Patlabor

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Patlabor usually refers to the anime franchise known as "Mobile Police Patlabor" (機動警察パトレイバー; Kidō Keisatsu Patoreibaa) , which was originally created by Headgear. The popular franchise now consists of a TV series, two OVA series and three full feature length movies. It is notable for using mecha for mundane municipal jobs rather than as war machines.

Summary

In the not-so-distant future (or past as the case may be), in 1998-2002, robots called "Labors" are employed in heavy construction work. To properly police the streets, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police has its own arsenal of such robots called Patlabors (Patrol Labors) to combat crimes and accidents involved with such giant robots. The story arcs usually revolve around Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Division 2, Section 2, often with the young female pilot Noa Izumi being the main protagonist.

History

Mobile Police Patlabor began as a 6 episode OVA series, along with a serial written and drawn by Masami Yūki in Shogakukan's Shonen Sunday Comics to help promote the OVA in 1988. A 7th OVA episode was added afterwards to help promote the first Patlabor movie in 1989. Soon after the first movie was released, a 47 episode TV series, directed by Naoyuki Yoshinaga, was released. The story from the TV series was completed in a 16 episode OVA which began after the TV series finished. This OVA ended in April of 1992, and the second movie was released in August of 1993. Work on another OVA was started in 1994, and this OVA evolved into the third movie, which was released in 2002. During the same time, "Mini-Pato" was released in theaters, playing before the third movie.

The first two Patlabor movies are directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, 1995) and produced by the venerable development house Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, ) with music from Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell). The movies are more serious than the other productions, which are generally comedic.

List of Productions

• 1988-1989 - Mobile Police Patlabor (OVA, 7 episodes)
• 1989 - Patlabor the Movie
• 1989-1990 - Mobile Police Patlabor (TV, 47 episodes)
• 1990-1992 - Mobile Police Patlabor P-Series (OVA, 16 episodes)
• 1993 - Patlabor the Movie 2
• 2002 - Patlabor the Movie 3: WXIII (Wasted 13)
• 2002 - Mini-Pato (3 episodes)

Mobile Police Patlabor (1988-1989, OVA, 7 episodes)

Except for episodes 5 and 6, this is a comedy series with some action and drama mixed in. This starts what is usually called the movie timeline.

OVA episode titles

A computer programmer working for a labor manufacturer commits suicide, labors are going berserk, and a typhoon is headed towards Tokyo; what's the connection? Follow the Tokyo Metropolitan Police as they unravel the mystery. This takes place in the movie timeline.

Mobile Police Patlabor (1989-1990, TV, 47 episodes)

The TV series starts what is usually called the TV timeline. It starts out with an alternate telling of how the SV2 is formed. Most of the series is comedy, but some parts are more serious and usually involve the Griffon labor. The series ends with a cliffhanger, where the Patlabors are battling the Griffon labor.

Mobile Police Patlabor P-Series (1990-1992, OVA, 16 episodes)

The first 4 episodes conclude the battle with the Griffon labor. The rest of the series is a comedy or drama. This takes place in the TV timeline.

Patlabor the Movie 2 (1993)

Terrorists attack Tokyo, and it's up to the Patlabor Special Vehicles 2nd Division to stop them! This movie is similar to episodes 5 and 6 of the original OVA. It takes place in the movie timeline.

Patlabor the Movie 3: WXIII (Wasted 13) (2002)

A monster has been feeding on Tokyo Bay. Two detectives are on the case. This is a side story to Patlabor, and takes place inbetween the other two movies. It's based off of part of the manga.

Mini-Pato (2002, OVA, 3 episodes)

Mini-Pato is a three-part 13-minute each adjunct to the Patlabor anime series. Like Patlabor WXIII, it's the last hurrah of that universe. Mini-Pato was screened in Japanese cinemas before the start of Patlabor WXIII in such a way, that to see the complete series you had to see WXIII three times.

