HOME   News   Reviews   Adv Search   Features   My DVD   About   Apps   Stats     Search:
  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Japanese: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English
  Extras
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Animated menus
  • Documentaries - Making of

Patlabor 1 & 2

Madman Entertainment/AV Channel . R4 . COLOR . 207 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

A two disc release from local anime distributors Madman/AV Channel, Patlabor 1 & 2 delivers two feature-length, utterly engrossing anime films for the price of one. And while both films are now over ten years old, these early works from one Mamoru Oshii - the director of stunning anime favourite Ghost in the Shell - deliver characterisations and plotlines that more than compare with many of the anime features being fashioned today.

Produced in 1989 and set in the near future of 1999, the first Patlabor installment tells the story of mobile police (Patlabor) officers Azuma, Noa and Sargeant Goto, as they attempt to stop the increasing stream of mechas (or labors) that are malfunctioning and going on the rampage across Tokyo; a phenomenon that seems to have something to do with the mysterious suicide of a key programmer and labor developer from Shinohara Heavy Industries. The problem for Azuma and the other officers of section 2 of the Special Vehicle Division is that not only are the giant mechas used for construction, but form the basis of their own law enforcement operations! And so our unlucky officers find themselves in a race against time – to find the reason for the labor malfunctions before their own vehicles go crazy beneath them…

Produced immediately after (1990), the second installment - Patlabor 2 - picks up the story in 2002; a year in which Tokyo finds itself the target of terrorists as they attempt to blow up the Yokohama Bay Bridge. While the damage to the bridge is only collateral, the perpetrators - a terrorist group known only as the Defence Family - seem intent on giving the inhabitants of Tokyo a first-hand look at war; something Japan has not seen since 1945. Now, Captain Goto and the members of the section 2 must find a way to stop not only the terrorists, but to subvert the political machinations within the military and police force that seem to hamper their every move. Things degenerate further when the leader of the Defence Family is revealed to be none other than Tsuge Yukihito, former founder of the Patlabor forces…

If you’re a fan of Oshii’s masterwork Ghost in the Shell then you will find much to appreciate in both Patlabor films. Oshii’s directorial influence is evident right from the first frame; ever present in the skillfully crafted, near-future plotlines, the well-drawn characterisations, and the sparing yet tight action sequences. Even at this early stage in his career, Oshii was interested in tales of a future where the continual advent of new technology, rather than improving the human condition, poses a real threat. And in a similar way to Ghost in the Shell, the threatening technology is not the state-of-the-art, scientific pinnacle that is the basis for most (for example mecha) productions, but is rather the domain of the common man – technology that has found its way into the most normal facets of everyday life. What unfolds, in both installments one and two, is a satisfying mystery cum techno-thriller. And with less action and more emphasis on plot and character development than you’re average mecha-series, the Patlabor franchise has stood the test of time remarkably well.

  Video
Contract

In terms of the quality of their animation, the first and second Patlabor installments differ considerably. Starting to look a little visually dated, Patlabor 1 exhibits rather clunky animation at times, and the normal anime cost-cutting techniques – in particular panning and zooming stills, can be seen in abundance. Although the backgrounds are reasonably detailed, simulated shadow detail is quite low, with some scenes exhibiting quite large areas of featureless black. With no boofy hair or enormous eyes the character designs are reasonably realistic, as are the mecha designs which refreshingly reflect what might well be real-life working machines rather than the almost super-heroic, hyper-realistic designs of some mecha series’.

In comparison, the second installment, Patlabor 2, retains the basic character and mechanical designs from the first, and yet has imbued them with much more realism and life than previously seen. Obviously flush from an increased budget, the characterisations look even more real (think the characters in the Samurai X OAVs) and the detail poured into the mechanical designs is superb. So too the animation is much more fluid, with the action scenes (when they finally arrive at around the one-hour mark) especially impressive. CGI is also used extensively in this second installment, helping to render environmental aspects such as buildings and freeways, as well as heads-up-displays and other computer-related imagery. Of final note are the backgrounds, which are themselves approaching the standard of detail seen in Ghost in the Shell, and which make for some truly authentic locations.

In terms of the digital transfers afforded each installment, Patlabor 2 is the definite winner over its predecessor. Sporting a non-anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer, Patlabor 1 is certainly suffering from the ravages of outdated technology. Grainy throughout, the transfer suffers from a substandard telecine job, with stationary blemishes observable early on in the film and telecine wobble observable at intervals throughout. Looking for all the world like it was taken from a VHS master, the level of detail on show is quite low - an example being the loss of character faces in some long shots. Aliasing is also a problem at times, as is some rather heavy handed edge enhancement. Despite all these problems, the image is certainly more than watchable; but such a great film certainly deserves better treatment on DVD than this.

