Patlabor 2: The Movie Anime Review
Patlabor 2: The Movie
/ Theatrical Movie / Drama / 13-up
Bottom Line
Brilliantly made, just too bloody complex!
It’s Like...
...Mamoru Oshii does giant robots, by way of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.
Vital Stats
Original Title
機動警察パトレイバー2 The Movie
Romanized Title
Kidou Keisatsu Patoreibaa 2 The Movie
Literal Translation
Mobile Police Patlabor 2: The Movie
Animation Studio
Production I.G
US Release By
Honneamise (also Image Entertainment, Manga Entertainment)
Genre
Police Mecha Mystery
Series Type
Theatrical Movie
Length
107 minutes
Production Date
1993-08-07
What's In It
Categories
Look For
- Big robots
- Political intrigue
- Tense action scenes
- Gun fights (well, sorta)
- International politics
- The most complex plot ever
Objectionable Content
- Violence: 2 (moderate)
- Nudity: 0 (none)
- Sex: 1 (mild)
- Language: 1 (mild)
Plot Synopsis
Three years after the events of Patlabor: Mobile Police, trouble once again rises in Tokyo. An angry soldier has returned from his failed UN mission with only one aim in mind- to teach the citizens of Japan a lesson. His campaign of terrorism throws the authorities into confusion, setting the government, the military, and the police at each others' throats. The only ones who can prevent revolution from sweeping the nation are Captains Goto and Nagumo of the Special Vehicle Division and their crew who must unravel the riddle of Tsuge's motives and put a stop to his plans.
Quick Review
Switch to Full ReviewLike the first film, Patlabor 2 is not a mecha action movie, although there is a fair bit of action, mecha or otherwise, in it. What it is, is bloody confusing--AKIRA crossed with Ghost in the Shell and the philosophical bits of Neon Genesis Evangelion raised to the power of a thousand. Studio I.G and Mamoru Oshii have produced a masterful film, full of fantastic mecha design, amazingly tense action, and fine directing, capped off by a brilliant Kenji Kawai score. Unfortunately, it has too much plot for its own good, and the story is devastatingly slow. The combination of politics, philosophy, and morality are enough to make your brain ache, and there's no way you'll get even the basics without watching it at least twice. Frankly, this movie is too tough for all but the smartest viewers.
Overall, Patlabor 2: the movie is a work of art, but it was written without consideration for the viewer. If you "get it" it's a 5; if you "don't get it" it's a 1. I "mostly got it," so it gets a 4.
Full Review
Switch to Quick ReviewLike the first film, Patlabor 2 is not a mecha action movie, although there is a fair bit of action, mecha or otherwise, in it. What it is, is bloody confusing--AKIRA crossed with Ghost in the Shell and the philosophical bits of Neon Genesis Evangelion raised to the power of a thousand. This film is a nightmare for viewers who don't like having to use more than twenty brain cells for their anime. Political motives, philosophical motives, duty, love, revenge--this film has the most complicated plot of any I have ever seen.
However, that does not mean under any circumstances that Patlabor 2 is a bad film. Studio IG and Mamoru Oshii worked their magic once again to produce a masterful film which won 'Best Animated Film' at the 1993 Mainichi Film Competition. The animation is improved over the excellent original, almost on par with Ghost in the Shell, a film which was made 2 years later. one thing you can't help but notice are the masses of bird imagery--half the scenes in the movie have birds in them, solitary ones sitting on a labor's shoulder, flights of them crossing the sky, even on TV screens--nice directing! As always the mecha design is bloody fantastic, and the use of computers is very interesting, especially in the first scene where Tsuge is fighting for his life in South-East Asia.
The English voices are also improved--they're all the same actors, but their performance is better than before, especially Noa, who was outright irritating in the first film. On a final technical note, the soundtrack by noted artist Kenji Kawaii (who also did, amongst other stuff, the first film and Ghost in the Shell) is powerful and brilliantly used, perfectly suiting this style of film.
