Rating: 
Summary: And the fake bombing was only the begining...
Review: Smart, intruiging, and somewhat slow-paced (for a mecha anime), something you don't usually find in the genre. Patlabor 2 is a diamond in the rough. You forget it's an anime, and get caught up in the political thriller. Recommended for people 15 or older. The content is strictly PG, but since this movie is so intelligent and sometimes philosophical, it would put anyone younger than that to sleep. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Superb political thriller
Review: The fact that this is an anime film is quite besides the point; it is an outstanding film in its own right. The movie chronicles a civil crisis in Japan spurred on by a disgruntled former peacekeeper. Due to manipulation, the police and the military square off, threatening democratic rule. History and philosophy are dealt with extremely well.
The characters, principally the portagonist (a wizened police captain named Goto) are well-sketched and sympathetic. You needn't have seen any prior Patlabor to enjoy this movie thoroughly-but pay attention, lest you miss the suberbly intricate plot!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: The first thing the audience will notice is the beautiful animation. It's realism makes all the difference, which will be obvious for those who are familiar with "Ghost in the Shell". This anime is guided more towards the intellectual fans of anime, however I am sure cinema fans of all genres can enjoy the film. It does move slowly at some points, however this is due to the targeted audience and the director's attempt to make the film relate to real-world situtions. This brings up another point about realism; the film definately has a "not-to-distant future" feeling about it. It is somewhat reminiscent of a Tom Clancy story gone Sci-Fi. I highly recommend this film to any true anime fan.
Rating:
Summary: Patlabor Ichiban!
Review: The PATLABOR anime series concerns a Japanese police
organization that operates giant piloted robots, or
"Patrol Labors", to fight Labor crimes. From this description this might sound like the basis
for another "Stupid Giant Robots Anime" series, but
in fact PATLABOR tends to focus on the personalities
of the PATLABOR division, which is composed of a gang
of misfits, dealing with what amounts to a dead-end
assignment. The original PATLABOR TV series was a notch above the
average for anime TV productions, if still not quite
head and shoulders above the crowd. However, the
PATLABOR I movie was a surprising step up, with much
improved artwork / production and a reasonably
sophisticated script. That made me willing to buy the PATLABOR II movie. I
feared it would not be up to the standards of the first,
but I couldn't have been more wrong. It is an absolutely
first-class production, with excellent artwork / production
and a superb script. PATLABOR II concerns a Japanese Self-Defense forces officer
who decides to upset Japan's antimilitaristic status quo by
beginning a campaign of domestic terror. Of course, the
PATLABOR division must unravel the terrorist's devious schemes
and capture him. The result is a neat political thriller. Interestingly, the
whole PATLABOR premise is almost a red herring, since very
much the same story could have been told if no giant robots
had been involved in it at all. In essence, this final
installment has evolved beyond the original premise of the
series to tell a story of much wider appeal. PATLABOR II is the product of Mamoru Oshii, best-known for
his anime movie version of GHOST IN THE SHELL, and PATLABOR
II resembles GHOST IN THE SHELL in both artwork / production
style and thinking. I would actually judge PATLABOR II to
be superior as the script is tighter and better thought out. In any case, PATLABOR II is an outstanding piece of work,
and I think it would actually impress an open-minded
non-anime fan. Absolutely recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I heard about
Review: This anime is one of the flims that makes me wonder if it's really done by sinlge team under single direction. Some part shows good cinematography and background artworks and such, while other parts show complete lack of attention to details and visual justification. It exposes awful camera-works and lightings too frequently. Someone uses the word "visual-wonder" for this anime. That word should be reserved for films like "Wings of Honneamise" or "Grave of the Fireflies" or at least "Kenshin OVA" (not the TV series). By any chance, you should not expect anything like "Ghost in the shell" just because of the name of the director. It's just not in the same league. Technically, the sound effects almost makes me laugh since it is so not matching often-times, temporally and thematically. Music's contribution to the drama, which is usually a stronger point of Anime, is not any better case either here. Too much part of the animation appears very hastily done at the very least. The awful snow that you have to deal with all along, the lack of facial expressions from the main characters ( even after some consideration for the possible intentions ), blatantly static enviroment/props/minor characters etc. A few times, I almost checked if my DVD player's running. If someone's gonna tell me that all those were probably designed as such for the sake of atmosphere and story, I'll say that he is way too understanding. No. This is a case of lack of artistic efforts. I also felt a unfulfilled sense of an ending in terms of the plot. Maybe it has more intricate storyline compared to many other so so animes, but that doesn't justify the anti-dramtic ending and the villian's mindset at the end. Overall, I have to say that this is one of the most overrated animes out there. One last thing. I don't know if I would buy another anime DVD from Manga USA or Central Park Media, no matter how much I want to see/keep the film. Their transfer is still far behind to be considered as professional. I feel ripped-off everytime. Can someone who owns Japanese releases provide some comparison? Just too curious.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst audio track i have ever found on DVD!!!
