|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Synopses for The Next Generation - Patlabor -
<< Back to The Next Generation - Patlabor - Main Page | Anime Main Page | Synopses for Episodes 7 to 12 >> |
|
 |
A GWEI Product. ©2003 - 2026 GWEI. The Next Generation - Patlabor - ©2014 - 2015 Headgear/The Next Generation - Patlabor Production Committee. All other logos/trademarks are copyright of their respective owners/companies. Used for review and illustration purposes only.
In 2013,
the SV2 is barely surviving. The Babylon Project has
been completed long ago and Labors in use are
generally far and few in between. A long recession in
Japan has forced the Metropolitan Police Department to
cut back on Patrol Labors. Division 1 has been
disbanded with division 2 only remaining using two
AV-98 Ingrams which have been remodelled countless
times mostly without help from the manufacturer.
Shigeo Shiba (or just plain Shige to everyone), now
head mechanic, begins another day at the SV2. He
recalls the first generation of of the SV2 and where
they are now. Asuma Shinohara became the head of Labor
development for his father's company while Noa Izumi
became his test pilot and eventually his partner.
Hiromi Yamazaki went back to run his family's
business. Shinobu Nagumo created a security company
and employed Isao Ota and Mikiyasu Shinshi. However
bad management bankrupted it within a year. Shinshi
later formed his own successful software company. Ota
is currently in prison for assault. Shinobu is
apparently working for the UNHCR in a Middle Eastern
country. Kiichi Gotoh's whereabouts are unknown. Shige
thought the second generation which followed in the
original SV2's footsteps where so mediocre that he no
longer remembers their names. The considers the
current generation as just hanging on and up against
their parent Security Bureau who doesn't really want
them to exist. They're considered bad apples and the
"decline of the SV2". Standing in front of one of the
AV-98 Ingrams, Shige is joined by the Labor's pilot
Akira Izumino. The pair begin to talk about the Labor
and the police force in general as Akira wonders if
they are really the good guys. Shige laments that the
Labors can only move for a maximum of five minutes
now. The talk of Labors sets him off as he curses
Japan for falling behind in robot development and
stupidly concentrating on bipedal robots when everyone
else was developing pilotless drones. Vice head
mechanic Yoshikatsu Buchiyama interrupts him to tell
him that the mechanic are lined up awaiting orders.
Shige realises that Akira has long gone and he had
been talking to himself. Shige orders the mechanics to
sing their morning song, "Glory in My Arms". While thy
are doing that he visits in the small shrine in the
SV2 hanger dedicated to the deceased Seitaroh Sakaki.
Yet
another morning dawns on the SV2 as the Labor crews
and the mechanic head to the SV2 hanger on the plot of
reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. They include team 1
forward Akira Izumino, her back up Yuma Shiobara and
their Labor carrier driver Hiromichi Yamazaki. The
second Labor team also arrives; forward Isamu
Ohtawara, back up Ekaterina Krachevna Kankaeva (or
Kasha for short) on loan from the Federal Security
Service of the Russian Federation and their Labor
carrier driver Shinji Mikiya. Their captain Keiji
Gotoda, has been called into headquarters, and as per
usual as there is nothing to do, the crew revert in
their normal modes. Akira plays video games, Yuma
reads military magazines, Kasha constantly chain
smokes, Shinji slavishly updates data, Yamazaki fawns
over his chickens and Ohtawara continues to get drunk
and shouts for some action. The only places which does
lunch is the Shanghai Restaurant which has gotten sick
of the SV2's orders over years and just delivers them
a giant vat of fried rice, much to Yuma's disgust who
feels like they're being treat like pigs. After lunch
the mechanics do martial arts exercises and everyone
is later forced by Shige to weed the plot of land the
hanger sits on. Later Yuma explains via voice over
that due to the cut backs and loss of Section 1, the
SV2 is on constant 24 hour standby, on call all the
time. Both Labor teams take turns to do eight hour
shifts around the clock. A situation that Yuma
describes as like a convenience store with only two
staff. There is literally no time to have a private
life. The night shifts are filled up with bickering,
playing video games, watching TV and internet. They
live off convenience store food and whatever the
Shanghai Restaurant decides to bring them. Several
false alarms go off during the night as Yuma, Akira
and Yamazaki are nearly sent out on a mission.
