Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor

In my opinion a very good introduction to the patlabor anime saga and WAY lighter content compared to the movie, as well the early mecha designs that later on would be praised via movie 1 and overall. The persona in here is quite good , the 1st meeting with some collegue´s , their backgrounds and involvment in everyday life , as well the villians story´s and out come of it, bit too bad that the serie´s was short but that makes it all up with 3 more movie´s and more serie´s inbetween!

“For Pete’s sake, this isn’t some Mecha anime” - Goto Kiichi

There's a multitude of Mecha shows that are talked about now and before, Gundam, GitS, and with this year we had FranXX, Gundam (again) and Planet With. As is obvious to an avid anime fan, Mecha shows are very big in Japan and as such we see a lot of buzz on such shows. Sometimes though, some shows do not get the love they deserve, especially when they're in many ways superior than most, this is where Patlabor comes in.

Patlabor is perhaps the best sense I found for Mecha, in policing and the law, no, ... I'm not talking about Code Geass esque law enforcement, Patlabor is far better in showing how and why the Mechs called Patlabor are necessary for the country and the police. Not to fight Klaxosaurs, but to fight crime. And this Patlabor showed us effectively. Despite being a 7 episode OVA that's 30 mins long for each episode, we saw a good amount of information and not a second was wasted, that too despite being a little shorter than a single cour anime, which goes to show length doesn't always factor for quality at least for anime.

Patlabor's biggest selling point is how the police are depicted. They're not gruff individuals who always rush off into life-or-death situations. The police aren't always involved in such cases, but neither are they always in jest. We saw the fun our characters had in the first four episodes along with the crime dealing as well, making for a nice blend of both seriousness and light humour, something less seen since striking a balance is so tough. Light humour obviously brings us to the colourful cast. Since this is a police anime, we see young adults as our main cast and this shows Patlabor is another of those few mechas with an adult cast and not teenagers. Getting into the details, the characters were bright, distinct and amazing in their own way, they felt real. Noa was our female protagonist who was in love with her Patlabor Alphonse, showing she's a cute mechanics lover and she had her fun moments. Though Patlabor is anything but romance, we did get a few nods with Asuma, a fellow police officer. Oota was your average short-tempered gun lover. Kanuka was the fun American transfer student who thankfully knows English and not Engrish (a huge plus point to the Voice Actor for doing well) along with Hiromi who wasn't seen talking much as he's a rather silent individual. Gotou was a relatable depressed looking man who would play an important part as the captain of the group and his role in episodes 4-6 were amazingly done.

The rest of the cast was a playful bunch who was serious when they needed to be and hilarious when the situation demanded it too. Why did I spend so much time on the characters? It's because they were well done, we didn't see any major development over the course of the 7 episode OVA but that could be excused because their establishment AS a character was brilliant. Something else that was brilliant was the OST. The simple but intricate background music complimented the situation effectively and the Opening theme song was something I think will be stuck in my head for a few months, catchy and cute, it is an excellent way to start off a fun show. Since it was somewhat of a semi-slice of life show, the OVA had an episodic nature with the exception of the 2 part “Longest Day” arc which was in episodes 5-6. Despite being episodic, the independent episodes stood up for themselves and were all well done. The first three were an introduction to the Patlabor world and it introduced us to the daily life of the police, combining fighting crime and topping it off with light humour which as I covered above was an excellent blend of both. I never felt out of place with the plot or this approach but it being episodic meant things aren't tightly held up and so we couldn't see a long underlying plot although episodes 5-6 scratched that itch to a certain extent.

Another thing I didn't feel out of place with was the artstyle, despite airing over 30 years ago it's artstyle was something I didn't find hard to watch and actually enjoyed and appreciated the art direction. From the character design to the emotions of the character to the action scenes involved, Patlabor’s artstyle was consistent, easy to watch and attractive despite it's age. As a comedy fan I always look for fun comedy shows to watch but I do step out of the comedy bubble a lot and when I tried Patlabor after a friend recommended it to me, I didn't just get a well done Mecha, I also got some comedy added as well. “Why do you call this a good Mecha?” you may ask. It's because the premise was explained clearly, it wasn't an obscure explanation with any external influences or aliens or whatever, Japanese technology evolved to the point that Labor could be used, but this could be used for crime as well, and so to monitor this, Patrol Labor, therefore Patlabor was implemented. Easy right? Apart from that even though it was episodic, it was a GOOD episodic show because each episode stood up for itself and there was still a small line connecting the episodes together.

