" Mobile Police Patlabor Mobile Police Patlabor ," a new anime in the popular "Mobile Police Patlabor" series, is the first new anime in about 10 years since the short film " Mobile Police Patlabor REBOOT," released in 2016. Many fans are overjoyed at this long-awaited new release. Voice actress Sumire Uesaka, who plays Towa Kuga, the pilot of Ingram Unit 1 of the Special Vehicles Division 2 in the new "EZY," is one of them. We asked Uesaka, who was a fan of "Patlabor" from the beginning, about her thoughts on the new series.
◇ "Into the Morning Sun" - a song I listen to after work.
"Mobile Police Patlabor" is a multimedia project set in a world where general-purpose humanoid work machines called Labors have been put into practical use, depicting the daily lives of the members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Special Vehicles Division 2 as they confront Labor-related crimes. The project was created by "HEADGEAR," a unit formed by five creators: Masami Yuki, Yutaka 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, novels, audio dramas, games, and more.
"Patlabor" was created before Uesaka was born, so she's not part of the "Patlabor generation." Uesaka is known for her deep knowledge of Showa-era popular music and retro culture, but we asked her how she came to know "Patlabor."
"Around the time Oshii's film 'Innocence' was released, I started watching his previous works and came across the first 'Patlabor' movie. At the time, I was a huge military enthusiast, and I was thrilled to learn about this hard and realistic world and think, 'So this is what military stuff is like...' It wasn't like the days of streaming services, so I couldn't do a marathon of OVAs or TV anime, and I watched other works after I became a voice actor, and I also read Yuuki's manga. I've always liked robots that aren't too big, so I really liked the size of the Labors. I also felt that the way they blended into everyday life was a unique charm. The atmosphere of the bubble era was still there, and I liked that public telephones were still used."
The first "Patlabor movie" that Uesaka saw was the first theatrical anime film, "Mobile Police Patlabor the Movie," released in 1989. "Patlabor," a pioneer in media mix, has numerous works, and although the basic setting and characters are the same, each story is set in a different parallel world.
"The OVA, TV series, and manga are all different, but they're all 'Patlabor,' and that's what makes them so appealing compared to other works. You might think it's based on the manga, but it's not, and it feels closer to 'ON TELEVISION' than 'Early Days,' and the more you learn about each one, the more fascinating they become. You realize just how amazing the group HEADGEAR is! And there probably aren't many groups like HEADGEAR in this day and age."
Uesaka was captivated by the world of "Patlabor," created by the unique creative group "HEADGEAR." Of all the works, her favorite is "Patlabor: The Movie 1."
"I fell in love with the characters and the Labors in 'ON TELEVISION,' but if I had to choose just one, it would be Patlabor Movie 1. The same goes for Patlabor Movie 2, but even though it's shown on the big screen, the Labors don't really get much screen time (laughs). When it comes to theatrical versions of robot anime, you might expect them to focus on how to showcase the mechs, but a considerable portion of the film is dedicated to dialogue. I remember the eerie atmosphere of the place where Eiichi Hoba lived, and it deals with computer virus crime, which wasn't very common at the time, and you can really feel the horror of it. The Zero Type is cool, and there's a sense of excitement when Noa and Asuma ride a motorcycle together in their uniforms to go eat pizza, and it's full of that Patlabor feel."
Uesaka continues, "Kenji Kawai's music is truly wonderful." Kawai has worked on the music for the OVA, theatrical films, and TV anime, and is an indispensable part of "Patlabor."
"All of Kawai's music is wonderful, but I especially love 'Into the Morning Sun,' which plays at the end of the first Patlabor movie. I listen to it often. It's especially good to listen to after work. I hope everyone will listen to it after a night shift and have their own 'Patlabor experience'."
◇It would be a waste not to enjoy it!
While "Mobile Police Patlabor" was ahead of its time, set in the late 1990s, the new series "EZY" is set in the 2030s, a time of steadily declining working population, and depicts the daily lives and activities of the Special Vehicles Division 2 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. There is a scene where Kippei Atori, the commander of Ingram Unit 1 of Special Vehicles Division 2 and Towa's partner, calls out "Towa," which old fans might mishear as "Noa." Did Uesaka-san ever think of Noa while playing Towa?
"When you see that the pilot of Unit 1 is a woman and the backup is a man, you might think of Noa and Asuma, but when you read the lines, he's more of the 'Let me shoot the gun' type (laughs). His mindset is like Ota's. He's hot-blooded and driven by a sense of justice, and I can feel the Ota spirit in him. Kippei usually calls him 'Kuga,' but when things get tense he calls him 'Towa!', and since 'Noa' and 'Towa' have the same vowels, there are moments where 'Asuma and Noa' are in sync, but their relationship is different, and Towa isn't the type to dote on the Ingram, so I'm respecting him, but I'm acting separately from him."
The new series, "EZY," is directed by Izubuchi, who has been a pillar of the series with "HEADGEAR," and is produced with a solid team including Kazunori Ito as series composition and scriptwriter. Shigeru Chiba will appear as the familiar character "Shige-san," or Shiba Shigeo, and Megumi Megumi Hayashibara: The Movie 1," will play Saeki Kimika, the captain of the second squad, which has also generated buzz.
"I was very nervous during the first recording session. Ms. Hayashibara, Mr. Chiba, and Director Izubuchi were saying things like, 'It's been a while,' and seeing how much the senior members were enjoying themselves made me think, 'It would be a waste not to enjoy it!' Everyone was enjoying the banter, and there was a shared understanding that 'Patlabor has to have interesting dialogue.' With Ms. Hayashibara and Mr. Chiba supporting us, there was an atmosphere that allowed us to jump right in."
Although "Patlabor" is a long-running series, director Izubuchi and the staff created an atmosphere that allowed the cast to easily immerse themselves in the role.
"Once, when I was drinking alone, I happened to meet Director Izubuchi and we talked about military stuff. At the time, I was just talking as a fellow military enthusiast, so when he said, 'It's been a while,' during the recording, I started by saying, 'I'm so sorry for being so rude back then...' He's a great director, but Director Izubuchi personally bought us bread, and on set he was just like the friendly older brother he is when he speaks in interviews. He was like, 'Just do it freely,' and as for my role, Towa is the type to charge in and the other members of Special Vehicles Division 2 somehow manage to fix things, so I was happy to be able to pilot the Ingram! and acted freely. Mr. Yuuki came to the recording once, and I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Takada at an event, which made me so happy and excited, and I really felt the bond of HEADGEAR."
The new game, "EZY," seems to be full of "Patlabor-esque" elements.
"The fast pace of the dialogue is also characteristic of the show, and the fact that there are no self-introductions from the first episode is very typical of Special Vehicles Division 2. I also like the scene where a Labor crashes into a temple and the monk yells, 'You've been punished!' because you don't see that in other robot anime. They're supposed to be heroes of justice, but they're seen as a nuisance by the citizens, and I was glad that even in this Reiwa-era Patlabor, Special Vehicles Division 2 is still a real burden."
Uesaka approached the recording with her "love for Patlabor" in her heart. "EZY" may be a work filled with a lot of "love." That love is sure to reach not only her existing fans, but also people who are not part of Uesaka's "Patlabor generation."
"Mobile Police Patlabor EZY" will consist of three chapters and eight episodes in total. "File 1 (Chapter 1)" will be screened in theaters from May 15th. It has also been announced that "File 2 (Chapter 2)" will be released in theaters on August 14th, and "File 3 (Chapter 3)" will be released in March 2027. (Man Animai/MANTANWEB)
