Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor: On Television

I have no interest in writing reviews, but I felt that Patlabor deserved something more positive. So here is one that is short, simple and from the heart.

Patlabor the TV series is not about excitement or being heavily psychological. It is a very human show. It’s less about getting hyped up over battles and more about relaxing with your buddies Special Vehicles Section Two. The simple actions and gestures of various characters are well thought out, making them truly believable. The whole cast have their own individual personalities and ways of reacting to things. None of them seem like cardboard stand-ins in the background, something ... that anime is rife with. It is enjoyable to switch on an episode and see what the group gets up to next. As you spend time with them you really get to know them well, and even feel like a part of it.

The art and sound in the remastered version are very good.

Some light spoilers for some episodes

Patlabor is a gem in the trash heap of mecha shows. It sets itself apart by being human in a dehumanizing genre. Despite being a huge hit when it came out, it is now mostly forgotten, a true shame, but not surprising considering the state of anime today.

Patlabor was created by a team of artists known as Headgear, with the most notable members being Mamoru Oshii(Ghost in the Shell) and Masami Yuuki. Yuuki came up with the original concept in the early 80s, and Oshii directed the first OVA and the first two movies, which are an entirely different beast ... compared to the mostly lighthearted TV series, being much more serious, dark, and politically charged. While Oshii wrote some of the episodes of the show, his influence was more limited.

The core idea behind Patlabor was to refresh the mecha genre with realism. In the future of the 1990s, so called Labors are developed as construction robots for the Babylon Project, a giant dam in the bay of Tokyo against rising sea levels caused by global warming. As the use of Labors increases, criminals and terrorist also start to use them. Thus, Special Vehicles Section 2, SV2, is created, a Labor police force, to combat Labor crime with specialized patrol Labors, or Patlabors.

This setting is a product of the optimistic 80s, when Japan’s economy was booming. In Patlabor, there are mega construction projects everywhere in Tokyo, technology has advanced rapidly in some areas but has mostly stayed the same. It does not intrude on people’s lives, but is a net positive force. Peace rules, there is no forever war or alien invasion. The worst that might happen is a bombing, but even the terrorists are often in over their head and can be talked down. The city of Tokyo remains mostly unchanged from the real world.
At the end of some episodes, there even is a tag line: “This story is fiction, but in ten years, who knows?” Of course, in the year 2020 we know, such a future never arrived, we got the corporate dystopia of cyberpunk without any of the cool tech or aesthetic. The positive attitude about the future, coupled with glorious 80s animation and a soundtrack by the always excellent Kenji Kawai just ooze nostalgia and even a subtle melancholy.

Realism is everywhere in Patlabor. It takes the ridiculous premise of the mecha and says: If this technology had been developed in the real world, this is probably what it would have been like. The Labors are not flying killing machines shooting lasers and rockets, but devices more like a forklift or an excavator. They are fragile, clunky and only have a few hours of battery life. They leave base not through an underground launch tunnel, but get driven to their destination on the back of a large truck, which might also get stuck in traffic.
The tasks of SV2 often reflect the mundane realities of police work, sometimes they sit in the base for weeks waiting for something to happen, deal with budget limitations, or worry about collateral damage during missions(SV2 has become infamous for this).

However more striking than the realism of the setting, the show also puts realism in its characters, despite their eccentric nature. This starts with the excellent designs done by Akemi Takada, another Headgear member, whose characters have distinctive faces instead of distinctive hair colors, from the wide eyed Noa to the seemingly always half asleep Captain Goto.
They wear orange reflective vests because it’s the most safe in the urban and industrial environments they operate in, a far cry from the outlandish uniforms sometimes seen in anime, and the women even get to wear the same clothes as the men. In fact, these high visibility uniforms are also a political statement, they clearly separate SV2 from any sort of military, they are not warriors, they are civil servants. (If you believe this about today's police I leave up to you).

Patlabor boasts a fantastic cast of characters, they are the main focus of the series, much more so than the robots some of them pilot. All of them are exaggerated and eccentric, but never so dominated by their antics that they become unbelievable(except for Ota), nor do they have any outlandish powers. Noa’s pretty quirky but she’s not a hyperactive MPDG, she’s a great Labor pilot but nothing she does is outside the humanly possible. Hirmoi is kind of a recluse, but not a shut-in brooder.
It is this restraint and placidity combined with the willingness to go completely over the top in other areas that make this series something special. It makes these characters very relatable and it is immensely fun to watch them deal with some new crazy situation or each others personalities.
I rarely get really attached to characters in media but you spend so much time with these people that you get to know them very well. It’s like spending time with your buddies at work, and the entire series is so good-natured that really every single episode put a smile on my face and made my mood better.