The animation style used is a combination paper puppet and CGI, with a claymation sequence in the first episode. It is a comedic look at Patlabor with intentional parodies of it and other mecha animes. Featured in each episode is a dog with a resemblance to Mamoru Oshii.

Mini-Pato Trivia

Episode 2: The straight four minutes of 60 words per minute talk took its toll on Mr. Chiba. He reported he cut inside his mouth four times during the take, while Director Oshii was grinning behind him during the recording session, or so he complained at the premiere of the film. To quote Mr. Obayashi of Chief Goto (who narrated episode one), "I breathe in once in a while, but he just breathes out all the way." This episode probably contains the most spoofs, while all those so-called variations for Ingram is anything from Gun-tank, to powered suits from Dallos (which Mamoru Oshii directed).

Throughout the series, you notice some "unusual" brand or name on a soda or an airline company even clothing (mostly jackets). It leads to the name of both of the creators and producers of Patlabor - SUNRISE & Headgear

List of major characters

• Captain Kiichi Gotoh, Section 2 Division 2: the crafty master of the whisper campaign. Rumour has it that the reason he was assigned as a Patlabor Captain was because he asked too many questions. Leads SV.2 with the appearance of a "hands-off" approach, but is very involved. He is generally a nice, though distant person.

• Captain Shinobu Nagumo, Section 2 Division 1: leader of SV.1. Highly regarded by her superiors and her officers, Nagumo is a by-the-book style of captain. Despite her conventional mentality, she is always there to lend a hand when SV.2 gets in over their heads.

• Mechanics Section Chief Seitaroh Sakaki, Section 2: Leader of the labor mechanics that service SV.2. Gruff and loud, Sakaki doesn't like it when SV.2 brings back their labors in less than perfect condition. Threatens to throw all his mechanics into the sea when they don't perform up to his expectations. Has been a mechanic for most of his life but admits he finds it hard to keep up with todays technological standards.

• Lieutenant Kanuka Clancy, NYPD: a temporary member of SV.2 on assignment from the NYPD. Sent to observe a labor unit with the purpose of helping build one for New York City. Very good at what she does, from the usual police work to piloting a labor. Was supposed to be the pilot of the second labor in SV.2, but declined in favor of Ohta, since she'd have more time to observe when not piloting (and you don't give the job of keeping Ohta in line to an idiot.) Is generally cold and somewhat distant to the members of SV.2, but has a soft spot for Noa, who she wants to become a better pilot, and for her grandmother who lives in Hawaii. Kanuka was born in Hawaii but apparently moved to New York later on. When she travels back to New York, she stops in Hawaii to see her grandmother.

• Sergeant Takeo Kumagami, Division 2 Team 2: Replaced Clancy when she returned to New York.

• Chief Shigeo Shige, Section 2: second in command to Sakaki, and eventually replaces him when he retires. A total gearhead, he loves his job, probably a little too much as he can be very hard to relax when he gets fired up. Is good friends with Asuma Shinohara.

• Hiromi Yamazaki, Division 2 Team 1: The giant from Okinawa. Wanted to join his father as a fisherman, but got too seasick. Joined the police force and eventually made it over to SV.2. Too large to fit in a labor's cockpit, he is the driver for the carrier for Noa and Shinohara. When not on duty he tends to SV.2's vegetable garden. In Movie 1 and 2, Yamazaki mans the anti-labor rifle borrowed from the Narashino Parachute Labor team (apparently an M82 anti-material rifle).

• Noa Izumi, Division 2 Team 1: the bubbly, perky, red-headed labor otaku. The main character of the show, Noa is usually the one at the center of the action. Loves her labor which she named "Alphonse". When growing up she named also her pets, a dog and a then a cat, Alphonse. Brash and impulsive, though not as crazy as Ohta is, Noa is one of the better pilots in SV.2: only Clancy is better than her. Has a natural affinity to her labor, and gets 110% out of it, much to her partner's amazement.

