Patlabor (OVA)

I admit it. I am a Patlabor fan boy. I love anything and everything Patlabor. This OVA series is no exception.

Before we start, I will say that if you already own the CPM release, keep it. The only reason to keep it isn't because the Blu Ray stinks the reason to keep it is for the Mamoru Oshii commentary. None of the other extras on the original DVDs are really worth missing, but this omission means I am keeping my DVDs close at hand.

Patlabor OVA is a collection of mostly one off stories (well, except the single two parter). The first episode goes into the formation of the squad, while each subsequent episode seems to up the storytelling ante. Whereas the movies are thought provoking mind benders (sort of... Oshii was just hitting his stride before Ghost in the Shell), these aren't quite so much, but every episode is definitely worth viewing.

The story goes that in the future the world is populated with Labors, bipedal mechs used for all sorts of things in daily life, such as construction and so on. They also use them for their police force. Patrol Labors, or Patlabors, are the name given the Labors used by the police force.

Video:

AVC encoded 1080p video. Picture size is 1.34:1, as it was originally animated. The video is completely remastered by the original film elements. I believe the video utilizes the same remaster used for the Japanese release. The difference is, we get it at more reasonable prices than the Japanese release (and we get subtitles).

The animation, being an OVA, is higher quality than that of normal TV animation. Being hand drawn and painted cel animation, there is a sublime beauty inherent in this release. The remaster retains all of the original detail from the film and doesn't push noise reduction to ridiculous levels. You know this came from film, and it's beautiful for it.

There are no real specs of dust or dirt or damage to be seen. This is the best the Patlabor OVA has ever looked for a home video release.

Audio:

You have two choices for audio, Japanese or English (the original dub as best I can tell) in DTS-MA stereo. Neither track had drop outs or any other oddness. They very much sound as best as they ever will.

The stereo sound stage is utilized nicely and works well for the show. Effects can pan left/right and separate nicely on both tracks.

One thing I will note is the optional English subtitles. They are nicely done and well translated. The one thing that MIGHT be a problem is if someone tries to watch this on a non-widescreen TV (not likely for a BD, but still a possibility). Some parts of the subtitles reside in the black space to the left and right of the image. On a standard 4:3 TV, some parts of the letters will likely be cut off. For most people this won't be an issue, and if you are buying this to view on a 4:3 TV instead of 16:9, you may want to go with the DVD if you plan on watching subtitled.

Extras:

As stated above, the CPM release had the Oshii feature length commentary. This release, however, does NOT.

All that is included are clean opening and closing animations. Nothing spectacular and nothing to write home about. Rather disappointing. Considering the Japanese release only had a bonus 16 page book, I suppose this was expected (it didn't have the Oshii commentary either, for some reason).

Overall:

I love Patlabor. The story lines are fun, sometimes thought provoking and well told. The animation looks spectacular still. The OVA, while not as thought provoking as any of the 3 movies, really shows you what Oshii could be known for in the near future.

If you watch this and love it, and don't mind paying a ridiculous price, the 3 movies can be had on Blu Ray from Amazon Japan. They include English subtitles (but unfortunately, not the English dubs). You can also pick up the North American DVD limited editions for a relatively cheap price if you know where to look (while supplies last).

Highly recommended.

This show is 6 Episodes, each one with a different story to it, some nicer some worst.

Old style animation, if you are looking for Ghost in the shell, this is NOT close even.

Patlabor is an OK show,

There is barely any action, animation is old but nothing impressive, nothing really remarkable about it, I own the 3 movies, and I love the firt 2 movies, they look great with nice action and a good plot, but the show is week for my taste.

Buy Patlabor (OVA) Now

I have been waiting, in hope, for an affordable re-release of the original Patlabor! I have been a, sort of underground, Patlabor fan for several years, but I could not bring myself to pay the ridiculous price it originally was. However, let's move on to an actual review.

