Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor (TV)
Patlabor TV is definitely an acquired taste, and those who have indeed acquired it are extremely enthusiastic in their praise. "Anime Meta Review" rated it as "Exemplary"; the "Anime News Network" describes it as "one of the crowning achievements of the giant robot genre"; and "when considered as a whole, the Patlabor canon is truly one of the most versatile and rewarding works of anime ever concieved". This TV series was originally released in 1990, and theorized that "Labors" would be in commonplace use before the turn of the century ("This story is fiction... but in 10 years, who knows?"). Patlabor is unusual in that it is a "mecha" series in which not only is greater emphasis is placed on the charachters than on the robots, but a genuine attempt is made to depict Mecha in a realistic, nuts-and-bolts manner, addressing the headaches which would surely be involved in operating and maintaining them. One episode, for example, is devoted entirely to a desperate attempt to repair a Patlabor which has been damaged in illicit activity before the head of maintenace learns about it. Another involves the problems which the staff of "Special Vehicles, Division 2" have in getting their meals delivered to their station! More than one critic has suggested that this show bears a greater resemblance to You're Under Arrest than Gundam or Macross. My impression is that it starts out similar to Patlabor: The Original Series but as time goes by it relies more on it's comedy than on the mecha action. Perhaps this change was responsible for the series lasting for an impressive 35 (one source says 47) episodes. Actually, it does end amid plenty of mecha-action. Interspersed with the episodes about routine duties is a plotline about a mysterious criminal Labor known as the "Griffon". Tension builds nicely towards the end, when a showdown with the Griffon takes place. Lots of fun, all around. Perhaps the reason why this series should be listed as an "acquired taste" is because comedy, plot, and charachter development are seldom high priorities in mecha anime. Whether you develop the taste for this series or not will in all likelihood depend on whether you like the cast. Noa is a spunky female recruit who immediately falls in love with her labor, "Alphonse"; Asuma could have had a high paying job with the company that builds Labors, but chose the Police; Ota is a shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later kind of Labor pilot; and their commander, Captain Goto, is a brilliant man who never gets excited about anything. SVD2 is sometimes called upon to investigate bizarre cases, including a giant monster that was spotted by hikers in the mountains. They also generate their own bizarre cases, like Goto's idea that friction between unit personnel might be eliminated if they all get drunk together! People seldom get killed or even injured, and nudity is nonexistant. It's the series' dry humor which I especially like (and the theme song, too).
6/03
I've just seen the DVD version for the first time, and something about the dubbed voices really rubs me the wrong way. I think the voices of the original Japanese seiyuu are an integral part of the characters' personalities. The director of the entire show (not just the English dubbing director) must have been satisfied with them, after all, so please don't ignore the tones and inflections and whatnot that were used just because they are in a different language. I frequently understand the way a character is feeling better when I'm reading his or her lines and listening to the voice in Japanese than I do when an American VA is reading them in English. I think anybody who was watching this show for the first time, and unfortunately chose to watch it in dubbed mode, would find the voices so inexplicably bad that they would have a hard time suspending disbelief and getting into an otherwise excellent show. The ideal solution would be if the original cast learned to speak fluent English and redid their parts, but I've got a feeling that's not going to happen anytime soon. Anyway, there were some interesting extras on the DVD, like an interview with the series' original director. There are no subtitles for the lyrics of the OP or ED songs in dubbed mode, but you do get to hear the cool ED song "Midnight Blue" after each episode, not just the last one on each VHS tape. Another handy feature is the ability to switch from dubbed mode to subbed mode without having to start an episode over from the start; given the quality of the English VAs, this feature should get a lot of use...
I really want to assign this show a Buy rating (and I originally did), but as hard as it tries, it doesn't quite cross the line which makes the purchase of expensive DVDs justifiable. Not unless you're a Patlabor fan, like me, and even I bought mine used on VHS tapes. The problem is partly that the animation shows it's age, and partly that a westerner won't "get" a lot of the subtle humor. Also, the plot and action aren't quite good enough for today's standards of an exciting and gripping series. But if ever a show fully deserved it's Rent status, it's Patlabor!
Last updated Saturday, February 23 2008. Created Sunday, June 08 2003.
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