Latest DVD Releases Films

Patlabor - The Mobile Police The TV Series (Vol.1) Review

If you have had a chance to see the Patlabor theatrical features, you should definitely check out the series in order to better understand what the fuss is all about. Patlabor didn't get the recognition it deserved in North American over other worthy series, because it was not very well promoted and badly represented as a "mecha-action" show. This couldn't be further from the truth of what this program had to offer. The movies, while technically brilliant, were more about the ideas and less about what made the show so popluar overseas, namely storytelling and character development. Shows such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Dominion, even Love Hina can trace many of their thematic and character development roots back to this wonderful show where mecha takes a back seat to the world which Headgear (the creative group responsible for the show) creates. In a sense, it's real success was in part due to the believability which they lent to the whole giant robot genre by popluating it with regular people who happen to use large machines in everyday life. The basic premise is at the end of the 20th century, newer more efficient construction methods needed to be developed, and robots were employed to fulfill this role. As a result, the number of crimes committed using these robots, or "labors", resulted in the need to create a special detatchment of the police force to deal with labor related crime. This is the premise in which we are introduced to Tokyo's newest section of the Special Vehicles Department and their crew: a crazy mix of personalities. Once you watch the show, there is bound to be at least one character you recognize from your own life, or maybe even yourself. From the regular folks who inhabit the Patlabor environment, to the cops, the construction workers, the media and their pets, everything is included and as the show comes to a close, it forms a wonderful symmetry which is rare on television. The show is the perfect set-up for the more political and philosophical approach of the movies which has been criticized for being boring; but try the series, and you won't be dissapointed. As far as I'm concerned, Patlabor was the last show that had anything interesting to offer with giant robots, and was the final word in the genre.

Patlabor - The Mobile Police The TV Series (Vol.1) Overview

In the not-too-distant future, heavy construction work is performed by giant robots called "Labors"; the robots also get involved in accidents and crimes, so the Tokyo police force needs "Patlabors" (an elision of "Patrol Labors") to keep them in check. Masami Yuuki's Mobile Police Patlabor began as a serial in the Shounen Sunday Comics and was adapted to a seven-part OVA in 1988. The subsequent 47-episode broadcast series proved so popular, additional OVAs and two features followed. The television program has a more upbeat tone than moody features, and despite a slower pace, it retains the freshness and good humor that won it so many fans. Although the heroine of the show is perky Noa Izumi, a young officer determined to succeed as a robot pilot, the stories focus on the interactions of the crew of oddballs who make up Special Vehicles Division 2. Noa's partners include the thoughtful Asuma Shinohara, no-nonsense New York police officer Clancy Kanuka, bigmouth Isao Ota, and understated Captain Goto. This ensemble playing suggests a sci-fi version of Hill Street Blues. Unlike their counterparts in other mecha series, the Patlabor pilots are not always seen as heroic. Captain Goto observes that the robots "have been called everything from jokes to money pits to piles of useless waste," but when a military experiment runs amok or a mutant monster gets loose in a forest, Division 2 is there to save the day. Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and up; robot versus robot violence. This collection contains the first five episodes: 1. "Ingram Animated," 2. "Kanuka Appears," 3. "Speed Vehicles Department 2," 4. "Goto Demon Mountain!" 5. "Labor X-10, Out of Control!" --Charles Solomon

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jun 05, 2010 02:24:08

Visit : Deep Discount DVD

Labels: Mobile, Patlabor, Police, Series, Vol1