A lovable cast, interesting developments and a perfect blend of seriousness and comedy show that Patlabor Early Days is how a Mecha can be made fun, approachable, and funny. I haven't watched enough Mecha as most Mecha fans would but I really doubt I'll find something as fun as Patlabor Early Days. Definitely a show worth trying out, it's shorter than a single cour anime and yet covers a lot, an excellent introduction to the Mecha series and genre!

Story: 8
Animation: 7.5
Sound: 7
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 9

Overall: 8.1

The first anime installment of the Patlabor franchise delivered one hell of a good time. The first six episodes were directed by the grand master himself, Mamoru Oshii, who would also direct the first and second film adaptations. The seventh episode served as a bonus with a different director by the name of Naoyuki Yoshinaga. From what I took of it, the seventh episode tried to make up for a lack of action evident throughout the OVA. I was fine with that, but the sixth episode still serves as a fitting ending.
The premise ... of the anime is near-future, as Oshii puts us in a world where the advancements of technology have made science fiction a reality. Humanoid robots known as Labors are a result of that, and they serve as the most important medium for Japan's expansion as a techno logic civilization. However, there's a bad element in Japan's society that leads to crimes committed by Labors piloted by insidious individuals. This leads to the creation of a Special Vehicles Division under the Tokyo Police Department, where Patrol Labors(Patlabors) have become the standard weapon to Labor crimes. This is where our main characters assume their roles and deliver fun adventures under the badge of the Section 2 unit of Special Vehicles Division in Tokyo.
The OVA's plot for each episode, besides 5 and 6, followed a stand alone format as each episode creates a new setting with a new adventure for the main cast to endure. This cast includes the main characters of the films such as; Izumi Noah, Shinohara Asuma, and Goto Ki'ichi. These characters, and many more supporting characters, are integral to the plot as they bring something new to the table with their varying personalities. A fine example would be Yamazaki Hiromi, one of my favorite characters of this OVA, who's a giant of a man with a gentle side to him. As some of you might know, the 3rd episode had a strange ending, and Hiromi was inserted as the main point of interest for no apparent reason. It was pretty funny, but also there was no predictability to it... and that felt amazing. It wasn't for the hell of it, mind you, but rather,to make the audience ponder the meaning for themselves. It is my favorite episode of them all.
In order to compliment the atmosphere of Patlabor, Kenji Kawai provides a beautiful score that really sums up certain moments with pizzazz. Then there's the Japanese voice overs, which were really well cast, as they've been with the franchise up to the second movie. That's not the case with the English dub cast, which was probably the only screw up with this OVA, as they were very miscast and just plain bad.
Other than that, this anime was a riot to watch. The humor and plot really made up for a lack of action. The mech designs were really impressionable, the animation was crisp, and the score was really nice.
This is a unique mecha I'd recommend any day.

Mobile Police Patlabor is a multimedia franchise founded in the late 80s by a bevy of then relatively unknown talent. Most notable among these names is director Mamoru Oshii, the philosophical tech-mind behind other works such as Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh, and The Sky Crawlers. Being both fairly convinced of his talent and a mecha fan, I dropped in to give the much lauded Patlabor franchise a try. The Early Days OVA starts one of two anime continuities which the first two movies continue.

This 7-episode 1988 OVA is a brief but effective peek into the world of Patlabor. A Japanese rookie police squad is ... transferred to a new district where they’ll uphold the law with the help of their Patlabors – giant mechanized Patrol “Labor Units” created to combat rising Labor crime. Patlabor is among the closest a mecha series has come to being a “slice of life” show, with little to no overarching plot and an episodic structure that details the daily life of the SVD2 squad and the environment they have to work in. It’s primarily a mix of comedy and drama, but is not beholden to both, knowing exactly when to divide and redistribute the mix to make its individual stories more fun or more emotional. It’s a show that’s convincingly capable of doing anything thanks to having talent great enough to know how to handle anything.

It’s difficult to not undersell Patlabor because on the surface it’s a modest, unpretentious series but with excellent, tactful craft that overcomes its simple premise. The world construction is extremely similar to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (despite Oshii not working on that) in the sense that Patlabor has a very well-defined setting that’s constantly and gradually built on in the background through the broad range of subjects its cast has to deal with in their adventures. Despite Patlabor’s mostly light-hearted tone and humor, its surrounding is revealed to be a prescient future society rife with environmental concerns, increasingly concealed upper class bureaucracy, and red-tape clashes between the police, military, and government. It’s borderline dystopian without rubbing it in your face, but being able to both acknowledge that border while not succumbing to overbearing themes of pessimism and nihilism is why the series is so successful and unique. It’s a struggle of optimists in a world that’s increasingly not welcoming them, and Patlabor manages to have its cake and eat it too regardless of which tone it chooses to put on.

