And who doesn't want to see giant robots duking it out, anyway?

Sonahf I was fortunate enough to come across this video early in my exploration of Japanese animation. It was also the first video where I began to take notice of the greatly different pacing that the Japanese have in terms of plot & character developement. This is a story about a scientist that commits suicide after creating a virus that will eventually cause giant robots known as Labors to malfunction and lay waste about them. (Labors are manned, humanoid machines used in heavy lifting, construction and peacekeeping (domestic & military) tasks.) The action is split between the policemen who struggle to contain the destruction as the first infected Labors begin to malfunction and a pair of detectives who painstakingly retrace the dead doctors last steps before his suicide. If you're looking for something to cut your anime teeth on that's not too outlandish.. I highly recommend this video!

TheNewNoise 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.

Mark Treuthardt 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.