Patlabor: The Mobile Police--The New Files, Vol. 1

Set in a future Tokyo, where giant robots--modeled on humans and known as Labors--assist humanity in construction, firefighting, and maintaining the law, this sequel to the original Patlabor series finds the Mobile Patlabor Police forces contending with a new threat: a stealthy, mysterious Labor called the Griffin, which launches a sequence of attacks against the police's Labors only to retreat with no goal accomplished other than harassment. Detective Matsui and Patlabor commanding officer Captain Kiichi soon realize that there is more behind these attacks than a single robot's quest for dominance: the fights appear to be demonstrations for potential investors in a corporate Labor development program. As the officers try to figure out how to defeat the Griffin while tracing its backers, the police department continues to defend the city. The key to the Patlabor series' success has always been maintaining the focus on the human side of this mecha-driven story, and these four opening episodes--presented on a dual-language disc and rated 13-up--are no exception, driven by city politics and interpersonal relationships, with a refreshing amount of banter (though viewers unfamiliar with the characters' histories may feel they're missing some background material). Admittedly, the once-impressive mecha now seem a bit quaint and clunky (the giant robots have shootouts with revolvers the size of small cannons), and the animation is essentially adequate, but the story is gripping, the protagonists (and even the villains) are appealing, and the verbal give-and-take is as good as that found in any classic Law & Order episode. Highly recommended. [Note: Patlabor: The Mobile Police--The New Files will be available in a three-disc set containing all 16 episodes for $29.95 on Oct. 11.] Aud: P. (R. Brenner)