T.A.O's: The Classics:

Review:

-There's no doubt in my mind that "Mamoru Oshii" is a master of the old literary technique "pathetic fallacy"; which utilizes the weather as a story motif in order to drive an emotion or point. It's a method utilized in many a great deal cinematic works as well as timeless works of literature.

And by itself, it's perhaps a filming technique which encompasses a unique emotional all it's own. That of which no mettle of dialogue can hope to equal in the same way. Don't believe me? Just try asking someone like Mamoru Oshii, who succeeds in using story symbols as only segues to great displays of composition & dialogue; instead of simply the attraction.

Most great directors succeed in conjuring one side of the equation, but Oshii is one of the few who can actually do both. The result is both timeless and sensational, & it should also be taken to notice that it's no mean trick. It arises from years & years of experience, all blown-out into one fixation of film-making genius. The result is perhaps Oshii's greatest film: "Patlabor 2".

There is not a single director out there I can think of, who uses visual storytelling better than Mamoru Oshii. And it would also seem according to myself as the biggest Ghibli afficionado, come as a huge surprise to all; that I believe the incomporable Miyazaki comes in at a close second.

Here's a man who is the master of his gift & craft; and has also mastered the manor by which he presents the material in order to change our views of things. Not only in the world of animation but live-action as well. Oshii's films challenge the mind and the soul at heart. His films are seldom easy to watch & swallow, but they are profound roller-coasters, nonetheless.

Throughout recent history, Oshii has been known heavily as a clearly political film maker. But if one proceeds to look more closely, one will discover that his humanity is as well tuned as his brutal commentary. Commentary and vision which makes of laugh, cry, feel & think. Sometimes all at the same time. It's always & foremost riveting, glorious & succeeding in encompassing all that is anime & more. Oshii is truly a master of anime, and that undeniable talent shows itself best in his 1993 masterpiece, Patlabor 2.

Before viewers can hope to appreciate Patlabor 2 (And it should be noted, that I believe sincerely that one must first watch many of his works to fully appreciate the film), they must understand a common aspect, rather series of ones shared by all of his movies & works. The reasoning is of course vague, cryptic & difficult to interpret based on first hand viewings of any one of his movies. From the inane comedy "Urusei Yatsura" to the incomporable & politically sound "Patlabor" series; Oshii displays an incredible sense of visual depth & emotion, as well as a heavy usage of artwork symbolism to drive a political or philosophical issue.

That alone's a mouthful to swallow & perhaps irrelevant to the average film lover, but if you've seen his works before you'd understand completely. For that reason (And believe me, it's one of many) Oshii identifys himself as one of the anime industry's most compellingly brilliant directors. And not only that, Oshii stands in my opinion to be one of the finest film makers of our time.

In what is arguable Oshii's greatest achievement, "Patlabor 2"; he succeeds in creating a unqiue world all his own. One embedded into the politics of it's inherent country of Japan, but one which is also unqiue to the Patlabor universe which Oshii has created to much avail. The movie is apsolutely brilliant in the way it balances an array of characters, ideas, events & philosophical issues (Which Oshii himself is accustomed to); juggles them all around in a brilliant fashion, as to remain elusive & cunning.

And to top it all off, Oshii presents us with a mesmerizing screenplay of ideas & an original thriller storyline about military unrest, political intrigue & all around Patlabor anecdotes. The result is one of the finest displays of cinematic execution & vision ever created by any film maker of all mediums. And one of the top ten anime films ever made. But in the end, amidst all the hub bub of intrigue, heavy politics, symbols and story arches; perhaps the film's greatest achievement is that it is still entertaining. Courtesy of Oshii's superb direction, arguably among the best witnessed from any film.

Patlabor 2 heavily revolves around an alleged U.S. military attack, on the brink of international chaos erupting on Japanese soil in the year 1999 (Which in retrospect, would take place supposedly about six years after the film was initially released). In the story, an armed missile heading directly for the "Yokohama Bay Bridge" causes it to be partially destroyed. As a result, the Special Vehicles Division of the Patlabor Mobile Police force are summoned to action in order to investigate. This is achieved on the whim of an alleged investigative military officer named "Irakawa", made to be the alleged villain figure of the movie; but the search entails an entanglement with an Ex-patlabor officer named "Tsuge" (Pronounced: "Suugey"; a heavy player in the first Patlabor film).

The plot thickens of course, and soon the audience is thrusted into a dizzying array of political anecdotes, intrigue and suspense of course (To simply say so is undefined & coarse, however it is simply the only way to describe the plot; for that's what it is in essense: a brilliant thriller. All of these factors of the film are played out heavily through each character.

Oshii displays great brilliance in conjuring a series of expressions & emotions to every single member of the special vehicles division, as well as it's many officers. (NOTE: There is noticably an almost sarcastic-like appearence to the expressions of certain figures. Which continue to hint at the recurring issue that many of Oshii's great works are in themselves; gigantic satires about war & politics). Patlabor 2 is a film which is no exception, but it is the most professional of the bunch which makes up Oshii's impressive palette.

I want to watch Patlabor 2 again and again. Since I repeadedly find myself constantly drawn to it's meticulously rendered plot, which takes the word "meticulous" to a whole new level of definition in animation; complete with it's striking backdrops, and dead-on accurate renderings of mechanics & technology. Upon it's release, it may have been expressing quasi science fiction with it's technology, but the very thought of such renderings is mind-blowing to the rest of us. And it shows; heavily.

Being that Patlabor 2 is easily one of the more visually impressive animated works in recent years, it's quite easy to admire it's technological brilliance, burried in a remarkable social commentary about war, morality & relevant issues of our present time. Which Oshii juggles around like a pro, well aware of the crevasses; itching to discover and unwrap it's mysteries.

But often to the audiences' surprise, he doesn't leave those many ideas to be divine or finished; his films are always generous in their exposition & concealment of ideas. And in the very end, Oshii leaves it to us to decide what we think his symbols mean. But it's perhaps not easy to ignore them as they stand. Since by themselves, they carry such heavy and emotional messages. Perhaps now, they are even more meaningful than ever.

Of course, such exposition is foremost entertaining in it's entirety and never ill-conceived to the point of excessivness or into the just plain ludicrous. The execution here is masterful. As much as the politics of play and fantasy (but reality-based) anecdotes in the movie scare the heck out of me in terms of how close to home they are, they are foremost enlightening and thoughtful. Oshii's film flourishes with the kind of poetic genius and acknowledgment people place on political dramas, as much as people associate Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" with the romance genre; as an anime fan, I'm inclined to say that Oshii's labor of love here is not only of equal brilliance to that & many other works, but it probably even surpasses it.

The film is engorged with great poetic images, such are the ones involving the juxtaposition of the yellow-blimps & the black crows. The usage of fish in the aquarium as "Goto" & "Irakawa" talk of the war which brings destruction to all of us eventually. Oshii works like a brilliant painter. He has painted a film palette of wonderful animation, comprised of over 20 years of ideas, politics and even divine comedic genius.

"Patlabor 2" is a film which displays Oshii's brilliant world. He needs not words or messages to fill in the blanks for us. He simply shows us what he wants to say and the animation does the rest. Oshii of course is often very modest about his accomplishments (As he displays in many interviews). He may tell you it's quite simple to achieve such things, but the rest of us all know: he simply makes it look way too easy.

~This Has Been Yet Another One Of "T.A.O.'s" New Reviews Of Classic Anime Titles.~