Noa is the main character, and embodies the show’s spirit the most: quirky, optimistic and easy going. She is often the center of action and the most fun to watch because of her demeanor and plucky nature. She loves Labors and treats hers like a favorite pet, calling it Alphonse, sometimes refusing to carry out orders for fear that it might break or even get dirty. She also becomes depressed when there is talk of replacing SV2’s labors, including her Alphonse, with a different model. Nobody else on the team really understands that, to them a machine is just a machine. This is kind of a precursor to the themes Oshii would discuss a few years later in Ghost in the Shell.
Also, she really dislikes firing her weapon and her hesitation sometimes leads to bigger problems, this might be incomprehensible to American viewers. While this hesitation stems in part from the fact that she doesn’t want to damage precious Labors, it is also her principle, an ideal of what a good, deescalating police officer should act like. In her own words from Episode 4 of the New Files OVA, in response to Kanuka wildly firing her Patlabor’s revolver at the military Griffin Labor occupied by an out of control child: “This isn’t America! You can’t do that here!”

In general this show has extremely good female representation, with a variety of woman often being more competent at their job then the men. Kanuka Clancy is a hyper competent police officer from the NYPD send to Japan to train with Labors first hand, she has a no-nonsense attitude about everything. Sadly, halfway through the series she gets replaced with Kumagami who also has her moments but is a bit dull compared to the rest of the cast.

Goto, the captain of SV2, is probably the most noteworthy character. Nothing makes him loose his laid-back attitude, he seems nice and even simple, however under the surface he is a master manipulator, well informed of important events and extremely clever. He employs unconventional methods and also bends the rules whenever he sees fit, which leads to many highly entertaining situations.
He was likely exiled to SV2 for political reasons, and now has to spend his time overqualified for this often extremely boring job, which consists of sitting in his office and drinking copious amounts of tea. This is a not so subtle critique of politicians and the top brass, who never look good in Patlabor. However, Goto also enjoys the comradely atmosphere of the SV2, and certainly cares about his subordinates.

The last character definitely worth talking about is Ota. The series itself most aptly describes him as a psycho cop, his first solution to really any problem is shooting his gun and violence. This often makes the problem worse and leads to his Labor being busted up. While he is responsible for many hilarious scenes, he is a bit of a wart in this cast. Now I have no trouble believing such a guy to be a police officer, much worse people have become policemen in real life, and SV2 has a reputation for taking in the stragglers. However his antics can become grating and repetitive. With him some more levity would have been nice. Also, his violent methods, sometimes through random chance, succeed more often than they really should. Part of that’s comedy of course, but it also seems to portrait police brutality as some viable alternative.

While these character’s quirks are exaggerated, sometimes to an absurd level, they are realistic in the sense that these are just adults who do their mundane day to day job like any civil servant, it’s just that the job involves giant robots. This is what truly sets these characters apart from standard mecha fare, they are not larger than life, they have no troubled past, they don’t go through some grand development or arc, and they’re not angsty teenagers.

This show has some overarching plot threads, but most episodes are dedicated to some new adventure, which can reach from relatively serious police procedure to completely absurd situations and parody, with great versatility in the stories being told. Sometimes, Labors are not featured at all.
In contrast to the realism of the setting, the episodes can go all out in terms of ridiculousness, and sometimes feature ghosts or monsters. Often, a completely mundane situation like ordering food from a restaurant or filing an insurance claim(there is really an episode about that) is escalated to an hilarious degree. It is the hyper realistic combined with the hyper unrealistic.

Patlabor has a fantastic sense of humor, again the series shows great versatility, from the wacky plots to the slapstick, visual gags and the banter of the characters. There are none of the more unfortunate sides of Anime humor like fan service. It doesn’t take itself very seriously, but it never becomes farcical or obnoxious, because it also knows when to be silent.
Some episodes are parody of other media but never rely solely on reference. A few episodes even tap into the realm of social satire, most noteworthy “The Seven Days of Fire”, a satire of the Japanese student movement, written by Oshii. He would later become famous for serious Sci-Fi movies like Ghost in the Shell, but his involvement in this series shows that he is just as great a writer of comedy.

The show also has some quiet and somber character moments which work just as well and it even pulls quiet an effective ending for a show with so little overarching narrative. The series can pack an emotional punch, it just chooses to do so very rarely.

