Entry updated 5 July 2021. Tagged: TV.Japanese Original Video Animation (OVA) (1988-1989; vt Mobile Police Patlabor: The Early Days). Original title Kidō Keisatsu Patoreibā. Studio Deen. Created by Headgear. Directed by Mamoru Oshii. Written by Kazunori Ito. Voice cast includes Toshio Furukawa, You Inoue, Ryunosuke Ohbayashi and Mina Tominaga. Seven 29-minute episodes. Colour.Patlabor is set in 1998, when, in the wake of societal upheavals caused by Climate Change, giant Mecha called Labors perform most of society's heavy industrial work; since they are also liable to be employed for illegal purposes and terrorism, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police created Special Vehicles Section 2, who have giant mecha to combat the criminal use of labors (see Crime and Punishment). Mecha are too ungainly to travel long distances – low bridges are a problem – so often have to be carried in trailers to their destinations, with Tokyo's regular traffic jams causing difficulties. The series focuses on the in...