The action scenes (yes, there are quite a few, although not all are battles or one-on-ones) are brilliantly run. The key word for this movie's action is "tense." The opening conflict shows exactly how a realistic giant robot fight would be fought in the not-too-distant future and keeps your eyes glued to the screen. The amazingly tense and exiting air raid is brilliant, and when the chopper assault begins, the movie grabs you and doesn't let go. It may not satisfy people who prefer more conventional action (big robots shooting the crap out of each other, martial arts or sword duels, etc.) but Oshii chose style over substance and it pays off.
Unfortunately, we now must focus on the most difficult part of the movie: the plot. Patlabor 2 has, honestly, too much plot for its own good. There are several spin-off details which are verging on irrelevant and the story is devastatingly slow. The main characters from the original film, Noa and Azuma, are consigned to the background, leaving the field open to their superiors, who are more interesting characters anyway. But characters are insignificant in the light of the central plot, which spans Japanese/American relations, the virtue of a "just war" as opposed to an "unjust peace" and all sorts of complicated political stuff. The philosophy is marginally easier to understand than the politics (which is surprising), but even that can make your brain ache. I am, if I may be allowed to say so, extremely good at this sort of thing, but even I couldn't catch everything, even after multiple viewings (and you must watch it at least twice to even understand the basics). Frankly, this movie is too tough for all but the smartest viewers.
Surprisingly, there are none of the religious references which permeated the first movie, although there are several references to the first movie--references to the Hoba case, the Babylon Project, and even Alfonz makes a brief cameo appearance. Incidentally, Oshii (as always) included his trademark basset hound--you may have noticed it in his other works, based on his dog Gabriel.
The final labor assault (even a plot-heavy film like this needs one) is exciting, but not as good as the one from the first movie. Once again it's more "tense" than flashy, but leaves you feeling more or less satisfied. On the other hand, the ending itself doesn't hold a candle to the first movie--not as impressive, nor as conclusive, although there is some more philosophy and some warming character stuff. Being a bit too open makes it vaguely unsatisfying.
Overall, Patlabor 2: the movie is a work of art, but it was written without consideration for the viewer. If you "get it" it's a 5; if you "don't get it" it's a 1. I "mostly got it," so it gets a 4.
Have something to say about this anime? Join our newly-resurrected forums and speak your mind.
Related Recommendations
The first Patlabor film, obviously, although this one is much more difficult. The only other thing which even comes close is Ghost in the Shell.
Notes and Trivia
Bandai's Official Site for the first two films has lots of information, and the "buy" links leading to Image Entertainment's site will get you trailers, too.
The Patlabor series started out with an OAV series, as well as a comic by Masami Yuuki that continued for several years. Neither was quite based on the other; they both went their own way, with the animated version focused more on characters and the manga more on action. The OAV was followed by a TV series remake, a second OAV series, and then three movies.
As of 2006 both OAV series and the TV seres are available from US Manga Corps, the first two movies are available under Bandai's new Honneamise label, and WXIII is available from Geneon. VIZ translated the first two volumes of the comic, but stopped at that point and nobody has picked up the remainder of the series.
US DVD Review
Bandai's DVD is much like that of the first movie; released under their new Honneamise label, it features a remastered anamorphic widescreen video transfer, a new Dolby 5.1 mix of the soundtrack in both Japanese and English, a new English subtitle translation, and for extras the Japanese trailer and TV commercials, plus a 16 page booklet. There is also a limited Collectors Edition set that includes a second DVD with "making of" materials, a 300-page book with Mamoru Oshii's storyboards, and a 144-page "archives" book.
Parental Guide
About appropriate for the 13-up crowd.
Violence: 2 - Plenty of destruction, no real violence.
Nudity: 0 - Patlabor? Not bloody likely!
Sex/Mature Themes: 1 - Mature themes.
Language: 1 - Nada.
Availability
Available in North America from Bandai under the Honneamise label on bilingual DVD, both as a single-disc "feature only" version and a very expensive limited-edition 2-disc set with a second disc of extras and a large amount of printed supplemental material. Was previously available from Manga Video on bilingual DVD, and subtitled or dubbed VHS.
Looking to buy? Try these stores: RightStuf (search) | AnimeNation | Amazon