Now I still prefer the movies, the TV series just doesn’t come close in terms of directing, production value, or thematic depth. For example the Griffin arc in the show I had some issues with, because it’s the closest it gets to being a standard mecha show, and it also features an annoying prodigy kid character. The writing in some of the more serious episodes sometimes had a bit to many plot conveniences for my taste.

But the show’s core idea, portraying ordinary people in a world of ordinary mechas, is a great success and still feels fresh today. This is obviously worth watching for its characters and humor. It’s a delightful time capsule back from anime’s golden age, when such things were still possible.

Main
Patlabor is a pretty famous anime from back in the early 90s [I think even part of the 80s]. This was when Mecha animes were at an all time high and it was all about military or police mecha and stuff. Patlabor really stood out because they didn't go off the deep end with the fantasy—meaning, they don't transform, they don't talk, they can't fly [usually] go into space or the deep ocean, they don't carry endless racks of missiles.....you catch my drift? YEAH, it's pretty obvious that Patlabors don't exist but my point is that this story kind of handled it ... with some sense of reality like it's just another vehicle like a forklift or crane or some other construction vehicle. Even though the show is kind of old school, and the stories are kind of simplistic which is ALWAYS centered around some kind of mecha/Patlabor, it is still an alright anime to watch and does have it's share of funny and dramatic moments.

Art-Style
Totally old school anime art style which I love! Vintage anime art is the best! But I'm not the best when it comes to grading machine art and movement since machines don't speak to me on that emotional level like it does for so many others.....so I'll leave that to those who are more or less into that.

Sound
OK right off the bat I gotta say that the English Dub was terrible, I'm pretty sure that the reason why anime fans get hostile when you talk about dubs has to do with the legacy of shows like this one where the voice acting was not bad but HORRIBLE. The main character, Noa, her voice is probably the worst with her hi-pitched, ever-so-perky tones. Also some of the male characters actually sound 'slow' or retarded. The acting was either too weak or over the top, either they were overreacting to some petty issue like Ramen noodles or some lame sporting event or they UNDER-reacted to the real vital issues like terrorist threats and other battles.
It kinda make me wonder if they even did any line reading for the actors or was there even an auditioning process at all or did they just start picking random readers off the street?
Also, I wasn't too crazy about the songs either since they sounded really dated.....but by the 15th episode I thought the OP was kind of cool singing along in my horrible Japanese "So Never cry, Itsumo...kimi wo...la la la-la-la! I also liked the animation and how the characters looked for the opening credits.

Story
Ridiculous....funny but definitely ridiculous I never saw this show when it originally aired so there really isn't any of that nostalgic bias that always seem to accompany reviews of vintage anime! No, this show is down-right silly at times but that does not mean that is a bad show and that you must not watch it., actually this is one of those shows that should be watched so that we can understand the evolution of the modern anime....specifically the mecha genre!
This show is all about mecha, specifically the LABORS machines of the humanoid variety—ones that have two arms and two legs and all the drama they cause in modern society. Consequently there are the PATROL LABORS or PATLABORS that are supposed to minimize all of these new types of crime/criminal behavior. However the group over at PATLABOR Division 2 seem to create more havoc and drama than resolving them......and that's where all the hilarity kicks in. Honestly sometimes it's funny and sometimes no, but I really think it's because of the very, very bad voice acting. I never really understood the importance of comedic timing until now, like a lot of the jokes kind of just fizzled because the speed and delivery was off or maybe the voice was just WRONG all-together!
Also aside from the whole mecha thing, there is no real unifying theme or plot. Some stories did span a couple of episodes and others seemed linked because they carried a character from a previous episode, but for the most part there was some sort of resolution offered at the end of the 20 or so minutes and by the time ending credits were rolling. This may annoy some people who dislike episodic anime shows. I didn't have a problem with it per se, just more the fact that I don't think it should have gone on for 47 episodes.
But then again PATLABOR was a very popular show back then......

Cast/Characters
Again, likable characters overall, it's just the bad voice acting which may affect you really liking the characters too much. Asuma Shinohara was my favorite probably because he's got the least annoying voice plus he's kinda cute, I also kinda liked the leader of Division 2—he was very mellow in that cool kinda way....but all the other guys are off the chart [not in the good way!] Noa's voice is way too perky for a cop and it's bit on the whiny side but her personality is OK. All the other women in the show were good and believable.

