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Otaku Evolution Episode 234 – Patlabor: The New Files (OVA)

Besides talking about the dub in the Mid Year English Dub Review, this will probably be the last time I make a dedicated video to the Patlabor franchise. After all, I’ve pretty much reviewed all of animated Patlabor at this point. Well, there’s supposed to be a new Patlabor show coming out in the near future, but that would be too new to review for Otaku Evolution, so this video on Patlabor: The New Files will kind of be the final word on the subject. Hey, maybe I’ll go crazy and review the live-action series! I, uh, wouldn’t hold out too much hope for that, though. read more

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Otaku Evolution Episode 204 – Patlabor: The TV Series

I have to confess: I didn’t go back and rewatch all 47 episodes of Patlabor TV for this review. I’d already seen this series plenty of times and knew it well enough that I only had to rewatch maybe a quarter of it. It’s pretty episodic, so there’s not a lot of continuity to keep up with. I do plan on getting to The New Files at some point.

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Otaku Evolution Episode 108 – Year End English Dub Review IV

It’s been quite a year here on Otaku Evolution. Shuffling videos from platform to platform because of Copyright Dragons, re-recording reviews for quality, reaching my 100th episode, and just generally being exhausted and largely unsuccessful. I may have extended my viewer base, though, which means I think now… *checks notes* 12 people regularly watch these. Maybe by this time next year, I’ll have 16! Grabbing for that brass ring.

But anyway, as usual, this is a review of the English dubs for the anime I covered since my Mid Season English Dub Review plus some of that wonderful bookend material I love to afflict upon myself and others. Flying fortresses! Penguins! Plot threads from my old comic strips nobody will remember! read more

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Otaku Evolution Episode 104 – WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3

Action Channel bled into October this year, but that’s fine, because I’m taking a week or two off to work on the Halloween episode!

Patlabor 3 is a strange beast. It’s barely a Patlabor movie, it’s barely a mecha movie, it’s barely an adaptation of its source material, and it’s… well, it’s kind of all over the place. It’s a kaiju horror film, it’s a hardboiled detective noir, it’s a thriller, it’s a buddy cop film, a tragedy, etc. I’m surprised that Wasted 13 didn’t end up being an interdimensional alien. But all in all, still compelling enough to rewatch without trouble. read more

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Otaku Evolution Episode 74 – Patlabor 2: The Movie

Action Channel Month this year ends with one of my favorite anime movies, Patlabor 2! Mamoru Oshii directed this taut political thriller with just a liiiiitle bit of giant robot action! Watch the best two characters of the franchise tackle a mystery and a madman with Oshii’s usual downbeat flair. I hope you’re expecting a more thematic and character-oriented review, because I think this movie is deserving of it.

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ANIME TOP TEN (LIST #2) – #9: Patlabor 2 (1993)

 

 

Director(s): Mamoru Oshii Screenplay: Kazunori Ito Music: Kenji Kawai   This is Patlabor at its best. Casting aside most of the comedic elements of the OVA or TV series, this movie is more of a political thriller, commenting on society through the lense of these characters and the world they live in, which is much like our own. More than that, it concentrates on my two favorite Patlabor characters, Keniichi Gotoh and Shinobu Nagumo. In a more sophisticated version of "The SV2’s Longest Day" from the original OVA, a terrorist causes mass panic and political strife through a few actions, using the city and its people as a petri dish to grow his scenario in twisted revenge, and Shinobu has to deal with this old figure of her past, deciding what sort of action to take against this man she loved. I believe this was intended to be the finale for the Patlabor saga, showing the development of the characters and showcasing their abilities and personalities one last time, and it works as both that and with the intended themes of the film as a film all on its own.
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Voice Actor Comparison: Patlabor – Noa Izumi


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My pick: Miina Tominaga
Reasoning: Tominaga’s Noa Izumi isn’t just spirited, but also fierce-sounding when she needs to be. She gives Noa a fitting tomboyish edge, too. My favorite English voice for the character is Elisa Wain from the dub of the OVAs and TV series. She also has a spirited voice for the character, but her acting isn’t quite on par with Tominaga or some of the others, like Ruff or Taylor. However, in some ways it serves Noa because she is such an oddball in some ways. I am curious as to where Michelle Ruff would have taken the role if she had more lines.
Breakdown: Tominaga > Wain > Taylor = Ruff > Glassco read more