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ANIME MANGA EXPLOSION.
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Vehicle 1, OK!
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"THE MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR."
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The anime is set in a Tokyo where Labors - industrial machines powered by advanced robotic technology - are commonplace.
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You're under arrest for vandalism.
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PATLABORs are police-operated Labors used to combat Labor crime.
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Their mission is not to destroy enemies but to apprehend criminals,
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a concept that captured audiences with its distinctive approach.
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The creators of this work were a group known as HEADGEAR.
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The series was the brainchild of talented individuals in their 20s and 30s.
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In what came to be a pioneering move, the series expanded across multiple media platforms,
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starting with an original video animation and expanding into manga, films, and TV anime.
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PATLABOR, Deck Up!
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Over 30 years since its inception, "THE MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR" has maintained a passionate fan base.
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It's so detailed that I keep finding new things whenever I read it.
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Some episodes don't even have robot fights,
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which is something you rarely see in other robot manga or anime.
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And now, after more than three decades, a new project in the PATLABOR series is underway!
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Our cameras were granted exclusive behind-the-scenes access.
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Why does the series have such a devoted following?
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Join us as we unravel the secrets behind the creation of "The MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR."
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The PATLABOR series made its debut in 1988 as an original video animation.
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The OVA was set in Tokyo in 1998, 10 years in the future.
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To address crimes involving Labors, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department establishes a specialized unit.
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At the heart of the story is Izumi Noa, a female officer with a passion for robots.
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Noa! Hey!
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No crying! Fight!
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Noa, a rookie pilot, frequently makes mistakes.
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The ensemble series features a diverse cast of characters,
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including Noa's colleagues, superiors, and the mechanics that repair Labors.
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When the project began, HEADGEAR was a group of five young creators:
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Manga artist Yuki Masami,
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mechanical designer Izubuchi Yutaka,
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screenwriter Ito Kazunori,
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character designer Takada Akemi,
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and animation director Oshii Mamoru.
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The creative minds of HEADGEAR redefined the concept of robots in this series -
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Robots that do not kill.
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To the suspects inside! You're fully surrounded!
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We're public servants!
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Do you understand?!
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The mission of the PATLABOR was not to destroy but apprehend criminals,
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a stark contrast to the war-themed robot anime that dominated the era.
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Izubuchi Yutaka, who designed numerous robot anime during that period,
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- still vividly recalls the moment he first learned about the unique premise.
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I became friends with Yuki Masami.
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He had a notebook of creative ideas.
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One of them was about a police robot that doesn't kill.
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He wanted to make a story around robots not made for war.
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I found that concept interesting. That's how the OVA came about.
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Despite being a robot anime, PATLABOR distinguishes itself by prioritizing the narrative drama
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of its characters over the battle scenes.
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Lucky seniors get a nice hotel, and we're crammed in this tiny room.
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- Hey, where to?
- Bathroom!
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Units consist of local public servants who grow tired from long hours and occasionally break the Labors.
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The anime depicts their lives, far removed from conventional heroes.
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Screenwriter Ito Kazunori crafted the script while Takada Akemi designed the characters.
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Together, they focused their attention on elements of the story beyond the Labors.
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I'm not great at writing mecha stuff, so I thought it wouldn't work.
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Instead, I focused on everyday life, and that did the trick.
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If I had to compare, it'd be like the American movie "Police Academy."
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The academy is full of rookies.
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Let's move, Noa!
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The series portrays the non-elite members of the unit dealing with various incidents.
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The story occasionally turns its attention away from the pilots
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and focuses on the lives of the maintenance crew.
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The young guys are pulling all-nighters, and you want a unit for maintenance?
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What's the deal with that?
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Veteran voice actor Chiba Shigeru, who encountered the project in his 30s,
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has long portrayed a maintenance crew character.
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Chiba told us how PATLABOR separates itself from other robot anime with a distinctive narrative.
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Most robot anime put the spotlight on the robots,
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but this one doesn't.
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It's more about the human drama,
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like the mechanics and other supporting characters.
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It was a great setup where we could really nail the dialogue and emotions.
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No one was phoning it in.
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The narrative also explored the Japanese elements of bureaucracy.
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Guns? Sure, we got 'em, but you need permission.
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Training? You need Captain's permission.
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Ammo requires an application.
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It takes a month, and screening is tough.
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You won't get approved.
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Highly lethal weapons meant the unit was constantly caught up in bureaucratic red tape.
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This added realistic aspects to the story.
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In addition to characters, the production team was equally meticulous about background details.
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Director Oshii Mamoru championed this attention to realism.
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For the first feature film, the team recreated real-life settings from extensive location scouting.
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While this is commonplace now, it was rare to see backgrounds with such precision at the time.
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The story is set 10 years in the future, but based on the present.
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We used real places and did a lot of research and location scouting.
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That approach might've been a turning point for the anime industry.
