There’s only one shot in the martial law sequence that has any flaws - there’s one scene of tanks turning through an intersection filmed from above and the tanks move as if they are paper cutouts without any weight.
Beyond that the scene is just as chilling today as it was thirty years ago. But now we have the Portland frog on our side
No question that the animation in that shot is just a bit off, despite the great composition. It stuck out for us, too. But, for sure, the sequence has aged frighteningly well -- and what Oshii was saying about the distorting effect of screens back in 1993 feels decades ahead of its time. A prophetic (unfortunately enough!) piece of filmmaking.
When 9/11 happened and I saw tanks on the streets of New York, everyone was talking about Hollywood blockbusters it reminded them of, I was thinking of this scene in Patlabor 2...
We love bringing in the surrounding context of animation here. The Gulf War and Japan's position in it were a big controversy in the country -- Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke was influenced by the war as well. Really intriguing stuff to read about.
Hello, I've come from the future to say that I have final watched this film and what a film it was! Though the Japanese politics of it all still has me scratching my head (I've just had to Google Japanese Self-Defense Forces), the state occupation scene felt all too familiar. As an American living near a city now occupied by the national guard, the film does a great job of highlighting how you just...get use to the troops and how that is dystopian in it's own way. Anyways, y'all influneced me and I hope you got paid for it.
Ah, so cool to hear! Glad this piece encouraged you to check out the film. And the situation in America was definitely an inspiration to cover this sequence -- it feels directly relevant to our time, even if Oshii never could've intended or predicted it.
I watched the clip you included in this article, I've never seen the film before. I was floored by it on a technical level.
Since I've spent most of my life only aware of western animation, I've come to really appreciate that Japanese anime seemed to be far ahead of that than I ever realised. That clip alone shows perspective shots, rotation around buildings, lights altering the surroundings, crowds of people all moving, and - this one I don't know how they did - reflections in windows. Even more, reflections that move across an imperfect, asymmetrical mirror.
I like how you've explained the symbolism of the scene too, don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that the very first thing that jumps out at me is figuring out how it was even made, and it's why I still feel fascinated by the artform even now. Wonderful to read, as always.
Thanks very much! And Patlabor 2 is definitely an achievement. We happened to rewatch the film recently, and it's wild to think that it was done in 1993: there wasn't a lot like it out there, and so many things have descended from it. The team made magic with a short schedule and small budget. It definitely doesn't move like Disney renaissance films do, but it makes up for it in other ways, and the quality of draftsmanship is pretty stunning. Really shows what's possible with great artists and strong filmmaking!
Important to remember that coups were a constant threat to civilian governments in East and SE Asia throughout the 20th Century. Taiwan spent decades under martial law, South Korea suffered multiple military takeovers, and Japan's civilian government was dragged to disaster by an out-of-control military in the 1930s.
It might seem almost quaint sci-fi today, but Oshii was directing in full knowledge that democratic civilian government in Japan could not be taken for granted
Great points -- honestly, it's very likely that Oshii was getting some of his images straight from other countries in the region. There are shots in this sequence that feel eerily close to photos from Tiananmen Square. He was really taking aim at what he saw as Japan's complacency and detachment from reality here.
Haha, happy to be an inspiration for this! Particularly enjoyed the way the Innocence shots pair with the music. It's funny to think that AMVs faded away only to reappear, a generation later, as "anime edits." Some trends never die!
Partlabor: The Movie (the first) is one of my all-time favorite anime. I did not enjoy the second one as much as the first. The pacing and backgrounds just feel different in the first. I also enjoy that the first is more a detective thriller, something that I've seldom seen in anime, whereas the second has an (obviously) more militaristic influence, which seems more common in anime. But this article has given me a new perspective on the second, and i'll have to watch it again, if i can find it again.
Patlabor 2 is a film that's really grown on us. It definitely won't be for everyone (it's kind of slow, weird and alienating), but it feels like one of Oshii's tightest and most thrilling projects to us, and the highs are very high. Might be worth giving it a second try!