Worth it or NOT?
I think the best gem out of the whole series, has to be when Shige [one of the mechanics] goes to New York and he has to deal with Americans and they all look more like SS poster boys for Nazi-Germany than actual Americans and then that one token ethnic dude who's supposed to be Native American, I guess, with that solitary feather sticking out of his headband. It's funny but at the same time I found it mildly offensive, I think....but then again it WAS only a dream, lol!

going into Patlabor, looking at its posters and promotional material, i immediately assumed that this would be something akin to a mecha police procedural show. a show that would focus on busting mecha criminal-of-the-week every episode with cool action scenes and an overarching narrative that culminates into one huge final battle.

but what i got instead is one of the greatest slice of life shows i've ever seen, a genuinely funny, heartwarming, and endlessly entertaining journey that i never wanted to end.

Patlabor isn't just perfect anime, it's perfect television.

it sets out to create a familiar yet new world that lays the foundation the series to be ... relatable and grounded (some of the best episodes are just the characters getting into antics and bullshit with no mecha involved at all) and wildly fantastical (there's like three kaiju episode and two supernatural episodes with ghosts and the show treats both straight-faced!!!); realism is flawlessly juxtaposed with the fantastical in a way that only enhances each other.

the direction is purposeful and effective with its visual storytelling, the varied score is chock-full of 80s wholesomeness, and the animation (despite not being as fluid and detailed as the OVA) is playful, expressive, and at many times, just downright beautiful.

but what really makes this show special, special enough to skyrocket into my top 10 anime of all time after the first watch, are the characters.

much like other beloved television that you just can't seem to put down (specifically Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Star Trek: The Original Series/The Next Generation), the show can go anywhere it pleases because we as an audience are sold on the main ensemble cast.

there is such a diverse and absolutely loveable variety in the main crew (who, by the way, is led by a spunky tomgirl. like can we appreciate the fact that this is a MECHA with a well-rounded, non-sexualized woman as the lead??? this is 1989!!!!) that makes any and every episode endlessly watchable. just like the aforementioned Star Trek there's a sincere comaraderie between all these characters, and even if they do inhabit certain anime/mecha archetypes and don't change THAT much throughout the show, Patlabor still takes the effort to round each and every one of them out to make them that much more compelling.

one of my favorite elements of this show is how it takes time to just...breathe. to let the world of the show itself sink in, to let characters introspect, to let all the comedic chaos of the day-to-day pause. at the end of the day, Patlabor isn't about a police division with giant robots, it's about normal working people working a normal job to help other normal people. it's that heart that makes all the episodes and all the characters so loveable, and it's that heart that made me fall in love with everything the show had to offer.

sure, the show isn't too deep or anything, there isn't much mecha action to be had at all, there aren't any major plot twists or huge upheavals of the status quo, but that's just a testament to how GOOD the show is in its characters.

i DIDN'T want anything major to change, i DIDN'T want an overarching plot (in fact, when the show DID have an narrative arc, it understood that having it derail the main formula would be annoying so it just occupied like 5 episodes in the middle of the 37 episode run and then immediately went back to episodic comfiness. this show knew what the fuck it was doing!), i DIDN'T want the show to try to be anything it wasn't.

all i wanted was to spend an infinite amount of time getting to know Division 2 and experience their hi-jinks and adventures and drama and small-scale issues without end.

THIS is not just how you make a perfect slice of life, it's also how you make a PERFECT television show, where each and every episode is so entertaining in their contained narratives that you can't help but want to gobble up more and more and more ad infinitum.

i loved every minute of this show, and there's now a huge hole in my heart now that it's over.

Standing at 47 episodes with an alternate expanded story from the original 1988 OVA series, Sunrise Studio 1 (MSG, Votoms) continued the fun and unique mech anime. It was directed by Naoyuki Yoshinaga (Maison Ikkoku) and script was by Mamoru Oshii (Patlabor OVA, Ghost in the Shell). This leads to believe right away, the animation should be decent; the characters should have more development, and the story should hold up to the original run. It does.

Mechs, called LABORS, are used primarily for construction, and a crime division is made for the police force, dubbed Special Vehicles Division. The show focuses on the rambunctious division 2 ... and how they deal with their day to day lives.

On the surface it seems just another re-hash of the original OVA, and in many ways it is. However, with more room to grow, and more mischief for division 2 to get into, the fun never stops during the three arcs Patlabor can be split into: one, the American Kanuka Clancy; two, the Schaft conflict; and three, to conclude it. This is how the show is broken down.

Patlabor is a more character driven show as opposed to the average mech anime featuring never ending ammo supply, space battles, weapons that take out moons, and more. It is more realistic in a way that the mech is just a heavy machine run by a person. During the course of the anime, the viewer can slowly understand each and every character and enjoy the ride along the way. Each person is an individual without pre-set tropes and has their own way to reacting to situations. Animation and sound is pretty standard with the remastered being even better, but mech designs being truly unique in the show’s approach to the real-robot genre. Even the music depicts the era it came out of, and still gives the show a nice personality.