Eventually the alarm goes off again and it's a real
case. Yuma only just makes it back after doing an
unauthorised convenience store run. A drunken Labor
worker has used his Labor to take another worker
hostage. Gotoda tries to negotiate, but eventually
sends in Akria in the Ingram. 
The
mechanics make improvements to the Unit 1 Ingram and
enthusiastically ask Akira to try various karate moves
with the Ingram as a test. While the initial moves
seem to indicate everything is OK, Shige becomes
worried that it is putting a huge strain on the leg
joints. He's correct as the Labor loses hydraulic
pressure and falls over becoming in operable. Gotoda
receives a phone call from the head of the Security
Bureau that the SV2 will participate in this year's
"Equipment Overhaul" (where police units display their
equipment and demonstrate it) in front of the Police
Commissioner. Someone in the Security Bureau has
gotten wind of the latest SV2 diaster and has informed
the director's underlings. The director of the
Security Bureau feels this would be an excellent
opportunity to get rid of the Labor team as the SV2
won't be able to demonstrate they can operate the
Labors. Unfortunately parts from Unit 2 where put into
Unit before Akira broke it, so they have no working
Labor. Gotoda constantly pleads with Shige to fix the
Labors even though Shige rationally explains it's
impossible. However to save the SV2 Shige and the
mechanics are forced to do the impossible and work day
and night until they are literally zombies to get the
Labors working. They even force Jitsuyama out of
retirement in order to get Shinohara Heavy Industries
to manufacture new parts for the Labors. Security
Bureau realises that the SV2 will be able to make the
Equipment Overhaul and decide to throw another spanner
in the works; they must fire the Revolver Cannon as a
salute to the Police Commissioner. The Revolver Cannon
isn't in too bad condition and the head mechanic
assures Gotoda it will be ready in time. Unfortunately
they don't let on that there are no blank rounds
available to fire a salute and they scramble for a
solution behind Gotoda's back. However a solution
isn't forthcoming... The auto balancers on the Labors
aren't working well so Akira and Ohtawara have to go
through a series of absurd training regimes in order
to balance the Labors manually. Suddenly it is decided
without warning that the Police Commissioner will
visit the SV2 hanger personally. They only have 20
minutes to get ready. Somehow they do it and present
themselves and the Labors to the Commissioner. However
it puts a strain on the Labors and pilots as his
prostate and long speech forces them to stand far
longer than the Ingram's intended capabilities. Not
only that but the Commissioner wants a salute with the
Revolver Cannon...
Akira
heads to the change room after another dull day of
work. There she sees Kasha's motorbike suit and
daydreams about fighting her in a video game. Kasha
sees her spacing out and asks if she'd like to try the
suit on. Akira declines, but Kasha suggests she
doesn't go anything but daydream and that she doesn't
like people who are stuck in a rut. A little bit
narked off at her attitude, Akira heads to her local
Game Centre (where Akira is currently placed third on
it's wall of champions) to blow off some steam. She
sees an old guy taking on everyone in the Game Centre
on a two player fighting game and winning every time.
Akira tries her luck, to which the old man says she
can try until she has no coins left. She is beaten
time and time again but doesn't give up, that is until
she runs out of money. He tells her that she has no
talent and that she should spend her money more
wisely. He refuses to give his name and leaves. As
Akira goes home from the Game Centre, she spots a
group of juveniles ganging up on the old man in an
attempt to extort money from him. She watches as he
knocks all of them out as they attempt to attack him.
