Copyright © 1989 HEADGEAR / EMOTION / TFC.

The PATLABOR name has established itself as a defining genre in the world of anime. The way PATLABOR created a near future Tokyo with "realistic" mechs, and the great character interaction between the members of Section 2 especially, is to be envied. PATLABOR 1: THE MOVIE had the difficult task of trying to bring the large collection of manga and TV stories to new viewers while still remaining true to PATLABOR, and in general I think it succeeded.
After watching the entire TV series and the multitude of OVAS, I tend to fit PATLABOR plots into one of three categories: 1) funny (the bathhouse brawl episode, the love hotel episode), 2) serious/political (the Griffon series) or 3) weird (the monster in the labyrinth episode). Both PATLABOR movies fit dead into the "serious/political" category. Or, better yet, into the "directed by Oshii Mamoru" category.
The movie takes place in 1999 and, except for the mechs and Project Babylon, I would believe it. The main characters belong to the Special Vehicles Section 2, a Patlabor section. With the increasing use of large customized robots for construction, there is also the potential to use these mechs for crime. Thus the PATLABOR (or Patrol Labor) was created to counter such activity, much like a police car is better than your average vehicle. Section 2 has a lot of great talent, but their personalities cause them to be labeled as misfits and this creates much of the humor of the series.
Project Babylon is a huge land reclamation project designed to drain Tokyo Bay and defend the city against rising sea levels. While such a project would undoubtedly have its critics, it also is an amazing undertaking of epic proportions. This mega-project helped spurn the development of labors and it is heavily dependant upon them.
In the movie, Shinohara Industries has released a new and better version of the computer operating system that powers labors. Labors going on rampages without drivers point to something potentially sinister, and the members of Section 2 begin to investigate (against higher political wishes). Much of the film sets the stage of this world and concentrates on this investigation, although at the end viewers are treated to an action mech combat piece.
This film originally came out in 1989, but the animation quality is quite good and certainly up to movie expectations despite being over ten years old. DVD-wise PATLABOR 1: THE MOVIE is certainly a decent disk. The print is somewhat letterboxed to its original format (although not anamorphic), and the disk offers both a 5.1 English track and a stereo Japanese track. The movie is a bit old, so the print is dark and there is the occasional hint of artifacts (and a strange 1 frame glitch of color), but in general this is a good transfer. The disk also contains quick trailers for the first and second PATLABOR movies, though it lacks a Japanese actor credit list.
For fans of PATLABOR, this movie is certainly a must see. Vice-versa, I would strongly suggest that people who enjoy this movie go see the TV series and OVAS available from CPM (U.S.Manga Corps), as I feel the PATLABOR universe cannot easily be summarized in only 90 minutes. I would favorably compare this to GHOST IN THE SHELL (and other Oshii works), but I would warn that it might be slow to those expecting lots of action. In any case, whether you are upgrading an older VHS tape version or picking this up for the first time, you should not be disappointed in this DVD. PATLABOR 1: THE MOVIE is quality anime.

Released in North America by Manga Entertainment
Bilingual DVD, 90 Minutes
English dubbed / Japanese subtitled: MANGA4054-2
$29.95
Available now in the USA
Where to buy