Patlabor - The Mobile Police, The TV Series (Vol. 2)
The men and women who make up Special Vehicles Division 2 of the Tokyo police force in the not-too-distant future are perennial underdogs. Because they deal with crimes involving the giant industrial robots called Labors, they're known as Patlabors (an elision of "Patrol Labors"). The 47-episode broadcast series based on Masami Yuuki's manga serial "Mobile Police Patlabor" has a lighter tone than the features. The misfits and oddballs who make up Division 2 suggest a comicHill Street Blues. They watch others get the credit for their work saving a government minister from a construction site in "The Tower: SOS," save an ancient, sacred tree in "The Green Phantom," and thwart a dated terrorist plot in "Red Labor Landing." All the episodes offer the combination of mecha adventure and ensemble comedy that have madePatlaborsuch a popular franchise. Unrated; suitable for children 8 and older; minor violence, tobacco use.--Charles Solomon