Where to start with the following series?

Hey Ayasae, cheers for the info. I actually have to agree with you in that I got the feeling that I was missing out by never having seen the TV episodes. Always difficult to make a film that caters for fans of the original series as well as newcomers I guess. I just found the moments of humour completely out of place in this film and the awful voice really didn't help matters. I'm not saying I found the film awful, just that it wasn't quite what I expected. Definitely one I will try again (in Japanese!) after watching the series. Do you have any links to where the series is available from? I'll deffo check it out depending on price.

I am still something of a newbie to the anime genre as I'm only familiar with the mainstream stuff (Ghibli, Akira, GiTS, etc.) and I think there were certain anime staples in Patlabor that, for me, didn't sit well inside the film as a whole. But I can certainly see the attraction it has for others. :)

(Hope you know what I mean, I'm not the best at explaining myself sometimes!)

Regards

K
 
I think I get what you're saying. The fact that Patlabor films are an addition to an already existing franchise probably makes them a bit different to what you're used to - It wasn't what you were expecting, and as a result was a bit disappointing. I'll still take Patlabor over any other mech show though, and while my opinion is by no means absolute, be prepared for possible disappointment in the Gundam / Eva direction as well.

Sadly the recent public demise of CPM has led to the series volumes and boxes skyrocketing in price. The OVA box I got for just over £10 last year is now on Amazon marketplace for the staggering sum of £115. Now that that's the case I'll have a look around and see if I can PM you a different kind of link to the series. ;)
 
ayase said:
Sadly the recent public demise of CPM has led to the series volumes and boxes skyrocketing in price. The OVA box I got for just over £10 last year is now on Amazon marketplace for the staggering sum of £115. Now that that's the case I'll have a look around and see if I can PM you a different kind of link to the series. ;)
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It's sad to say but I think some people just try it on with Amazon Marketplace. I have been looking for a few older titles on there recently and there is always someone trying for like £100 while most others are in the £5-£20 range. It is always ridiculous when people want more for second hand over new.
 
Right Stuf have all three Patlabor TV collections for $30 each.

Also, Peter Marinker turned in a great performance as Goto in the Manga dub. The newer dub isn't as good.
 
Though actually Kaede, before we start trying to hunt down bargains for you... Do you have the ability play R1 DVD's yet? :p
 
Nope...not for a while either I don't think. I've just moved house and getting a new DVD player isn't that high on my list of priorities. :(

Cheers though!
 
Dracos said:
It's sad to say but I think some people just try it on with Amazon Marketplace. I have been looking for a few older titles on there recently and there is always someone trying for like £100 while most others are in the £5-£20 range. It is always ridiculous when people want more for second hand over new.
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Definitely. I picked up the Batman animated series box set not long ago (after my preorder was cancelled, grumble grumble) - half a dozen sets at £600, including one from Caiman...and one at £60, from Caiman Bargain. It arrived completely pristine and brand new. I think they just list the expensive ones to get everyone excited and trickle the extra ones out one at a time to get snapped up by panicky fans.

I have a whole bunch of old manga titles allegedly worth over £50 each on Amazon too now. Doubt I'd find anyone who wanted them though :)

Another hot tip on Patlabor TV in the Sales thread at the moment.

R
 
ayase said:
I think your confusion with the tone of the film lies in the fact (as I'll repeat until my face turns blue ;) ) that you weren't familiar with the characters.
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I had no problems with this. Though I've been told otherwise, the exhibited character traits stood alone quite well. Some revelations occur towards the end of the second film, but one was able to realise their significance even without the larger scope of the characters' backstories.
 
Honestly, with Gundam, the distinction between what is good and bad is only something you form an opinion on once you've seen enough of the franchise (and your opinion varies to everyone else anyway). Pick almost any series (not the one-shot movies, F91 and Char's Counterattack. Because, frankly, they suck), if you like it you'll like the others. If you don't, you won't. The series share so many elements that once you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all.

Haven't seen enough Evangelion and Patlabor to make sweeping generalisations.
 
Hey Ayase,

I got round to watching Patlabor The Movie 2 this weekend. This time, I switched the dialogue to Japanese with subtitles and because I knew what to expect in terms of story/structure I enjoyed it a lot more. The second film has a lot more of Gotoh in it than the first and he's a much more interesting character than the annoying kids who are the focus in the first movie! (Although I did watch that dubbed, I deffo need to go back to it now). I have to say that I thought the animation, character design and the whole look of the film was much improved over the first. I think you can see the beginnings of what the director went on to achieve with Ghost in the Shell.

Still, strange that I enjoyed this a lot more than the first when the genereal consensus seems to be the complete opposite....

P.S as you are bit of a Patlabor fan I thought I should mention I picked up an awesome Patlabor T-Shirt in UniQlo at the weekend ;) They have a whole range of anime/manga and video game shirts including Patlabor, Gundam, Gantz(!) and Gatchaman. I also picked up a cool Makaimura (Ghosts n Goblins tee). Had to do a double take as I walked past them! Haha!
 
Yeah, Patlabor 2 is the best. Glad you came to that conclusion. :thumb:

You're right - Shifting the focus onto Gotoh and Shinobu makes for a more mature film. Oshii seemed to want to show that all the characters had matured and moved on, he doesn't seem to like the idea of endless youth and not growing up - hence he has a bit of a problem with Otaku.

On that subject, yes I'd love a Patlabor T-Shirt. :D The only ones I've seen are expensive Japanese imports. Any chance you could find me a link to it? I don't have a local UniQlo (I had to even google the term).
 
Oops! I forgot you don't live in England! Hmmm....seems you can't get the Patlabor ones online unfortunately. Here's some links to the rest of the range, the Gundam, Gatchaman and Gantz ones are in there:

http://www.uniqlo.co.uk/catalogue/men/t-shirts/all_101

http://www.uniqlo.co.uk/catalogue/men/ut-t-shirt/all_88

This is the one I got:

2561748265_86e112c042.jpg
 
Check the link again... notice how it points to the history section. ;)

Long story short though, it's because I'm being pretentious. :p Wish I did live somewhere in Scandinavia like...
 
ayase said:
Check the link again... notice how it points to the history section. ;)

Long story short though, it's because I'm being pretentious. :p Wish I did live somewhere in Scandinavia like...
Click to expand...

Ahhhh....well I guess I've learned something today then! :lol:
 
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