Still, this OVA is largely a fun comedy driven by likable characters with strong personality traits that aren’t exaggerated to the point of having them become caricatures, and not overused to the point of making any of them annoying. Among the SVD2 squad is central character Noa Izumi, a tomboyish Labor fangirl who joins the police in order to pilot a mech. Her closest comrade is Asuma Shinohara, the spoiled son of a leading metal manufacturer’s president. They’re joined by the trigger-happy and sexually repressed Isao Oota, nerdy “whipped” husband Mikiyasu Shinshi, and peaceful giant Hiromi Yamazaki. They’re soon joined by an American transfer named Kanuka Clancy, an ace police officer who’s by far the most serious and intelligent of the squad. Squad captain Kiichi Gotou reveals himself to be the strongest member of the cast, a perpetually depressed-looking man with an unprofessionally sullen demeanor. What’s at first seemingly a personality played for a joke becomes the most important part of making Patlabor’s serious tone believable. Gotou is the weary cop who’s been worn down (but not broken) by the technicalities of the law and justice, and the suspicious self-serving nature of the higher-ups he serves. The only one who comes close to understanding him is Shinobu Nagumo, a more professional but ultimately more naive fellow captain. When the OVA climaxes in episodes 5 and 6, it’s Gotou’s presence in the storyline that hints at something beyond Patalbor’s usual comedic conceit, and since his character bears the weight of the drama the lighter tone most of the series has is not jeopardized. Gotou is Patlabor’s main connection to the more serious side of its story and yet he’s still funny in his complete frustration and exhaustion regarding his job while also being startlingly intelligent and competent. In summary, Gotou rules.

That two-parter mentioned above is an exception in this OVA, however. It’s a little odd how the OVA doesn’t conclude on those episodes since they’re clearly the climax and the final episode completely skips over the implied consequences of the previous one which is puzzling and begs an explanation. The 7th episode could’ve and should’ve been placed before those two episodes. The majority of Patlabor: Early Days is effectively funny episodic comedy starring an easily lovable cast with well-animated action sequences. The pacing of every scene is always pitch-perfect, slow and natural when capturing the malaise of the bored squad members who celebrate being suspended from work, and slick and uplifting whenever action is required. Oshii knows what he’s doing in a consummate sense that’s extremely easy to overlook if you don’t consider how mediocre a lot of otherwise fine anime are directed. Patlabor isn’t a lazy production, constantly switching frames and camera angles so that its mundanity somehow isn’t boring to watch. When the objects on screen aren’t moving around a lot, the camera always is and no frame is sloppy or unfocused. Episode 4’s ghastly ghost story uses uniquely garish coloring over many scenes that sells the clash between Patlabor’s tone and the sort of horror it’s parodying, and Gotou and Nagumo’s relationship with the majority of it being told through facial expressions and things unsaid is always refreshingly mature among the more frantic cast.

Yutaka Izubuchi’s mechanical designs are sleek but utilitarian. The Patlabors are literally giant police officers, armed with over-sized handguns and nightclubs. At first this may seem tacky, and yet it’s more plausible than your usual Gundam’s reliance on vaguely explained beam technology. Kenji Kawai’s score is typical for the time, a mixture of bright synth build-ups to electric guitar solos. Anyone who’s seen a fair amount of 80s anime will recognize the style, and while very derivative it’s a kind of style I personally love and I’ve already found myself humming a few of its tunes after finishing the series. Every credits sequence having its own unique theme is a nice touch, and the opening theme being a love song from Noa to her Patlabor (nicknamed “Alphonse”) is a cute and appropriate lead-in to Patlabor’s general tone.

Patlabor: Early Days is not going to please a broad audience. It’s inevitable some people are simply going to find it boring. For others such as myself, its seemingly simple construction won’t feel empty at all and instead an honest, restrained approach that makes any of its more ambitious and potent moments much stronger. It’s made with a class that boosts its modest interests above many other series that wear their ambition on their shoulder but have a much less realized premise. For people who like the more commonly easy-going anime of its era and want a particularly solid-written series that never trips over any of its concepts, it’s easy to recommend Patlabor: Early Days.

Patlabor is a classic. The term comes with a lot of responsibility, and believe me, I truly do not like to take or give it lightly, but throughout the years Patlabor has cemented its name as one of the more well recognized and critically praised mecha franchises of the 80s. Managing to stand not that far away in terms of importance and influence, to the likes of Gundam or Macross. Sadly, my experience with it has been nothing short of underwhelming, basically making for a highly frustrating disappointment overall. On this analysis I will attempt to shed some light to what I consider to be ... the pivotal structure problem with the series, the characters, which are my main reason for never managing to connect with some of its entries. As references for this I will be using mostly the ova series Mobile Police Patlabor, with some additional commentaries on its continuations, Patlabor Movie 1 and 2.

