Mobile Police Patlabor: Early Days

Mobile Police Patlabor: Early Days is an OVA series released in Japan from 1988-1989. Created by the artist group HEADGEAR, it is the first entry in the Patlabor franchise. The series is directed by Mamoru Oshii and Naoyuki Yoshinaga, written by Kazunori Ito and featuring mechanical designs by Yutaka Izubuchi, character designs by Akemi Takada and a score by Kenji Kawai. The series is set in a then-near future Japan in 1998, where robots called Labors have revolutionized construction. However, this has also resulted in them being used for crime, which leads the the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to create Special Vehicles Section 2, which combats Labor crime with their Patrol Labors. The original continuity of the OVA series continues with three animated films and a live action TV series and movie. Early Days was originally released on home video in North America by Central Park Media, but it has since been re-released by Sentai Filmworks’ Maiden Japan label.