Patlabor: The TV Series - DVD

Tokyo, 1999. The construction boom has given rise to a new class of heavy industrial machinery called Labors — giant robots used for construction, cargo, and infrastructure work across the city. Where there are machines, there are criminals who want to steal or misuse them, and where there are criminals with Labors, conventional police cannot respond. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has established Special Vehicles Section 2, Division 2 — SV2 — a unit equipped with Ingram patrol Labors to police Labor-related crimes. Noa Izumi is the Division's newest and most enthusiastic member, instantly devoted to her Ingram unit (which she has named Alphonse). Her commanding officer is the calm, pipe-smoking Captain Gotoh, a man whose apparent laziness conceals a tactical intelligence that everyone around him eventually learns to respect. Their cases range from the mundane to the bizarre: a rogue Labor in the sewers, a Labor with a ghost, a very large frog, a haunted highway, an ancient curse, and the occasional genuine crisis. The TV series operates primarily as a warm ensemble workplace comedy with a cast whose charm accumulates over 47 episodes.

Patlabor: The TV Series is a 47-episode production by Sunrise, directed by Naoyuki Yoshinaga, with scripts by Mamoru Oshii, Kazunori Ito, and Hiroyuki Hoshiyama — the same Headgear creative team behind the OVA series and theatrical films, operating in the same universe but at a lighter and more comedic register. It aired on NTV from October 1989 to September 1990. The score was composed by Kenji Kawai — his work here and on the Patlabor films was a direct precursor to his Ghost in the Shell score. The series represents the longest-form Patlabor anime entry and the most thorough exploration of the SV2 ensemble as a working unit. Central Park Media released the series on DVD across 11 individual volumes from August 14, 2001 to August 9, 2005 under their US Manga Corps label; Vol. 1 includes an artbox to hold the complete run. The English dub was produced at Matlin Recording in New York City. All CPM editions are now out of print. Maiden Japan re-licensed the series and released a bilingual DVD and Blu-ray on July 16, 2013.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Naoyuki Yoshinaga (Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA co-director, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura episode director)
Scripts: Mamoru Oshii, Kazunori Ito & Hiroyuki Hoshiyama (Headgear collective — Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor films)
Original Franchise: Headgear (Masami Yuuki, Mamoru Oshii, Kazunori Ito, Akemi Takada, Yutaka Izubuchi)
Mecha Design: Yutaka Izubuchi (RahXephon director, Birdy the Mighty supervisor)
Character Design: Akemi Takada (Urusei Yatsura, Kimagure Orange Road)
Studio: Sunrise
Music: Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 1 & 2, Jin-Roh, Vampire Princess Miyu TV, Hyper Police)

Japanese Cast:
- Miina Tominaga as Noa Izumi (Patlabor 1 & 2, Tenchi Movie 2, DNA²)
- Toshio Furukawa as Asuma Shinohara (Urusei Yatsura 2, DBZ, Sailor Moon, Metropolis, Patlabor 1 & 2)
- Yoshiko Sakakibara as Shinobu Nagumo (Sol Bianca: The Legacy, Black Magic M-66, Princess Nine, Shinesman, Patlabor 1 & 2)
- Ryūnosuke Ōbayashi as Kiichi Gotoh (Patlabor 1 & 2)
- Shigeru Chiba as Mikiyasu Shinshi (Gate Keepers, Urusei Yatsura 2, Metropolis, Patlabor 1 & 2)

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 機動警察パトレイバー ON TELEVISION (Kidō Keisatsu Patorebā ON TELEVISION)
Runtime: ~1,175 Minutes (Complete TV Series, 47 Episodes, 11 Volumes)
Director: Naoyuki Yoshinaga
DVD Release Year: 2001–2005 (U.S. Individual Volumes, Central Park Media, August 14, 2001 – August 9, 2005)
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): October 11, 1989 – September 29, 1990 (NTV)
Publisher: Central Park Media (US Manga Corps) — out of print; Maiden Japan / Section23 (current license holder)
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Police Drama, Science Fiction
Themes: Labor Police Unit, Workplace Comedy, Near-Future Tokyo, 

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.