PatlaborReviews

Mini Pato Ep. 1: Roar! Revolver Cannon!

0
Summary

SV2 Division 2 Capt. Kiichi Goto comments that firearms are like an extension of the user’s body. He compares that to the rocket punches made famous by super robot anime. Goto fishes outside the SV2 station house and greets the audience, noting that it’s been a long time since he last appeared. He announces that he’s decided to create his own new series, but given the short runtime, fans shouldn’t expect wild stories or spectacular action scenes. Goto moves to the maintenance hangar to discuss the 37mm revolver cannon, which serves as the main weapon of the Ingram. He notes that it’s the largest handgun in the world and that there was some confusion because the bullet caliber was originally stated to be 20mm. Goto says that even 37mm is too small, so given its size ratio to humans, it should be 75mm, which would make it a cannon. He then wonders who would come up with a name like “revolver cannon.” He notes the problem with calling it a cannon because in a broad sense the firearm with a caliber larger than a rifle, with a long barrel and that shoots at high speed is called a cannon in military terms. However, the Ingram’s handgun has a short barrel, so it would need a much longer barrel. But a longer barrel would be unfeasible for its use in close-range combat against other labors. That makes the revolver cannon a cannon in name rather than fact. The gun also isn’t a howitzer, so he asks someone to use it. Gun freak Isao Ota uses Unit 2 to fire multiple shots at a boat in the water and sink it. Goto explains that a howitzer fires rounds with grenade-like explosives that explode upon impact, and he paints a scenario where an idiot like Ota fires a weapon like that. In the example, Ota fires multiple rounds into a Tyrant 2000 and takes it down before he sets off a wave of wanton destruction. Goto says the revolver cannon can’t be a howitzer because of the substantial collateral damage it would cause to the city. Certain ammunition rounds are out of the question, and armor piercing shells fired by Ota take down a Bulldog, a Hercules H21 and a Boxer, along with all the buildings behind them. Goto explains that bullets need to have stopping power to bring down labors and explains how bullets work. He adds that the proper name for the weapon should be the 37mm maneuverable rapid fire field gun, but that’s too long, hence the name revolver cannon. He also mentions the personal firearms used by Ota, Kanuka Clancy and Shinobu Nagumo. Goto comments that he’d rather not carry guns, and everyone starts running around shooting guns.

Commentary

The first short film of Mini Pato opens with Goto launching into a very detailed explanation of how the Ingram’s 37mm revolver cannon works and why it’s named as such. He gets pretty technical to the point that it only makes sense to gun fans like Ota. Of course, this being a short about guns, the perfect person to use as an example of what not to do is Ota. It’s amusing to see him go on a shooting rampage as he always does, although he doesn’t usually breathe fire, but that’s a nice touch. There are also some references to past entries, as the blimp from the second film can be spotted in the sky. This being a weird set of shorts, Goto is naturally breaking the fourth wall, and he’s joined by a suspiciously Mamoru Oshii-looking dog.

Overall Rating
3.5/5
Mini Pato Info


Director:
Kenji Kamiyama

Writer:
Mamoru Oshii

Mechanical Designer:
Yutaka Izubuchi

Character Designer:
Tetsuya Nishio

Musical Composer:
Kenji Kawai

Format:
3 shorts

Theatrical Release:
Japan 03.30.2002

Comments

Comments are closed.