My issue at heart here is actually philosophical one, on the writing of this OVA. The main ideal of characterization this series seems to be going for is something I fundamentally disagree. On the OVA’s first episode, there is a line by Gotou that describes perfectly, said ideal of character writing. On said commentary he points out how his subordinates, the main guys we follow through most of the episodes, are not the autistic pilots of Gundams, dangaios, Mazingers. This commentary lands a pretty decent joke and reference (you would have to kill me, to make me remember an instance where the jokes in this Ova actually made me laugh) but is also indicative of a bigger view on how these characters were purposefully created. It references a logic of taking out eccentricities, extreme aspects of personality, in order to portray their personalities as more mundane, normal, you could say as “realistic people”. Even in this case where the personas are a bit more expressive and show a wider range of emotions than in pretentious crap like Kara no Kyoukai. The problem being, this attempt at streamlining does not lead necessary to what I would call better characters. In fact, I think it plays the contrary effect on this franchise, the personalities are streamlined, to the point they really lack basic aspects of really basic character writing like engaging conflicts, arcs, motivations, depth, psychological introspection, making they really way less interesting as people to the emotionally unstable autistic pilots, who were portrayed in really exaggerated ways, that were kind of a genre cliché (blame Zeta Gundam for this). This for me is a clear example of confusing subtlety, in having the character aspect being more nuanced, having it to be implied through details and small actions rather than literally explained, for dullness in having barely anything in terms of content to these personas. Patlabor is an obvious attempt of going for the latter, but forgets to give the meaning on the small, in having a good grasp on ideas they were trying to imply, to give us a good enough of a sense as to whom these people really are.

Credit where it is due, at the very least the cast here contains a variety of personalities. Each character has its own unique reaction and characteristic be it Oda’s aggressiveness, Nagumo’s rationality, Noah’s childishness. Such characteristic may never portray or give comprehension to a deeper true character, but the very least they serve to create scenes; each persona adds a unique facet and reaction to situations, which in turn makes for dynamic scenes. The developments in history are made on the basis of their unique personality, not on convenient character writing. But when we look to the foundational aspects of good writing, the characterization quite literally falls apart. How many of the main characters in Patlabor have well stablished and portrayed motivations and goals? The answer is two, them being the guys who have pretty much already accomplished their goals at episode 1(firing guns for Oda, being with Alphonse for Noah). So yeah the joy of seeing someone attempt for a goal, an objective, a thing of desire, and work his way through complications to get to that is completely gone here. This issue is only elevated by the complete disconnect between the conflict and the cast, the conflicts being presented through the OVA (with the exception of episode 5) have completely none personal stakes, they have absolutely no relation with whom they are, what they want, being that their repercussions only matter on a social scale (which also does not matter since the OVA has really bad world building, but this is a topic for later). It is a weird case where characters are not moved from desire, worldviews, personal issues, traumas, but because it is their job, they are paid for that and they just sort of have to do it. I usually prefer characters where the reasoning for their actions are explained and have more to them than simple duty, but hey that is just me. It also creates a weird instance where the lack of stakes or interest for the conflict in the characters themselves, also leaves me really disengaged on what is being presented, since it is through their eyes and perspective that we as audience members experience said events. You would think that in Ova where everyone lacks urgency completely, they would try to get us interested on them as people instead, develop those guys to be really compelling, well written. Which is completely not the case, throughout this entire fucking Ova most main characters never grow much from the way they were initially introduced. Take Shinshi for example, he is a main in this Ova and in the first movie. Throughout the course of both the only things we get to know about him is that he is a really passive scarred guy, and the fact he is married (which manages to be his most notable “trait”). At the end of the day we learn absolutely nothing new about the guy, he is still the same person he was in episode 1 (I would argue he is a worst character at this point, because now we know his existence is limited to that). I am not saying Patlabor needs to give ample characterization, depth, or psychological introspection to everyone, the kinds of basic layout which were being used here can work for simple secondary character. Take Sakaki for example he does not need much more than his gloomy obstinate and oozing in authority personality to work for his function, for the screen presence he occupies, and his relevance in the story, that is good enough. Giving this treatment to a main one or I would argue even less to some, is completely unacceptable though. The instances of character development that do happen are also so bizarrely handled. On its first movie Patlabor sets up what should be Noah’s most important flaw, an aspect that was a clear build up for a future arc in my vision (which I think the OVA was also trying to set up, but they were so incompetent at that I am not sure). Said flaw being her dependency on external objects, she named several things throughout her life as Alphonse, and implies her happiness can only happen in terms of being together with said objects. Of course the narrative has absolutely nothing to do with this flaw (it never does in Patlabor, because who needs conventional storytelling of tying conflict with characters flaws, and making arcs about overcoming those flaws, right). But then what happens in movie 2 really gets the cake as most awkward character moment ever. Said continuation literally starts with a scene of Noah saying she does not need her freaking Alphonse anymore and she is over it. Her infatuation with Alphonse the most important aspect of her personality, being built up and reiterated for an entire OVA series and a movie, and the resolution to all of that is part of a time skip, where what is shown is only the aftermath of said change. This movie in general also has this issue of presenting character change from previous entries with time skips, with barely any context, but it as least gives them new situations to react to and aspects of personality, which was more than I can say for most of the OVA, so well done, I guess.

