The anime You're Under Arrest celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special screening and staff talk event on June 28 at Shinjuku Piccadilly. The program featured the 1999 film You're Under Arrest the MOVIE and the 1994 OVA episode FILE.1 “And Then They Met.” The event marked the first-ever joint appearance of original creator Kosuke Fujishima, OVA director Kazuhiro Furuhashi, and film director Junji Nishimura—making it a truly rare gathering for fans.

Having rewatched the movie and OVA after a long time, Fujishima expressed genuine surprise: “I kept wondering if we could even create something of this quality today. The car scenes were just incredible. You can tell how much attention went into details like the front lifting up during the starting scene. It was all done so meticulously—modern CG doesn’t usually go that far.”

Furuhashi added insight into the production challenges, especially in portraying vehicles realistically. “There was no CG at the time, so everything was hand-drawn. If it wasn’t accurate, it showed. I remember taking tons of reference photos to get the cars right.” Nishimura praised the team’s dedication, saying, “It felt like Studio Deen had pulled out all the stops back then.”

Fujishima also had a deep commitment to authenticity in the mechanical sounds. “I requested that the engine displacement and cylinder count match as closely as possible,” he said, noting that real vehicle sounds were recorded for use. For the mini patrol car, he chose the Honda Today because it was the only kei car model kit available at the time. Laughing, he recalled recently riding a restored Motocompo, saying, “It was terrifying—at 40 km/h it feels like you're going to die. I didn’t think it was that scary back then, so I had the characters do some wild stuff with it.”

Looking back on the OVA production, Furuhashi reflected: “The original manga has such detailed mechanical drawings, so there was definitely pressure. But since it wasn’t for TV, we felt a bit more free—less constrained. I wanted the animation to reflect everyday life realistically so that when viewers returned to their own daily lives, the experience would feel more immersive.”

Nishimura, who took over as director partway through the TV series, focused on action to contrast with the romance-heavy OVA. “I aimed to build up to the movie through original episodes like FILE.34 and FILE.35,” he said. For the film, he emphasized a localized theme, saying, “I was fascinated by the bridges over the Sumida River and wanted to incorporate that. We did extensive location scouting—visiting the police, the Coast Guard, even the Self-Defense Forces.”

One unique twist in the movie was switching the roles of protagonists Natsumi and Miyuki. “During the final showdown at Tokyo Tower, we had Natsumi deliver lines Miyuki would typically say, and vice versa. That switch added an interesting dynamic.” The inclusion of original anime character Shoji made it easier to highlight Natsumi’s role, leading to an emotional scene where the two heroines embrace—eliciting applause from the audience.

Fujishima welcomed these anime-original developments: “It’s entertaining because I didn’t know about these storylines. Please keep doing more,” he smiled. He also revealed that he reviewed all the storyboards, only making one major correction. Nishimura recalled, “There was a scene where Garamo fires at a window in Tokyo Tower. Fujishima commented that one bullet wouldn’t break the glass—so we changed it to five shots, which really made the scene impactful.”

The event concluded with exciting announcements: a 30th anniversary illustration album and a Blu-ray release of the OVA. Fujishima said, “I hope something new comes along so I can meet you all again.” Furuhashi added, “Today became a wonderful memory. Thank you.” Nishimura, now a lecturer, mentioned he shows the film to his students and noted, “Shoji is really popular among the girls.” The event ended on a warm and cheerful note.