With a solid unique take on real-robot mech anime, fun humorous characters, and normal day to day takes on division 2; Patlabor offers an enjoyable experience with some stories mixed in.

This TV series take on Patlabor expands upon the developments of Section 2 implementing the mix of action, comedy and everyday developments facing the cast of the series compared to the first OAV series and first movie. While the series is mostly focused on the developments of main heroine Noa Izumi throughout the series, Patlabor still takes its time to focus on the other prominent characters of Section 2 from the manipulative superior of the group Kiichi Goto to impulsive gun-nut Isao Ota. The action element of the series involves Section 2's use of their Ingrim units in handling Labor threats that can be as ... mundane as construction labors to military prototypes wrecking havoc on the SDF's forces for illegal field testing. In particular, the latter makes for an ongoing plot where Section 2 and other police agencies try to find details on who is responsible for the testing of Labors against military units. However, it did feel like this particular storyline was left unresolved towards the middle of the series where the show went back to relying on its comedy and focus on Izumi's developments.

The comedy for Patlabor had me drawing some comparisons to it with Police Academy as the personality quirks of Section 2 quite often got in the way of them performing their duties and they were considered the incompetent members of Tokyo's police force. Otherwise, much of the show's comedy comes from the usually unpredictable antics of Section 2 while both on duty and going about everyday routines in their headquarters, which I admit had me laughing on many occasions throughout the show when the show focused on them and the occasional bizarre comedy filler episode.

The series can be an acquired taste for some viewers. In terms of its approach to the "real robot" genre of mecha anime, Patlabor gets as real as it can get exploring the great lengths one has to go through to maintain Labors, minimize damage to any crime scene that police and military forces are employed to in order to handle Labor crimes and the financial difficulties of securing new Labors and parts needed to repair them. Action isn't so much the prominent element of the series compared to most mecha anime as it is more focused on the challenges faced by Noa and Section 2 while on duty and living normally. Depending on what you look forward to with mecha anime, you might find the series lacking in terms of grand plot and fighting scenes or find it to be a unique and original premise that makes a more down-to-earth approach to the mecha genre.

In terms of visual presentation, Patlabor is standard quality for the time it was developed as a TV anime. Mecha and character designs are reasonably detailed with subdued color shading with animation that gets the job done in depicting crime scenes that Section 2 are called in to handle, though much of this is certainly outdated compared to modern anime titles. The soundtrack to the series does well to complement the comical and serious elements to it yet, with exception to the title's first OP song, there was nothing memorable that stuck out for me.

Overall, Patlabor offered up a fun, solid mix of comedy, action and everyday developments facing the members of Section 2 while also offering up quite the realistic take on the mecha genre. Anyone looking for a unique and original take to the mecha genre should give this a look, especially if you have interest in looking into older anime titles.

(There might be light spoilers ahead)

Patlabor is one of those shows that I wish could be more popular among mecha fans but at the same time it doesn't encapsulate what you expect from a typical mecha show.

And.. it's not a bad thing, that's exactly why I love Patlabor. Although it regularly presents action-packed mecha glory throughout its episodes, but really it places its emphasis on the people, on the mundane but eventful everyday lives of everyone in Special Vehicles Section 2, a team filled with a ragtag group of police officers, each with very distinct personalities.

-Story-
Patlabor tells the story of Special Vehicles Section 2, ... a special police unit made to fight Labor (heavy duty machines made for construction) -related crimes equipped with Patlabors (Patrol.. Labors..) at their disposal.
Patlabor does have an overarching plot, which is interesting, but it isn’t really my main focus when I was watching the show. My interest and enjoyment lies more on the standalone episodes, which are hilarious... my god do they come up with the most ridiculous situations from seemingly normal premises. Like that one time they went down a sewer trying to find who stole their stuff only to find out that something else might be lurking in the water, or that one time they went off to train on an abandoned building which is supposedly “haunted” and so much more that I don’t want to spoil, it’s all over the place.. But that’s what makes it good.
Aside from the goofiness, the show perfectly portrays what a society with Labors would be like and it presents it subtly. The Labors felt like proper “tools” and felt believable and people’s interactions with them really adds so much to it.
What’s also nice was how well the story acts as a tool on exploring the characters. These seemingly very “out there” plots feel believable because of the main actors of the situation and so are the characters’ reactions to it. These situations help them grow as a person and as a team.

