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!
