Sweetness to all degrees! During the summer when Otakon had their late-night showing of Patlabor WXIII, I was a little miffed that I had to leave early and missed it. I stopped off at my local anime rental place on my way home though and watched it that night. I was astounded at the depth of the storyline and the presentation. This wasn't just a good anime. This was a good movie for anyone. I saw this as a new gateway anime for people who like serious movies or cop dramas

Six months later and I just rented and watched Patlabor Movie 1. The animation isn't nearly as good, but that's fine with me considering it was made a decade and a half ago. For quality comparison, even on DVD its on par with Akira VHS. The characters, storyline, and presentation may be even better in this one, its really hard to tell.

At this point, I'm going to purchase Patlabor Movie 1 and order a Patlabor WXIII 3-DVD Ultimate Edition. Are the series, OVA's and 2nd movie on the same level as these? Should I rent them, buy them, or ignore them entirely?