-Characters-
I just love them. I love them all.
They are all very comical and ridiculous, they’re all a mess but it works perfectly to make them feel relatable and likeable.
Our main character is Noa Izumi, a happy-go-lucky clumsy gal that loves Labors ...arguably a bit too much. She tends to be very over-protective of Alphonse (that’s the name she gave to her Ingram unit), actively stressing over the fact that she might dent it or get it dirty. She is the perfect main character for the show because she represents everything about it: its easy-going and optimistic nature. But also, her feelings on Labors contradicts how everyone in the group (or the show itself) treats Labors, as they treat them like mere machines. This creates an interesting dynamic and for me personally it adds a level of relatability towards her character
There’s also Asuma Shinohara, a seemingly hot-headed, short-tempered officer that suprisingly has a knack of solving problems. He's a commanding officer in the field and is very good at his job. He butts heads with Noa a lot (though they both care for each other) and they have a lot of good moments in the show.
Then we have the absolute girl-boss, Kanuka Clancy, an officer of the NYPD, competent in literally everything (except taming Ohta... she'll get there). A perfect cop with a softer side rarely shown to anyone. Her strict nature perfectly contradicts everyone in the group (especially Noa).
Isao Ohta. A gun-loving, gung-ho maniac that'll shoot anything that moves, he's loud and obnoxious and loves to act without thinking things through. He's surprisingly a really nice guy and has an awkward side to him behind his brashness in the field.
We also have Hiromi Yamazaki, the gentle giant of the group. He loves and tends to his chickens. Ain’t that cute.
There’s also Mikiyasu Shinshi. The token married man of the group ..with a very over-protective wife. He gets pushed around a lot because of his quiet personality but is actually a ticking time-bomb (don’t piss him off).
And probably my favorite of them all, Kiichi Goto, the captain of this ragtag group of people. On the surface he seems far too relaxed but is extremely good at working behind the scenes, manipulating people to do what he wants but often also to the person’s best interest. He’s the glue that holds them together.
There are plenty more that I haven’t mentioned here like Captain Nagumo, Shige, Takeo Kumagami, Chief Sakaki and many others. Each and every one of these characters truly make the show.

To conclude, I enjoyed Patlabor very much, it’s probably the best slice-of-life anime I’ve ever watched and I wish I could have more of it. If you’re looking for an old TV anime to watch or something relaxing to get into during your pastime, grab a popcorn, pour yourself a drink, relax and give Patlabor a shot.

P.S. this is my first time writing a review, I apologize if it feels all over the place lmao

*Potential Spoilers

Patlabor follows the misadventures of the Division 2 squad as they struggle to prove their worth as a police force to Japan and its citizens as they fight terrorism with robots called labors.

Despite the straight forward premise Patlabor plays out quite differently than most mecha. In fact Patlabor is closer to Ghost in the Shell (minus the serious tone and techno babble) being more of a police and procedural drama than actual mecha. Probably the biggest difference is that most of the episodes in Patlabor revolve around small scale issues like a drunk ... guy stealing a labor or what the team should order from the local Chinese restaurant. While there is a fair amount of robot action it is refreshingly restrained and grounded compared to almost any other mecha. Instead, the show is very character driven with a lighthearted tone which is complimented by these quiet and often silly episodes giving it a levity and a uniqueness that is not often seen.

Patlabor’s scaled back plot is equally complimented by its decision to follow Division 2. Rather than follow some elite and infallible team, Patlabor puts the spotlight on the eternal underachievers and lovable misfits of the Division 2 squad. Not only are they tasked with stopping crime but they also have to look good while doing it to justify their existence to the public and government. This is harder than it seems, because for every bad guy caught there is another piece of property destroyed in collateral damage and yet another insurance claim against them. Division 2 can never quite catch a break, and even when they don't outright fail their success is never simple and clean. While they may not be the most competent, they have a lot of heart and are more relatable for most people than the typical anime cast.

It’s hard to explain exactly how these two seemingly small things make Patlabor so special. To put it simply, they create moments and a tone that would difficult for the average mecha story to maintain. A highlight of this is an episode where two characters on the team are fighting. To solve this the commander takes the whole team out for drinks. In their inebriated states both characters confess their insecurities to one another and they are finally able to see eye to eye. The episode ends on the message “We can only trust others when we see their weaknesses.”. It’s a simple thing, but it’s portrayed very elegantly as much of the series is. Not only does Patlabor focus on these smaller moments but it does so in a very relaxed and almost slice of life manner.