The bigger issue here is not really the personas sucking (which they do). But in how Patlabor needs way stronger character writing for the narrative it is attempting to work (the films 1 and 2 are exceptions for being a detective mystery and political thriller respectively, more focused on plot). There is a great focus on detailing the day to day of these people, the way they interact and play with each other (was this supposed to be comedy), those moments were really more important than the conflict and surrounding narratives at hand in some episodes. There is a focus on character here, which is really not paying off, and comes mostly as a waste of time. I also do not think Patlabor understands what makes said slice of life like scenes functional. Scenes without conflict are great to show the personality of the individuals, showing how they truly act in the absence of an external force, these are the moments where we truly see characters’ act, instead of react to things like threats to their lives. Those can also be great to show people in a great variety of circumstances, or how mundane habits and values can shape or show the true personality besides facades. It can also be a way of stablishing relatability with characters, showing them as normal humans, which engage in the same kind of regular activities as you do. Patlabor barely uses those to any of those functions, instead opting for repeating the same traits (how many times did we need to see OTA wanting to shoot in his spare time?) repeating the same facts about the characters, repeating the same kind of interaction between them ad nauseam and also the most repetitive and obnoxious attempts at banter and humor I have ever seen. During the entire OVA, the only moments where I felt it put those scenes to great effect was in the start of episode 5. In 13 minutes this episode manages to do more for the characters, than the show had done so far in its entire run. By having they start the episode going home, meeting their family connections, or other relations they are inserted into, giving then an entire new situation, portraying a completely new aspect of their lives, even when one of them choose to do not go and stay at the district, that choice also tells a lot about them, especially in Gotou’s case. We even see hints at motivation and desire being drawn for Shinohara in this episode. It is this entire new, really mundane environment the characters go through this episode, that allows we to know way more about them, than any of their repetitive gibberish banter and constant reaffirmation of traits (because of course when we know something about a character we have to see it repeated eternally to understand he is really like that). Despite this instance of effective character writing being no life saver for the OVA (nothing could at this point) and never translating to some bigger exploration in further episodes, it still leads along with the more personal objective(finally) of a long lasting rivalry, to episodes 5 and 6 having the more engaging moments in the show. Those were the key difference of those episodes, not the change in tone (Ok not having those jokes happening so often surely helped).

This particular OVA starts out relatively slowly but quickly picks up. It is very much in the style of shows that favor one-off stories, rather than an important overarching plot, to enhance character development. However, in the last three episodes important details begin to emerge about the universe that raise questions that set up for further entries in the series.

The early episodes serve their purpose of character introduction and development dutifully, and are really quite funny on top of that. Amongst the early episodes, episodes 2 and 3 are particularly strong, 3 probably being the funniest of the entire series.

Episodes 5 and 6 are the ... most watchable and form a two-part series about a rebel group attempting to gain control over the government which really piques the interest of the viewer. The stories told throughout the OVA are mature and understated with great concern for the political intricacies of the universe, with these elements coming to a head in this pair of episodes.

Animation wise the show is very good looking for it's age with smooth animation and fantastic mecha designs. Various mecha are introduced at a steady pace and each is diverse but still very cool looking. The weakest point of the series is the voice acting. The Japanese voice acting is good, but the English dub is remarkably bad with a few glaring cases of miscasting.

Overall Patlabor is a great introduction into the universe which showcases the format, strengths, and overarching themes of the franchise. It stands strong as both an entry into the Patlabor series and a series in its own right.

I started this anime with no expectations whatsoever. I had no background of what Patlabor was. I just wanted to watch something different, and boy was I not amazed! I didn't ever think Mecha anime can be this good. The story is very good and solid. It's set in kind of a futuristic world where Robots or "Labors" are used by the police to fight crime and enforce law. I found that very appealing since I like that sort of things.

Now let's talk about the unique characters. Division 2 members are a group of rockies who start to work as police officers in The Special ... Vehicles Unit. Each one of them has their distinguished personality which I easily got attached to, and they make the anime more interesting and appealing to watch.

