New details have emerged for the Patlabor EZY anime project that was announced in 2017, including a 2026 start date and its staff lineup.
A teaser visual (an updated version of an older visual that replaces the featured mech model) and a look at the Ingram Plus (AV-98plus) mech have also been released.
Yutaka Izubuchi (Patlabor mechanical designer, RahXephon director, Metallic Rouge chief supervisor) is the director for Patlabor EZY, which is a J.C.STAFF production. Other production credits include:
• Series composer and screenwriter: Kazunori Ito (.hack//SIGN, Patlabor The Mobile Police: The Early Days screenwriter)
• Character designer and chief animation director: Takamitsu Sato (Lostorage incited WIXOSS)
• Character draft designer: Masami Yuki (Patlabor The Mobile Police: The Early Days character draft designer)
• Costume design assistance: Akemi Takada (Patlabor The Mobile Police: The Early Days and Kimagure Orange Road character designer)
• Mechanical designer: Kanetake Ebikawa (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury co-mechanical designer)
• Mechanical designer: Toshiyuki Ihara (Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time co-mechanical designer)
• CG director: Yoshinori Moriizumi (“Chocolat Cadabra” anime music video)
• CG production: GAZEN
• Producer: Taro Maki (Patlabor The Mobile Police: The Early Days co-producer)
It was also announced that the 2022 two-minute pilot film for EZY will be shown in Japanese theaters as part of the first Patlabor movie’s revival screening, which began on September 20 JST and will last for a week.
Patlabor made its debut in the 80s with the Patlabor The Mobile Police: The Early Days OVA series and a manga; the police mecha franchise’s website says that Patlabor is a pioneer of the media-mix approach. The subsequent Patlabor anime included a TV series, three movies, a new OVA series, and 2016’s Mobile Police Patlabor Reboot short. HEADGEAR, the creative unit that conceived Patlabor, counted Izubuchi, Ito, Yuki, Takada, and Mamoru Oshii among its ranks.
Crunchyroll describes the Patlabor Special Edition Blu-ray, which includes the TV series, OVAs, and movies, as:
Building the city of the future is a tough job, but the development of Labors… giant robots specifically designed for construction and other heavy duty tasks… is transforming the world. Unfortunately, when someone puts that much power in a machine, the one thing that’s certain is that someone somewhere will find a way to use it to commit crimes. That’s why Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has its massive Ingram Patrol Labors and the brave men and women of Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2… including the teams most recent recruit, the mecha obsessed Noa Azumi. Get ready for some of the wildest, most incredible adventures ever as Noa and her new comrades in arms hit the street in the ultimate collection of one of anime’s most legendary creations – Mobile Police Patlabor!
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Source: @patlabor0810