Akira is highly impressed by him and is determined to
find out who he is. However after questioning everyone
at the Game Centre, she has no answers to who he is or
where he came from. Just as she is about to give up,
she spots the old man at a restaurant across the road
from the Game centre. She casual sits next to him and
orders her meal. They eventually start talking and
Akira is surprised that he knows that she is a police
office. She explains to him that she only wants to
battle him again on the fighting game. They continue
their conversation in a cafe where Akira tries coax
his name and back story out of him. The old man spins
a tale about how he used to be a student learning
piano at a music school in Paris but had to give it up
for gaming when he injured his hands. However the
story is a lie. He tells her she has to overcome
herself before she can beat him and leaves promising
her he will play her again if she can do this. Akira
is determined to beat him and begins her training by
pretty much flooring all the mechanics and anyone else
who gets in her way at work. Yuma seems impressed by
this and decides to be her personal coach. Though some
of the training is silly, Akira is impressed when Yuma
brings in a 4th Dan Karate Master. However behind her
back Yuma has set up a betting ring in order to make
money off the upcoming match.
It's
another peaceful but boring day at the SV2. Akira is
tasked with getting lunches for the members of the SV2
from a local convenience store. She grabs the various
instant ramen her co-workers want and notices two men
entering as one of them rush past her to go to the
toilet. As she gets on her moped to return to hanger,
she recalls who he is and checks the police criminal
database on her phone and realises on of the guys in
the store is a wanted criminal. Unfortunately that guy
is behind her staring her down as she is still in
uniform. She quickly rides off, but the criminal pulls
out a rifle out of his car and shoots at her. Back at
the SV2, the other realise that Akira should have
returned by now and decide to Yuma out on his bicycle
to find her. He enters the convenience store only to
be captures along with Akira, the staff and a customer
who are hostages. Realising something isn't quite
right, they send Yamazaki out in one of the mechanics
car. Yamazaki finds the store empty, but is captured
by one of the criminals who was hiding. Bizarrely the
hostages seem rather unconcerned about their capture
and end up eating the
convenience store food for
free, goaded on by the staff and Yuma. Eventually
Kasha goes out her her bike. Far more cautious than
the rest of the SV2, she scopes out the store with
binoculars and sees the criminals with guns drawing
the blinds. She advises Captain Gotoda of this and the
SV2 are put on alert. Both the SV2 and the riot squad
arrive at the same time. The Security Bureau tells
Gotoda to withdraw however he refuses as three of his
squad are hostages. Gotoda's negotiations go badly as
the criminals shoot at the riot squad and the SV2.
Inside they have speaker cabinet filled full of C4
explosives and a M240 machine gun. Apparently they
were to meet their associates to hand over the
weapons, but obviously their plans have gone awry. The
criminals demand a boat to make their escape by sea,
and have announced that there is C4 at the entrance
and rear of the store. They'll detonate it if their
demands aren't met. The SV2 plans to send in one of
the Ingrams via remote control (operated by Ohtawara) to
distract the criminals while Kasha goes in from the
rear entrance to rescue everyone. Kasha discovers that
back door is booby trapped with C4. As
Ohtawara clumsily remotely pilots his Ingram towards
the front the store and draws the Revolver Cannon,
Yuma realises what is about to take place and ushers
everyone behind the counter in order to protect
everyone from the chaos which is about to occur.
