PATLABOR (Kido Keisatsu Patlabor), by Masami Yuki, based on the series created by HEADGEAR. First published in 1988 and first published in North America in 1998.
PLOT:
In the near future, Tokyo is full of powered robotic suits called "labors." Most of them are used for construction and other forms of industry, but there are those who would use them for crime. To combat this, the Tokyo Police creates a labor force of their own under the guidance of the laid-back Captain Goto. Goto assembles a ragtag crew of cadets to pilot these labors, ranging from the loud, thuggish Isao Ota to abrasive Asuma Shinohara to tiny, eager Noa Izumi. Together they must prove their value to their superiors and the city at large...at least, as soon as they learn to work together.
STORY:
Ah, Patlabor. Unlike most notable mecha titles, it's neither a space opera nor some other sort of sci-fi epic but instead a down-to-earth (and often comedic) police procedural. It's far less Gundam and a lot more Police Academy. Perhaps the reason it makes the transition from TV to manga so smoothly is because of those decidedly un-epic qualities.
Patlabor is a fairly egalitarian story. While Noa serves as our leading lady, the story is just as much about her teammates as it is about her. Noa is an easy character to love and even easier to respect with her eagerness to help others and her incredible mechanical and piloting skills. Meanwhile, Goto is there mostly to provide low-key comedy with his lackadaisical approach to...well, everything. The rest of the crew is a lot louder and goofier in comparison, but in varied enough ways to keep the jokes novel.
The sci-fi elements work well, but that's probably because the Tokyo of Patlabor isn't all that far removed from our own version. The places and names are all the same; the only major difference is the presence of mecha, and even then it's used for the most mundane tasks possible. Being a police procedural, there are plenty of action sequences sprinkled throughout, culminating in a city-wide chase with a pair of eco-terrorists. It all comes together with the sci-fi, the comedy, and the character moments to create a mecha series that is unique and timeless.
ART:
Masami Yuki's art is much like the story: unpretentious, but full of character. Of course, he had a lot of good material to reference, be it Akemi Takada's charming character designs or Yutaka Izubuchi's sleek yet practical designs for the labors. Still, he interprets them well, even if his action sequences are a little stiff.
RATING:
It's a shame Viz cut this series off before it really got going, because it's one of the few TV-to-manga adaptations that actually works and one of the few good mecha manga I've come across in my time reviewing manga. It captures the charm of the original OVAs without losing sight of the plot, and as we'll see that's rarer in mecha manga than it should be.
This series was licensed by Viz. This series is complete in Japan with 22 volumes. 2 volumes were published and are currently out of print.
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