Patlabor The Movie marks the first cinematic entry in the classic mecha action-comedy franchise by artistic collective Headgear, which includes director Mamoru Oshii and writer Kazunori Ito, the creative duo behind Ghost in the Shell. In an alternate universe version of 1999, “labors” – large, humanoid, robots – are commonplace in Japan. A result of rapid technological advancement, these powerful marvels of engineering play important roles in all facets of society. After a suicide of a key figure, the increasing cases of Labors of going haywire and the emergence of an endangering virus, Special Vehicles Unit Section 2, Division 2 must work to uncover the conspiracy that threatens the entire metropolis.