Patlabor perfectly combines between comedy and seriousness. The total atmosphere was fun and light-hearted and that what makes this anime stands out. It's categorized as Mecha but they don't drown you with boring robotic details neither do they shovel crazy fight scenes in your face every 5 minute. Patlabors were treaded realistically as machines that need constant maintenance and help cops do their job. The story rather focuses more on the daily events of the police officers from division 2, and robots only represents like 30% of it. The first four episodes were kind of an introduction to everything and tend to be episodic. However, the last two episodes had most of the action and dived into Patlabor universe.

The artstyle was classical and old-school which was what I needed, and the animation was actually very good and smooth keeping in mind that it was made in the late 80s.

In the end, if you're into police and good humor and you're looking for a laid-back anime with likeable cast of characters, then Patlabor Early Days is exactly what you're looking for.

I really like the idea of this show in theory. A great looking, character driven cop dramedy with mechs. The main problem seems to be that the series was rather short on time to execute the ideas the staff had in mind.

The first two episodes are basically just setting the tone and introducing you to the characters. A couple of the other episodes end right at what should be the climactic moment (one of these episodes, the 450 million year old trap, which is about a kaiju of all things, and represents a sudden but intriguing shift in scope and tone for the show, ... actually acknowledges how anti-climactic the ending is. The other one is episode 6, the 2nd episode of SV2's Longest Day, which is all the more disappointing because of the 2 episode buildup).

Episodes 4 and 7 are pretty charming, self contained stories that exemplify everything good about the show. Since we know the characters by now, we get right into the story, and each of these has its unique little twist on what would otherwise be a pretty straightforward narrative. They're just clever enough to hold your attention, and we get to enjoy experiencing them through the vibrant (though somewhat underexplored) characters, and with some great visuals and direction.

Episode 4 is also one of the best looking episodes. I love the overhead shot of the bath filled with "blood," and the intense use of color to create different moods throughout the episode; perhaps most notably when Shinohara is breaking down the details of the tragedy that happened at the training grounds a couple years prior for the rest of the gang, all drenched in stark amber light and bold black shadows. I also love how the whole cast is in frame for this scene, but none of the members are looking at each other as he delivers the story in somber tones.

Then there's the scene in episode 5 wherein Shinohara is sitting on the bridge, listless, alone, thinking about giving Noa a call, and we see only the trails of the red and white lights of the cars passing by underneath. I really enjoyed that whole lonely subplot of Shinohara going from place to place, spending a bit of time with some of the other members of SV2, humbled at finding they've all got their own families to spend time with on the holidays, while he hasn't really got one. Perhaps he realizes he could be a little warmer and more vulnerable with his coworkers, open up a bit more.

Just as he settles in at Noa's place, where it was rather obvious he would end up eventually despite their clashing personalities, they've gotta hit the road for Tokyo, where a rebel military faction has just tipped its hand and seized control of the city. It's great, but it doesn't leave much time to resolve the story in the next episode, which ends on that bizarre, cheesy freezeframe of the bad guy's face basically the same moment SV2 bust in to stop him.

Despite a few highlights, the series is mostly a bunch of setup that goes nowhere. You don't really get to spend enough time with the characters, who seem like a decent bunch, but they're not quite charming enough that you don't notice what shitty cops most of them make. The stories tend to end too quickly or in a none-too-satisfying fashion. There's not much more to say. There are plenty of good pieces on the board, but somehow the show fails to do much with what it's got. At least it looked great doing it.

A classic light mecha anime, quite unlike other mecha due to its realism in the world and the lighter tone. you could show this to anyone and they could enjoy it.

The animation is top-notch old-school hand-drawn anime. and the characters are also all pretty enjoyable as well. There are several different story arcs usually sticking to one episode, so its mostly episodic but with some definite progression of the story and characters (well with the most you can expect from 7 episodes)

For those that want more, there are the 3 sequel movies which are also good. and the tv show which is more ... of a slice of life mecha which is an alternate timeline for the story.

Studio Deen is back again (Yatsura, Angel’s Egg, Maison Ikkoku) and so is director Mamoru Oshii (Angel’s Egg, Ghost in the Shell). When these two get together a good anime is almost ensured.

In the future of 1998 (kind of funny now) robots called Labors are used primarily for heavy construction. However, more demand for Labors causes crime as well. This leads to the creation of Labor Police within the Tokyo Metro Police. In the case of the Patlabor series, the stories focus on Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 which consists of all kind of oddballs among the force.

