7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In the future, rapidly advancing technology gives birth to giant robots known as "Labors," so named for their usefulness in heavy industry. However, this also gives rise to "Labor crimes," resulting the the need for a new branch of law enforcement equiped with and dedicated to the policing of Labors. When Izumi Noa, a female police officer, becomes the newest recruit of Special Vechicals Devision 2, she and her top of the line "Patrol Labor" (or "Patlabor") Alphonse are swept into a series of adventures featuring crazed construction workers, eco-terrorists, and sea monsters.
Director: Mamoru OshiiForeign | 100% |
Anime | 88% |
Sci-Fi | 25% |
Action | 22% |
Comedy | 3% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Anime fans are among the most loyal and frankly rabid of any genre, and many developed their passion for foreign animated fare early in their lives, watching episodes of old series on television as they grew up. That fandom continues well into adulthood for many of these folks, with a resolute tendency not to remove the nostalgia draped rose colored glasses through which they see these animated vestiges of their fondest childhood memories. What’s strange about this phenomenon is how regularly certain series get singled out as the more frequently mentioned among people who were kids in, say, the late eighties or early nineties, with such iconic fare as Dragon Ball Z or its much later redacted version Dragon Ball Z Kai coming in for regular commentary. Interestingly, despite the apparent vociferous fan base for Dragon Ball Z, there wasn’t enough of a consumer base for FUNimation to continue its highly touted release of the original version on Blu-ray, something that shocked and even angered longtime fans, but which perhaps helps to point out just how fragmented this particular niche actually is. Similar worries might—repeat, might—attend the release of Patlabor (also known at Patlabor The Mobile Police and Mobile Police Patlabor in various incarnations), a series which premiered at around the same time as the original Dragon Ball Z and which attained fairly consistent popularity but which for whatever reason fails to drum up the same level of excitement among those prone to post to forums and chat boards about their favorite anime outings. Patlabor may sound like some exotic tropical island, especially if it’s mispronounced as “Pot-la-BORE”, but the title is really a combination of “patrol” and “labor”, referring to a special police force that has been assigned to curtail crimes utilizing mecha known as Labors. This first Blu-ray release by Maiden Japan assembles the first seven OVA that introduced the series, established the characters and premise and began what turned into a rather long lasting franchise which included subsequent television and feature film entries.
Patlabor The Mobile Police The Original OVA Series is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Maiden Japan with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.34:1. This is most definitely "old school" animation style, miles apart from Oshii's later Ghost in the Shell sleekness, so some may be surprised by the patently old fashioned look of this series, which in some ways at least is comparable to that of Dragon Ball Z. This has a very nicely filmic look that doesn't appear to have been overly scrubbed for its high definition presentation. Colors are beautifully robust and often very vivid. Line detail is certainly decent, but never approaches the pristine levels of modern day CGI outlines. The elements used for this transfer are in very good overall condition.
Patlabor The Mobile Police The Original OVA Series features lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mixes in both English and Japanese. As some anime fans are aware, there have been occasional audio dropouts on some Sentai distributed releases, but my cursory review of both tracks revealed no such issues (this screener arrived quite late and in order to get the review up in a timely manner, I toggled between the audio tracks and have thus not listened to both of them in their entirety, but if any fan notices an anomaly, let me know where, I'll check my disc and update the review as necessary). Fidelity is fine and in fact there's no discernable difference in amplitude or effects mixing between the two. Dialogue is cleanly presented, effects are well prioritized and dynamic range is suitably wide.
No supplements are included on this Blu-ray disc.
I'm sure there's at least a small contingent of fans who are eagerly awaiting the combined releases of the Patlabor franchise, and the good news is we're off to a promising start. These OVAs get us acclimated quite quickly and well and also delve at least a little into some of the proto-philosophical elements for which Oshii would later become famous (and/or infamous). This Blu-ray sports very nice looking video and good sounding audio, and even without any supplements, this charming and entertaining series comes Recommended.
機動警察パトレイバー / The Television Series
1989-1990
機動警察パトレイバー NEW OVA
1990-1992
includes Minipato / WXIII 機動警察パトレイバー / ミニパト
2001
機動警察パトレイバー the Movie
1989
機動警察パトレイバー 2 the Movie
1993
王立宇宙軍 オネアミスの翼 / Ōritsu Uchūgun: Oneamisu no Tsubasa
1987
THE ビッグオー
1999-2003
1987-1991
SD on Blu-ray / 装甲騎兵ボトムズ
1983-2011
2010
ガンスミスキャッツ | Basic Explosive Edition
1995
1986
Armored Trooper Votoms: The Heretic Saint
1994
2007-2008
1985
Armored Trooper Votoms: Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition
1988
トップをねらえ! 劇場版
2006
Perfect Edition | プロジェクトA子
1986
2002-2003
レドライン
2009