Synopses for Patlabor New OVA Series

1   Griffin Resurrected
It's 30 December 1999. Utsumi and Bud have returned to Japan to challenge the SV2 again, and sell their team's services in the format of the Griffin. At the SV2 the AV-Zero is going though it's paces. It has been improved and is now much faster. Kanuka has returned to Japan to visit her Grandmother and has dropped by to visit her former colleagues at the SV2. Detective Matsui discovers that several top Labor specialists are in town and informs Captain Gotoh of his findings. Meanwhile Momoko Sakurayama receives a tip-off that several arms dealers are also in Tokyo. She informs Kumagami, who in turn tells Captain Gotoh. Something big is going to happen. That night the Griffin Labor returns. Division 2 was previously called out to a fire, so Division 1 is called in to deal with the Labor. Bud soon figures out the Zero's weakness; it is programmed to stop near buildings to avoid damage. He takes full advantage of this and defeats both Patlabors.

The Dirty Pair (Kei and Yuri) make another cameo appearance in this episode. They can be seen in the crowd shots in the beginning as the disguised Utsumi is pretending to be a juggling busker. Just as they were in the TV episode "Eve's Trap", Kei and Yuri are wearing the same civilian clothes they wore in the OVA "Dirty Pair: Conspiracy of Flight 005". Sunrise animated both the Dirty Pair OVA and the Patlabor New OVA Series. Also of note is that Yuki of Division 1 finally has some lines of dialogue. Screenplay by Kazunori Ito. Released 22 November 1990.

2   Schaft's Counterattack
The remains of Division 1's Labors return to the hanger. Noa is somewhat scared of the prospect of having to fight the Griffin again, but Asuma assures her that she can defeat it. Meanwhile Schaft's section chief is livid at Utsumi's actions. Gotoh asks Kumagami about her relationship with Utsumi. She tells him it is none of his business. Bud leaves the ship where the Griffin is being hidden to visit the SV2. He doesn't go into the hanger to meet them, and stops at the gate because he is worried that Gotoh might spot him. He is later chewed out by Utsumi because of his actions. Kurosaki notices that Bud is becoming more dangerous and secretly orders to place a bomb on the Griffin without Utsumi's knowledge. If it looks like the Griffin will be captured Kurosaki will destroy the Griffin and Bud. Matsui notices that the labor specialists are on the move. They are in fact being taken on a bus en route to the Griffin Labor's next show. Utsumi notices Matsui trailing the bus and manages to give him the slip. The Griffin appears that night, the 31st December 1999, and Division 2 are mobilised. Meanwhile Kanuka is taking her grandmother on a trip. On the train she overhears a news report about the Griffin surfacing again in Tokyo bay. Her grandmother senses her anxiety and tells her to go and that she will be fine by herself.

Note that the bus Utsumi and the Labor specialists are travelling on has the Sunrise logo on the side. Sunrise is the studio that animated the series. This OVA is apparently named after the 1988 Gundam film "Char's Counterattack". In its original release, this episode was the third episode in the series. Screenplay by Kazunori Ito. Released 24 January 1991.

3   The Greatest Showdown in History
The Griffin is ready to fight Division 2. Momoko Sakurayama races to the scene, but a traffic jam is holding them up. She decides she can wait no longer, and runs to the scene without her camera crew. Meanwhile the Ingrams face off the Griffin across a bridge. In the ensuing battle the Griffin escapes off the bridge into the water and Ota shoots a hole into the bridge with the shotgun in an attempt to hit it. But the Griffin pulls Ota's Labor down through the hole. Ota manages to escape, but his Labor is at the bottom of the bay.

Kanuka returns to the SV2 hanger to retrieve Unit 3. She is determined to help her comrades, but will she make it to them in time? Momoko finally arrives at the scene to report on the action, but Gotoh and Kamagumi have other plans for her and her camera crew. They ask her to film the windows of the hotel where the fight is taking place. Gotoh believes that the Labor specialists are watching the show inside the hotel. He wants to be able to identify them. Utsumi orders Bud to fight Noa. Bud smashes Noa's Ingram back onto it's carrier. Noa's Labor is flat on it's back, and Bud is coming in for the final blow. Worse yet is the fact her battery is running out.

Note that Noa's screen at the end of the episode says "Battely Check" (sic). Obviously the animators noticed their mistake as it has been spelled correctly at the start of the next episode. In its original release, this episode was the fifth episode in the series. Screenplay by Kazunori Ito. Released 25 April 1991.

4   Game Over
Noa isn't moving, so Hiromi moves his carrier back, out of reach of the Griffin. Meanwhile Shinshi rams the Griffin with his carrier to enable Hiromi and Noa to escape. Noa's Labor is now totally out of power. She needs to recharge her batteries fast. Unfortunately the Griffiin has gotten past Shinshi who tries to block it, but feels the Griffin's wrath for his trouble. The Griffin runs after the escaping carrier, but Kanuka arrives in the nick of time and starts fighting it. Sakaki has also arrived in machine 3's carrier with a new set of batteries for Noa. Kanuka needs to hold off the Griffin until Noa can change her batteries. Unfortunately Kanuka is severely beaten and has her Labor's arm ripped off. While most of Tokyo celebrates the first moments of the new year, Noa goes back into battle, but Bud announces through the external speakers of the Griffin that he is finally going to fight his "big sister" (a term of affection - he's not really her brother). Noa is absolutely shocked. She realises that the young boy she met at the game centre is actually piloting the Griffin. Kanuka tries to shoot the Griffin, but Noa tries to stop her and explain who is in the cockpit of the Griffin.