There were two shots at the start of this sequence that always made me wonder if it was Satoshi Kon's work (particularly since you do see his name credited as a layout artist) - the first one being where Noa is hanging out with a group of other women and some of them are not Japanese (Kon having 2 works that deal with immigrants in Japan - Tokyo Godfathers and World Apartment Horror), and the second is a shot of the family at the dinner table in shock. What made me think it was Kon was how the clutter in the room was decorated, there is a certain way Kon in his own films did clutter to make his characters rooms looked lived in (it reminded me of shots in Perfect Blue of Mima's apartment).
Thanks for bringing this to light, I've read some talk from "ehoba" on twitter about Kon's involvement in Patlabor 2 and its nice to have a second source to confirm it.
We'd love to know exactly which shots were his throughout the film -- he says in the Patlabor 2 layout book that he was put in charge of the military rollout and occupation scenes, alongside one later section. But the book unfortunately doesn't seem to credit layouts to the artists who drew them. A few shots are specifically attributed to Kon in Anime Architecture, though, and you can definitely see his drawing style in most of the martial law shots in the layout book. He probably didn't do the whole 7 minutes alone, but the bulk of it definitely looks like his work. Wild stuff!
The situation in the States was definitely on our minds while doing this one. Also what happened in South Korea last year (among other things). It's incredible how well Oshii predicted the look and feel of this stuff so long ago.
I am definitely one of those who argue that patlabor 2 is Oshii sama’s masterwork! I can’t believe that I didn’t know that Satoshi Kon worked on the film! It makes so much sense and now seems so plainly obvious. Especially when you look at what he went on to do in Perfect blue. The martial law sequence is spectacular and is second only to the “peace” monologue sequence from earlier in the film. I think it is indeed that stillness that is so unique to the film. One of my favourite films (not just anime) of all time.
Happy to share a little of the behind-the-scenes on this! It really is a gem of a sequence inside a fascinating film. If you've never seen it, we highly recommend the Patlabor 2 layout book as well, even just for the pictures. The work Oshii's artists did is incredible, particularly for the layouts in the martial law sequence that appear to be Kon's: https://archive.org/details/methods-from-layouts-of-patlabors-the-movie-2/mode/2up
There’s only one shot in the martial law sequence that has any flaws - there’s one scene of tanks turning through an intersection filmed from above and the tanks move as if they are paper cutouts without any weight.
Beyond that the scene is just as chilling today as it was thirty years ago. But now we have the Portland frog on our side
No question that the animation in that shot is just a bit off, despite the great composition. It stuck out for us, too. But, for sure, the sequence has aged frighteningly well -- and what Oshii was saying about the distorting effect of screens back in 1993 feels decades ahead of its time. A prophetic (unfortunately enough!) piece of filmmaking.
When 9/11 happened and I saw tanks on the streets of New York, everyone was talking about Hollywood blockbusters it reminded them of, I was thinking of this scene in Patlabor 2...
I can’t believe an animation based substack is where I learn that Japan was involved in the Gulf War…
We love bringing in the surrounding context of animation here. The Gulf War and Japan's position in it were a big controversy in the country -- Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke was influenced by the war as well. Really intriguing stuff to read about.
Hello, I've come from the future to say that I have final watched this film and what a film it was! Though the Japanese politics of it all still has me scratching my head (I've just had to Google Japanese Self-Defense Forces), the state occupation scene felt all too familiar. As an American living near a city now occupied by the national guard, the film does a great job of highlighting how you just...get use to the troops and how that is dystopian in it's own way. Anyways, y'all influneced me and I hope you got paid for it.
Ah, so cool to hear! Glad this piece encouraged you to check out the film. And the situation in America was definitely an inspiration to cover this sequence -- it feels directly relevant to our time, even if Oshii never could've intended or predicted it.
I watched the clip you included in this article, I've never seen the film before. I was floored by it on a technical level.
Since I've spent most of my life only aware of western animation, I've come to really appreciate that Japanese anime seemed to be far ahead of that than I ever realised. That clip alone shows perspective shots, rotation around buildings, lights altering the surroundings, crowds of people all moving, and - this one I don't know how they did - reflections in windows. Even more, reflections that move across an imperfect, asymmetrical mirror.
I like how you've explained the symbolism of the scene too, don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that the very first thing that jumps out at me is figuring out how it was even made, and it's why I still feel fascinated by the artform even now. Wonderful to read, as always.