First, I am reluctant to even call Patlabor an anime. It's more of a toned-down animated sci-fi. I, myself, am really not an amine fan, but more of a general sci-fi fan. I say this meaning that Patlabor can be enjoyed by all kinds of people, not just anime fans. In fact many anime fans are fond of Patlabor because of how conservative and simple it is. Patlabor is very different from other mech shows, such as Gundam, Macross, and Eureka 7. In fact, Patlabor is only partially about mechs. The mechs in Patlabor are more like a futuristic symbol or a team mascot than a plot builder.

Patlabor is about a lousy Tokyo police unit called SV2 (Special Vehicles Unit 2). In the "future" (1999, ten years after the series was created), labors (mechs) are used for general construction work. However, in a large city like Tokyo, crime involving labors rose and now is not uncommon. Hence, the creation of police patrol labor units or patlabors. The series starts out by introducing the members of SV2 with them ... well, not doing much of anything. I admit, I too was thrown off by the series sort of awkward and boring introduction. I was especially thrown off by the lack of background sounds, and choppy, redundant dialogue. But keep watching, this is done on purpose! Patlabor, in both the OVA and TV series, starts off with SV2 doing simple everyday police missions (but with mechs), comedic filler episodes, and with SV2, as I said before, sitting around the unit doing nothing.

However, this method of story development makes the characters so much more relatable and real than in the violent, overly dramatic, typical action cartoon. But keep watching, the series builds a lot of intensity in episodes 5, 6, and 7. I promise desire for action will not go unsatisfied, as this group of lousy, ordinary cops are put into extraordinary situations. This is the beauty of the show.

So if your hoping for an unoriginal robots-fighting-and-blowing-things-up show (not that there is anything wrong with those), this is not Patlabor. However if you want something feel-good with a good story and funny characters but ends with a bang, Patlabor is the show for you. If you enjoy the OVA, watch the movies and TV series. The best Patlabor has to offer is actually movies 1 and 2. The great thing about the OVA series is that it is sort and cheap. So if it doesn't impress you, which honestly it does not appeal to everyone, you have not wasted a lot of time and money.

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These shows have the same kind of tone/gags that the original show had with a slight re-imagining of the very beginning. Same characters of course. Except for a two part episode, the episodes are self-contained like the original series...meaning you can watch any one of them and know what is going on.

This is nice because this re-release is WAY cheaper than what the original release sells for.

Although this show has robots in it (and moreso than the original series) they're not the main focus. This is more of an "another day at the office" kind of comedy/drama. This will in no way convert people who didn't like the original series. And like the original series, it has a much lighter tone than the movies (although I loved the movies too). The production quality is nearer to the series than the movies as well. Still not bad. Not for everyone. Especially not for over the top action fans. It should be noted that all you get are the episodes. I didn't see any special features beyond previews for other shows.

I'm not even sure why I enjoy patlabor so much but I do. Maybe because it's unpretentious, doesn't take itself seriously in a smart way, and compliments a nice relaxing mood we all like to settle into after a day at our own jobs.

Want Patlabor (OVA) Discount?

I was disappointed to find that there was no new dubbing for this like the special edition versions of the movies. There also aren't really any extras included which is unfortunate. If you already own the old Central Park Media DVD version and are not concerned with picture quality I suggest you stick with it since that version includes some cool extras like director's commentary from Mamoru Oshii.

However, that version has become quite rare and expensive so if you just want to see the original Patlabor in all of its glory with subtitles (the CPM dub is only present on a few of the episodes anyway) and you don't care about the extras, this is the way to go. It's still a great work that was a brilliant deconstruction of the mecha genre in its day. It's sillier than the movies that followed and but not as silly as the TV series.

If you want serious science fiction then you may prefer the movies and if you want slapstick comedy you may prefer the TV series. This falls somewhere in-between the two. The most dramatic episode was "The SV2's Longest Day" which was essentially remade and refined into Patlabor the Movie 2.

If you love Patlabor and late-80's science fiction you can't go wrong. If you're a fan of the movies this is where that "timeline" begins (the TV series and second OVA follow a separate timeline as does the manga which is its own thing). Just expect it to be a little different than what you've seen before.

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