Each of the 7 episodes in the ... original OVA series has their own “story.” Noa Izumi is the main character and newest member of Division 2. She is the pilot of a labor with her support partner Asuma Shinohara and the rest of the team. The team gets various calls over incidents and accidents, and for some reason this is the best Tokyo has to offer.

Noa is a bubbly impulsive little red head. She has an affinity for machines and even calls her Labor Alphonse. Each member of the team has their own little quirks about them, which makes the series fun to watch. It is a mech series with comedy; a one of kind really.

The series does start off a bit slow, but over the course of the episodes there is some character development, and a slow learning of the society and an underlying plot. This sets up the three movies later on. Animation and music very much hold up, and the voice acting is superb.

Overall, Patlabor Early Days does not have very much action except for the last couple episodes, but the humour more than makes up for it. To be honest, this series is watched for the comedy and not the action. It is a comedy at heart with mechs in it.

Mobile Police Patlabor: Early Days is a 7 episode OVA produced by Studio Deen. It was releasing from April 25th 1988 to Jun 25th 1989. Episodes 1-6 was directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) and episode 7 was directed by Naoyuki Yoshinaga (Maison Ikkoku).

In the future, technology is increasing rapidly, and that has given birth to giant robots called Labors. The name Labors comes from their usefulness in heavy industry. However, this gives the rise to Labor Crimes. This results in the need for a new branch of law enforcement that's equipped with their own Patlabors, and are dedicated to the policing of ... Labors. One day a bunch of new recruits join Special Vehicle Division 2, and a dragged into a series of crazy adventures.

Noa Izumi is a female police officer and one of the new recruits who ends up joining Special Vehicle Division 2. She loves Patlabors and wants to control one. The other reqruits are Asuma Shinohara who's the son of the head of Shinohara Heavy Industries. A company who makes Labors. Isao Oota, a loose cannon who loves guns. Mikiyasu Shinshi, the lone married man of SV2, and Hiromi Yamazaki, who's the soft-spoken and kind-hearted giant. Other than them you have Kiichi Gotou who's the captain of division 2 of SV2. Seitarou Sakaki who's the head mechanic of SV2. Kanuka Clancy who's a temporary member of SV2 division 2 assigned from NYPD. And last but not least we have Shinobu Nagumo who's the leader of division 1.

The animation in this OVA is ok. Nothing to write home about, but it's not bad either. I would say they played it fairly safe with the animation in this OVA, so that when they needed to step it up they could, but it didn't do anything to make it stand out from other shows at the time.

The music in the OVA was servicable. The music fit the show well and added to the scenes, but it also didn't stand out in any way.

Overall I have to say I enjoyed this OVA. I went into this show fairly blind, so I was not aware that it was a comedy, so that took me a bit by surprise. However I think the comedy worked well in the show. I was afraid it could take away from the more serious moments of the show, but luckily it didn't. If I have any issues with the OVA it would be that there were a lot of things I would have liked for them to dive more into, like the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but due to the OVA only being 7 episodes there was limited time to work with. So taking that into concideration I liked this show. It was decently funny, and when it wanted to be serious it could do that without seeming out of place or ruining the show.

"Patlabor" is a character-driven police dramedy with mechas that has a lot of heart, but lacks direction. The main characters are all likeable and complement each other well, with their interactions being the best part about this series. The technical aspects of the show are pretty good. Animation looks crisp and fluid, and the music is catchy and appropriate to the scenes it's used in. The upbeat opening theme, especially, fits the tone of the series well, and while the instrumental ending themes are not that memorable, they're not bad. As for the voice acting, it's decent, although the main character (Noa) inexplicably talks like ... a little girl when she's supposed to be an adult, which kind of confused me.

Plot-wise, this show is a bit of a mixed bag. With the exception of episodes 5 and 6, this 7-episode series is mostly episodic in nature, with few or no aspects of what happened in one episode carrying over to the next. Also, some of these episodes are essentially parodies with outlandish and unrealistic plot points that don't get properly explained or resolved, and which are completely forgotten by the next episode. The humor is at its best when it's related to how the characters deal with each other, but the rest of the attempts at humor, basically physical gags involving violence and the mechas, etc., destroying stuff, just don't land that well.

Episodes 5 and 6, a two-parter, are the best of the series, especially episode 5. These two episodes keep a good balance between comedy and drama, and they are filled with action and suspense. They are also well-directed. However, the two-parter ends rather abruptly, and the episode after it is a separate story that doesn't even refer to the aftermath of the previous episodes, which is somewhat of a letdown.

Despite its flaws, this show is difficult to dislike due to how interesting the characters are. If you can tolerate the episodic and plot hole-filled nature of the series, it's worth a watch.