Thanks very much! And Patlabor 2 is definitely an achievement. We happened to rewatch the film recently, and it's wild to think that it was done in 1993: there wasn't a lot like it out there, and so many things have descended from it. The team made magic with a short schedule and small budget. It definitely doesn't move like Disney renaissance films do, but it makes up for it in other ways, and the quality of draftsmanship is pretty stunning. Really shows what's possible with great artists and strong filmmaking!
Important to remember that coups were a constant threat to civilian governments in East and SE Asia throughout the 20th Century. Taiwan spent decades under martial law, South Korea suffered multiple military takeovers, and Japan's civilian government was dragged to disaster by an out-of-control military in the 1930s.
It might seem almost quaint sci-fi today, but Oshii was directing in full knowledge that democratic civilian government in Japan could not be taken for granted
Great points -- honestly, it's very likely that Oshii was getting some of his images straight from other countries in the region. There are shots in this sequence that feel eerily close to photos from Tiananmen Square. He was really taking aim at what he saw as Japan's complacency and detachment from reality here.
Inspired by your recent Oshii post I lived it up like it was the early '00s and edited together an anime music video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYzJNV0cd3A
Haha, happy to be an inspiration for this! Particularly enjoyed the way the Innocence shots pair with the music. It's funny to think that AMVs faded away only to reappear, a generation later, as "anime edits." Some trends never die!
Partlabor: The Movie (the first) is one of my all-time favorite anime. I did not enjoy the second one as much as the first. The pacing and backgrounds just feel different in the first. I also enjoy that the first is more a detective thriller, something that I've seldom seen in anime, whereas the second has an (obviously) more militaristic influence, which seems more common in anime. But this article has given me a new perspective on the second, and i'll have to watch it again, if i can find it again.
Patlabor 2 is a film that's really grown on us. It definitely won't be for everyone (it's kind of slow, weird and alienating), but it feels like one of Oshii's tightest and most thrilling projects to us, and the highs are very high. Might be worth giving it a second try!
There were two shots at the start of this sequence that always made me wonder if it was Satoshi Kon's work (particularly since you do see his name credited as a layout artist) - the first one being where Noa is hanging out with a group of other women and some of them are not Japanese (Kon having 2 works that deal with immigrants in Japan - Tokyo Godfathers and World Apartment Horror), and the second is a shot of the family at the dinner table in shock. What made me think it was Kon was how the clutter in the room was decorated, there is a certain way Kon in his own films did clutter to make his characters rooms looked lived in (it reminded me of shots in Perfect Blue of Mima's apartment).
Thanks for bringing this to light, I've read some talk from "ehoba" on twitter about Kon's involvement in Patlabor 2 and its nice to have a second source to confirm it.
We'd love to know exactly which shots were his throughout the film -- he says in the Patlabor 2 layout book that he was put in charge of the military rollout and occupation scenes, alongside one later section. But the book unfortunately doesn't seem to credit layouts to the artists who drew them. A few shots are specifically attributed to Kon in Anime Architecture, though, and you can definitely see his drawing style in most of the martial law shots in the layout book. He probably didn't do the whole 7 minutes alone, but the bulk of it definitely looks like his work. Wild stuff!
How fitting, because it's coming here...
The situation in the States was definitely on our minds while doing this one. Also what happened in South Korea last year (among other things). It's incredible how well Oshii predicted the look and feel of this stuff so long ago.
I am definitely one of those who argue that patlabor 2 is Oshii sama’s masterwork! I can’t believe that I didn’t know that Satoshi Kon worked on the film! It makes so much sense and now seems so plainly obvious. Especially when you look at what he went on to do in Perfect blue. The martial law sequence is spectacular and is second only to the “peace” monologue sequence from earlier in the film. I think it is indeed that stillness that is so unique to the film. One of my favourite films (not just anime) of all time.
Happy to share a little of the behind-the-scenes on this! It really is a gem of a sequence inside a fascinating film. If you've never seen it, we highly recommend the Patlabor 2 layout book as well, even just for the pictures. The work Oshii's artists did is incredible, particularly for the layouts in the martial law sequence that appear to be Kon's: https://archive.org/details/methods-from-layouts-of-patlabors-the-movie-2/mode/2up