Back to dj22319's Profile dj22319's Profile

The first anime installment of the Patlabor franchise delivered one hell of a good time. The first six episodes were directed by the grand master himself, Mamoru Oshii, who would also direct the first and second film adaptations. The seventh episode served as a bonus with a different director by the name of Naoyuki Yoshinaga. From what I took of it, the seventh episode tried to make up for a lack of action evident throughout the OVA. I was fine with that, but the sixth episode still serves as a fitting ending.
The premise ... of the anime is near-future, as Oshii puts us in a world where the advancements of technology have made science fiction a reality. Humanoid robots known as Labors are a result of that, and they serve as the most important medium for Japan's expansion as a techno logic civilization. However, there's a bad element in Japan's society that leads to crimes committed by Labors piloted by insidious individuals. This leads to the creation of a Special Vehicles Division under the Tokyo Police Department, where Patrol Labors(Patlabors) have become the standard weapon to Labor crimes. This is where our main characters assume their roles and deliver fun adventures under the badge of the Section 2 unit of Special Vehicles Division in Tokyo.
The OVA's plot for each episode, besides 5 and 6, followed a stand alone format as each episode creates a new setting with a new adventure for the main cast to endure. This cast includes the main characters of the films such as; Izumi Noah, Shinohara Asuma, and Goto Ki'ichi. These characters, and many more supporting characters, are integral to the plot as they bring something new to the table with their varying personalities. A fine example would be Yamazaki Hiromi, one of my favorite characters of this OVA, who's a giant of a man with a gentle side to him. As some of you might know, the 3rd episode had a strange ending, and Hiromi was inserted as the main point of interest for no apparent reason. It was pretty funny, but also there was no predictability to it... and that felt amazing. It wasn't for the hell of it, mind you, but rather,to make the audience ponder the meaning for themselves. It is my favorite episode of them all.
In order to compliment the atmosphere of Patlabor, Kenji Kawai provides a beautiful score that really sums up certain moments with pizzazz. Then there's the Japanese voice overs, which were really well cast, as they've been with the franchise up to the second movie. That's not the case with the English dub cast, which was probably the only screw up with this OVA, as they were very miscast and just plain bad.
Other than that, this anime was a riot to watch. The humor and plot really made up for a lack of action. The mech designs were really impressionable, the animation was crisp, and the score was really nice.
This is a unique mecha I'd recommend any day.