If I had one criticism of Patlabor it would be that one of the major overarching plot points goes unfinished, at least in this particular series. There is an overarching plot about a mysterious group developing new labors for unknown purposes and testing them against Division 2. Late in the series there is a big battle but they simply retreat and are never mentioned again. More closure or any at all would have been nice here. Luckily, the other overarching plot point about Division 2 struggling to stay afloat has a conclusion which softens the blow a bit.

Patlabor is one of the most unconventional and charming mecha I’ve seen. The optimistic and wholesome nature of the show stands in direct opposition of the angst-ridden characters and overblown drama mecha has become synonymous with. In a genre where it’s easy to get caught up in all the flash and spectacle Patlabor shows great and thoughtful restraint, and when so many stories are focusing on the grand sometimes the best thing you can do to stand out is to stay grounded.

The 47-episode television adaptation of the Oshii Mamoru film comprising the usual Special Vehicle Division, Patlabors, and SV Division 2 cast appeared to be interesting given several shared sci fi elements with Oshii’s subsequent Ghost in the Shell works (1995, 2: Innocence, SAC 1/2). I’d presumed this 1989 production’s episodic nature would assist in locating Oshii’s nascent signature directorial style. In retrospect, this text is rather dissimilar. Oshii’s episodes are wonderfully comical and border on soft sci-fi/hand waving, a component of (TV) Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor’s characteristic use of relative realism.

Patlabor attempts at realism in premise and internal coherence. Special Vehicles Section 2, comprising human officers, ... Patrol Labors (Patlabors), and mechanics, attend to Labor crimes. Labor origins, operational mechanisms, and fiscal data are treated with soft sci fi/hand waving: vague mentions of ‘software’. Nevertheless, realism abounds in Patlabor’s presentation of the mundane reality of a hyper specialized police force: office disputes, barracks/mess/budget, intra-office competition, politics, and media institutions operate in a remarkably natural manner. (Goto) “The PR team thinks this could be a windfall”: when Division 2 attempts to rescue a foreign diplomat. Goto’s backstory works in sociopolitical implications of the character’s unconventional methods and nonconformist temperance: he’s confined to the obscure SV Division.

Patlabor’s relative realism grows obvious as it attempts to address internal consistency. Labor software is an isolated phenomenon not applicable to other tech. Moreover, “Astonishing. Labors were created for construction work”, “Most Labors today are construction machines” deliveries flank admissions of “And anyone is legally entitled to own a Labor”. Furthermore, Labor production and R&D remains rudimentary despite military and private (Shinohara) interest. The singular instance of advanced development, Schaft/Richard Wong’s Griffin, manages to outstrip, rather ridiculously, classified military Labor tech. Nonetheless, presentational realism is often relative, with ‘realism’ indicating the inclusion of usually neglected negative consequences of internal or diegetic events. When done right, however, the relativity minimally hampers internal or character coherence. Patlabor’s realism, stringently enforced for presentation and sociopolitical elements, is applied sparsely to character coherence, initiating a breakdown in the latter half of the show but not enough of one that suspension of disbelief is lost. Notably, Patlabor’s script introduces several sober elements – ecoterrorism, international political feuds, domestic terrorism – all left unaddressed or unresolved. Nevertheless, it’s still a wonderful Slice of Life work.

Patlabor’s relative realism operates evidently in its character realism: application of presentational realism to human behavior, cognition, and affect. In (TV) Patlabor, both story (what viewers construe) and plot (presented sequence of events) attend predominantly to characters, particularly Izumi Noa, Kanuka Clancy, Kiichi Goto, Shinohara Asuma, Kumagami Takeo, Richard Wong, and Badrinath Harchand. However, every element/character assumes a different degree of relativism: Goto’s socio-politically credible situation differs from Izumi’s ingenuous conduct. Realism’s effectiveness disintegrates under proper character study: contact with the essentialized comical element of Izumi Noa appears a crucial mechanism. When Division 2 observes the political absurdity of a show-and-tell for the young prince of Oasis, a middle eastern country rich from oil exports: “You wouldn’t use a Porsche or Ferrari in a Driver’s Ed school” (Shinohara), “They might in his country” (Izumi) is delivered.

