Forum - View topicWhat are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)
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Botuliform
Posts: 1 |
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Last night on Blu-ray, first three episodes of MM! and it is hilarious.
Whether it's Anna in Dirty Jokes, Mariya in Maria-Holic or Mio in MM!, Monica Rial seems to have a ball voicing naughty girls. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24131 |
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Here's a fun fact I just gleaned from my watch of Patlabor the TV series: Section 2's headquarters is actually built on a not very large man-made island that sticks into Tokyo Bay. Up until now, I have only seen shots of the building from ground level, usually facing forward, so I never realized it was on an island. The shot in episode 38 (is elevated so you get a clear idea of exactly how the building is situated on its piece of land. A causeway links the island to the mainland. I wish I could get a screengrab to post but of course I'm watching it on my Blu-ray player.
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6582 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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I only have it on DVD but I think this is what you meant.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24131 |
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Bingo! Thanks, Errinundra. As I say, previous to that shot, I don't believe we had any sense of how small the island was (or even that they were on one). We knew they were on the Bay, but I guess I aways assumed that they were part of the shoreline. In this same episode (where they become aware of the underground tunnel system), we learn they are on top of an old landfill site which explains why their island is man-made. And the fact they are on top of an old garbage site (presumably) is very Special Vehicles, Section 2.
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10014 Location: Virginia |
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I was aware that they were on made land in Tokyo Bay, out in the back of nowhere. What I didn't realize until now was the causeway to an island. I think the location shows how they are treated by the rest of the police force. A combination of out of sight, out of mind and too dangerous to be allowed in central Tokyo. They do have a real propensity for collateral damage.
Looking at the screen shot I find it interesting that they included what looks like train tracks to a pier that sticks out to where a cargo vessel of some type could be loaded or unloaded. Also the abandoned spur of that track. I don't think that comes into play in the series, but the fact that someone drew it adds a bit of depth to the world. One of the major themes of the series and the first movie is that the terrorism being conducted is in opposition to work on Tokyo Bay. Apparently they are trying to close the bay to the ocean and fill large portions of it. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24131 |
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@ Alan45 - I'm assuming that's the Babylon Project which has been mentioned a few times but is somewhat unclear as to what it actually is.
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10014 Location: Virginia |
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Yes, I had forgotten the name. It is not spelled out. but its described in part in several places. That is why some of the problems are environmental terrorists. The first movie takes place when they are just about to close off Tokyo Bay to the ocean.
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Piglet the Grate
 Posts: 766 Location: North America |
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Probably tracks for a ship-to-shore traveling crane. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10014 Location: Virginia |
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@Piglet the Grate
You are probably right. I was thinking the track would be used for flatbed cars that could transport the cargo to the hanger. Many cargo ships have their own cranes. Of course container ships don't, but a large container ship would have been offloaded at a major port with their cargo transshipped to the island. |
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RupanSansei
 Posts: 121 |
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I've been watching The Gutsy Frog. It is a very fun series that TMS is uploading episodes on their Youtube channel & are currently up to episode 61 of 103 however their playlist they made is newest upload first.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj2Ugc-vxcWG_zTnv_Bzlo_T9tG2xDmzD |
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shosakukan
Posts: 332 |
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I have seen Patlabor-related official art direction drawings of the Section 2's base and that square artificial island (That is reclaimed land). It is said that the building of the Section 2's base was once the building of a factory, and the 'railways' run from the pier into a large doorway of the building of the now-defunct factory. So maybe the 'railways' were for wagons to transport cargo from the pier to the factory and/or from the factory to the pier. As to the reason why Section 2's base is on reclaimed land, at first Yūki Masami set the Patlabor unit's base in the midst of a town. According to the scriptwriter Itō Kazunori, there were two plans about the place where the Patlabor unit's base would be, and one was 'About Nishi-Ogikubo Station' and the other was 'On reclaimed land'. But according to Itō, there were also factors like: ・Yūki Masami also thought up the Babylon Project stuff. (It is related to Tokyo Bay.) ・Oshii Mamoru's opinion of which gist was 'If the Patlabor unit's police station is in the midst of a town, artists have to draw so many things.' ・After all, Oshii Mamoru is interested in reclaimed land. Thus the staff decided to set the Patlabor unit's base on reclaimed land. In fact, in an article, Oshii Mamoru said that urban studies-wise he was interested in reclaimed land and that interest was connected to Patlabor. Oshii Mamoru was born in the Ōmori area of Ōta Ward in Tokyo. (Ōmori faced the sea.) Once fishery had flourished in the Ōmori area, but it was lost due to modernisation, water pollution, and reclamation. Probably young Oshii saw it. Having been born in Ōmori, too, may be related to his being interested in reclaimed land. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24131 |
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I am officially designating shosakukan as our Resident Patlabor Expert. Congratulations, shosakukan! That and $5 will get you a cup of coffee!
