Which is your favourite Patlabor movie?

[Njr Scrawl]

Of the 3, Patlabor 1 is my favourite. Its what made me buy the OVAs & TV show. I like its character designs, interactions & closer feel to the TV series. And more Noa!

The other 2 are clever, maybe more, but like the GiTS Innocence & SSS movies, they seem more distant & therefore interesting, but less compelling.

If you like the Patlabor movies, which is your favourite, & not-so?

[aku.chan]

Movie 1 is also my favorite.
2 and 3 have a very different feel to them, and come across as pretty boring to me.

[Andrew Cunningham]

Hate them all. Somehow they all fail to capture the appeal of the series.
The OAVs are great, the manga is amazing, and the TV series pretty good, but both the movies left me cold. (Never saw the third one.)

[DKL]

2nd Movie; the scale of the ideas and the plot was actually very intricate and made for a nice piece to contemplate.

Yeah... my favorite sequence in 2 was probably when the military rolled into the city, followed by the montage of how daily city life had subtle, yet very affecting, little changes due to the military's presence.

...

Damn, that was a good movie.

[Garasharp K7]

While the films weren't as muuch fun as the OVAs and tv series were, I still enjoyed 'em - well, 1 and 3, anyway.
The first one was what got me insterested in Patlabor in the first place, and the guys from SV2 have more screen time that the other two flicks, so I like that film the most out of the three.
I thought Patlabor 2 was pretty dull, but I liked WXIII as more of an animated monster movie than as a Patlabor sequel. (reminded me of the original Godzilla in some places too)
And then there's Minipato. It's worth picking up the 3rd flick for that alone. :)

[Pyocola]

I can't really decide between the first two; both are great but in different ways. Patlabor 1 is a bit more fun and closer to the original series, which I like. Patlabor 2 on the other hand has perhaps a more intriguing story, superior cinematography and is moodier, which I also like.

Patlabor 3 hasn't got that much to do with Patlabor, but it's still a good film with a solid mystery. Could have done without the fish boobs though...

[bctaris]

Echoing other comments, I do prefer the first movie since it's closer in mood and focus to the OVA/TV series. I do very much like the second movie, but in a more cerebral way than the more emotional attachment I have to the first. I think what I also prefer about the first movie is that it is its own original story, whereas movie two (and three, for that matter) is a (grand) re-imagining of a story from the OVA.

The third, WXIII, I probably see more as a movie alone than as an element in the Patlabor franchise, though there is just enough of the Patlabor world included so that it's not completely alien.

[Peter_JR]

Of the three I like them in the order they were made. The first and second are close to a tie but one wins by a nose. The third one I see more a a cop movie and less as a mecha movie. The mecha elements could have come from any near future mecha show, or even been made for the movie, not just Patlabor.

[Ialdaboth]

I love the second one. When I first bought the VHS in the 90s, I watched the movie several times each day for a week. First time a movie ever made me that much effect. There are such moments of sheerest cinematographical beauty in this that you can only sit back, enjoy it and rewind the tape to watch it again.

Movie 1 was good too. Closer to the feeling of the original Patlabor franchise. The Biblical references were fun.

[Digital Boy]

I think Patlabor 2 is the best FILM, but I enjoy Patlabor 1 best. Patlabor 3 was really just ok, they shouldn't even have bothered making it a Patlabor film

[TAS]

I can't really decide between the first two; both are great but in different ways. Patlabor 1 is a bit more fun and closer to the original series, which I like. Patlabor 2 on the other hand has perhaps a more intriguing story, superior cinematography and is moodier, which I also like.


That's how I feel as well. I think movie 2 wins out as my favourite though.

The best thing about movie 3 was the Minipato extra.

[hikaru004]

I liked them all but Patlabor 1 remains my favorite with its social commentary and use of biblical references.

[nickcreech]

Obviously, the one that gets an english dub, isn't released by BV, comes with lots of extras without an outrageous price. Oh wait, then that would mean none of the Patlabor movies then!

[WaraiOtoko]

Obviously, the one that gets an english dub, isn't released by BV, comes with lots of extras without an outrageous price. Oh wait, then that would mean none of the Patlabor movies then!

Eh, I think you're missing something. How about this (http://www.amazon.com/Patlabor-WXIII-Movie-Ultimate-3-Disc/dp/B000089UBU/ref=sr_1_2/104-0227235-0187937?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1187371693&sr=1-2) here Patlabor movie? An English dub? Check. Not released by Bandai Visual? Check. Lots of extras? There is an entire disc full of extras and even a set of three OVA episodes as an extra, so that's a definite check. No outrageous price? Check as well; an MSRP of $53.99 is not exactly cheap, but you get a lot for your money. Furthermore, there is also a standard edition available, so you can always choose the less expensive alternative.

[nickcreech]

Ooops, then you proved me wrong I guess. Looks like I need to do more research before I assume it's all by BV. Hey, all I saw at BestBuy was this big ass box for 1 movie with too much extra stuff. Thanks for the heads up :D.

[Njr Scrawl]

Patlabor 1 (Manga) DVD R1 (http://www.amazon.com/Patlabor-Mobile-Police-Daisuke-G%C3%B4ri/dp/6305951640/ref=sr_1_18/105-7730634-8544427?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1187378851&sr=8-18) dubbed, original Japanese 2.0 soundtrack.

Patlabor 2 ditto (http://www.amazon.com/Patlabor-2-M%C3%AEna-Tominaga/dp/B00004X025/ref=sr_1_29/105-7730634-8544427?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1187378851&sr=8-29)

[bctaris]

Ooops, then you proved me wrong I guess. Looks like I need to do more research before I assume it's all by BV. Hey, all I saw at BestBuy was this big ass box for 1 movie with too much extra stuff. Thanks for the heads up :D.

Also, unlike their follow-up releases, BVUSA released the first two Patlabor movies as regular editions alongside the LEs. Here (http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/6sYMZF0FofHrSl=kjj/browse/item/69096/4/0/0) and here (http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/6sYMZF0FofHrSl=kjj/browse/item/69647/4/0/0), both still with the new dubs they produced. (Geneon also released a regular edition (http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/6sYMZF0FofHrSl=kjj/browse/item/58877/4/0/0) of WXIII, for that matter. And there are also the older Manga releases of the first two movies that Njr linked to above, with the original Manga UK dubs for the movies.) None of these releases have the extras of BV's limited editions, of course, but are still affordable alternatives.

The dual release nature of the Patlabor movies by BV is one of the reasons some people, like myself, are so unhappy with the company now: they seemed to get it so right with these by providing something for everyone, but seemed to promptly reverse course on subsequent titles they have released. Hard to believe now, but back when these were released people who knew about the company were actually quite happy with them. ;)

[Njr Scrawl]

Apart from the changed music in ep.1 of Gunbuster, that was a decently priced release as well IMO.

[DKL]

http://www.e-anime.com/013023193499.html

Patlabor Movie 3 Special Edition

Sale price: $24.95

...

You know, in the time I was working there, I only managed to sell ONE of those...

And for $15.

But yeah... we had a lot of them.

[mcarocks2003]

Patlabor 1 remains my favorite with its social commentary and use of biblical references. Same here, I also loved the imagery with all the birds.