On December 13th, "Mobile Police Patlabor: Early Days," an original video animation (OVA) based on the popular anime and manga series "Mobile Police Patlabor, " was screened at the 1st Aichi-Nagoya International Animation Film Festival (ANIAFF), an international anime film festival being held in Nagoya. This was the first screening of "Early Days" in about seven years, since its special screening at the Nerima Anime Carnival in October 2018. Appearing at the event were mechanic designer Yutaka Izubuchi, screenwriter Kazunori Ito, Genco CEO and festival general producer Taro Maki, and Bandai Namco Filmworks CEO Makoto Asanuma. They looked back on the production of "Early Days."
"Early Days" was the first animated version of "Mobile Police Patlabor," and was released in seven episodes between April 1988 and June 1989. Maki was a producer at Tohokushinsha at the time, and worked on "Early Days" together with Unozawa Shin, a producer at Bandai. Asanuma, who joined Network in 1986 (which merged with Bandai in 1988), was a newcomer at the time and worked on the project as an assistant producer.
"Early Days" was an unusual feature for an OVA in that it included commercials. The inclusion of commercials allowed it to be sold at a low price. Maki said, "Unosawa suggested selling the OVA for 4,800 yen. I thought that was interesting," while Asanuma revealed, "Unosawa and I went to ask for half the money, and (Maki) said, 'Let's do it!' Even though we had no authority to do so. I can't believe it now."
Maki, who made an immediate decision despite not having the authority to do so, said, "It's a case of selling at a low profit margin. Even if I told my superiors, they wouldn't understand," to which Izubuchi nodded, saying, "They had momentum and power."
The film was made on a low budget, with Maki saying, "We couldn't make it in 32mm, so we made it in 16mm," and Asanuma saying, "We tried to make it cheaply by making it into a series."
Izubuchi said, "At first, there was talk of changing the director for every episode. It was tough because we had no budget. That's why we invited Oshii (director Mamoru Oshii)." Ito said, "We were tight on cash. That's why the labor wouldn't move." Despite the low budget, a masterpiece was born through ingenuity.
The series was originally planned to have a total of six episodes, but due to its success, a seventh episode was produced. According to Maki, "The production costs for episode 7 doubled." In particular, episodes 5 and 6, "The Longest Day of the Second Division," in which Kai Reki, an old friend of Second Platoon Captain Goto Kiichi, a member of the Self-Defense Forces, launches a coup d'état, received high praise.
Regarding episodes 5 and 6, Ito said, "Once we decided to do 'Kenka Eregei' (directed by Suzuki Seijun), I was really excited to write them." Maki said, "I thought, 'Yes!' At first I felt like I'd been tricked, but I'm glad I did it. Episodes 5 and 6 are what make the movie." Asanuma was pleased, saying, "I received Ito's script by fax and thought, 'It's so interesting!'"
A TV anime series was broadcast from 1989 to 1990, and the animated feature film directed by Oshii also gained popularity. A new anime project, "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," has been announced to begin in 2026, making it a beloved work that will be loved for many years to come.
Izubuchi, who is the director of the new film "EZY," said, "I feel that the essence of 'Patlabor' is a series of spin-offs. Each episode is self-contained, and rather than following the standard path, I am aiming for a series of 'Patlabor' spin-offs. That is why it will not disappoint the expectations of those who think of 'Patlabor' as a series."
