A teaser trailer and visual for Patlabor EZY File 3 have been released ahead of File 2‘s Japanese theatrical debut on August 14. It was also revealed that File 3 will begin screening on March 5, 2027, with the limited Blu-ray release to follow on March 12 (some copies will be sold at theaters starting on the fifth).
Patlabor EZY is the new anime installment of the Patlabor franchise conceived by the creative unit HEADGEAR, whose members include Patlabor EZY director Yutaka Izubuchi, EZY series composer and scriptwriter Kazunori Ito, Masami Yuki, Akemi Takada, and Mamoru Oshii. The franchise features mechs called Labors that are used for heavy duty work, with Patlabor being the name for the police version. In the trilogy’s 2030s Japan, the move towards AI automation is causing the Labors to become relics of the past, but Special Vehicle Section 2 continues its role as guardians, now with the new AV-98Plus Ingram to assist them against crimes involving new technology.
File 1 hit Japanese theaters on May 15. Patlabor EZY‘s production was announced in 2017, and a pilot film was released in 2022.
The Patlabor franchise, described by its official website as a pioneer of the media-mix approach, began in the 80s with the Patlabor The Mobile Police: The Early Days OVA series and a manga. More anime, including a TV series, three movies, and a new OVA series, came afterward. There are also novels and games.
Crunchyroll describes the Patlabor Special Edition Blu-ray, which includes the TV series, OVAs, and movies, as such:
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!
Production credits
• Director: Yutaka Izubuchi (Patlabor mechanical designer, RahXephon director, Metallic Rouge chief supervisor)
• 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)
• Mobility designer: Shoji Kawamori (Macross co-creator, Aquarion Evol co-creator and chief director et al., Macross: Do You Remember Love? co-director) [Kawamori was not listed in previous versions of the website or video description credits]
• Unit director: Kozo Kaiho
• Mechanical designer: Kanetake Ebikawa (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury co-mechanical designer)
• Mechanical designer: Toshiaki 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
• CG production: J.C.STAFF CG department
• Producer (previously credited as executive producer, and before that as producer): Taro Maki (Patlabor The Mobile Police: The Early Days co-producer)
• Animation production: J.C.STAFF
Cast
• Sumire Uesaka as Towa Kuga
• Kikunosuke Toya as Kippei Atori
• Ami Koshimizu as Saki Hirata
• Chikahiro Kobayashi as Akihiko Hazama
• Setsuji Sato as Yuta Yanai
• Yume Matsumura as Hachikuma Yuzuki
• Megumi Hayashibara as Kimika Saeki
Source: Patlabor EZY website
