Sumire Uesaka Surprised by Her Own Ad Lib Line in Patlabor EZY as Director Yutaka Izubuchi Praises Her Performance

The completion premiere event for Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 1, the latest installment in the Mobile Police Patlabor anime series opening in theaters on May 15, was held in Tokyo on the 23rd. Attendees included Sumire Uesaka, who voices Towa Kuga, Kikunosuke Toya as Kippei Amatori, Shigeru Chiba as Shigeo Shiba, and director Yutaka Izubuchi.

During the stage greeting, a surprising moment occurred when Uesaka was informed that a line she delivered in the film was actually an ad lib, something she had not realized herself.

A Natural Mistake That Became a Highlight

A longtime fan of the Patlabor series, Uesaka expressed her excitement, saying, “I never imagined I would get to pilot Ingram Unit 1.” She added with a laugh, “It is interesting whether Ingram is there or not, but it becomes even more interesting when it is.”

Reflecting on the recording process, she said, “There are many scenes that will resonate more if you know the original works, and I felt how lucky new viewers are to discover Patlabor for the first time.”

Meanwhile, Toya shared that he had not watched Patlabor before auditioning for EZY, but after watching the series, he felt honored to be part of the new project. His chemistry with Uesaka during the event led Shigeru Chiba to remark, “The way you two talk is just like a comedy duo.”

Director Izubuchi revealed that in a scene featured in the trailer, where Uesaka’s character Towa misreads the nickname of Ingram Unit 1 “Alphonse” as “Alphonce…s?”, the line was actually an ad lib.

Uesaka reacted with surprise, saying, “Wait, was it written as ‘Alphonce’ in the script? That was my ad lib?” clearly puzzled by the revelation.
Izubuchi praised her performance, explaining, “That moment was great. Since Towa is not particularly interested in Ingram, her reaction of ‘Alphonce…s?’ felt completely natural. It was a wonderful, natural ad lib. And the fact that she did not even realize it makes it even better. She may have genuinely misread it at the time.”

Still slightly confused, Uesaka commented, “As the voice actor, I would not normally misread ‘Alphonse,’ so maybe that was truly how Towa would say it.” The director agreed, adding, “In that sense, you really embodied Towa. It made me feel, yes, this is exactly the kind of character she is.”

Story Overview and Release Schedule of Patlabor EZY

Mobile Police Patlabor EZY tells the story of the Second Division facing its greatest crisis. First announced in 2017, with a pilot film revealed in 2022, the project officially launched as the “2026 Project” in September 2024. The series features an omnibus format for Episodes 1 through 6, while Episodes 7 and 8 form a continuous storyline.

The release schedule is as follows:
File 1, consisting of Episodes 1 to 3, opens on May 15
File 2, Episodes 4 to 6, opens on August 14
File 3, Episodes 7 and 8, is scheduled for March 2027

This marks the first completely new installment in the series in ten years since Mobile Police Patlabor REBOOT in 2016.

The World of Patlabor

Set in Tokyo at the end of the 20th century, the original Patlabor series depicts a world where humanoid labor machines called Labors have spread across society. Alongside their rise, Labor related crimes increased, leading to the creation of the Special Vehicles Section 2 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, commonly known as Patlabor.

In the 2030s setting of EZY, automation driven by AI has advanced, and piloted Labors are being replaced by autonomous robots, becoming outdated. However, the mission of Special Vehicles Section 2 remains unchanged. With the AV 98 Plus Ingram, the Second Division continues to confront new forms of technological crime with intelligence and courage.

Originally launched as an original video animation in April 1988, Mobile Police Patlabor has expanded into films, manga, and television anime, achieving widespread success. Even today, long after reality has surpassed its fictional timeline, the series continues to be beloved by fans worldwide. Mamoru Oshii also directed and wrote a live action adaptation of the franchise.

Source : ORICON NEWS