On May 15th, a stage greeting was held at Shinjuku Piccadilly (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) for the opening day of the first chapter of " Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," a new anime in the popular "Mobile Mobile Police Patlabor " series. Director Yutaka Izubuchi, scriptwriter and series composition writer Kazunori Ito, character designer Masami Yuki, and singer Mariko Nagai, who performs the ending theme "Baton," appeared at the event. This new anime is the first in approximately 10 years since the short film " Mobile Police Patlabor REBOOT," which was released in 2016, and Director Izubuchi and others revealed the story behind the "revival."
◇New releases are proceeding as usual.
"Mobile Police Patlabor" is a multimedia project created by the legendary creative group "HEADGEAR," consisting of Yuki, Izubuchi, Ito, Takada Akemi, and Oshii Mamoru. It began in 1988 with six OVAs (Original Video Animations) called "Early Days," and has since expanded into manga by Yuki, television anime, theatrical anime, novels, audio dramas, games, and more.
"EZY" was announced in 2017, and a pilot film was released in 2022, and after approximately nine years since its announcement, it has finally been released in theaters. Director Izubuchi greeted the audience by saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting! You may be saying we've kept you waiting too long, but we made it in the usual 'Patlabor' style, going back to basics."
Director Izubuchi explained the "revival" by saying, "There are various circumstances," adding, "To put it simply, it started more than 10 years ago with the idea of trying it again in anime form. Mr. Ito decided on the format, and that's where it all began."
Ito said that it started with a feeling close to a sense of mission, that "it wouldn't do if we didn't do it," and Yuki said, "I thought I couldn't make it anymore, but Ito said, 'You can!', so I thought, 'Let's do it.' It's deeply moving to have reached this day."
◇ Auditions from "A" to "Shinkuro"
For the supporting characters other than the main characters, a "casting audition" method was adopted, in which characters that Yuuki had drawn in the past "appeared."
Yuki said, "I had already created the basic outlines for Towa, Kippei, and Saeki when I was working on 'REBOOT.' I drew the other team members. Following the director's instructions, the supporting characters and extras are taken from my previous manga." Director Izubuchi explained, "It would be difficult to have them draw all the characters. I have a huge stock of material from 'Ultimate Superhuman R' to 'Shinkuro, Run!', so the setting production team selected candidates from there, and we cast them like actors applying for auditions. I think of them as actors. It might be similar to Osamu Tezuka's star system."
It's also been announced that a new one-shot manga by Yuuki will be published in the May 18th issue (No. 25) of the manga magazine "Weekly Big Comic Spirits" (Shogakukan). This will be the first new work in approximately 32 years since the end of the series, and Yuuki commented, "It's the first time since the series ended. I'm worried about people expecting too much. I felt like I might not be able to create anything anymore, but I found a story that I thought I could draw. It's been about 30 years since I last drew, so I'm not confident."
◇It's not a robot story!?
Illustrator and mecha designer Hidetaka Tenjin, who served as the MC for the stage greeting, revealed that when he spoke with Oshii, Oshii had said, "Patlabor is a slice-of-life series." Ito responded, "I didn't write it thinking of it as a robot series either," Yuki added, "If you think of it as a robot series, it has many flaws," and Director Izubuchi nodded in agreement, saying, "It's different from Gundam!"
Finally, Yuuki commented, "We finally did it. It feels like 'Patlabor' is back," and Ito said, "Sorry to keep you waiting! The Second Platoon is always the Second Platoon!"
Nagai, who is in charge of the ending theme, said, "My dream has come true, and I'm thrilled. It's an honor. I feel like I'm getting a second helping of youth." Director Izubuchi responded, "A second helping of youth, that's a great phrase. I feel that way, and I think so for all of you. If anyone can't finish it all, please ask for seconds!" he said, addressing the fans gathered at the venue.
"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.
Sumire Sumire Uesaka plays Towa Kuga, the pilot of Ingram Unit 1, and Kikunosuke Toya Totani plays Kippei Amatori, the commander of Ingram Unit 1. Ami Koshimizu, Chikahiro Kobayashi, Setsuji Sato, Yume Matsumura, and Megumi Hayashibara also appear in the cast. The series consists of three chapters and eight episodes in total, with Chapter 1 released in theaters on May 15th. Chapter 2 will be released in theaters on August 14th, and Chapter 3 in March 2027.
