A milestone film that paved the way for Ghost in the Shell, director Mamoru Oshii’s Patlabor the Movie gets a complete makeover for this edition, offering brand new remastered visuals and improved 5.1 surround audio never-before released in the US.

Image Entertaingment, Inc. went all out with this collector’s edition boxset. The box itself features an all new illustration from Yutaka Izubuchi, mecha designer for the Patlabor series and creator of RahXephon. The contents include: the feature film with Japanese trailers and television commercials; a making of DVD that goes behind the scenes; an archives book featuring interviews, explanatory notes, drawing samples, etc.; and the real gem of the whole package, the 300 page storyboard by Mamour Oshii himself!

The 300-page storyboard is translated into English and even includes a glossary of technical terms for those of us not well versed in the film industry. The sticker price on the collector’s edition set is a staggering $89.99!!! But the storyboard makes shelling out ninety bucks worth it, even if you already own the original release, like me. The storyboard includes deleted scenes that reveal an inner depth to the movie.

The Archive book containing character profiles, interviews and production information comes in a close second behind the storyboard. At 184 pages, it is like reading a novel. Props to Image for such an amazing collection of full color images. The archives include a reprint of the Patlabor brochure in full color. My only complaint is that it wasn’t reproduced in full size and the Japanese text isn’t translated. Regardless, I was in awe just looking at it.

With a retail price of $89.99, you must be thinking the boxset should come autographed by the entire production team! But the quality is unbelievable and the attention to detail is commendable. Sell your old copy on ebay and buy this limited edition boxset. All the boxes are numbered and only 10,000 total will be printed.