• From critically-acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) At the dawn of the millennium in Tokyo, advanced robotic vehicles called Labors are heavily relied upon to build fortifications to project Japan from global rising sea levels. A maverick team from the Metropolitan Police led by Noa Izumi and Azuma Shinohara uncover a devilish scheme to infect Tokyo’s 8,000 Labors with the BAB

“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!

The Limited Collector’s Edition, limited to 10,000 numbered sets, boasts an illustrated cover designed especially for this release by illustrator Yutaka Izubuchi (mecha designer of the Patlabor series and creator and director of the hit anime series “RahXephon”). In addition, “Patlabor The Movie” has been newly remastered, and features a new English translation and dubbing and a new authentic 5.1 channel audio mix. This impressive Limited Collector’s Edition contains:

Disc 1: “Patlabor The Movie” and Japanese trailers and television commercials

Disc 2: “Making of ‘Patlabor The Movie’” (Japanese with English subtitles)

Book 1: Archives (184 pages, 4 color and black & white) containing:

· Exposition and criticism of the film (character, story background, artwork, etc.)

· Interviews with director Mamoru Oshii, screenwriter Kazunori Ito, mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, character designer Akemi Takada and music composer Kenji Kawai

· Key animation drawing samples with explanatory notes

· and more!

Book 2: Storyboard by Mamoru Oshii (300 pages, with English translation)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 overreliance on technology, Patlabor is far superior to ordinary mecha features.

The two books and two discs in the Limited Edition offer a model for this kind of package. The “extras” disc contains an interview with Masami Yuuki, who created the original manga, and various making-of features, including the rerecording of the film with the original cast nine years after its premiere–to take advantage of Dolby Digital technology. Oshii’s storyboards have been reprinted and translated, including the dialogue and director’s notes on the animation, character expressions, and camera movements. A second book presents interviews with Oshii and other artists, as well as character sketches. Of particular interest are the reference photographs of older sections of Tokyo (already slated for destruction in the late 1980s) that the artists used to make the city a presence in the film. (Rated 10 and older: occasional profanity and robot vs. robot violence.) –Charles Solomon

Buy “Patlabor – The Movie “ For Only $39.98

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on Movie