Anime Patlabor 2
Mamoru Oshii is a name best known in the "anime world" for his work as director in Ghost in the Shell. Patlabor 2 is a fabulous movie. It's beautifully animated. There are long, beautiful pans of demonic cityscapes set to the haunting score composed by Kenji Kawaii. There are complex, philosophical problems that trouble the two protagonists on a personal level, whom seem to have some sort of unresolved sexual tension going on. There is a heavy, intricate plot, that while puzzling at first, eventually is resolved through brilliant detective work. And the end, all the culminated tension violently explodes on-screen.
In other words, this film uses the exact same formula as Ghost in the Shell.
In fact, Patlabor 2 is pretty much the same as any Oshii film I've seen (other than the Sky Crawlers, which was atrocious). But I could also say Patlabor 2 is better than GITS... why is that? Because it is flawless. There is nothing wrong with this film. The characters are beautifully written, the plot is, though confusing, complex and laden with important social issues that were not only issues for Japan in the early 90s, but issues that people in the US today. I don't really want to give too much away, but you'll see what I mean. And then there's Arakawa, who is a brilliant character and fit right in with the atmosphere of the movie. If there is one word to describe this movie it is "atmospheric". You should expect no less from the guy who directed Ghost in the Shell, right?
Yet I feel in some ways this movie is superior to GITS. All the characters here are involving (I've only seen the first two Patlabor movies), whereas the characters in Ghost in the Shell are well-developed, but cold and stoic. In Patlabor 2, the characters are not warm or fuzzy, but are realistic realists. They're brilliant.
If there was any problem with this film its that it is very very dialog heavy. If you don't pay attention to what the characters are saying, you're left out of the loop. But you will pay attention, because what they say is just so engaging. Remember the old adage, 'show don't tell'? Well forget it. Go watch Patlabor 2.
Note: I wrote this review on imdb, but posted it here with some edits because of the limited word count on this site.
Anime Patlabor 2: The Movie
Patlabor 2 is a pitch perfect political thriller and the masterpiece of the Patlabor series.
The plot: A few years after the first movie, the members of the Special Vehicles Unit have gone their separate ways—until a rogue fighter jet bombs the Tokyo Bay Bridge, sparking a state of paranoia and martial law in Japan's capital. The situation spirals out of control, with the Japan Self-Defense Force, Tokyo Metropolitan Police, and U.S. Military scrambling to make sense of the attack and eying each other for treachery. A JSDF investigator approaches the SVU's Captains Goto and Nagumo with the answer: The attacks were carried out by a rogue JSDF officer and a cabal of disaffected soldiers, politicians, and industrialists with intent to shock Japan out of its post-WWII "illusionary peace" and start another war. And said rogue officer just happens to be Captain Nagumo's former love interest.
Patlabor 2 is tense, complex, intelligent political drama at its finest. Part thriller, part social commentary, the plot rings true today more than ever—comparisons to allegations against the Bush administration are very easy to make with the film's message about commanders who romanticize war without consideration for the human lives it affects (the film was released in 1993). The movie examines Japan's situation after WWII, how it swore off direct military action but continued to provide support to other countries' militaries, buying its own peace at the expense of war elsewhere, and asks whether such a bloodstained "false peace" is better than a real war. And while the movie comes to an anti-war conclusion, it does so without demonizing the military—everyone involved is a human being.
The cherry on the sundae is Patlabor's trademark character-driven drama with a dash of subtle comedy. However, it didn't really need to be a Patlabor story—the only established characters who drive the plot are Captains Goto and Nagumo, and the series's sci-fi "hyper technology" is completely incidental to the plot. This is literally the only negative thing I can say about Patlabor 2, and it doesn't detract from the movie whatsoever.
In summary, Patlabor 2 is an outstanding piece of cinema. If you like political drama, you must see Patlabor 2.
Final grade: A+.