Pat's Labor 07: SV2, Go North!
Turns out we all forgot about ANOTHER type of labor.
Going into this episode we were all wondering, how would Patlabor follow up it's 2-part thrill ride and cap off the OVA with it's seventh and final episode. Do we found out the aftermath of the nearly successful nuclear-armed military coup mentioned? Nope! Could this episode have conceivably taken place all most any time after the first season? Probably! But we do get to go out on a perfectly executed tag-team clothesline. WRESTLING MENTIONED.
Other than the episode's seeming resistance to connecting itself to the character's growth in the last episodes or the trajectory of the plot, we do get some top tier Patlabor action. There's stunning hand-crafted semi truck animation and a genuine labor-on-labor fight, plus an efficient critique of the military industrial complex. And three men making a show about Patlabor and labor history realize there's another type of labor they hadn't considered...
Song: "Miraiha Lovers" performed by Hiroko Kasahara from Patlabor: The Early Days
And since wrestling was referenced in the final fight, Pat couldn't avoid talking about a pair of subjects near-and-dear to his heart: wrestling and labor law. We all learn a little bit about "kayfabe" employment in the wrestling industry and why the WWE ultimately never got a union.
Show notes:
David Shoemaker
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