Weak character realism alongside strong presentational realism renders evident tonal dissonance. However, given the (TV) Patlabor presents itself as ‘extraordinary world, ordinary problems’, the dissonance retains a comical quality. Clancy, Takeo, and Nagumo are striking and realistically written characters. Izumi, however, is oddly written. Innately proficient with Labors, particularly her Ingram model, Alphonse, Izumi refrains from training/development and is later devastated by her discovery that she’s quite poor with Labor ordnance, stating “For a second I thought I might be a natural marksman”. Post critical question character development never occurs: she merely returns to her original psychological framework, stating “I’ve changed” to Shinohara. That doesn’t qualify as character development, to say the least.

Her humanizing of Alphonse is presented in opposition to the general mechanistic view of Labors: “Alphonse got dirty again!”, “Now that you’re repaired, it’s time for a little polishing” (Izumi), her anger/irritation when anyone refers to Alphonse as a mere Labor. However, this humanization has little to do with consideration of Labors. Izumi derives her Ingram’s name ‘Alphonse’ from an organic figure with whom she experienced affectionate biological attachment: her attachment with Alphonse is derivative of this organic figure and has little to do with considerations of robots. A slightly disappointing development. When newer Labor models are rolled in, Izumi stalwartly declares “We don’t need a new model. Alphonse is perfect”, despite newer models exceeding the Ingram in performance and specs. Alphonse is no subject, he’s unidimensional, an object for Izumi’s projections, perhaps even her attachment security. Her parochial understanding of Alphonse translates the Ingram into various dialogue regarding “dirty”, “clean”, “polished”, but little of working, charging, repairs. Given that he’s nowhere close to sentience, I’ll let this pass. However, character motive suffers terribly from such ambiguity.

Nevertheless, (TV) Patlabor is a neat mecha show, one that veers towards Slice of Life more than sci fi. While not heavy or too coherent, Patlabor’s comical and straightforward presentation of the daily lives of SV D2, the hyper specialized police force, and gradual Labor tech development, is a pleasant watch.

In a future where large, manually-operated robots are manufactured for the purposes of performing a heavy workload, from construction to military usage, Second Special Vehicles Division is responsible for ensuring that the operation of these large machines - also known as labors - remains safe and that citizens are secure in the event of misusage.

Primarily an episodic experience, the television series of Patlabor follows the (mis)adventures of the Second Special Vehicles Division. The show is a moderately formulaic experience, with predictable adversity occurring throughout, but there are interludes of character arcs and conflict arcs. Despite being episodic in nature, the experience is enriched by its ... cast of characters, all of them distinct in their traits and personalities. With its substantial number of episodes the show is able to explore and develop each of the characters in meaningful ways.

The animation is good for the majority of the show as is the writing. Each episode is engaging and while there is not an overarching plot or storyline, the interactions among the characters only compound with interest over time as they become more familiar with one another through their shared experiences and help one another to overcome their weaknesses or flaws. The themes are largely comedy, action, and slice-of-life. There are also touches of mythological and supernatural elements to the series.

If you are a fan of mecha or have thought about getting into the mecha genre at all for that matter, then I strongly recommend Patlabor: The Mobile Police television series. As a point of entering the genre, it is a grounded setting that operates on mostly rational principles and does not cross the boundary into being hard/high science fiction like Gundam. It is extremely accessible through its varied characters and charming setting.

I bought this on Blu-Ray in 2019 and I believe I started watching this show 2 or so years ago... and I'm just finishing it now.
I was excited for it considering the good things I heard, coming off of the original Gundam Trilogy. Maybe I had my expectations too high because I just didn't love this show like I thought I would have. I found myself watching a couple episodes then totally forgetting about it, probably due to the fact that there's no real story to pull you in or make you interested in what's coming up next.
If you're looking for an actual ... overarching story here, you will not find it. This is the one major problem I had with the show. While it is designed to be episodic, the episodes are such a mixed bag. There are definitely some good episodes and arcs sprinkled throughout the series but unfortunately, lots of episodes come across as kinda boring and have a filler feeling. You're basically just watching the daily lives of Division 2 and that's all. I would say the characters are decent enough and help to add a little humor to it all, but the main character Noa has to be one of the most whiny and uninteresting characters in the show. You will like the supporting characters 100% more than her. I felt that while the cast was decent, I wish there was some more backstory to them, even to just peek into their lives outside of work just a little bit. The art is great for its time. The cel shading with nice designs and usage of color make it feel alive most of the time. While it is your standard 80's art, it looks genuinely great. The animation is good too.
Overall, I can't say I hated it or absolutely loved it. It was fine for what it was. I was just hoping for a real story to be present to make it even better and to pull me into it more than it did. It definitely needed one to hold the series up. While that's the weakest link, there are good characters, some good humor here and there and great art/animation. If you're into a more slowed down mecha anime, definitely give it a try.