Mobile Police Patlabor (機動警察パトレイバー), also known as Patlabor (a portmanteau of "patrol" and "labor"),[2] is a Japanese science fiction media franchise in the mecha genre created by Headgear, a group consisting of manga artist Masami Yūki, director Mamoru Oshii, screenwriter Kazunori Itō, mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, and character designer Akemi Takada.
The popular franchise includes a manga, a TV series, two OVA series, three feature-length movies, two light novel series, and a short film compilation, named Minipato (ミニパト) because of its super deformed (chibi) drawing style.[3] The series has been adapted into video games and licensed products from OST to toys. Patlabor is known for using mecha – designed by Yutaka Izubuchi – not just for police or military purposes, but also for industrial and municipal jobs.[4]
Plot
The story takes place in what was, at the time of release, the near future of 1998–2002. Mecha called "labors" are used in heavy construction work. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has its own fleet of patrol Labors ("patlabors"; as opposed to patrol cars) to combat crimes or terrorism and deal with accidents involving labors. The story arcs usually revolve around Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2. Labor pilot Noa Izumi is the protagonist of the series, but all of Division 2 play roles. Detectives Hata and Kusumi are the main protagonists of the third Patlabor film.[5]
Due to being released simultaneously, the manga, TV series, and feature films all take place in separate continuities. The movie timeline includes the Early Days OVA and the three animated Patlabor films. The TV timeline includes the original TV series as well as the New Files OVA. Masami Yuki's manga is separate from both, although some TV episodes and the third film draw their plots from it.[6]
The Next Generation series and film take place in 2013, with an entirely new cast (except for Shige and Buchiyama in maintenance), but the new members of SV2 have similar names and personalities to the old ones. Although some of its episodes reference the TV series, the final episode and movie are a direct sequel to Patlabor 2.[7]
The upcoming Patlabor EZY series will be set in the TV timeline.[6] Now set in the near future of 2036, Labors have become largely automated, and Division 2 must continue to work as a Labor police force without becoming obsolete.
Media
Manga
Released by Shogakukan through Shonen Sunday magazine from 1988 to 1994, the 22-volume series takes place in a separate timeline.[8]
Japanese volumes
Original release:
Bunkoban release:
North America volumes
Viz released first two volumes of the manga as individual comics in 1997 and 1998, then released them as volumes. However, due to a lack of sales, Viz dropped the series and the remaining 20 volumes have not been officially translated:[9]
Crossover with Zoids franchise
Licensing
All of the main Patlabor anime productions have been released overseas in some form. All the movies have been translated into English and are available in Region 1, 2 & 4 DVD format. Most of the manga is not available in North America in English, and the video games, novels and live action series have also not been released outside of Japan.
The TV series and OVAs were released in the U.S. by Central Park Media. The first two movies were released by Manga Entertainment, but later remastered and re-released in 2006 by Bandai Visual. The third movie (along with "Mini-Pato") was released by Geneon Entertainment (formerly Pioneer). Twelve sections of the manga have been translated and published by Viz Communications as single issues and in two trade paperbacks, but later dropped the manga before completing it.
Mini-Pato is available on DVD in regions 1, 2, and 4 in the Limited Edition Patlabor WXIII DVD packages.
In 2006, Bandai Visual's Honneamise label re-released the first two movies on DVD in North America with extensive bonus features and an alternate English track, and Beez Entertainment handled distribution in the UK.
Madman has the distribution rights for the movies in Australia and New Zealand in association with
Headgear
Headgear (ヘッドギア) is a group consisting of five main writers and artists who work in the Japanese anime/manga field. The group was set up so that all the creators could retain full copyright to their work, achieve greater publicity for their work and sell their manga to anime sponsors for film production. The members are Masami Yuki, Yutaka Izubuchi, Kazunori Itō, Akemi Takada, and Mamoru Oshii. Together they worked on the anime series Patlabor and the two episode OVA Twilight Q.[41]
Other staff involved with Headgear include Kenji Kawai, Naoyuki Yoshinaga, Takayama Fumihiko, Kenji Kamiyama, and Miki Tori.[42]
Reception and legacy
Writing about Patlabor the Movie's 35th anniversary, Matt Schley of The Japan Times called the film surprisingly prescient, and that the movie "keeps the fun and irreverence of the small-screen series while adding a more contemplative touch".[43] Tim Maughan of Reactor Magazine described Patlabor 2 as one of the most important anime films for anyone to watch, an "unmissable, if challenging, work...due to its uncompromising approach to its political themes and its breathless, stark cinematic beauty".[44] Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 for its noir-like ambience and score, calling it a "visually absorbing futuristic fantasy" but said that its subplots were too murky to follow.[45] A report commissioned by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs credits Patlabor: The Early Days with revitalizing the OVA format for mecha anime and establishing the standard six-episode OVA format.[46]
The manga received the 36th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1991.[47]
External links
References
- Maiden Japan Licenses Patlabor OVAs! Maiden Japan, January 15, 2013, retrieved January 12, 2020^
- "The Next Generation PATLABOR" Life-size AV-98 Ingram Deck-up Arena Event on October 24 retrieved April 1, 2023^
- About Patlabor | 機動警察パトレイバー公式サイト 17 July 2020, retrieved May 15, 2022