For the second installment, although we again get a non-anamorphic widescreen image, the story is much better. A noticeably sharper transfer, there’s a hell of a lot more detail to be seen here; just as well given time poured into the production. While edge-enhancement is still a little heavy and some pretty nasty telecine wobble can be seen at times, the transfer does reasonable justice to Oshii’s finely crafted images. Colours are vivid yet well balanced and, despite a light dusting of black and white film artifacts and a number of end-of-reel markers, the transfer displayed by the second disc represents an order of magnitude improvement over the first. Now if only it was anamorphic…

  Audio
Contract

In terms of audio, the story is pretty much identical for both films. Presenting serviceable yet uninspiring Dolby Digital stereo soundtracks, both Patlabor installments are basically front-channel affairs with only a modicum of surround activity provided by the trusty Prologic decoder. This activity, occurring mainly during the action sequences (i.e. infrequently), typically involves the general sounds of mechanical melee – the splintering of debris, indistinct explosions, the distant crack of gunfire and so on. However, apart from some simple stereo panning effects across the front channels, channel separation is fairly low; especially between the front and rear channels and this combined with rather low surround level points to stereo-only source material. Conversely, the subwoofer is called upon to make a generous, yet subtle contribution to proceedings; adding its voice to numerous effects such as the pounding labor feet, various explosions, to the thumping bass of the cheesy title tunes.

In terms of the English translation, the voice actors employed are all very reasonable, with no cheesy Texans or valley girls putting in appearances this time around. The odd expletive has been generously added to the English script, but joins giant changes to both the dialogue and major plot points of the original film. An insult to both Oshii and his team and the intended Western audience, this kind of thing just doesn’t stand. Watch the Japanese versions instead.

  Extras
Contract

Apart from nicely animated menus on both the Patlabor 1 and 2 discs, a small amount of supplementary material is also provided. On disc one we are provided with seven trailers for anime releases Paradigm, Gasaraki, Gundam Wing, .hack//SIGN, Martian Successor Nadesico, The Robotech Collection and Transformers the Movie. More interestingly, on disc two we find a comprehensive 'making-of' featurette (57 minutes) that, through interviews with director Mamoru Oshii, writer Kazunori Itô and other crew, as well as behind-the-scenes footage and clips from the film, discusses the genesis of the Patlabor 2 project, what the filmmakers were trying to achieve, the research they did for the visuals, location scouting, the CGI images in the film and so on. It ends with a ten minute segment showcasing the computer generated images for the film. This is a great featurette that really enhances the viewers appreciation of the second film and shows how the techniques developed for this film were perfected in Ghost in the Shell.

  Overall  
Contract

Aging they may be, but Mamoru Oshii’s Patlabor films have stood the test of time remarkably well. Despite not being the action extravaganzas many may expect, they represent engrossing, satisfying films that even border on thought provoking. For those wanting balls-and-all mecha action look somewhere else. But for those who appreciate strong writing and character development with their Japanimation, there’s no doubt you’ll enjoy the Patlabor franchise.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2804
  • Send to a friend.

    Cast your vote here: You must enable cookies to vote.
  •   
      And I quote...
    "Fans of Mamoru Oshii and his masterwork Ghost in the Shell will find much here to like…"
    - Gavin Turner
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Toshiba SD-2108
    • TV:
          Panasonic TC-68P90A TAU (80cm)
    • Receiver:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Amplifier:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Speakers:
          B&W 602
    • Centre Speaker:
          B&W CC6 S2
    • Surrounds:
          JM Lab Cobalt SR20
    • Subwoofer:
          B&W ASW-500
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
      Recent Reviews:
    by Gavin Turner

    Daddy Day Care
    "Steadfastly walking the firm, middle ground of ‘family-values’ entertainment, it’s a light, sometimes funny and often enjoyable film full of cute kids and obvious gags. "

    Please Teacher! Volume 1 - Hot For Teacher
    "It’s one of the quintessential schoolboy fantasies…"

    Returner
    "What's in a title? Returner may well be a self-fulfilling prophecy… "

    Hulk: CE
    "Collector's or Special Edition? That is the question..."

    Hulk
    "Combining camp Summer-blockbuster with compelling, human drama, Ang Lee's Hulk is essential viewing."

      Related Links
      None listed

     

    Search for Title/Actor/Director:
    Google Web dvd.net.au
       Copyright © DVDnet. All rights reserved. Site Design by RED 5   
    rss