A screening of the first episode of "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," a new anime adaptation of the popular "Mobile Police Patlabor" series, entitled "The Trend is #SecondPlatoon," was held on February 14th at Musashino Public Hall (Musashino City, Tokyo). The new work is directed by Yutaka Izubuchi, a member of the legendary creator group "HEADGEAR" who worked on "Mobile Police Patlabor" and was in charge of mechanical design. Izubuchi spoke about the behind-the-scenes story of the creation of "Mobile Police Patlabor," and a message from Mamoru Oshii was also introduced.
Debuch explained how "Mobile Police Patlabor" came about, saying, "Yuuki (Masami) was writing down ideas in a notebook, and when I showed them to him, I thought they were interesting. I initially submitted the idea to Sunrise, thinking it would be great to make it into an anime, but it was rejected. I became friends with Ito (Kazunori) and Takada (Akemi), and then presented it to Bandai."
The first OVA (original video animation), "Mobile Police Patlabor: Early Days," was released between April 1988 and June 1989. "At the time, OVAs were expensive, costing around 10,000 yen for a 30-minute episode. We released this for less than half the price," said the creator. This groundbreaking OVA was a huge hit, and led to the production of animated feature films and television anime.
In addition to the first episode of the new film, the 12th episode of the "NEW OVA" series, "Two Karuizawas," was also screened that day. Izubuchi chose this episode because "I like it. I was asked to choose 'VS' or 'Snow Rondo,' but this is a story that can only be told in Patlabor. When I saw the preview for 'The Dungeon Returns,' I wondered if this was okay."
"Two Karuizawas" is an episode centered around a conversation between Goto Kiichi and Nagumo Shinobu, and Goto revealed, "We did a pre-recording (recording the voices first). The voices would crack or overlap if we didn't do a pre-recording. We were able to do it because there were just the two of us."
Ahead of the release of the new film, Mamoru Oshii of "HEADGEAR" sent a message saying, "I think I can pretty much imagine it... but I'm a little excited. Good luck, Bu-chan! That's all (laughs)." Regarding Oshii, Izubuchi said, "People say we were fighting, but that's a long time ago. I met him two years ago. We had a fun talk."
Ito Kazunori, a member of "HEADGEAR" who is in charge of the scriptwriting and series composition for the new work, also sent a message saying, "Patlabor EZY is a story that takes place on the timeline from the TV series to the new OVA. I hope that after 30 years, you will feel a sense of nostalgia and familiarity with the members of the team who are still as busy as ever, as well as new enjoyment. Personally, I have been wondering if it would be possible to integrate the separate timeline that flows from the Early Days to the movie version... What do you think about that?"
The 4th Animusa Festival, the anime section of Musashino City's regional revitalization project "Anime no Manga no Musashino," collaborated with "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," and a screening was held as part of the collaboration. Also appearing at the screening were Sumire Uesaka, who plays Towa Kuga, Kikunosuke Toya, who plays Kippei Amatori, and Yuji Matsukura, producer of JCSTAFF, who is working on the new film.
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 film directed by Oshii also gained popularity. A live-action version was also produced, which generated a lot of buzz.
"Mobile Police Patlabor EZY" is set in Japan in the 2030s, a time of declining labor force and increasing automation through AI technology. Labors, once cutting-edge technology, have become an integral part of social infrastructure. Standalone labors piloted by humans are increasingly being replaced by autonomous robots, making them obsolete. Even as times change, the Special Vehicle Section 2's job remains the same: to protect people and the city. Together with the AV-98Plus Ingram, a tuned-up version of the old Type 98 AV Ingram, the Second Platoon uses their wisdom and courage to confront new technology-based crimes.
The series will consist of three chapters and eight episodes, with Chapter 1 set to be released in theaters on May 15th, Chapter 2 on August 14th, and Chapter 3 in March 2027.
