— Morning, Chief. — Morning.
With the rapid development of hyper technology came...
humanoid construction machines
called "Labors".
However, this gave rise to "Labor Crimes",
a new threat to society.
The Metropolitan Police formed
a Special Vehicles Section to combat these crimes.
Known as the SV, Patrol Labor units.
The beginning of "Patlabor".
"THE GLORY OF SV2"
More than 10 years ago, in 1998...
our Special Vehicles Section 2 was founded.
Our path of glory was short,
and hardship long.
The SV2 was an experimental unit
made to develop the usage of Labors.
The Defense Force was creating
their own Labors...
so the police with their bureaucratic heads
thought they should make their own.
So naturally, no capable personnel were sent,
not even from the successful Security Bureau.
There was a woman captain,
demoted for her insolence.
Another captain with athlete's foot,
smart but somewhat unenthusiastic.
And it was this captain
who chose the wrong crew.
A robot freak who knew nothing
about software, Noa Izumi.
A glib talker who was useless
on his own, Asuma Shinohara.
A trigger—happy rough police officer,
lsao Ohta.
A timid office worker who's good
with computers, Mikiyasu Shinshi.
A sad giant who couldn't get on board
the Labor because of his body size.
Hiromi Yamazaki.
And Finally...
a returnee from America who came on
personnel exchange to add some womanpower.
Kanuka Clancy.
The 6 members of the SV2
who determined the destiny of the unit...
left after a few years,
and then came the second generation.
How boring these guys were!
Already forgotten are their names.
Shinohara is now the Labor development
manager of his father's company
Izumi has become their test pilot
and Shinohara's wife.
The sad giant took over
his family business.
The captain established a security
company with the cop and office worker.
However, due to
their reckless management...
they went bankrupt within a year.
Shinshi established
a successful software company.
But Ohta is doing time in prison for assault.
Rumor has it
that the insolent woman captain...
is working in the Middle East
for the High Commissioner for Refugees.
The whereabouts of the captain
with athlete's foot remains unknown.
What about the present SV2?
With the long—term recession...
the Department gave up
creating their own Labor battalion.
Division 1 was disbanded, and
Division 2 just managed to continue...
on the pretext of
their experience with the Labors.
All Division 2 was equipped with
was 2 old AV-98s.
Repeatedly remodeled
with almost no manufacturer's support.
As for the crew of the third generation...
they're called "the decline of the SV2"
or "a group of bad apples".
Oh where have
those glorious days gone?
You really love it, huh?
Yep.
You can watch all you like.
But why don't you quit that good-guy pose?
The Labors aren't "Giant Robo" or "Mazinger Z".
You‘re not "Jet Boy" either.
But we're the good guys, aren't we?
Sure. That used to be the
tradition of the SV2.
Used to be?
Nowadays, heroes are for children under 15.
By the way...
What?
Has my No. 1 changed a bit?
The head seems to have...
I altered the layout of the acoustic sensor and antenna.
You said there was interference.
Yeah, whenever I moved the head
there was noise in my headset and...
You fixed it.
With some difficulty.
It's hard to get parts for this machine.
Well, does it move now?
Yep, if it's for 5 minutes.
Once, the Labors were called the money
pit, the bad apple of the Department.
But now, they're merely decorations,
like gargoyles on the roof.
Operated only to keep them standing.
They go into action just for looks
when VIPs from abroad visit.
In a time of unmanned aircraft
flying around with guided missiles...
boarding humans on walking robots
is simply absurd.
So out of date.
You won't see walking robots
anywhere around the world
except Japan.
Even in Japan, with the exception
of some construction sites...
the laborious Labors have become
a thing of the past.
The Defense Force
disbanded their Labor unit.
We're ready, Chief!
It's absurd to go in combat
with gun—loaded giant robots.
Something that happens only in comics!
While we were infatuated with
the stupid idea of walking robots...
Japan's robotic skills fell way behind.
Walking robots weren't
the result of engineering skills...
but were merely a product of
selfish wish fulfillment.
In short...
But... I still love robots.
So do I!
A word from the Chief. Attention!
Listen up.
There's no time to rest.
Get to work immediately.
We need to get that piece of junk
in condition by the end of the day.
Yes, Chief!
The SV2 Maintenance Team,
sing our song!
"In high spirits we will go Take pride in what we do"
"Always ready for anything Swiftly we will work"
"The glorious days Are in our hands"
"Our sense of justice ls strong as steel"
"Get a powerful nail And hold onto it"
"Use it skillfully With all your technique"
"Find your dream and hold onto it "
"World peace is up to us"
"Remember to point and call"
As time goes by, people change.
"The sound of bells echoes the impermanence of all things."
The first generation was unique
and the second was mediocre.
As for the third,
they're incompetent, but...
What's left unchanged is myself.
And Patrol Labor AV-98 of
the Special Vehicles Section 2.
No, that's not exactly right,
for I remodeled it so many times.
It's showtime again.