released 31 mar 02 / last mod 01 jun 07 / greg goebel / public domain
* The PATLABOR anime series concerns a Japanese police organization that operates giant piloted robots, or "Patrol Labors", to fight Labor crimes. From this description this might sound like the basis for another "Stupid Giant Robots Anime" series, but in fact PATLABOR tends to focus on the personalities of the PATLABOR division, which is composed of a gang of misfits, dealing with what amounts to a dead-end assignment.
The original PATLABOR series was a competent if not extraordinary production. However, the PATLABOR I movie was a surprising step up, with much improved artwork / production and a reasonably sophisticated script, and so I was willing to buy PATLABOR II. I feared it would not be up to the standards of the first, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It is an absolutely first-class production, with excellent artwork / production and a superb script.
PATLABOR II concerns a Japanese Self-Defense Forces officer who decides to upset Japan's antimilitaristic status quo by beginning a campaign of domestic terror. Of course, the PATLABOR division must unravel the terrorist's extremely devious schemes and capture him.
The result is a neat political thriller. Interestingly, the whole PATLABOR premise is almost a red herring, since very much the same story could have been told if no giant robots had been involved in it at all. In essence, this final installment has evolved beyond the original premise of the series to tell a story of much greater breadth.
PATLABOR II is the product of Mamoru Oshii, best-known for his anime movie version of GHOST IN THE SHELL, and PATLABOR II resembles GHOST IN THE SHELL in both artwork / production style and thinking. I would actually judge PATLABOR II to be superior as the script is tighter and better thought out. In any case, PATLABOR II is an outstanding piece of work, and I think it would actually impress an open-minded non-anime fan. Absolutely recommended.