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Oshii brought a sense of realism to the anime through highly detailed backgrounds.
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Another defining feature of PATLABOR is its ability to adapt to the medium.
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The manga and anime series have a comedic touch, while the feature films take on a more serious, weighty tone.
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PATLABOR isn't bound by strict rules.
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Even though it's a robot anime, you don't need robots in every episode.
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It's a series that is able to explore different genres.
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It can even become slapstick comedy.
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As a creator, it's really fun to work on.
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Located about an hour by train from Tokyo is Tsuchiura, a site famous among PATLABOR fans.
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Here, a life-size PATLABOR deck-up event took place.
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Fans of the series gather for this annual celebration.
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This year, the event featured a rare collaboration with local police.
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I love how PATLABOR deals with real problems like limited budgets!
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There are robots, but it also features the maintenance crew.
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I like how it shines a light on the whole team.
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Working in maintenance, I can relate to the PATLABOR maintenance crew.
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It still feels fresh, even today.
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The event's MC is also a PATLABOR fan, and came dressed in cosplay.
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As I watched, I forgot it was a robot anime.
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It felt like a relatable human drama. I really enjoyed that approach.
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The world of PATLABOR has become a reality in 21st-century Japan.
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Here is a robot designed to work on railway tracks,
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developed for remote operation in hazardous, high-altitude locations.
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The individual who developed this PATLABOR-like robot is Dr. Kanaoka, president of the company.
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Dr. Kanaoka first encountered the PATLABOR manga as a student
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and eventually founded a venture company dedicated to robotics research and development in 2007.
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PATLABOR has been a big inspiration.
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The challenge for us is figuring out how to make robots for work.
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I'm excited they're starting to look more like Labors.
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Once robots are more commonplace,
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I think it might be good to actually call them Labors.
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35 years after the original work's inception, a new PATLABOR project has begun!
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It's a new series titled "THE MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR EZY!"
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Good morning!
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Izubuchi Yutaka, mechanical designer for the original PATLABOR, directs the series.
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I wasn't sure about revisiting something I'd done before,
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but turns out, PATLABOR is still a blast!
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This marks the first new PATLABOR anime series in nearly 20 years.
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Production of the first episode is in full swing.
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We were granted an exclusive glimpse of the storyboards for the series premiere.
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True to Izubuchi's mechanical design background,
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the Labors are intricately detailed.
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The storyboards also feature dramatic action sequences.
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Yet, the characters familiar to PATLABOR are noticeably absent.
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It's a complete reboot with all-new characters.
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It's set 30 years later, so we can't just do the same thing.
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We're highlighting how the team feels stuck as things around them change.
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While the concept of a drama centered around public servants in the police force remains intact, the cast is brand new.
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Ito Kazunori, who returned as screenwriter, initially opposed Izubuchi's direction.
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As I wrote, I felt that changing every character was very risky.
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It's been so long since the last series, so there are a lot of expectations.
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I wasn't sure fans would accept it.
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Ito engaged in numerous discussions with Izubuchi, which led to a new story.
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Taking on character designer and animator is new recruit Sato Takamitsu.
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For the new series, Sato focused on how time impacts character relationships.
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In other shows,
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when they want to show characters getting along,
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they include scenes that make it obvious.
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But sometimes that can feel forced.
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Characters have a natural sense of distance between each other.
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It's realistic.
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Human drama remains a central theme, bringing with it unique animation challenges.
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The tricky part is managing all the characters.
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Many can appear on screen at once.
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Plus, the main cast is sizable too, so it can be a bit of a challenge.
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Thanks to HEADGEAR's pioneering work,
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PATLABOR is now being passed on to a new generation of creators.
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In PATLABOR EZY, significant changes have been made to the production process.
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One is the depiction of the Labors.
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The team moved from traditional hand-drawn animation to 3DCG.
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Hand-drawn animation wasn't an option.
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I've always felt that PATLABOR is perfect for CG.
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CG doesn't lie, or rather, it can't.
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With 3DCG technology, the movements of the Labors gain a heightened sense of realism.
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Izubuchi views this element as crucial.
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The Labors in PATLABOR aren't about
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flashy, over-the-top action found in super robot anime.
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They move more like an extension of real construction machinery,
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which makes CG the better fit.
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Izubuchi considered CG to be ideal for conveying the realistic world of PATLABOR.
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Plus, the technology had another major advantage over hand-drawn art.
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We avoid things that seemed too challenging to pull off by hand.
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There were aspects of PATLABOR we thought had more potential,
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and CG technology makes that possible.
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For example, we can now explore angles that were too time-consuming to draw.
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In traditional hand-drawn animation, changing angles after the art is finished requires a complete redraw.
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With CG, altering the angle is effortless.
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Putting Izubuchi's vision on the screen is another newcomer to the series, CG director Moriizumi Yoshinori.
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Izubuchi issued precise instructions to capitalize on the strengths of CG.
