Anime Review - Patlabor Movie 3: W XIII (Wasted Thirteen)

Diminishing Returns
For some, the idea of a realistic giant robot story is too much to get one's head around -- how could it be anything other than cheesy? But those who can accept such an idea have always had a friend in the Patlabor series, which convincingly posits a future wherein giant human-driven machines ("labors") are used for all types of industrial work, and the threat of these machines' misuse for crime has spawned a police squad of patrol labors ("patlabors"). Perhaps the best anime series no one has ever heard of (good luck finding any mention of it on the Anime Turnpike), Patlabor in all its incarnations (manga, video and TV series, and two movies) has encompassed a variety of moods, from Hill Street Blues hijinks to sober examinations of technology's effects on humankind. American audiences are probably most familiar with the first two Patlabor movies, which although well-done, were infused with director Mamoru Oshii's po-faced commentary on modern society's alienation, sprinklings of religious allegory, and enough random shots of birds to make John Woo proud.

So now Patlabor 3 is among us, nearly a decade after the last chapter in the saga. Whether you enjoy this or find it to be, well, cheesy, depends on your answer to one question: How do you feel about a realistic giant robot story, with a sea monster?

A basic grounding in the Patlabor universe is all but required, as the major characters from the series make only token appearances (chronologically, the movie appears to take place sometime before the first and second movies). The focus is on two new characters, veteran police detective Kusumi and his young partner Hata. Labors around Tokyo Bay have been viciously attacked, and lives have been lost in the process. In their investigation, the detectives gradually discover that the crimes are the work of a monster that may have been genetically created by a shady experimental lab working for the military, and Hata begins to suspect that his current girlfriend, a researcher at the same lab, may be involved.

Taken on its own, Patlabor 3 is a decent piece of entertainment. As with the other two Patlabor movies, actual labor combat is reserved for the final act, although in this case, it turns out to be rather anticlimactic. The highlight of the film is the beast's first appearance: part snake, part dragon, and with praying mantis antennae, the creature is a fearsome opponent, and any snide comparisons to Godzilla are swept aside with the ferociousness of its attacks. Director Fumihiko Takayama, best known for Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and Bubblegum Crisis: Double Vision, brings a sure hand to the character work, and a lightness of touch that often eluded Oshii. And while the animation is not as fluid as in the previous Patlabor movies, it lives up to their standards of realism and detail. Old standby Kenji Kawai is also back to deliver a trademark brooding, tense soundtrack.

Where Patlabor 3 falls down in comparison to its predecessors is in the story. The movie has two major twists, both of which the audience can see coming from a mile away, and it is clear that the creators are now regurgitating past storylines: both the Patlabor TV and video series had their "genetically-mutated sea monster" episodes, and the "romance between cop and criminal" subplot has also been done to death, most recently in Patlabor 2. Even the resolution to the central mystery, neat and satisfying as it is, is a rehash of the first Patlabor movie's major plot twist. Finally, there is very little reason to care about the events in the film; one can poke fun at Oshii's portentousness, but his films had weight and tension. While there is nothing wrong with setting a side story in the Patlabor universe, it's tough to get too worked up over a film that, in the end, is really just about giant robots fighting a sea monster.

Having said all that, this film is professionally made, and despite its lack of surprises the story is engrossing enough, but I suspect Patlabor 3 will lack the staying power of its predecessors. This is especially evident if you can track down the rare "Mini-Pato" companion DVD, in which super-deformed versions of the series characters hilariously explain various aspects of the Patlabor universe -- witty, tech-headed, and a lot of fun, these pseudo-documentaries underline what's missing from the film itself. Unless a greater sense of originality can be genetically injected into the creators' minds, the Patlabor series is in danger of becoming its own carbon copy, and that would be a shame for a series that has always engaged the concept of giant robots in an engaging, quirky way.