Patlabor Complete Vocal Collection

PATLABOR COMPLETE VOCAL COLLECTION
Copyright © vap
VPCG-84218
¥3,000
Available now in Japan
Where to buy

—by Charles McCarter

1. Mamoritai no (I Want to Protect You) 4:02

Vocal: Tominaga Miina

2. Condition Green 3:55

Vocal: Kasahara Hiroko

3. IDLING for you 3:08

Vocal: Tanimoto Norihiko

4. Paradise-no Kakuritsu 4:21

Vocal: JA-JA

5. IF YOU WANNA IT 3:51

6. MIDNIGHT BLUE 3:01

Vocal: KISS ME QUICK

7. My Pace (My Way My Pace) 3:51

Vocal: Tominaga Miina

8. Itagaru hodo ni Dakishimetai (I Want to Hold You Until It Hurts) 5:31

Vocal: MANA

9. Omoide no Bay Bridge (Bay Bridge of Memories) 4:05

Vocal: Mina Kanako

10. SCHAFT! 2:46

11. YOU ARE THE ONE 3:50

Vocal: DAIZO

12. Sono mama no Kimi de ite (Stay the Way You Are) 3:34

Vocal: Nitou Yuuko

13. 100 Carat no Mirai (100 Carat Future) 4:15

Vocal: Hyodo Mako

14. Namida o Sagashite (Searching Through Tears) 4:29

Vocal: Tominaga Miina

15. Love like ours (voice version) 3:49

16. Yuuki o Tsubasa ni Shite (On Wings of Courage) 3:49

Vocal: Kasahara Hiroko

17. LONG SILENCE 3:53

Vocal: DYNAMITE SHIGE

18. Ai o Nemurasenaide (Don't Let Love Sleep) 4:26

Vocal: MANA

PATLABOR is a show that many people remember fondly for different things, but usually the music isn't one of them. Fans fell in love with Takada Akemi's character designs, like the sprightly Noa, and the coolness of Izubuchi Yutaka's Ingram, or maybe the quirky storytelling techniques of director Oshii Mamoru. But not very many people remember the vocals.
"PATLABOR Complete Vocal Collection" includes songs from the original OVAs, the television series, and even songs from the movies, making it truly the complete collection of PATLABOR vocals. However, this CD also has several non-vocal tracks for some reason, but then again, that's really not the point.
The tracks on the CD are by a diverse group of performers, including the voice of Izumi Noa, Tominaga Miina, and another voice actress turned singer Kasahara Hiroko. But there are also a fair number of male vocalists as well, including those in the groups DAIZO, DYNAMITE SHIGE, and JA-JA who are probably not as well-known to American fans.
The CD begins with "Mamoritai no" ("I Want to Protect You"), the opening for the second OVA series, sung by Tominaga Miina. The opening for the first OVA series, this song has a strong pop flavor and is a cute, fun song. Tominaga has a capable voice and performs this song without much effort. The next offering is the opening theme, "Condition Green" sung by Kasahara Hiroko, who is perhaps best known to anime fans as the voice of such characters as Ishtar from MACROSS II and Armitage. But Ms. Kasahara has made a career for herself as a singer, and "Condition Green" showcases her strong voice.
My favorite tracks are the first opening and closing for the television series, "Sono Mama no Kimi de Ite" ("Stay the Way You Are") and "Midnight Blue" respectively. "Sono Mama" is a very high-energy song and literally races along, and suits the opening to a Patlabor telelvison series very well. Interestingly, "Midnight Blue" is also a fast, energetic song, a departure from the usual slow ballads used to close out anime shows.
One of the nicest male vocals on this CD is "You Are the One," performed by DAIZO. A pop song with a lot of electric guitar, it sounds vaguely reminiscent of a late 80's pop song. The vocals are good, with just enough of a texture in his voice to give a sense of feeling without being over the top.
There are some unusual songs on this CD as well, including "Omoide no Bay Bridge" ("Bay Bridge of Memories"). Upon first hearing the song, the listener may well wonder where this song came from, but astute fans will realize that this is the opening to the song of the television show Gotoh, Shinobu, and the inspector watched when looking for the mysterious planes in PATLABOR 2. A slow, sad song in the enka style, this one may not be everyone's favorite, but its inclusion highlights one of the movie's lighter moments and certainly helps solidify this collection's claim to being "complete."
In total, there are three songs from PATLABOR 2 on this disc, the Bay Bridge song, the ending song "Ai o Nemurasenaide," and the image song "Itagaru hodo ni Dakishimetai" ("I Want to Hold You Until It Hurts"). So if you're a fan of the second movie, the songs are all here waiting for you.
Some of the songs are really great, and some of them are good. To go through them all would take a lot of time. Suffice it to say that if it's an opening or ending to any of the PATLABOR anime, you're going to find it here. And that is enough for me.