I continue to chip away at my collection of Central Park Media dvd releases prompted by the previews I watch on my Patlabor volumes. The latest one is Cyber City Oedo 808 directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri who also directed Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, two other anime films I really love. Cyber City is classic 90s hard SF. Almost 35 years later, the hand-drawn cel animation still stands up. Love the character designs, artwork, story and composition. Should have watched this collection ages ago, but oh well, better late than never. Popping back in to mention one of my favourite non-Division 2 Patlabor characters: intrepid action reporter Momoko Sakurayama! She's a hoot. She always talks about Division 2 in the absolute most derogatory way but with a smile on her face and an energetic voice. She really got to shine in episode 43 when her station is doing an episode of "Working Ladies" on Noa. Ha ha, love her! Finished my Palabor the TV series watch! Loved it. The character web for that show is outstanding. Each character is well-defined and enjoyable and watching them interact is a delight. The plots themselves were consistently interesting. Next step is to rewatch Patlabor the Movie 1 (which I was fortunate enough to see on the big screen and remember virtually nothing other than enjoying it), then watch Patlabor The New Files, rewatch Patlabor the Movie 2 (which I also saw on the big screen), watch WXIII Patlabor (also known as Patlabor the Movie 3) and finish off by rewatching the original OVAs which I also have virtually no memory of other than liking them. I'm so happy I snapped up the Limited Editions of all three movies back in the days when TRSI was offering them for cheap. The first two come in incredibly beautiful and sturdy chipboard boxes and they are all stuffed with supplements. However, before I can rewatch the first Patlabor film, I need to finish watching Doomed Megalopolis on DVD. I watched the first episode and I won't soon forget the stomach worm scene, let me tell ya... *retch* |
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shosakukan
Posts: 332 |
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Thank you very much. ﾊｧ~( ´▽`)_日~ (← an emoticon of a person's having a cup of tea/coffee) According to Oshii Mamoru, interestingly, at first, the 1st OVA series and the 1st anime film were the sufficient amount of Patlabor for him. But some suits for Bandai wanted to make Patlabor a long-lived big franchise which would have many Patlabor-related works, and they tried to persuade him to make the TV anime series. (He succeeded in escaping from the directorial position, but he wrote some scripts for the Patlabor TV anime series.)
This may be a thing which the sleeve notes or something for the CPM edition have already said, but as to Cyber City Oedo 808, whilst it is a tech-noir/SF anime, Cyber City Oedo 808 is also related to jidai-geki/jidai-shōsetsu (Japanese historical films and TV shows/Japanese historical fiction). For example, the 'Oedo 808' part of the title of the anime is a reference to the Japanese set phrase 'O-Edo 808-chō'. The phrase means that Edo was a large city which had approx.1000 'districts' (already in the early 18th century. Later, Edo had more than 1000 'districts'). The nightsticks which the principal characters use in Cyber City Oedo 808 are modelled upon jitte, a kind of traditional truncheon. Police officers had the 'jitte' truncheons in the Edo period. So if you watch a Japanese historical film which is set in the Edo period and which a police officer appears in, chances are good that he has the 'jitte' truncheon. The name of one of the principal characters is Benten, and it is a reference to Benten Kozō, a rogue who disguises himself as a well-favoured woman and who appears in a famous Kabuki play. One of the theories about the origin of the 'Benten Kozō' character is that one time the playwright Kawatake Shinshichi the 2nd saw a beautiful young man who wore a feminine kimono. If I remember correctly, Dr Earle S. Ernst translated the play into English as Benten the Thief. In the anime, Benten's hairstyle is modelled on a wig which a Kabuki actor wears when he plays the role of a supernatural being based on a lion. The protagonist Sengoku's long hair is modelled on a long-hair wig which a Kabuki actor wears when he plays the role of a thief, a convict, and the like. The name of the chief of the special police unit in Cyber City Oedo 808 is Hasegawa Jūzō, and it is a reference to Hasegawa Heizō, a real-life person who was the chief of a special police unit in the Edo period. The reason why now many 'laymen', who are not scholars who study the Edo period, still know of Hasegawa Heizō is probably that famous novelist Ikenami Shōtarō adopted Hasegawa Heizō as the protagonist of the Onihei Hankachō historical fiction series and Onihei Hankachō became very popular. Since an anime adaptation of Onihei Hankachō was broadcast under the title of Onihei in 2017, you may have heard of this title. Another interesting thing about Cyber City Oedo 808 is that the Cyber City Oedo 808 franchise, which is tech-noir works, is based on an idea by scriptwriter Mutsuki Jūzō, who may be best-known for light-hearted sci-fi romcom anime Hand Maid May. Noir versus lightness. Also, Hasegawa Jūzō's given name may be partly derived from Mutsuki Jūzō's.
The official site of Patlabor says that the reason why Episode 43 of the Patlabor TV anime was produced was that there were many fans of Sakurayama Momoko and the companies which were making the Patlabor TV anime were greatly moved by the fans enthusiastically supporting Sakurayama Momoko. So, yes, there were a lot of fans of Ms Sakurayama. You are not alone.
Speaking of the Doomed Megalopolis anime, I happened to recentishly mentioned it in another thread. Last edited by shosakukan on Sun Sep 29, 2024 11:00 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24131 |
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@ shosakukan - ha ha, that's awesome why Momoko basically got her own episode. Some of the detail you mentioned with respect to Cyber City Oedo 808 was mentioned in the DVD release's supplemental material (such as the audio commentaries for episodes 1 & 2) but you also added things that weren't covered. I am familiar with the Onihei anime and quite enjoyed it.
I'm curious, shosakukan - what anime are you watching these days and which anime are among your personal favourites of all time? |
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Beltane70
 Posts: 3970 |
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I almost finished my own run of watching the Patlabor TV series with three more episodes to go. Though I started before Blood-, I'm finishing after him since I've been also watching the other anime series from this season and keeping up with my gaming and other interests. The last episode I watched was the C.L.A.T. episode that was a total riot in its absurdity!
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