Patlabor 2: The Movie

Aired: 1993

Mamoru Oshii's second Patlabor theatrical film, produced at Production I.G, trades giant-robot action for a chillingly cerebral political thriller. The bombing of Yokohama Bay Bridge and a covert air strike by U.S. forces disguised as a Japanese self-defense aircraft tip Tokyo into a simulated state of war. Behind it stands Yukihito Tsuge, a disillusioned former officer. Reuniting Goto, Nagumo and the old SV2 crew, the film unfolds as a quiet, philosophical hunt that interrogates the fragile peace of postwar Japan. Kenji Kawai's tense, monastic score and the film's painterly cityscapes have made it a touchstone of mature anime cinema.