Patlabor 2: The Movie
A Japanese police unit who use giant anthropomorphic robots (called Labors) is caught up in a political struggle between the civilian authorities and the military when a terrorist act is blamed on an Air Force jet. With the aid of a government agent, the team gets close to a terrorist leader to stop things from going out of control when after the military is impelled to impose martial law.
Critics Sentiment
A missile destroys the Yokohama Bay Bridge, triggering accusations against the JASDF
Tsuge's ideology is expounded through extended philosophical dialogue about just war and false peace
The film swings from its lowest point during the extended philosophical monologue sequences around the midpoint (6.8) up to the visceral impact of the Yokohama Bay Bridge destruction earlier in the film (8.5), a gap that captures the core audience divide between those who find Oshii's talky intellectualism rewarding and those who find it a barrier to engagement.
Patlabor 2 earns consistent praise for its stunning animation, Kenji Kawai's haunting score, and its eerily plausible political thriller architecture, with the bridge destruction and the SV2 reunion generating the strongest audience enthusiasm. The film's long philosophical middle section is its most contested territory, splitting viewers between those who regard it as mature, essential political cinema and those who find it an over-expository slog that sidelines the characters they came to see. The quiet, understated resolution satisfies fans of the Goto and Nagumo relationship while leaving action-oriented viewers feeling the payoff never quite matched the promise of the premise.
Full cast
Mina Tominaga
Noa Izumi (voice)
Toshio Furukawa
Asuma Shinohara (voice)
Ryusuke Ohbayashi
Kiichi Goto (voice)
Yoshiko Sakakibara
Shinobu Nagumo (voice)
Michihiro Ikemizu
Isao Ohta (voice)
Daisuke Gori
Hiromi Yamazaki (voice)
Shigeru Chiba
Shigeo Shiba (voice)
Issei Futamata
Mikiyasu Shinshi (voice)
Osamu Saka
Seitaro Sakaki (voice)
Tomomichi Nishimura
Matsui (voice)
Ryuji Nakagi
Sakuma (voice)
Fumihiko Tachiki
Buchiyama (voice)
Shinobu Adachi
Tamiko Shinshi (voice)
Akimasa Omori
Yamadera (voice)
Jinpachi Nezu
Yukihito Tsuge (voice)
Naoto Takenaka
Shigeki Arakawa (voice)
Toshihiko Kojima
Kaihou (voice)
Crew
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