It was revealed on April 23rd that Shigeo Shiba, also known as "Shige-san," a popular character from the anime series "Mobile Police Patlabor," will appear in the new anime "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," and that Shigeru Chiba, who voices the character, will also be appearing. The announcement was made at the completion screening stage greeting for the first chapter of "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," held at Shinjuku Piccadilly (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) on the same day, with Chiba making a surprise appearance.
Chiba commented on the new film, saying, "With Patlabor, you don't have to think about anything! It's easy to get into. It was fantastic! I laughed so hard at the preview screening. It was really fun to watch. This is what Patlabor is all about!"
Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Sumire Uesaka(who plays Towa Kuga), and Kikunosuke Toya(who plays Kippei Amatori) also appeared on stage for the greeting. Director Izubuchi revealed the reason why the name "Shigeo Shiba" is written in kanji, saying, "Until now it had been written in katakana, but he was the only one whose name was in katakana, so we changed it to kanji."
"Mobile Police Patlabor" is set in the near future where walking work machines called Labors have been put into practical use, and depicts the activities of the Special Vehicles Division 2 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department as they confront Labor-related crimes, as well as the daily lives of the members, including Izumi Noa. The manga by Masami Yuki was serialized in the manga magazine "Weekly Shonen Sunday" (Shogakukan) from 1988 to 1994. An anime television series was broadcast from 1989 to 1990, and the animated film directed by Mamoru Oshii also gained popularity. The production of a live-action version also became a topic of discussion.
"Mobile Police Patlabor EZY" is set in Japan in the 2030s, a time when the working population is declining and automation through AI technology is advancing. Labors, once cutting-edge technology, have become an established part of supporting the social infrastructure. Standalone Labors piloted by humans are being replaced by autonomous robots and are becoming obsolete. No matter how times change, the work of Special Vehicles Division 2 remains the same: protecting people and the city. The Second Platoon, along with the AV-98Plus Ingram, a tuned-up version of the old Type 98 AV Ingram, confronts new technological crimes with their wit and courage.
Izubuchi, a member of the legendary creative group "HEADGEAR" who worked on "Mobile Police Patlabor" and was in charge of mechanical design, will direct the series, with Kazunori Ito, also from "HEADGEAR," handling the script and series composition. JCSTAFF will produce the animation. The series will consist of three chapters and eight episodes in total, with the first chapter released in theaters on May 15th, the second chapter on August 14th, and the third chapter in March 2027.
