LD rip ?

i think its not 5.1 channel. but will do

i think its not 5.1 channel. but will do

Patlabor is a great series, really worth your money to get the whole series. I reccomend watching this after you watch the TV series. The thing about the griffon story is put alternately is not a ripping mistake. Its an OVA, sold on video episode by episode, so it adds the element of suspense to viewers. hehe.

Very clear considering that there are 8 episodes per disc. Very few instances of glitches/pixelisation. Looking at the series itself, there is very little difference in visual and animation terms between this and it's precursor, the TV series (this is a direct continuation of the TV show). You don't get the expected quality boost usually associated with an OVA. Tested on a Pioneer 636 (RGB output) + QED RGB (video-only) SCART cable + JVC 28" 4:3 TV.

Clear enough though nothing more than basic 2.0 sound, which doesn't cause any harm at all. Tested on a basic Sony Dolby Digital amp.

Clear enough though nothing more than basic 2.0 sound, which doesn't cause any harm at all. Tested on a basic Sony Dolby Digital amp.

The case is nothing spectacular although the use of 'soft' plastic hubs for the disc holder is most welcome. Menus are clear and easy to navigate. One bonus is that each episode is divided into proper chapters - Intro + opening credits/Part A/Part B/Closing credits/ Next episode preview. A professional touch. One quibble is that the episodes don't appear to be in the 'right' order despite the previews confirming they are. For example, the return of the Griffin episodes are placed at intervals across Disc One - you get to a cliffhanger and the preview announces a different story for the next episode with the next Griffin installment coming after that. Strange! Okay, you've looked at the scores and thought "This doesn't look good", right? Wrong! My mean marking was for the DVD itself not the series. Simply put, I love Patlabor! True, there are more humorous, more exciting and better animated shows out there, but there's something about the SV2 crew, which pushes Patlabor above many other series. Some episodes are just plain goofy, but there is character development in there making for some absorbing, sometimes poignant, watching. You don't get this is if you stick only to the 'alternate' Patlabor universe, i.e. the first OAVs and the 3 movies. This is an essential purchase if you're a Patlabor fan, regardless of the poor subtitles. Fingers crossed for a more accomplished release.

Reviewed on a very basic setup; a Pioneer 525 with s-video hookups to a 32" Sony trinitron TV Video: I'm the one who just gave the video 3 stars and I wish I'd given it 4 (if any administrator can do that for me as I seem not to be able to, I'd appreciate it) The video is not superb, and looks to be LD source but it is more than adequate. The colors do seem a little deep perhaps and in the dark scenes there might be some detail lost, though I do not know how much was there in the original. It mostly becomes apparent when there is a black labor against a night backdrop. There is no more than the typical HK DVD graininess to it that we have all pretty much come to live with when 8 episodes are stuffed on a disc but it is not obnoxious or distracting. Since there are so little high action scenes, there is little chance for great amounts of pixelization to occur, when they do happen though, they are minor. Audio: I noticed no distracting noises or distortion. on my set up that's about as detailed as I can get. It sounded good to me. Subtitles: Great I'd say. There are mix ups with the names being Chinese for some characters and not for others, but it is understandable and kind of cute in it's own way. Noah becomes Chuan, Gomioka becomes Woway (I think). The names do go back to normal (Japanese) for some episodes, and sometimes theye switch back and forth within the same episode but it is easily understandable. Grammar is great and even the bits of techno babble are translated very well, much of the subtlety of the language used by some of the characters is also preserved very nicely, helping to maintain their character. There are very occasional switches in gender but that is excusable pretty much. The font is big and seriffed (a la AV rip) but with the quality of the translations that too, is excusable. Overall, I am impressed. I can't recommend Patlabor, as a series, enough. It is easily my favorite anime for it's well thought out concept and characterization. This OVA series is great as well, The Griffon battles are a pleasure as is the rest of the series. Ah well, get it, enjoy it. edited by idward on 24 Apr 2002 6:12 am