It was announced on March 19th that singer Mariko Nagai will be performing the ending theme song "Baton" for "Mobile Mobile Police Patlabor Mobile Police Patlabor " franchise.
Masami Yuki, the character designer for the film, revealed that he superimposed Nagai's short hair style onto the image of Izumi Noa, the protagonist of "Mobile Police Patlabor." Nagai commented, "Actually, the Patlabor team has been very supportive of me since my debut. I've always dreamed of working with them someday, and after many years, I finally had the opportunity to do so. This time, I was in charge of both the lyrics and the music. It's a great honor. The title of the song is 'Baton,' and I sang it with the feeling of passing on my love for Patlabor and the hope of passing the baton to a happier version of myself in the future. Please come to the theater, see it, and hear it. I'm looking forward to it too!"
Mori Calliope, a VTuber belonging to Hololive English, will be performing the opening theme song, "Reimei Compass".
Mori Calliope said, "I am truly honored to have been given this opportunity, and since receiving the offer, I have watched all of the Patlabor TV series and movies! I am really looking forward to being a part of this wonderful series! I wrote a song called 'Reimei Compass' for this project. The title is also inspired by 'Futuristic Lovers,' the opening theme song for ' Mobile Police Patlabor Early Days.' I think the theme of this song really represents the worldview of this 'Patlabor' project. It is a place where time seems to have stopped, where technology is evolving, but many things remain unchanged. The passage of time and the progress of technology may sometimes feel incredibly fast. But let's take a moment to pause and enjoy what it means to live in the future."
In anticipation of the screening of "File 1 (Chapter 1)," a key visual featuring Ingram and the seven members of the Second Platoon, as well as the official trailer depicting the Second Platoon's struggles and the Labors in action, have been released.
"Mobile Police Patlabor" is set in the near future where walking work machines called Labors have been put into practical use, and depicts the activities of the Special Vehicles Division 2 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department as they confront Labor-related crimes, as well as the daily lives of the members, including Izumi Noa. The manga by Masami Yuki was serialized in the manga magazine "Weekly Shonen Sunday" (Shogakukan) from 1988 to 1994. An anime television series was broadcast from 1989 to 1990, and the animated film directed by Mamoru Oshii also gained popularity. The production of a live-action version also became a topic of discussion.
"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.
Yutaka Izubuchi, a member of the legendary creative group "HEADGEAR" who worked on "Mobile Police Patlabor" and was in charge of mechanical design, will direct the series, while Kazunori Ito, also from "HEADGEAR," will handle the script and series composition. JCSTAFF will produce the animation.
Sumire Uesaka will play Towa Kuga, the pilot of Ingram Unit 1, and Kikunosuke Toya will play Kippei Amatori, the commander of Ingram Unit 1. Ami Koshimizu, Chikahiro Kobayashi, Setsuji Sato, Yume Matsumura, and Megumi Hayashibara will also appear in the cast. The series will consist of three chapters and eight episodes in total, with Chapter 1 released in theaters on May 15th, Chapter 2 on August 14th, and Chapter 3 in March 2027.