Something
strange is happening in Ajiro Bay in the tourist town
of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture. The fishermen are
reporting their catch is was down and worse 13 surfers
have gone missing over the course of two months. The
mayor asks Professor Nanami Kotoko to discover what is
going on. She returns with bad news; she hypotheses
that there is a large aquatic creature causing the
disappearances and low fish stocks. The claims the
lack of bodies or any other trace of the surfers only
adds to the weight of her hypothesis. The mayor finds
the surfers a problem but is more concerned with the
small catches. He fears that the professor's
hypothesis will scare off tourists and orders the
investigation to be shut down. The professor protests,
but is interrupted by a phone call from the local
police. Nearly 130 surfboards have washed up on the
shore with no sign of the surfers. The local police
chief has several theories inducing that it's a hoax
and the surfboards were stolen from a shop and dumped
on the beach. He has no interest on the professor's
theory. The professor takes a sample of gelatinous
substance off one of the surfboards. Captain Gotoda
who went to university with the professor, rings he
and tells her he is in town on a workplace trip. They
have drinks at a bar and talk about the professor's
case, but Yuma, Ohtawara,
Yamazaki and Shinji burst ion to bar and interrupt
their reunion. Every one get drunk (or drunker) and
Ohtawara and the professor end up fighting after
Ohtawara insults her karaoke performance. Eventually
they leave the bar and Gotoda hears something coming
from the ocean. The group rush to the pier where they
witness what seems to be top of the head of a huge
Kappa monster (a creature from Japanese
folklore, a water imp) in the bay. A large group of
onlookers behind them also witness the monster just
before it submerges again. The media have a field day
publishing photos taken by witnesses. It also
increases tourism to the area which had been on a
decline recently. The SV2 are called up to duty (as
Gotoda volunteered them to observe the creature) and
are stationed on the shorefront with one of the
Labors. As they sit around waiting for the monster, a
bunch of Labor otaku take photos of the Ingram.
Eventually they begin criticising it and ask where the
Revolver Cannon is. Ohtawara blows his top and brawls
with one of them. Strange things happen; a self
proclaimed Venusian turns up with an altar claiming
the monster will bring destruction and Professor
Kotoko brings in the eye patch wearing Professor
Seirewaza in to help with her investigation.
Eventually the SV2 leaves as the monster doesn't show
up. However it appears straight after they leave which
forces them back. This strange cat and mouse game is
repeated several times. Later each member of the SV2
gives their theories to what the monster is and how to
catch it to the mayor. They're all rubbish and and a
bit useless. However Shinji suggest they use beautiful
women to try coax the monster out of the bay as that's
what they do in giant monster films. Amazingly this
plan is given the go ahead. So Akira, Kasha, Professor
Kotoko and the mayor's secretary are used as "bait" in
this harebrained scheme.
The beauty
as bait plan is a failure. Instead of the monster, the
USS George Washington makes an appearance, apparently
on joint exercises with the Japanese military. However
this poses a problem; will the monster to surface due
to the joint military exercises? Professor Kotoko
revises her hypothesis. She can't believe the SV2
members theories about the monster being a large
creature as the bay is only 50 meters deep. The "head"
of the creature is 200 metres in circumference, so how
can it keep it's body submerged under the water? The
mayor in conjunction with a couple of the members of
the SV2 commission a "simulation video" of the Kappa
monster attacking the city of Atami. It's nothing more
than mini giant monster film made by a film company in
Tokyo. While the SV2, mostly Yuma, is highly impressed
at the results, the professor is deeply unimpressed
that mayor is not taking the problem seriously and
threatens to go public with the film. He orders the
police chief to detain her, but she pulls out some
Nunchakus and knocks the mayor's guards out. The
mayor's secretary knocks the professor out by breaking
a vase over her head. Despite detaining the professor
on Hatsushima island, the video is leaked anyway and
popularised by monster film fans on the internet,
which causes an increased influx of tourists to Atami.
However the mayor is not satisfied He wants more
people to visit the city and calls in a producer to
create a song and music video about the giant Kappa
monster. Professor Kotoko
escapes her detention on
Hatsushima island and swims back to Atami. She
consults with Professor
Seirewaza on what to do about the creature. He has
brought a biological agent which should kill the
monster. Late that night she hires out a small cruiser
to fight the creature. On board is the police chief
who says he want to join her to avenge the missing
surfers. However the the professor, police chief and
captain all get drunk and the cruiser goes off course.
The next day the Japanese Self
Defence Force (JSDF) shows up with a battalion of
tanks and various aircraft. To try and lure out the
monster, and to get the creature before the JSDF does,
Captain Gotoda orders Akira to fire into the ocean.
However Akira lamost hits the returning cruiser and a
tourist boat. The shots seem to have worked though as
the monster's head once again rises to the surface...