Kidô keisatsu patorebâ: The Movie 2 (1993)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Mamoru Oshii

Writer:

Kazunori Itô (writer)

Release Date:

7 August 1993 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller | War

Plot:

When a terrorist attack is blamed on the Air Force, Special Vehicle Unit 2 gets caught in the middle of a growing political conflict.

Plot Keywords:

Military | Police | Robot | Japan | Coup

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Mîna Tominaga	...	Noa Izumi
Toshio Furukawa	...	Asuma Shinohara
Michihiro Ikemizu	...	Isao Ohta
Issei Futamata	...	Mikiyasu Shinshi
Daisuke Gôri	...	Hiromi Yamazaki
Shigeru Chiba	...	Shigeo Shiba
Osamu Saka	...	Seitaro Sakaki
Ryûnosuke Ôbayashi	...	Kiichi Gotoh
Yoshiko Sakakibara	...	Shinobu Nagumo
Tomomichi Nishimura	...	Detective Matsui
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Blair Fairman	...	Shigeki Arakawa (voice: English version)
Briony Glassco	...	Noa Izumi (voice: English version)
Edward Glen	...	Shigo (voice: English version)
Sharon Holm	...	Shinobu Nagumo (voice: English version)
David Jarvis	...	Asuma Shinohara (voice: English version)
Ron Lepaz	...	Mikiyasu Shinshi (voice: English version)
Peter Marinker	...	Kiichi Goto (voice: English version)
Alan Marsh	...	Matsui (voice: English version)
Martin McDougall	...	Isao Ota (voice: English version)
Jinpachi Nezu	...	Tsuge Yukihito (voice)
William Roberts	...	Sakaki (voice: English version) (as Bill Roberts)
Naoto Takenaka	...	Arakawa Shigeki (voice)

Also Known As:

Patlabor 2 (USA) (video title)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English | German | French

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Canada:G (TV rating) | Germany:16 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

The time of the terrorist attack is 2:26. The numbers 2 and 26 are a reference to "the February 26th incident" (1936), an aborted coup by rebel elements in the Japanese armed forces.

Quotes:

Tsuge: People always realize the truth when it's too late. If the government considers that a crime... I'm guilty.

Movie Connections:

Follows Kidô keisatsu patorebâ: The Movie (1989)

Oshii's Under-rated Masterpiece

Mamoru Oshii's "Ghost in the Shell" got all the hype, but his earlier film, "Patlabor 2," is by far the more mature, artistically successful film. This is anime at its finest - sharply detailed artwork, superb animation, and a story that WILL hook you.

Disguised as a Tom Clancyesqe techno-thriller, Patlabor 2 is actually a knowing, often cynical examination of global politics. The film at times resembles a surreal CNN report...if it were scripted by Noam Chomsky and directed by Alfred Hitchcock! What does that mean? First, the symbolic visuals are beguiling and plentiful. I would suggest you first view either "Psycho" or the "The Birds" and then Watch the Birdie in "Patlabor 2".

Patlabor 2 is a beautiful film. There are many stunning, surreal cityscapes that recall "Blade Runner." These scenes are accompanied by Keiji Kawai's meditative, haunting score. But the film's greatest impact is its disturbing plausibility. There may be giant robot police patrolling the streets of Tokyo, but the patterns of infrastructure and the chaos that breaks out when it breaks down seem all too real.

I give this anime my highest recommendation and I would especially recommend it to those who are either unfamiliar with Japanese anime or perhaps think animation is not a "serious" artistic medium. (This film will set them straight). Due to it's highly dense dialogue, I would recommend the dubbed version (unless you're fluent in Japanese or just prefer subtitles). The dubbing job is superbly acted and well-timed, preserving the original script's dramatic pauses and moments of silence.