Patlabor 2 - The Movie

I wanted to enjoy this blu ray so much. I am a huge fan of the Patlabor films having recorded them from the TV back in the day and also having bought the original DVDs when they came out in the early 2000's. Let's start with the picture quality. It is true that everything now looks clear, sharp and bright. The contrast levels are good and it doesn't look as though the screen has been smeared with vasaline as with the previous DVD transfer. However it does not appear that any form of picture cleanup (digital or otherwise) has been applied to the frames. The result is a clear sharp picture with visible dust left on the screen that comes and goes with the frames of animation. Some scenes are better than others but it is really distracting in certain places. There is no getting around it as this is dust that was present when the animation cells were first photographed for animation but why could this not be cleaned up digitally in the 21st century? The remaster of grave of the fireflies and Akira on DVD achieved much better results almost 15 years ago! There is also one sequence where there is extreme blurring of the animation most likely due to the digital enhancement process, which takes place near to the start of the film where Ohta's labor is raised from the transporter. All the dark lines in the animation look like they get put through an oscilloscope. This did not appear on the DVD version and it's clearly the digital enhancement process at work, the question is, how on earth did it pass QC at the time!?Next and perhaps most disappointing of all is the English dub. I know, I'm a lazy film fan for not watching it in its native language but that was how I first experienced it and that is what I prefer. The script has been altered, subtly in places, moreso in others. Some parts make sense and others are missing keynote phrases or inflections that added a wealth of flavor to the English dub. As it stands the script is bland and dull as dishwater. The new cast range from competent to just plain flat with no emotion or warmth, coupled with the dull script and the way it is written you would think the characters had little to no relationship between each other. For example the English script writers felt it important to translate the Japanese formal titles for individuals with the men (so San becomes Mr) but for the women they maintain the Japanese version so they refer to each other as "San or Kun" depending on the character being referenced. I find this bizarre, the characters are all good friends by this point in the story world so to refer to each other in English as "Mr" this or "Mr" that just furthers the stilted nature of the script and removes all soul from their relationships to each other. This was better conveyed in the original dub just through inflection and use of language alone. Case and point everyone knows Ohta is a hot-headed psycho with no patience for his peers, so why does everyone call him "Mr Ohta" so formally? And worse still why does HE respond respectfully to his peers?! I have not tested out the Japanese dub or translation to see how it compares to the original DVD I have but to be honest I am so disappointed that I really cannot be bothered. I believe one reviewer has even said previously that the available subtitles are merely the English dub transposed so even more reason for me not to bother. I was seriously looking at getting the Blu-ray for Patlabor 2 but if it's the same voice cast and picture treatment then I'm not going to bother.

The video looks great, on this release. The audio is also good, though the Japanese 5.1 sound track seems like it was converted from a stereo mix.As for the content, anyone who's a fan of late-80's early-90's -era mecha anime won't be disappointed. The plot is interesting and viewers needn't have seen the OAVs or TV series to enjoy it.The only negative that comes to mind is that there are either some loose ends or maybe I missed something, as I still don't see what the ravens are all about (no, I don't think that's a spoiler...).