Review: This is a great movie (just read the others reviews!), but once again Manga Ent. release a poor DVD edition... the english surround track is just unlistenable, it sounds like a realaudio clip streaming on 28.8k modem (Yes it's that bad; 8bit PCM samples sound better!), so trust me and save some bucks... :(
Rating: 
Summary: Drag of an anime movie....
Review: This is NOT your typical Cowboy Bebop action anime. Rather it's about political intrigue and dialogue after diagolue that it left like I was watching a radio-show. Absolutely boring. I didn't care much for the animation either or even the characters. The characters look japanese this time, unlike what we're used to. I guess they want to make the story a more realistic trying to deal with mordern day issues.
There's barely any action. I must admit that I couldn't finish the movie because it was way too boring with all the cloak and dagger stuff going on. Likely, I was able to get this from the public library. I would have been upset if I rented this movie. This movie is recommended to hardcore anime fans. Those of you looking for action, humor etc go watch Cowboy Bebop or something like that. Not this movie!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece...
Review: This is so good. It is very good. There is not much action so don't expect another GiTS. But when there is action it is GOOD. This is a talker. Everbody talks and that what's great about this movie. It is very interesting and diffrent. But it works fine. It is not boring at all. One scene is so very beatiful and scary. It's when the army moves in and secures the city. And it is snowing. And the music. It is all very powerful stuff. I am glad I live where I do. Get you paws on this folks. Does not get much better.
Rating:
Summary: Unreal City
Review: This movie is good. I watched this movie with no previous Patlabor experience and it didn't prove a problem at all. This anime forms a complex web of political intrigue and does have mecha fight scenes but they all serve in a commentary on the precepts that shape our world. It asks the very disturbing questions like what would happen if all forms of "official" authority were wiped away tomorrow? How would people handle their too-perfect freedom? And even, do people want to be free? Not at all characteristic of the mecha genre, Patlabor 2's famous climax is a very quiet discussion about the nature of Japan's "unjust peace" of the post-war era and the retribution that may come from Japan building its affluence while simultaneously turning a blind eye to the rest of the world. At its heart, it is an exploration of the postmodern "unreal city" and it subtly and disconcertingly asks each of us if we actually welcome and internalize the illusions that shape and control our lives.
Rating:
Summary: Unreal City
Review: This movie is good. I watched this movie with no previous Patlabor experience and it didn't prove a problem at all. This anime forms a complex web of political intrigue and does have mecha fight scenes but they all serve in a commentary on the precepts that shape our world. It asks the very disturbing questions like what would happen if all forms of "official" authority were wiped away tomorrow? How would people handle their too-perfect freedom? And even, do people want to be free? Not at all characteristic of the mecha genre, Patlabor 2's famous climax is a very quiet discussion about the nature of Japan's "unjust peace" of the post-war era and the retribution that may come from Japan building its affluence while simultaneously turning a blind eye to the rest of the world. At its heart, it is an exploration of the postmodern "unreal city" and it subtly and disconcertingly asks each of us if we actually welcome and internalize the illusions that shape and control our lives.
| 
