A staff talk event for the first chapter of "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," the new anime in the popular "Mobile Police Patlabor " franchise, titled "Butchan's Room Part 1," was held on May 26th at Shinjuku Piccadilly (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo). Director Yutaka Izubuchi and producer Taro Maki, President and CEO of Genco, appeared at the event and looked back on the origins of "Patlabor," revealing the behind-the-scenes story of how the new series came to be produced.
◇ Was "Early Days" just a spur-of-the-moment thing?!
"Patlabor" is a multimedia project created by the legendary creative group "HEADGEAR," consisting of Masami Yuki, Izubuchi, Kazunori Ito, Akemi Takada, and Mamoru Oshii. 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 films, novels, audio dramas, games, and more.
"Early Days" consisted of seven episodes, which were released between April 1988 and June 1989. At the time, Maki worked on "Early Days" as a producer at Tohoku Shinsha, together with Shin Unozawa, who was a producer at Bandai.
Maki recalled, "I've been involved since 'Early Days.' Bandai was the main driver, so I joined midway through. It was the era of OVAs. I also worked on the first theatrical film. The OVAs were a hit, and initially there were six, but we made one more, and then we decided to go to theaters! (In the OVAs) the Labors don't move at all. There were budget constraints and such, but I told Oshii that I wanted them to move more (in the theatrical film)." Izubuchi added, "Maki loves movies. Unozawa promotes the products on television. Each of us had our own aspirations, and Maki deserves a lot of credit for 'Patlabor 1: The Movie.'"
"Patlabor" was at the forefront of media mix at the time. Maki said, "There was a certain vibe to it back then. Everyone was around 30 years old, and it was an era where anything you released would sell. We were just going with that momentum," suggesting that the project progressed on a whim. Izubuchi added, "It was a big deal that Yuuki serialized it in Sunday. When we were making the TV series, that was a factor, and Ito was very grateful for it."
◇ "Patlabor" is "the secret to a long life"
The new anime is the first in about 10 years since the short film "Mobile Police Patlabor REBOOT" was released in 2016. Izubuchi revealed the circumstances that led to the production of the new work, saying, "Mr. Maki clarified the unclear points regarding the rights of HEADGEAR, which made it possible to make the new work."
Izubuchi said, "By organizing it, we can expand it further. Maki is asking if we can do it overseas, and 'EZY' is the core, so it's fine if something with a different direction is created." Maki added, "We are making a French version of Patlabor. When we were making 'EZY,' the main characters changed, and we realized that if we stick to certain things, it has versatility," indicating that they are considering further developments.
"EZY" was announced in 2017, and a pilot film was released in 2022, finally getting a theatrical release about nine years after its initial announcement. As Maki explains, "Initially, it was going to be eight 60-minute episodes. We were trying to make a serial drama like an overseas TV series," indicating that there were many twists and turns along the way.
When the film was finally released, Izubuchi said, "I heard that Maki-san was crying," to which Maki denied, "That's a lie," but added thoughtfully, "I thought it was amazing. It brings back memories. It captures the atmosphere of 'Early Days.' I considered letting younger people take over, but that might be difficult."
Izubuchi said, "It's been 30 years since we last did this. People who were teenagers back then are now in their 40s. I want young people to see it too, but I thought that in order for people who watched it back then to feel Patlabor, it should be done by someone who was involved from the beginning, so I took on the role." This was his way of approaching "Patlabor."
Chapter 1 includes a credit for "trailer permission," and Izubuchi expressed his desire to include the names of the five members of HEADGEAR, saying, "Since this is the first installment of our new beginning, I wanted to include their names." Chapter 1 is doing well, with attendance "soon to reach 100,000" and "exceeding initial expectations at this point," and seems to be well-received by fans.
When asked, "What does Patlabor mean to you?", Maki replied, "It's not the secret to a long life," to which Izubuchi nodded and said, "Maki's words say it all. That's true for both the creators and the viewers."
"EZY" is set in Japan in the 2030s, a time when the working population is declining and automation through AI technology is advancing. Sumire Sumire Uesaka plays Towa Kuga, the pilot of Ingram Unit 1, and Kikunosuke Toya 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.
