I have an odd history with the "Patlabor" series of Japanese Anime' OVAs, TV shows, comics, and feature-length Anime' films.
I saw "Patlabor: The Movie" (1989) when it was first released in a limited edition DVD set back in 2006. I had the good fortune of watching the movie over the Fourth of July weekend that year, and I must say that I remember thoroughly enjoying the picture for what it was: a detective story mixed with a strong science fiction backdrop laced with all sorts of thematic material about technology's ascension over human beings (there is little doubt, in my mind, that the story was inspired by "Blade Runner").
But I've only seen the movie once, unfortunately, which was just that one time. Now over the Christmas break 2012, I have the fortune of watching the film's sequel, "Patlabor 2: The Movie." If you remember, the series is set over what at that time was the future (1998-2002). The story involved large robots (called "Labors") that were used for both construction work and law enforcement duties; the series focused mostly on the law enforcement Labors, which are called "Patrol Labors" ("Patlabors").
Mamoru Oshii (most famous for the 1995 sci-fi cyber-thriller "Ghost in the Shell") returns for the directorial duties of the sequel (as does Kazunori Ito on the screenplay, who also worked on the script for "Ghost"), which is set three years after "Patlabor: The Movie." The film shifts the focus of the story from Noa Izumi and Asuma Shinohara, the plucky heroine and hero of the first movie, to Kiichi Gotoh, the understated yet calculating commander of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's 2nd Special Vehicles Section (SV2), Division #2. He and his immediate superior Commander Shinobu Nagumo attempt to investigate a series of terrorist incidents that they believe are the work of a disgruntled ex-Japanese Self-Defense Forces officer named Yukihito Tsuge. His main goal appears to be revenge for a failed United Nations Labor operation in Southeast Asia three years earlier in 1999.
"Patlabor 2: The Movie" is a very plot-heavy film with a strong political subtext meant to raise questions about Japan's place in world affairs in the late 20th century/early 21st century. Make no mistake, this is a politically-charged Anime' film, one that may be lost on non-Japanese audiences that addresses Japan's role as a (forcibly) pacifist society as a result of its defeat in World War II. According to Carl Gustav Horn in the booklet for the DVD of "Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" (1998), Tsuge's campaign of domestic terrorism is meant to force Japan to face up to its largest "political contradiction": Its forced rejection of war (as a result of Article 9 of the 1947 Japanese Constitution - which was written by the Allies, not the Japanese people themselves) and the fact that Japan must rely on the United States for its primary defense (as a result of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty of 1954). Tsuge's plan, in effect, almost brings Japan to the brink of war. It is a troubling question, but a thoughtful one of what Japan should do to defend itself - without violating its commitment to peace (or at least within the confines of stiff Article 9 regulations).
"Patlabor 2: The Movie" is a great film, one that may not be as action-packed as the first movie, but it's a more thoughtful picture than the first movie.
10/10
I saw "Patlabor: The Movie" (1989) when it was first released in a limited edition DVD set back in 2006. I had the good fortune of watching the movie over the Fourth of July weekend that year, and I must say that I remember thoroughly enjoying the picture for what it was: a detective story mixed with a strong science fiction backdrop laced with all sorts of thematic material about technology's ascension over human beings (there is little doubt, in my mind, that the story was inspired by "Blade Runner").
But I've only seen the movie once, unfortunately, which was just that one time. Now over the Christmas break 2012, I have the fortune of watching the film's sequel, "Patlabor 2: The Movie." If you remember, the series is set over what at that time was the future (1998-2002). The story involved large robots (called "Labors") that were used for both construction work and law enforcement duties; the series focused mostly on the law enforcement Labors, which are called "Patrol Labors" ("Patlabors").
Mamoru Oshii (most famous for the 1995 sci-fi cyber-thriller "Ghost in the Shell") returns for the directorial duties of the sequel (as does Kazunori Ito on the screenplay, who also worked on the script for "Ghost"), which is set three years after "Patlabor: The Movie." The film shifts the focus of the story from Noa Izumi and Asuma Shinohara, the plucky heroine and hero of the first movie, to Kiichi Gotoh, the understated yet calculating commander of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's 2nd Special Vehicles Section (SV2), Division #2. He and his immediate superior Commander Shinobu Nagumo attempt to investigate a series of terrorist incidents that they believe are the work of a disgruntled ex-Japanese Self-Defense Forces officer named Yukihito Tsuge. His main goal appears to be revenge for a failed United Nations Labor operation in Southeast Asia three years earlier in 1999.
"Patlabor 2: The Movie" is a very plot-heavy film with a strong political subtext meant to raise questions about Japan's place in world affairs in the late 20th century/early 21st century. Make no mistake, this is a politically-charged Anime' film, one that may be lost on non-Japanese audiences that addresses Japan's role as a (forcibly) pacifist society as a result of its defeat in World War II. According to Carl Gustav Horn in the booklet for the DVD of "Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" (1998), Tsuge's campaign of domestic terrorism is meant to force Japan to face up to its largest "political contradiction": Its forced rejection of war (as a result of Article 9 of the 1947 Japanese Constitution - which was written by the Allies, not the Japanese people themselves) and the fact that Japan must rely on the United States for its primary defense (as a result of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty of 1954). Tsuge's plan, in effect, almost brings Japan to the brink of war. It is a troubling question, but a thoughtful one of what Japan should do to defend itself - without violating its commitment to peace (or at least within the confines of stiff Article 9 regulations).
"Patlabor 2: The Movie" is a great film, one that may not be as action-packed as the first movie, but it's a more thoughtful picture than the first movie.
10/10