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In the storyboard, there's a comical scene
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where a Labor gets caught with a sasumata polearm.
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Izubuchi didn't like the look, so he asked us to figure something out in 3D.
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Moriizumi used trial and error to master the angles and movements unique to CG.
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We created this video.
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And this is the final version after we made some changes.
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We couldn't create a scene like this using traditional techniques.
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Animating camera movement through 3D structures is tough to do by hand.
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This is where 3DCG really excels.
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Moriizumi also tried out some new CG techniques to elevate the quality of the work.
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We are responsible for the scenes where Labors are fighting.
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We create those in 3D.
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However, shots in between with characters are done with hand-drawn animation.
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We made temporary 3D models of the characters for the 3D render.
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By building the entire scene in CG,
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we can see how it will unfold throughout the production process.
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The team creates CG character models to help visualize scene continuity,
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even though the models aren't used in the final product.
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What kind of imagery will a new generation of creators give to this new series?
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August 2024.
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A rush check of the first episode.
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Our cameras were able to capture the rarely-seen rush check, a vital part of the production process.
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I'd like to start the rush check.
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Let's begin.
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Izubuchi sits next to the monitor, along with the leads for animation,
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character design, CG direction, production, cinematography, and more.
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First, they silently watch the episode.
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The first episode is set in Tokyo's popular Kichijoji area.
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The rush footage showcases realistic backgrounds characteristic of PATLABOR,
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grounded in extensive location scouting.
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As soon as the screening ends, Izubuchi quickly issues a series of corrections.
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One involves the cockpit scene of the PATLABOR avoiding a Christmas tree.
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The end of the cut is tilted, but the tilt is a little too much.
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Next is the scene where the PATLABOR attempts to stop a rampaging Labor.
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It looks like it's just sliding along without any effort,
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like a puppet being dragged.
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It'd be great if the right foot could show a bit of struggle.
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The director provides corrections even for short scenes.
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Wouldn't people come out of the stores?
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The area is off-limits. No one's supposed to be there.
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People might already be inside.
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Izubuchi directed the team to add people passing by in the corner of the screen.
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Meanwhile, CG Director Moriizumi also had some feedback.
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The feedback was aimed at the compositing team.
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The highlights aren't coming through as we intended.
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It looks blurred and lacks contrast.
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- Which parts?
- The windows and patrol lights.
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Moriizumi points out the blurry part of the patrol light.
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The patrol lights have angular parts where the highlights are.
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The blur has made them look smudged.
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I added the angles to make things look sharper.
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What should we do?
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The term "highlight" refers to the reflected light.
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The CG team manually adds highlights to enhance the mechanical texture of the Labors and vehicles.
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However, processing involved blurring the entire image, which diminished the highlights.
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If that's the aim,
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we should do things in a way that makes the most of that.
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The team decided the blurring effect should be adjusted in other scenes and cuts as needed.
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Moriizumi's emphasis on highlights is a crucial part of shaping PATLABOR.
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With 3D visuals, many people imagine realistic textures,
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but that doesn't suit this style.
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Before, it was flat like this, with no distinct highlights.
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We used a simulated effect to show light hitting and reflecting here.
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We can make it look even more realistic if we want,
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but that would be too realistic for PATLABOR.
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The focus remained on the human characters,
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making the natural integration of CG critical to the process.
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The level of realism is tricky.
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As directors, it's our job to figure that out.
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PATLABOR is a robot anime, but it's really about human drama.
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If the characters have a 2D, manga-like style,
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the vehicles and robots should match that.
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The discussions during the rush check lasted over five hours.
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With the visuals corrected, the focus now shifts to audio.
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All this attention to detail is key to creating anime.
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Members of HEADGEAR assembled in a warehouse of a Tokyo company.
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There stood a life-sized upper body of a PATLABOR.
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This robot is being built to promote the new series.
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Amazingly, it can actually be ridden and operated.
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I'm going to make the surface feel more like that of a car.
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After a fight or two, it'll start to look more realistic.
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Hiroi Kento is the head of a company specializing in planning,
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developing, and manufacturing rideable robots.
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A huge PATLABOR fan, he began working on the upper body a year ago.
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I wanted to see people piloting the PATLABOR, so I joined this project.
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The announcement we posted on social media last October
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got around 2.9 million impressions.
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It made me realize how popular the series still is.
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Just like in the series, the robot's hands can be controlled remotely!
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Oh?
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Izubuchi looks thrilled!
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Like this. "Come here."
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In 1988, five talented individuals created "THE MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR."
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The world and passion they maintained over the past 36 years
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continues to evolve and be reborn as time goes on.
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It's tough work, but once the first episode starts taking shape
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and I find myself enjoying it, I know it won't be a failure.
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I've got a good feeling it's going to come together quite nicely,
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so I'm just enjoying the process.
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The long-awaited new series is sure to please fans,
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thanks to the team's relentless pursuit of creativity.
