It has been revealed that a French version of the popular anime series "Mobile Police Patlabor" is in the works. A staff talk event for the first chapter of the new anime "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY," titled "Butchan's Room Part 1," was held on May 26th at Shinjuku Piccadilly (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo), with director Yutaka Izubuchi and producer Taro Maki, president and CEO of Genco, in attendance. Maki revealed that they are "making a French version of Patlabor."
"Patlabor" is a multimedia project created by the legendary creative group "HEADGEAR," consisting of Masami Yuki, 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 films, novels, audio dramas, games, and more.
"EZY" is the first new anime in approximately 10 years since the short film "Mobile Police Patlabor REBOOT," which was released in 2016. It consists of three chapters and eight episodes in total, with the first chapter released in theaters on May 15th. The second chapter will be released in theaters on August 14th, and the third chapter in March 2027.
Izubuchi explained the circumstances that led to the creation of "EZY," saying, "Mr. Maki clarified the unclear points regarding HEADGEAR's rights, which made it possible to create it. (Because of this clarification) we can expand it further. Mr. Maki has also asked if it could be done overseas, and he said that 'EZY' is the core, and it would be fine if things with different directions were created as well."
It seems that they are working on other projects besides "EZY," and Maki said, "We are making a French version of Patlabor. When we were making 'EZY,' the main characters changed, and we realized that if we stick to certain rules, it can be used in many different ways."
