The WINNERS of our GIVEAWAY of the Limited Collector's Edition packages of Patlabor: The Movie (valued at over $80 US each) are:

mbalson (Mark Balson)
veen_senn (Wong Veen Senn)
nghg (Nick Garlick)
roninmlb (Mario Bonilla)
blue2gnt (Lindsay Mize)

They have been contacted and we will send out the set as soon as we have a postal address from them. Thanks to all for participating!


(aka 'Kidô keisatsu patorebâ: The Movie' or Patlabor 1")

Directed by Mamoru Oshii
Japan 1990

 

  "Patlabor The Movie" is set at the dawn of the millennium in Tokyo. Advanced robotic vehicles called Labors are used heavily to rebuild the city after a massive earthquake. A maverick team from the Metropolitan Police led by Ki'ichi Gotoh and Shinobu Nagumo must uncover a devilish scheme to infect Tokyo's 8,000 strong force of Labors with a computer virus. As a powerful typhoon approaches Tokyo and a dead man's revenge begins to take full effect, the team faces a seemingly impossible task: destroy the symbol and spearhead of Tokyo's redevelopment before 8,000 Labors go berserk!
***
This stylish science fiction detective story bears the stamp of Mamoru Oshii, who would later direct Ghost in the Shell. Labors are gigantic robots used for everything from construction work to law enforcement, but a massive land-reclamation project in Tokyo Bay is threatened by robots going on unexplained rampages. Patlabor cops Noah Izumi and Azuma Shinohara are called in to investigate, and soon find themselves trying to decipher the apocalyptic visions of E. Hoba, who wrote the operating system for the Labor robots, then committed suicide. Hoba introduced a virus into the software that could affect robots all over world and cause unparalleled destruction. In abandoned slum apartments and high-tech construction sites, he left clues about what he was doing--and why. But are Noah, Azuma, and their friends clever enough to second-guess a genius? And will their superiors accept their conclusions? The first Patlabor feature has a darker tone than the previous OVA series, which Oshii also directed. A powerful tale of the dangers of over reliance on technology, Patlabor is far superior to ordinary mecha features.

Marketing

Theatrical Release: 1990 - Tokyo

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DVD Review: Image Entertainment (Limited Collector's Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC

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Distribution Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime 1:38:54
Video 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 8.57 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Audio Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)  
Subtitles English, None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Image Entertainment

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1

Edition Details:

• Trailer and TV commercials
• Special Limited Edition is a numbered collector's edition limited to only 10,000
• Bonus disc with "Making of Patlabor the Movie" (30:58)
• "Patlabor the Movie: Archives" 184-page book with essays, interviews and art
• "Patlabor the Movie: Storyboards" 300-page book, with English translations

DVD Release Date: April 25th, 2006

Book Bound Keep Case inside large slipcase with 2 books
Chapters: 29

 

 

Comments:

Firstly, this is the heaviest DVD package I have ever seen with the two, fairly extensive, books taking up the bulk of the boxset. The two DVDs are nicely laid out in a book-style case.

The image on this Limited Collector's Edition may not be as pristine as some anime we have seen in recent years but this was made in the infancy of the genre and the quality is really a function of its more rudimentary creation roots. Prefacing with that, it still looks quite acceptable - progressive, anamorphic, bright colors and strong detail. I don't see any signs of digital manipulation. I suspect the DVD image is an excellent representation of how the film actually looks. 

Unlike some Disney DVDs of Japanese animation films, Image Entertainment have included both the original Japanese audio as well as an English one (dubbed later) plus optional English subtitles. These subtitles follow the Japanese translation more closely rather than the English audio and this is another bonus. You can choose to watch (and listen) to the film as it was originally meant to be viewed. This is our recommendation to you as well.

My gripe might be the necessity for a 2nd disc when the excellent 'Making of...' featurette takes up only 1.9 Gig. I'm sure it could have been included with the extras on the main feature disc, even if they would have to remove the teasers, trailers and TV ads.

I'm not very familiar with anime films of this ilk but I did enjoy watching this one with my son. It really is a pretty encompassing phenomenon and although it might suit me - I surely have enough vices. It might be better to take some other opinions - here is one from ryurik-1 on IMdb HERE:
'I have a small collection of anime which is growing exponentially now, thanks in part to my renewed interest in the genre after viewing this film. What separates this from many anime is its unique use of the Mecha or "Labors" in its plot, instead of just the same robot battle fair that we've all seen. The movie does not center around action but around the actual story and the characters as they work together (and sometimes against each other) to solve the big mystery in time to stop a terrible threat to Tokyo and possibly the entire world. Great film.
 

Gary W. Tooze

The WINNERS of our GIVEAWAY of the Limited Collector's Edition packages of Patlabor: The Movie (valued at over $80 US each) are:

mbalson (Mark Balson)
veen_senn (Wong Veen Senn)
nghg (Nick Garlick)
roninmlb (Mario Bonilla)
blue2gnt (Lindsay Mize)

They have been contacted and we will send out the set as soon as we have a postal address from them. Thanks to all for participating!





DVD Menus


 

Disc 2


 


Subtitle Sample

 

 


 

Screen Captures

 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 

 


 

 

The WINNERS of our GIVEAWAY of the Limited Collector's Edition packages of Patlabor: The Movie (valued at over $80 US each) are:

mbalson (Mark Balson)
veen_senn (Wong Veen Senn)
nghg (Nick Garlick)
roninmlb (Mario Bonilla)
blue2gnt (Lindsay Mize)

They have been contacted and we will send out the set as soon as we have a postal address from them. Thanks to all for participating!


DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK FOR LARGER VERSION

CLICK to order from:

Distribution Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC




 

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