By Ota records narration for a voiceover about the development of the patrol labor. Shigeo “Shige” Shiba comments that 10 years earlier they made unfounded remarks about things like hyper technology. He then notes that this series has nothing to do with any previous Patlabor production and launches into an explanation about the AV-98 Ingram. He states that the 98 comes from it being approved in 1998, and the AV refers to Advanced Vehicle and not Adult Video. Shige notes that in old style military terminology, the Ingram’s name would be “Shinohara 98 Revision, Human-Style General-Purpose Machine for the Police.” Shige hears from the audience that they already know what a labor is, but he insists that the labor isn’t just some giant robot like a mobile suit or armored trooper. Shige says that the history of robot animation is the history of marketing schemes to sell toys. He says that every possible setting and story was explored to differentiate each series and help them sell toys. Shige then finds himself in a super robot sentai team where several Ingrams combine to form the giant Patlager. He notes that mecha designers created multiple variations of a robot to increase sales and runs through several styles. He says the pursuit of anime drove creators mad, at which point the totally original Patlabor series was conceived. Shige runs a cram school outlining the system as to how a police robot should work, including transportation, size, battery power and weapons. Shige cleans the bathroom and vows that Patlabor will add a new page to the history of robot anime. He then outlines each of the underachievers who make up the show’s cast and notes that the mechanics are the really important characters. Shige and the mechanics cheer for the Ingram before he switches to a discussion of software. He explains that labors need OS updates just like computers need to be upgraded with Windows 98. The HOS is installed on the Ingram, which causes it to go berserk and start wrecking the SV2 station house.
The second installment of Minipato switches focus to Shige for an entry that’s full of breaking the fourth wall and referencing past Patlabor productions, along with other anime. You can see cameos for Matsui and the scheming Arakawa, along with an appearance by the rampage-inducing HOS. There are visual cameos and name checks for Gundam, Evangelion and VOTOMS. The mention of VOTOMS is especially interesting since Shige’s voice actor, the hyperactive Shigeru Chiba, also voiced Vanilla Vartla in VOTOMS. Shige goes overboard as he tends to, and I found his brutal assessment of the cast amusing, along with his boasting of how important the mechanics are.
Comments