Mecha as a genre is generally not considered to be grounded or realistic, mostly due to most mecha anime being influenced by imaginative sci-fi and the kaiju genre. Patlabor is an exception to this norm, an extremely grounded anime where the robots, named Labors, are not fighting in some epic war but serving in plenty of tasks to the general public.

In this OVA, the spotlight in set onto the formation of the SV2 Unit, a small patrolling unit entrusted with preventing and stopping any malicious or irregular use of the Labor units. The setting is clearly inspired by Japan during the 80s, rampant bureaucracy ... and rapid technological advancements leaving space for inefficiency and corruption. The SV2 team is formed by a mismatch of younger and inexperienced personnel and seasoned yet jaded veterans, facing the challenge of using the unfamiliar Patrol Labors (or Patlabors) to fulfill their rather unpredictable duties. Noa Izumi, a rookie fascinated by Labors, is tasked with most of the piloting of the Patlabor and is arguably the protagonist of this OVA.

The first few episodes are spent introducing Noa and her SV2 coworkers, having them deal with threats of local terrorism and investigation. Humor is always present during these first episodes, cartoony expressions and witty conversations are used to establish the group´s dynamics and sets a slightly lighthearted tone for the majority of the series. Even though these episodes serve their purpose of building character dynamics, the excessive use of humor somehow overshadows the worldbuilding and critique of bureaucratic organizations, feeling more like satire than a series of its own.

After properly introducing the SV2 Unit, the anime takes a much serious tone and deals with stronger threats and themes such as insurrection and internal covers up. The political commentary is very present in these episodes being deeply intertwined with the plot developments. The group finally acts like a serious unit during these arcs, facing an important conspiracy and unveiling the truth behind it.

In the animation department, the OVA has detailed 80s style animation, having varied and expressive character designs. The Labors and other mechanical vehicles are well animated, the titular Patlabor itself having a very distinct and appealing mechanical design with fluid human-like movements. Even though not many action scenes are present in the series, the action animation is very dynamic and visually engaging. Tokyo and other locations are accurately represented with rich backgrounds and detailed street signs, a visual feast for fans of the late Showa era aesthetics.

In general, this Patlabor OVA is a decent introduction to the Patlabor franchise. The early introduction episodes can feel like a drag even for a short series but later episodes are good enough to make up for it, especially for fans of political intrigue. I can only recommend this series to fans looking for something grounded and realistic with political commentary, this anime is more akin to a police drama than to a regular war setting mecha.

I actually quite like the bait-and-switch idea of setting up the mecha thing and instead doing a lighthearted slice of life comedy instead, but I feel like the OVA doesn't really have the runtime to do the idea justice. I think to get that stuff to work you need to have a lot of space for characters to develop and play off of each other in a bunch of different scenarios and pairings. There just isn't enough time here to do that, but it does make me think the anime could well be pretty decent actually, as long as you go into it knowing what ... you're getting.

Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor is definately a compitent anime , and it does things good , but it scarcely excells at any of them . Nothing here is really noteworthy because it either feels like you have seen those things done before , or they feel really underwhelming in the execution .
The main idea for the story sounds really intriguing . A world where mecha are so common in everyday life , that crime specifically centered around these mecha called Labors naturally occurs , so a police force to combat those crimes with Labors of their own is formed . However there is little labor ... crime for a show centered around it .
The first episode was a pretty straight forward introduction to this world and the characters . The second episode did not feaature any particularly exciting labor scene but it was okay . The third episode was a straight up Godzilla reference -which is entirely played for laughs- and it ends very anticlimactically , a very weird tonal shift for the show , and this early too ! The fourth episode I actually really liked for the message it tried to push and it really fit the show . Episodes 5 and 6 are a two parter that is everything i wanted from this show and it delivers ... up until it doesn't , because it ends so abruptly with no closure at all , leaving me dissapointed . The final episode is just okay .
The characters have good foundations , but i honestly cannot tell a single noteworthy thing about them , and besides Noa , i cannot remember any other name ... Pity , because throughout this short show you can see that they make a fun bunch and you just want to spend more time with them .
The art is very good even for its time . The labors are sleek and stylish , and i love that kind of mecha design . The animation tends to lean a bit on the static side of things , but most of the time and where there is action or intense character reactions happening , it is really fluid and stylish . It has that 80s anime edge that i am all in for .
The soundtrack is really rocking and i admire it for that . I wouldn't necessarily say it is memorable , however when you hear it you just can't help but bop your head . The oppening theme is okay , not the kind of music I would listen to , but not bad .
Overall , I would say that this anime , unfortunately is just wasted potential , and believe me , I say it with sadness , because I can see something working here , and I really want to cherish it , but i just can't . I hear there is a trilogy of movies that follow this OVA , so I hope I like those a lot more ...