Kurosaki decides that now might be a good time to use the bomb onboard the Griffin. Utsumi tells him that he knew about it and that he's already removed it. Both of them decide that the game is over and leave disguised as hotel staff. Meanwhile Kumagami has been trying track down Utsumi inside the hotel. She confronts him, and we discover the nature of their former relationship. Utsumi tells her that he wants to turn himself in. He tricks her when they embrace, and he throws her in a large laundry hamper and escapes. Meanwhile Bud and Noa continue fighting, while trading insults through their external speakers. Noa manages to get the upper hand and pile-dives the Griffin and arrests Bud. Kurosaki and Utsumi escape the police road blocks. Utsumi tells Kurosaki that in fact he did leave the bomb on the Griffin, and presses the detonation button as they drive off and flee from the scene. Division 2 notice the bomb in time, and Kanuka manages to throw the Griffin into the bay before it explodes.

Later, Bud is deported back to India. Kumagami decides to give away the watch Utsumi gave her when they were lovers, to Shige. That chapter of her life is now over. In its original release, this episode was the seventh episode in the series. Screenplay by Kazunori Ito. Released 23 June 1991.

5   A Bad Day
Noa wakes up to discover she has a toothache. But some members of the team think it's more than this, especially when Asuma has been teasing her about her wisdom teeth all morning. The team force Asuma to apologise, but that just makes things worse, especially when there was no apparent reason to apologise. Shinshi gives Noa painkillers to ease the pain, but unfortunately she takes them all at once causing her to sleep most of the morning. Later in the afternoon Division 2 are suddenly called out to an incident where a stolen Labor is running amuck in a forest. Only problem is that every time Noa takes a step in her Ingram, her tooth hurts like mad. In its original release, this episode was the second episode in the series.

Note that one of the names of Hiromi's chickens is Akemi, no doubt named after character designer Akemi Takada. Screenplay by Michiko Yokote. Released 25 December 1990.

6   90% Viewer Rate
The children's TV program "Together With Mother" has finally been axed after 20 years, and is about to begin it's final broadcast. Unfortunately one of the cast members, Kumagoro, a man in a bear suit, has decided to take the rest of cast hostage by grabbing them with a small a Labor. He demands ¥300,000,000 and a helicopter or he'll blow up the cast. To prove his claims, he sets off a car bomb in the parking lot. Division 2 are called in, but the producers of the show seem to want to prolong the situation in order to get higher ratings. Kumagami and Noa enter the studio disguised as waitresses in order to free the hostages, but the plan does not go well. The riot police are called in after Division 2's failure, but Gotoh thinks they'll just inflame the situation more. However Gotoh does have a plan which is so bizarre it might just work. In its original release, this episode was the fourth episode in the series.

On one of the walls in the TV station Green Room you can see a poster for a TV show which features a Zero Labor. Screenplay by Hibari Arisu. Released 21 February 1991.

7   Black Trinary
After the hot water system (a 40 gallon drum attached to propane tank) at the SV2 literally blows up, Division 2 is forced to go to a bath house to wash themselves. Upon driving to the bath house, they come across a man lying unconscious in the street. He identifies himself as a policeman. He has been tracking down a terrorist who has been responsible for several bombings of businesses with contracts with the Babylon Project. He found the terrorist, but was knocked out by him before he could be arrested. Before the police officer passes out, he tells them the terrorist can be identified by three moles under his right arm. None of the team saw anybody pass the van they were driving in, so he must of headed in the other direction; a dead end street with the bath house at the end of it. The men of Division 2 decide to arrest the culprit and enter the bath house. Only problem is that most of the suspects look like Yakuza members, and who in their right mind would attempt to look under their armpits?

There's a number of anime references in this episode. One of the bath house customers looks like Duke Togo (aka Golgo 13) from "Golgo 13" (Gotoh even calls him #13), and the pattern the child draws on the back of the "mole man" looks like the pattern on the chest of Ken from "Hokuto no Ken" (Fist of the North Star). Also note that the bomber uses locker 666. Black Trinary or Black Tri-Stars, is the name of the three man ace pilot team of Zeon Forces Commandos in "Mobile Suit Gundam" In its original release, this episode was the sixth episode in the series. Screenplay by Mamoru Oshii. Released 23 May 1991.

8   The Seven Days of Fire
Ota has yet again totalled his Ingram in the line of duty. Sakaki orders the mechanics to fix the labor overnight. Shige tells him that they can't do it and have been working non-stop, and will probably need a night off. Sakaki is sympathetic to their plight and checks up on the sleeping mechanics. However he finds tons and tons of pornographic magazines and videos in their possession. Enraged, he publicly burns the lot and instigates new rules, banning many popular pastimes such as fishing, and leaving very little of a private life. The mechanics are very upset and Shige decides to talk to Sakaki. Before he can get a word out, Sakaki tells him that he may be retiring soon, and that Shige will eventually be head mechanic. Sakaki tells him that he will have to look after the mechanics and discipline them. Shige takes this talk the wrong way, and forms a force to weed out mechanics who break the rules. This causes the mechanics to revolt, but some don't agree and splinter groups form. Kidnappings and beatings of other mechanics begin. Though the ruckus doesn't effect their work, Sakaki must do something to regain control.

This episode is a satire based upon Mamoru Oshii's dealings with on campus political groups at the collage he attended. The promotional poster for the idol singer the mechanic puts up at the end of the episode advertises the album "Akai Megane" (Red Spectacles), which is also the name of the live action 1987 film Mamoru Oshii directed. Shigeru Chiba who is the voice actor for Shige played the lead role, Koichi Todome, in "Akai Megane". Screenplay by Mamoru Oshii. Released 25 July 1991.

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