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| Reviewer: Rory Carlyle |
Certificate: PG |
Format: Dub/Sub |
Distributor: Manga Ent. |
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P A T L A B O R D V D B O X S E T |
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The first thing that strikes me about Patlabor is its view of modern Tokyo. Besides it now having literally hundreds of giant robots called "Labors" to help with construction, it still remains the wealthy industrial city of today, with very little true differences. It's in complete contrast to the post-apocalyptic "Neo-Tokyo" we were given in Akira and isn't the typically Masamune Shirow style of Earth being overrun by technology either. The other, more realistic aspect of Patlabor lies in its characters; they are totally human. They get hungry, tired, annoyed, reckless, and convey true emotion unlike so many other anime in a similar vein. This is also helped by the fact that the dub is one of the more exceptional available today, with the only real problem being with the overly-whingy Noah. Thankfully, despite the low price tag these DVDs do in fact feature subtitles with the Japanese dialogue, so purists have nothing to complain about. I'd also like to point out that, no matter what anyone thinks, the Patlabor films are not all out action flicks, they are purely story driven, and are more along the lines of a police drama than anything else. Of course each film does wrap up and start off nicely with beautifully crafted fight scenes, and the mecha designs are some of the more underrated out there. The DVD's themselves are very good efforts from Manga, both have nice video and audio, but as well as that they have sneaked in a British exclusive. It's a "making-of" documentary, known as Patlabor - The Complete Works. Basically, it takes you through the many stages of both film's production, and is all tied up nicely with a 15 minute or so interview with Mamoru Oshii. It's not the best in the world, but you can see the care taken by Manga to make this release perfect in the UK. Another positive note about the DVDs is that they are presented in a very slick way. The box is made of high quality cardboard, not the flimsy stuff used on the previous collection of Macross Plus, and each film has it's own regular Amaray DVD case, complete with some very beautiful painted artwork. The only mistake made is the way they refer to Patlabor the Movie as Patlabor 1 - The Mobile Police Although the film's aren't as meaningful or involving as Oshii's later epic Ghost in the Shell, they are both greatly directed and written stories, and should appeal to fans of both mecha and of Oshii's directorial skills. Two of the best films available in the UK, now both for £20 and with an added bonus. What more could an otaku ask for? 10/10 - A great sci-fi yarn, at a rock bottom price. The best £20 you'll ever spend. Back to Menu |
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| More robotic crime busting... |  |
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Take a look at ADV's BubbleGum Crisis 2040 for a vigilante's view of
futuristic law enforcement.Read the review |
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