Pat's Labor Episode 05: The SV2's Longest Day (Part 1)
What’s a coup look like?
What’s a coup look like? For better or worse, we’ve had a number of answers to that question. In the world of 1989’s original Patlabor OVA, Mamoru Oshii imagined the long tail of American empire leaving Japan’s capitol wide open for a Christmas-time coup. SV2’s Longest Day (Part 1) is a tightly wound geopolitical thriller, full of shady g-men and conversations of few words and dire implications. And it’s just part one!
The episode still manages to be both funny and obsessed with logistics in Patlabor‘s trademark way, but here the show’s focus on granular details like ammo procurement makes the danger the rebel forces pose much more tangible. This faction is a threat in a way the previous episodes giant kaiju or ghost Labor weren’t.
Then, with one swift decapitation strike, Pat takes over the podcast for a little story about the Bonus Army, America’s most famous almost-coup, and the civic optimism of Patlabor.
Song: "Miraiha Lovers" performed by Hiroko Kasahara from Patlabor: The Early Days
Show notes:
Video podcast (with extra content) for Mini-Boss and Big Boss members below!