This...this is one of the best DVDs ever. The movie is fantastic, with a great plot and excellent animation quality. The music score by Kenji Kawaii (Ghost In The Shell, When They Cry) perfectly captures the mood of each scene and sequence, and the character interactions, not to mention the characters themselves, are very entertaining to watch. I'll be honest, though, I had seen Patlabor the Movie 2 and WXIII before I ever saw this film. I had seen an abridged version of the film on YouTube before watching this, although I was still able to get the general idea of the plot thanks to that. Despite all of the acclaim that Mamoru Oshii, the director, might get for his work on Ghost In The Shell, Patlabor (and P2) are probably some of his best work. The plot is a great detective plot, just with giant robots. The fact that the changes in society caused by the integration of Labors (the name for these mecha in the franchise) are treated as a part of life is what makes Patlabor so different from other mech shows. The labors are part of everyday life, and so new schools for operating them and jobs related to labors seem natural, and that is also what helps the plot so well. I really don't want to spoil it, but if something like a specific frequency caused by wind can make a robot go berserk thanks to a code written in its software, then what happens when the robots found all around you, in construction sites and police departments, also receive a new upgrade with the same software and problem?The DVD has a nice silver colored casing, and there are two discs. The first disc contains the film, with the original Japanese language track and a new English dub. This English dub was apparently made by professionals, since I can recognize some of the voices, and every character has a vocie that fits their personality just right. The Japanese track is, of course, the go to track, but I feel that both tracks are equal in terms of performance quality, and also in terms of audio quality as well. The Japanese track also has optional subtitles. There are also several Japanese theatrical trailers for the film as well. The second disc has a documentary. The DVD also comes with two booklets. The first one is basically the making of the film in text and image form, and it's great to read. It has a lot of information on the film, and it's very well written. The second booklet has dozens and dozens of storyboards, all with translation notes and whatnot. The discs themselves are held in a book-like case, similar to what Classic Media used for their Rodan/War of the Gargantuas DVD set.Overall, this is an excellent DVD for an excellent movie. I Highly recommend it for anyone who's even remotely interested in anime or robots, or perhaps even robotic engineering! It's that good of a movie.

The only other anime that comes close to this would be Grave of the Fireflies. It is true, this anime changed everything! It's like viewing an epic film, but in anime media. Mamoru Ooshi ( sp?) uses the anime media like Orson Wells used film! not for one moment does the viewer think they're watching an anime. The direction and story are so good, you forget about the media. It was after this film that Ooshi gave us "Ghost in the Shell". This is one anime well worth watching. This is simply a breathtaking example of using anime to it's fullest potential. a must watch anime!

Item arrived on time and as described. Thanks.

I seriously love Patlabor. I bought the OVA’s and I needed more. The movie continues the OVA timeline (the OVA and anime series are two separate entities) and it’s just as excellent. The story revolves around the Second Division trying to find out the reasons behind random Labors going nuts. It’s an intriguing plot and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Beautiful visuals and the action is top notch. If you loved the OVA’s you’ll love the movie!

Patlabor 2 is a sequel and like it's predecessor Patlabor; is a very high quality and at times hauntingly beautiful animated movie. Not surprising since it comes from Mamoru Oshii, the creator of Ghost in the Shell (One of the best anime movies every made!) So it's very nice to finally see this out on Blu Ray where it belongs. Quite simply, this is an old school movie at it's very, very finest!Like Ghost in the Shell, both Patlabor movies are visually superb. And like Ghost both have very quiet introspective moments when the movies simply pan along through the city with a richly detailed background. But where the first Patlabor movie concentrated more on the action parts of a Ghost in the Shell; Patlabor 2 tends to concentrate more on the political machinations, infighting and detective work. It does have some very good action scenes especially at the beginning and end; but it's less about the fighting than the previous Patlabor and Ghost movies were. And more about the rising tensions and both the viewers and citizens wondering what in heck is going to happen next? So when somebody says it's boring this is what they really mean. It's not for non-stop action fans, but more for the Sherlock Holmes crowd but with Mech's!Like the previous Bandai Visual DVD release, on disc extras are limited to just a few trailers. And it lacks the BV booklet. But it does have a full 1080P 16x9 video and the previous English and Japanese DD 5.1 audio tracks are boosted to full 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The surround is very impressive and fully matches the beautiful animation. There is no French track.Like Patlabor, I give this movie 5 stars out of 5. It's one of the very best of the early old school anime movies. But it's more for those who love gorgeous visuals and haunting music than continuous action fans who will probably find it too slow.J. A.

Great techno-thriller movie by Mamoru Oshii. Sublime soundtrack by Kenji Kawai. The Blu-Ray disc is about as barebones as it gets. 5 stars for the movie. One minor gripe: in some key moments, large blocks of explanatory text pop up on the screen, and detract from the viewing, in my opinion. They reveal things that a curious viewer can find through a simple web search, and there seems to be no way to turn off these annoying captions. Too bad.

The DVD arrived early/in perfect condition!Great movie as well