Patlabor: The Movie, cut no. 577, solegraph

The film was released in 1989. The plot is set in Tokyo in the year 1999. At the close of the twentieth century, a rise in global sea levels forces a massive building program in Tokyo – the Babylon Project – which reclaims more land from Tokyo Bay. The story centers on big robots piloted by humans and used mainly for construction work, the so-called ‘Labors’. The police set up a ‘Pat[rol] Labor division’ to deal with the crime that this new technology brings.

Director Mamoru Oshii’s concept when creating a realistic setting was not to invent an entirely new cityscape for Tokyo ten years in the future, but instead to show the existing city as it might be in a decade’s time. Therefore the cityscape and the background artwork doesn’t show much science fiction elements. The most scientifically advanced devices are the Labors and the computer screens in this interior shot (cut no. 577). Although the story centers around digital technology and its potential dangers to society the film’s artwork was painted by the traditional means of brush and poster color.

The layouts for these cuts, prepared by Takashi Watabe were remarkable in the eyes of art director Hiromasa Ogura. While he was in awe at the detail, his objective for the control room was to produce a distinctive, different impression from other interiors.

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