Patlabor 2 Highly recommended

Publisher
Manga Entertainment
Director
Mamoru Oshii
Production
Bandai, Production IG, Tatsunoko Productions
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
125 mins
Year
1993

Patlabor 2 the Movie (Beez)

By Joseph (Joe) Wood
21st Nov 06

Wither it’s the original OVAs, the TV series or the movies Patlabor deserves to be called an anime classic. The second and arguably the best, Patlabor film was originally released in 1993 in Japan, and formerly released by Manga Entertainment in the UK. Beez’s new version is not just a simple re-release, like the first film, the original Japanese cast were reunited to re-record the dialogue for the new 5.1 surround sound mix, as well as a brand new English dub.

Set three years after the first film most of the Special Vehicles Division 2‘s second unit have left for pastures new. Shinobu the Captain of SV2’s first unit is now chief of the SV2 and Captain Ghoto is still in charge of the second unit. When one of the Tokyo Bay Bridges is bombed by what appears to be a renegade Self-Defence Force Fighter it sends the entire nation into an uproar. Shinobu and Ghoto delve deeper into the mystery, and are contacted by a man claiming to be a government agent. The agent reveals that the attack was carried out by a terrorist organisation who are attempting to stage a fake military coup, and the leader of the group was also Shinobu’s former instructor. As the attacks and fear increase Japan’s government seems as though it will be unable to cope without using force. Shinobu, Ghoto and the old members of the second unit join forces in order to catch the real culprits before it’s too late.

The second film is a lot darker, more complicated but also far more rewarding than the first film. It is extremely difficult to take everything in during one sitting, and to get the most out of it deserves multiple viewings. Some elements may be lost on younger viewers, or those who don’t know much about the Japanese governmental/military structure, but the situations and themes of fear should hit a nerve with anyone who remembers some of the major terrorist attacks such as 9/11. Due to this the film still works amazingly well, and both in terms of story and the visual quality of the animation it’s difficult to believe this film is over ten years old. The film will keep viewers gripped and entertained throughout thanks to Mamoru Oshi’s brilliant direction, Kenji Kawai’s musical score and HEADGEAR’s amazing characters, all taken to new levels.

The film does have it’s problems though, the main one being that the viewer really needs to be familiar with the characters to get the most out of it, the easiest way to do so is to see the first film, which can really help immensely (the OVAs and TV series will help too). Like Beez’s release of the first film, the second film’s new English dub still lacks that little extra, the lines tend to feel like a very literal translation of the Japanese, and are often delivered very dryly by the English cast even when in situations that demand emotion.

These problems are really a moot point, Patlabor 2 (and the first film) are essential viewing for any anime fan, if you don’t already own either of the Patlabor films then go get them!

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English/Japanese Audio, English Subtitles, 16 page booklet, teaser, trailer and commercial

Release information: Publisher: Beez entertainment Release date : 30-10-2006 Length: 113 min Classification: PG

Notes: The booklet gives some information on the production of the second movie and is well made. If you want more there is a collectors edition version (produced in limited quantity) with.... - Limited Collector's Edition is a numbered edition with only 1,000 created for the UK and boasts an illustrated cover designed especially for this release by illustrator Yutaka Izubuchi (mecha designer of the Patlabor series and creator and director of the hit anime series RahXephon). - Contains 2 discs, one with the movie and extras and one with "The Making of Patlabor 2 The Movie" (Japanese with English subtitles), and two books. - Book 1, Archives, is 144 pages long and contains Exposition and criticism of the film (character, story background, artwork, etc.), Interviews with director Mamoru Oshii, Tokyo Location Map, Location Scouting, and Key animation drawing samples with explanatory notes. Book 2 is the Storyboard by Mamoru Oshii and is 300 pages, translated into English

-- Joseph (Joe) Wood 21st Nov 06

Patlabor 2 Images