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diff --git a/content/reviews/anime_manga/mobile-police-patlabor-the-early-days.md b/content/reviews/anime_manga/mobile-police-patlabor-the-early-days.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a6d4de3 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/reviews/anime_manga/mobile-police-patlabor-the-early-days.md @@ -0,0 +1,68 @@ ++++ +title = "Mobile Police Patlabor: The Early Days (1989)" +author = ["Michał Sapka"] +date = 2024-05-06T22:38:00+02:00 +categories = ["reviews"] +draft = false +weight = 2004 +image_dir = "reviews/screenshots" +image_max_width = 765 +abstract = "My review of the OAV" +rating = 3.75 +image = "reviews/covers/patlabor-early-days.jpg" +reviewSection = ["Anime OAV series"] +related = ["Patlabor movie timeline"] +relatedName = "Early Days OAV" +aliases = ["/brain-rot/anime/patlabor/mobile-police-patlabor-the-early-days/"] ++++ + +_Mobile Police Patlabor_ is a 7 episodes long OAV series which serves as an introduction to the more widely known movies. +The subtitle (_The Early Days_) says it all, as it depicts the humble beginnings of Special Vehicles Unit 2 (SV2), which we will follow in the later installments. +Think: the first few episodes of _The Wire_. +We see how they are preparing their base of operation, how they receive their Labors, and so on. +And that's pretty much all that's here. +No grand ideas (like in _Movie Two_), not even an attempt at those. +All we see is how the Unit starts and their first few cases. + +It's only this, but it never sets up itself to be anything more. +Not everything needs to be full of difficult questions and even harder answers. +_Early Days_ on its own is cool if you're deeply into Mecha, but I am not. +For me, this OAV is _only_ an addition to the Movies. + +But it changed how I look at the first movie. +I was not sure what it actually was all about. +Was it pro-technology? +Was it a warning? +Well, the opening here is a love song sung by one of the pilots towards her Patlabor (named Alfons). +Yep, it seems Patlabor was techno-fetishist all along. +Nothing here prepares us for _Movie 2_, but it makes the first movie better. + +The seven episodes here are, in order: + +- the start of SV2, and we get to know Noa (who is one of the main characters in _Movie 1_), +- mission to protect the mayor, +- underwater monster story (sic!), +- hostage situation, +- ghost story (sic! again) while the unit is on vacation (with mandatory hot spring scenes), +- the plot of second movie, but without the smart parts, +- a long chase scene. + +It's all light-hearted and more often than not a bit goofy. + +Technically, this is a very pretty anime, +The movies follow the style we see here, with bigger budgets though. +But what we see here is a great, old-school animation. +OAVs tend to look better than TV series, and this one is no exception. + +My gripes with the OAV are more with my expectations than with the _Early Days_ themselves. +It fulfills its aspiration to be a nice, short series. +Nothing here even points towards bigger ambitions. +But I saw it after _Palabor 2: Movie_ which was intelligent up to a fault. +And even though I deeply enjoyed every minute, it's not what I came for. + +So, if you liked _Movie 1_ and want more - sure, this series gets my thumbs up (and therefore rating). +But if the _Movie 2_ floored you but left hungry, don't expect this series to come anywhere that level of ambition nor quality. + +{{< image class="centered" file="patlabor-early-days-1.jpg" >}} +We've got regular mecha fights! +{{< /image >}} |