On December 13th, the original video animation (OVA) "Mobile Police Patlabor Early Days," 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 held in Nagoya. Appearing at the event were mechanic designer Yutaka Izubuchi, screenwriter Kazunori Ito, Taro Maki, president and CEO of Genco and general producer of the film festival, and Makoto Asanuma, president and CEO of Bandai Namco Filmworks. Regarding the new anime series "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," which has been announced to begin production in 2026, Maki revealed, "There are a total of eight episodes."
The production of the new series "EZY" was announced in 2017, and the pilot film was released at an event in 2022. Izubuchi will serve as director, while Ito will be in charge of series composition and scriptwriting. It has been announced that JCSTAFF will be producing the anime.
Izubuchi said, "I'm not making this as a feature film. It's a series. Due to various circumstances, it ended up being eight films. At first, I wasn't planning on being a director, but it's been fun doing it. I wondered what people would think of 'Patlabor' in this day and age. However, there is nothing like the first OVA or the new OVA these days. It would be fun to go back to my roots and give it a try."
Regarding the new work, he said, "I feel that the essence of 'Patlabor' is a series of spin-offs. Each episode is self-contained, and rather than being the standard story, I'm aiming for a series of 'Patlabor' spin-offs. That's why it won't disappoint those who think of 'Patlabor' as such."
Set in a near future where walking work machines called Labors have become a practical tool, "Mobile Police Patlabor" depicts the exploits of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Special Vehicle Unit 2 (Special Vehicle Unit 2) as they fight against Labor crimes, as well as the daily lives of Izumi Noa and other members of the unit. Masami Yuki's manga was serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan) from 1988 to 1994. An anime TV series aired from 1989 to 1990, and the animated feature film directed by Mamoru Oshii also gained popularity. A live-action version was also produced, which generated a lot of buzz.
"Early Days" depicts the story of Noa Izumi, a rookie police officer assigned to the Second Platoon of the Second Special Vehicle Division upon graduating from high school, as she confronts Labor crimes alongside a group of unique members of the unit, and grows as a person. This is the first animated version of "Mobile Police Patlabor," and a total of seven episodes were released between April 1988 and June 1989. Episodes 5 and 6, "The Longest Day of the Second Division," which depicts a coup d'état launched by Kai, a Self-Defense Forces officer and an old friend of Second Platoon Captain Kiichi Goto, have received high praise.
