Mobile Police: Basic Training

Rating:
Summary: Amusing, but forgettable.
Review: "Mobile Police Patlabor" began as a parody of the famous Gundam series, and it's very hit-or-miss. While some of the series will evoke chuckles, some of it is downright dull.

Yuki's art is entertaining, as is the storyline, but the story can often take far too long to get to where it's going. Often, one can turn past seven or eight pages and really feel like they didn't lose anything. Some people will argue this can be done with most manga, but I disagree.

If I seem like I'm being down on Patlabor, I don't mean to be, because I did enjoy reading it, but it isn't the kind of thing I will hold up and say is spectacular. It's the perfect thing for a lazy afternoon, as you can read it fairly quickly and once you're done with it, you aren't really yearning for the next book, although you might read it if you had it handy.

It's fun while it lasts, but easily forgettable.

Rating:
Summary: It's really good.
Review: "Mobile Police Patlabor" began as a parody of the famous Gundam series, and it's very hit-or-miss. While some of the series will evoke chuckles, some of it is downright dull.

Yuki's art is entertaining, as is the storyline, but the story can often take far too long to get to where it's going. Often, one can turn past seven or eight pages and really feel like they didn't lose anything. Some people will argue this can be done with most manga, but I disagree.

If I seem like I'm being down on Patlabor, I don't mean to be, because I did enjoy reading it, but it isn't the kind of thing I will hold up and say is spectacular. It's the perfect thing for a lazy afternoon, as you can read it fairly quickly and once you're done with it, you aren't really yearning for the next book, although you might read it if you had it handy.

It's fun while it lasts, but easily forgettable.

Rating:
Summary: It's really good.
Review: I read Patlabor a few days ago, and i find myself flipping through the pages again and again. My parents read it after they found out i traded it for my allowance, probably to see if it was appropriate or not. My dad particularly liked it because he's the techie-battle type. they let me keep it, and my dad said that he'd buy me the second volume on one condition- if i put a review on amazon.

Rating:
Summary: honestly, the best anime there is
Review: I've seen most of the mecha anime I can find around my area, including Akira and by far, this story is in my opinion, the best of the best. It focuses not on the mechs themselves, but rather the pilots and the idea, adding satire, humor and oh yes, mecha fight scenes too. With a solid story as it's backbone, Patlabor never ceases to amaze me with it's clever development. Truely the best anime there is

Rating:
Summary: Quite Good
Review: Sadly, I fear the sales of this series of manga suffered from the movies. I believe people go into these books expecting to see what was shown in the three Patlabor movies... and find something completely different.

Patlabor, in each incarnation (Manga, OAVs, and TV series), has been a comedy. The movies were not. And so, a lot of the audience who had been hyped up by the earlier US release of the movies were... disappointed... by finding that the predecessor to those movies were comedies. Which is a shame, because these are such good works -- funny, smart, and well developed. Episodic in parts, yes, but with enough of a main storyline not to fall into a 'villain of the week' type format.

The TV series was a great series. The OAVs were a great series. The MANGA is a great series. None of them have sold as they should have, however, and I fear that is why this manga series release in the US was prematurely discontinued. I sincerely hope that one day, the remaining volumes are published... because it's a shame that this is all that we have.

Rating:
Summary: Quite Good
Review: Sadly, I fear the sales of this series of manga suffered from the movies. I believe people go into these books expecting to see what was shown in the three Patlabor movies... and find something completely different.

Patlabor, in each incarnation (Manga, OAVs, and TV series), has been a comedy. The movies were not. And so, a lot of the audience who had been hyped up by the earlier US release of the movies were... disappointed... by finding that the predecessor to those movies were comedies. Which is a shame, because these are such good works -- funny, smart, and well developed. Episodic in parts, yes, but with enough of a main storyline not to fall into a 'villain of the week' type format.

The TV series was a great series. The OAVs were a great series. The MANGA is a great series. None of them have sold as they should have, however, and I fear that is why this manga series release in the US was prematurely discontinued. I sincerely hope that one day, the remaining volumes are published... because it's a shame that this is all that we have.

Rating:
Summary: Get your gun Pa, the Brocken Labors are comin'
Review: The 2nd volumn of Mobile Police Patlabor is even better than the first. After getting to know everyone in the 1st book, we actually get a real plot moving. And there's a new member in the 2nd Unit too! Isao Ota is his usual "shoot first, ask questions later" self, and Noa Izumi whips Isao's out-of-shape butt in basic training, with a little help. Now if only they could beat those Brocken Labors into submission...we'll see what happens.