• Asuma Shinohara, Division 2 Team 1: son of the head of Shinohara Heavy Industries, the company that makes 90% of the labors in the world. After a falling out with his father, Asuma joined the police force and requested to work with the labor units. Smart and honest, Asuma is a very good officer, though he's often used by Goto as a lackey. Is Noa and Hiromi's forward, or commanding officer when in the field.

• Isao Ohta, Division 2 Team 2: the psychotic gun-nut piloting unit 2. With a look like he would be better suited for the marines than the police force, Ohta is extremely gung-ho and expects the rest of SV2 to perform to his standards. In spite of his loud and obnoxious personality, Ohta's a stand up guy and a good cop, he just likes guns a bit too much.

• Mikiyasu Shinshi, Division 2 Team 1: the lone married man of SV.2. Very devoted to his wife, tends to snap when people make fun of that fact or her, leading him into rages that scare even Ohta. Drives the unit 2 labor carrier.

• Sergeant Gomioka Tsutomu, Division 1 Team 2: one of the labor pilots for SV.1, much like his commanding officer, he's very by the book. A good labor pilot, though Noa is better under stress.

• Detective Matsui, Tokyo Metropolitan Police: With a usually calm and cool character he has the mutual respect of Goto. Helps Goto with the down on the ground detective leg-work sometimes.

• Bud Renard, a 15 year old boy from India who likes computer games. He pilots the J9 Giffon labor, and regards Izumi Noa as his true opponent.

• Richard Wong/Utsumi, SHAFT Enterprises: Geeky, intelligent but scheming head of one of SHAFT's experimental divisions. (Note: "Shaft" also has the variant spelling of "Schaft")

• Kurosaki: Richard Wong's right-hand man.

• Black Knight

(Section 2 is part of the Special Vehicles department of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, composed of 2, and later 4 divisions)

List of Labors

• MPL-96 Asuka (Shinohara Heavy Industries)
• MPL-97S Python (Shinohara Heavy Industries)
• AVS-99 Helldiver (Shinohara Heavy Industries)
• AV-98 Ingram (Shinohara Heavy Industries)
• * AV-98-I Ingram (Shinohara Heavy Industries) Ingram economy model
• * AV-98-II Ingram (Shinohara Heavy Industries) Ingram Mark II mass production prototype
• AV-X0 Zero(Shinohara Heavy Industries, designated AVR-0 in the Manga)
• AV-2 variant(Shinohara Heavy Industries)
• AV-98T Dolphin/Doafun(Shinohara Heavy Industries)
• AV-0 Zero Peacemaker (Shinohara Heavy Industries)
• SRX-70 Saturn (Shaft Industries / Toyohata Heavy Industries)
• Type 7 Brocken (Shaft Industries Europe)
• M5 Abraham (Shaft Industries USA)
• 'Phantom' (Shaft Industries Japan)
• TYPE J9 'Griffon' (Shaft Industries Japan)

Availability

All of the Patlabor productions have been released in the United States in some form, except for most of the manga. All the movies have been translated into English and are available in stores in Region 1, 2 & 4 DVD format. While the TV series is still in the process of being released on DVD in Region 1, the first OVA is now available on DVD in Region 1. The new OVA is also available on DVD in Region 1.

The TV series and OVAs were released in the U.S. by Central Park Media. The first two movies were released by Manga Entertainment. The third movie (plus "Mini-Pato") was released by Geneon Entertainment (formerly Pioneer). Also, twelve sections of the manga have been translated and released by Viz Communications as single issues and in two Trade Paperbacks. Viz dropped the Patlabor manga before releasing all of it.

Mini-Pato is available on DVD in regions 1,2 and 4 in the Limited Edition Patlabor WXII DVD packages.

Honnemise (Bandai Visual, US) is rereleasing the first two movies on DVD with extensive bonus features, and beez entertainment are distributing the movies for them in the UK. Madman has the distributation rights for Australia & New Zealand of only the movies so far.

External links

• () [WXIII * PATLABOR THE MOVIE 3]

 

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