Postby TheSubtleDoctor » Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:46 am
Mobile Police Patlabor: TV
Gundam, Macross, Mazinger, and to a lesser extent Votoms: these are mecha franchises that fans hold up as the best, most consistantly good multi-series mecha properties around. In my opinion, Mobile Police Patlabor deserves to be on this list.
Most people that know Patlabor associate it with Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Angel's Egg, Sky Crawlers), the director of the first two Patlabor films and two OAVs. Oshii actually was one of seven writers to work on the script for the show, while Naoyuki Yoshinaga (animation director of Urusei Yatsura) serves as the director for Patlabor TV. Perhaps because Oshii wasn't so heavily involved with all aspects of the show, its tone is a great deal lighter than most of what he is famous for.
In the world of Patlabor, robots (known as labors) are commonplace, but not as defenders of justice or destroyers of worlds. Robots function pretty much exactly like automobiles and construction equipment do today. They are tools for mundane tasks; therefore, they are not unusual furniture of the world. Occasionally, however, someone steals a labor, causes damage with one, or just generally uses a labor to make a nuisance of themselves. Enter: Special Vehicles, a division of the Japanese police that was created to prevent labor crime. They are given patrol labors (patrol+labor=Patlabor!) that serve to deter criminals and make the public feel safe. The show follows Division 2 of Special Vehicles from the point in which the main character, Noa Izumi, joins the team.
Patlabor is not what you think a robot show is like. This show is about regular folks. Police officers, sure; arresters of criminals and robot pilots, I grant you. But it is all executed in such a way that it doesn't feel otherworldly or fantastical. The future world of Patlabor is exactly like our own, just with the addition of labors. Again, there are no evil, world-destroying robots, no monsters, no dinosaur empire (Getter shout!)...instead of over-the-top action, the show focuses on its truly endearing characters and their interactions with one another and just their lives in general. The void left by the lack of constant battling is filled with clever humor, fun situations and characters you grow to really love (Ota, Kanuka, Shige) being themselves. Each member of SVD2 has a distinct and enjoyable personality, and it is a joy to watch Noa grow over time.
Now, don't think the show is boring. There is action, but it isn't the heartbeat of the show. The experience of watching the series genuinely felt like hanging out with buddies each night.
If you want another GaoGaiGar, Macross or Gurren Lagann, this isn't what you want. However, if you don't mind generally episodic series that have mecha but feel more human than most, then please check out Patlabor TV.