I saw the dubbed Manga Ent. ver. many moons ago, and this is also my only exposure to actually seeing animation from the Patlabor universe. (Yes, I would also like to see the dubbed series just cuz.)

Keeping my feedback short here...
It's been a while, but I do remember that I really liked this movie. I wouldn't mind seeing it again. Certainly seeing animated Labors on-screen fightin' 'n shootin' n' such instead of always pictures in my dad's numerous '90s Hobby Japan magazines was awesome, but I also recall how I liked the detective work in it, and- looking back- it was more of a human police drama rather than a police-piloting-giant-robots movie. And, you guys are right- from what I recall- that the technology represented in this film wasn't too far outside the realm of possibility as far as things like land-reclamation projects; or how the Patlabors aren't super-agile, immune to inertia, and don't use beam sabers and plasma cannons- they kept it near-future by using scaled-up shotguns & revolver pistols. (The Internet was still in its commercial-use infancy when this movie was made, right?)
Oh, and ditto on the zombie-monster moments with the pilot-less Labors.

Oh, BTW, I liked this DAPDX.

...hurt to say that.
------------------------------
CollectionDX Staff

We did mention the sea wall, but I thought the point of the sea wall was to make it easier to reclaim land. It was sort of not well explained. Maybe I got that part wrong?

-J

FYI Bandai Visual did release a cheaper standalone DVD without all the extras.

Amazon.com link

I can't remember what episodes, specifically, that they were in but the two detectives that appear throughout the movies do show up in the television series and, may have shown up, in the ova sequel to the series.