Search - Patlabor - The Mobile Police The TV Series (Vol.1) on DVD

One of the best TV shows of the 90's.

Richard Eii | North Vancouver, BC Canada | 08/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you have had a chance to see the Patlabor theatrical features, you should definitely check out the series in order to better understand what the fuss is all about. Patlabor didn't get the recognition it deserved in North American over other worthy series, because it was not very well promoted and badly represented as a "mecha-action" show. This couldn't be further from the truth of what this program had to offer. The movies, while technically brilliant, were more about the ideas and less about what made the show so popluar overseas, namely storytelling and character development. Shows such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Dominion, even Love Hina can trace many of their thematic and character development roots back to this wonderful show where mecha takes a back seat to the world which Headgear (the creative group responsible for the show) creates. In a sense, it's real success was in part due to the believability which they lent to the whole giant robot genre by popluating it with regular people who happen to use large machines in everyday life. The basic premise is at the end of the 20th century, newer more efficient construction methods needed to be developed, and robots were employed to fulfill this role. As a result, the number of crimes committed using these robots, or "labors", resulted in the need to create a special detatchment of the police force to deal with labor related crime. This is the premise in which we are introduced to Tokyo's newest section of the Special Vehicles Department and their crew: a crazy mix of personalities. Once you watch the show, there is bound to be at least one character you recognize from your own life, or maybe even yourself. From the regular folks who inhabit the Patlabor environment, to the cops, the construction workers, the media and their pets, everything is included and as the show comes to a close, it forms a wonderful symmetry which is rare on television. The show is the perfect set-up for the more political and philosophical approach of the movies which has been criticized for being boring; but try the series, and you won't be dissapointed. As far as I'm concerned, Patlabor was the last show that had anything interesting to offer with giant robots, and was the final word in the genre."

Ryushi2000

Richard Eii | 07/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From Manga comes the TV series version of Patlabor:Mobile Police. This series shows the life of Noa Izumi, who is the main character, as well as one heck of a labor pilot in the year 1999. In this world, all the mechs are called "labors"(weird isn't it?) and these are used in many everyday roles such as construction vehicles, military weapons, and they are even in the police to stop "labor" crimes in cities. The first volume in the series is an introduction for the characters, and the funny introduction of Noa with her future labor, the Ingram. All in all, Patlabor is full of funny antics by the different characters, and is packed with enough action to make any anime fan proud. I also like it in the fact that you don't have to be a hardcore anime fan to understand the story. After just the first episode you'll get a very good idea of what is going on in the world of Patlabor."