#patlabor 2 the movie

[toddjurgess]

electronic displays in Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993, Mamoru Oshii)

[maggiecheungs]

Patlabor 2 (1993)

[sci-fi-gifs]

Many people are God, usually in a universe no bigger than their own minds, all-present, all-knowing. And yet, impotent outside the confines of their heads. And what God cannot do, men will attempt. Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993) dir. Mamoru Oshii

[yodawgiheardyoulikemecha]

Happy Patlabor Day!

[himejoshi-phd]

The Assassination of Noa Izumi by the Coward Mamoru Oshii

[anime-cafeteria]

[centuries-of-thoughts]

This is my favorite line from any movie I’ve ever watched and it will forever live in my mind rent free

[valkaryah]

Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993) dir. Mamoru Oshii, Mizuho Nishikubo

[snapcove]

Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993) dir. Mamoru Oshii

[feuersturm97]

This drawing took me forever but I'm really happy with it

I lately watched the second patlabor movie and i decided to draw the VHS cover from the movie xD

[arcadebroke]

[section009]

[maggiecheungs]

[that-dinopunk-guy]

11:00 AM at night.

[sturmovik]

i watched the two patlabor films recently

And I somehow think Patlabor 1 and the Early Days OVAs are better than Patlabor 2.

I remember listening to someone who called Patlabor 2 a great political thriller but it kinda fell flat for me, like there were a lot of great scenes but the story itself wasnt well put together. Mind you, it's still excellent political commentary on the state of Japan and its relationship with the United States, and that's probably its greatest strength. My complaint is more that the way the film is paced didn't grip me as much as I thought it would. Which is weird cuz I normally love slow burn, dialogue-heavy political stuff.

It might have to do with me getting too comfortable w/ the somewhat lighter tone of the OVAs and first movie, that the shift in Patlabor 2 was a bit jarring. Or maybe my expectations were too high because Patlabor 2 is the one more people talk about, but I enjoyed it a bit less than Patlabor 1, which has somewhat lower-stakes, a shorter runtime, and less action but somehow has more satisfying character moments and a more cohesive flow to the plot. 

 Also Patlabor 1 has Kanuka Clancy and Patlabor 2 doesn't. So obviously the former is superior.

On the more positive side, I really did like Patlabor 2's decision to go for a darker tone, its mature and nuanced political plot, and focus on Nagumo and Goto (but again, I don’t think they crafted plot and characters as well as Patlabor 1 did. So ultimately, I think Patlabor 1 is the slightly superior film). Also, in terms of technical stuff, Patlabor 2 is a great example of peak 90s mecha. The mechanical animation is so damn good, you just can’t take your eyes off this film. Kinda makes me wish we got more Labor scenes.

Last critique, I find it a bit obnoxious how Mamoru Oshii seems to consistently end his stories so abruptly. A lot of times, it just feels really unsatisfying. Like, I don’t need a long-ass epilogue, or an after-credits scene, or other shit like that but, damn, at least put a little something in at the end instead of rolling credits right after they arrest the antagonist lmao.  

Regardless, I really enjoyed both Patlabor films and the OVAs regardless. I’m gonna watch the 47 episode TV series next.