[US] Patlabor OVAs

[WTK]

via PR...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAIDEN JAPAN ANNOUNCES LICENSE OF
PATLABOR OVAS!

HOUSTON, January 15, 2013— Maiden Japan today announced its acquisition of the classic police action-comedy PATLABOR. The original 7 episode OVA series is directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) with scripts by Kazunori Ito (Dirty Pair), character designs by Akemi Takada (Kimagure Orange Road), mechanical designs by Yutaka Izubuchi (Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack) and music by Kenji Kawai (Vampire Princess Miyu).

Drunk drivers are bad, but put a drunk driver in a giant robot called a Labor and you’ve got a disaster waiting to happen. And when REAL criminals get their hands on those same giant robots, the cops need giant robots of their own just to maintain the status quo, right? Well, in any case, that’s the logic behind the development of the Patlabor program and special Labor Crime units like Japan’s Section 2. But what logic fails to take into account is where to find police officers who’re equally conversant with both robots and the regulations? And THAT’s where the motley crew of Section 2, Division 2 comes in! With ridiculously perky tomboy Noa Izumi and gun-happy madman Isao Ohta as primary Labor pilots and the impossibly laid back Captain Goto in what passes for command, SV2 is ready to hit the streets with their twenty ton feet! But will they be taking a byte out of crime or have they bitten off more than they can chew? The law of the land and the laws of robotics are about to collide in MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR!

Maiden Japan will be distributing PATLABOR in conjunction with home video distributor Section 23 (Clannad, High School of the Dead, Appleseed,) with the original OVA series to be released in bilingual English DVD, BD and digital formats.


About Maiden Japan:
Maiden Japan is a new and upcoming distributor of Japanese animation in North America, with a rapidly growing roster of releases that includes such hot new titles as POLYPHONICA CRIMSON S, HIMAWARI!, RAY and PAPILLON ROSE. A sister company to live action Shock film specialist Switchblade Pictures (ATTACK GIRLS SWIM TEAM VS. THE UNDEAD, ZOMBIE HUNTER RIKA, SULTRY ASSASSIN: NINJA BRAINWASH), Maiden Japan’s programs can be found on home video distributed by Ingram Entertainment, Baker & Taylor, Section23Films, The Right Stuff and other good and fine distributors. Digital product offerings may be found at iTunes, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Zune Marketplace, Anime Network, Playstation Network and YouTube.

About Section23 Films:
Section23 Films provides home video marketing and distribution services for a variety of companies, including Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade Pictures, Maiden Japan and AEsir Holdings. With its special focus on genre entertainment, Section23 Films distributes some of the very best anime, martial arts, and horror titles on the market today.

[Tratious]

freaking finally. Thanks Maiden.

[Pyocola]

I've never even heard of Maiden Japan (sounds like an H distributor...) but this is very awesome indeed.

[Rhodes]

Made In Japan :p

So this is the OVA series that follows up the TV right?

edit: oops maybe this is the original ova series that was released before the tv/movies...

hope this does well for em so I can get the tv and follow up ova series on BD. I already have the JP Movies so I wont double dip on those... but I'll pick this release up.

[WTK]

Title: PATLABOR OVA
Published by: Maiden Japan
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 210 min.
Street Date: 4/30/2013
Format: DVD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $29.98

Title: PATLABOR OVA BLU-RAY
Published by: Maiden Japan
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 210 min.
Street Date: 4/30/2013
Format: BD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $39.98

[Waggman]

Nice. I love Patlabor everything so this is a definite pickup for me. I imported all the Patlabor movies on Blu too.

[Kenneth_Lee]

Hi All,

Thanks for the GREAT news!

I'm totally shocked that a U.S. Anime Company would release Patlabor on Blu-Ray, but I'm stoked!

FYI: For those that've never seen Patlabor, while it may look dated, it's considered an Anime Classic. It was an Anime series created by Headgear, an Anime "super team" of creators featuring:

* Mamoru Oshii - GHOST IN THE SHELL, Jin-Roh: Wolf Brigade (Script), Sky Crawlers.

* Kazunori Ito - DIRTY PAIR, Urusei Yatsura, MAISON IKKOKU, .hack

* Yutaka Izubuchi - RECORD OF LODOSS WAR, Gundam, RahXephon, Space Battleship Yamato 2199

* Akemi Takada - The amazing artist of KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD, Creamy Mami, Urusei Yatsura.

* Masami Yuki - Birdy The Mighty

Speaking of the Original Japanese version only (with its fantastic, talented Voice Actors), they delivered a fun, satiric, sometimes scathing, sometimes LOL funny Anime series about society, politics, people and anything inbetween, all with a wonderful *subtlety* (not just beat you over the head, immature stuff (although their Parody episodes were great!)). The comedy would sometimes be like what you'd see on great American TV comedy like CHEERS or SEINFELD.

Now of course there are some so-so episodes in there, but PATLABOR consistently brought some great moments, and as you followed the series, from: Original OAV Series -> TV Series Season 1 -> Movie 1 -> TV Series Season 2 -> OAV Series 2 -> Movie 2 -> WXIII Movie 3 (side story)...

The characters grow on you and the episodes become even more meaningful. On the one hand, it's a Mech Anime series (love the Patlabor Ingram Mecha Designs), but on the other hand, it's really about the PEOPLE, the wacky, imperfect SV2. One of my all-time favorite series! Highly recommended.


Also, does anyone have Maiden Japan's Website?

I encourage everyone that cares about Patlabor to e-mail them to make sure they're using the Newly Remastered source material from the Patlabor Japanese Blu-Rays, and *not* (shudder) taking old R1 DVD source and just dumping it on Blu-Ray.

If they get the new Blu-Ray Source material used for the Japanese Blu-Rays for Patlabor, I'm sold in a heartbeat!

(I hope it sells well enough that we get Patlabor TV series, Patlabor OAV Series 2 and the Movies, all with the new Blu-Ray Masters from Japan.)

Thanks.

[chronoclast]

Originally Posted by Kenneth_Lee

Also, does anyone have Maiden Japan's Website?

I encourage everyone that cares about Patlabor to e-mail them to make sure they're using the Newly Remastered source material from the Patlabor Japanese Blu-Rays, and *not* (shudder) taking old R1 DVD source and just dumping it on Blu-Ray.

This is Maiden Japan's site but it says it's under going maintenance. It's sister label Switchblade Pictures' site and Section23's site say the same thing. Sentai's site works though.

Maiden Japan doesn't have a Facebook or Twitter page either. I don't think there is any easy way to contact them.

[Kenneth_Lee]

Originally Posted by chronoclast

This is Maiden Japan's site but it says it's under going maintenance. It's sister label Switchblade Pictures' site and Section23's site say the same thing. Sentai's site works though.

Maiden Japan doesn't have a Facebook or Twitter page either. I don't think there is any easy way to contact them.

Thanks chrono!

Their websites are still down.

What's the next big Anime Con that they might be at? Sakura Con? I wonder if we might get someone from these boards who's going to one of the major cons and ask them about their BD Authoring for Patlabor.

[WTK]

Screenshots via Blu-ray.com