Masami Yuki on New Patlabor Manga After 32 Years: “I’m Not Confident at All!”

Mobile Police Patlabor creator Masami Yuki admitted he feels uncertain about returning to the franchise after more than three decades, speaking at the opening day stage greeting for the brand new anime project Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 1 held in Tokyo on May 15.

Director Yutaka Izubuchi, series composer and screenwriter Kazunori Ito, ending theme artist Mariko Nagai, and character original creator Masami Yuki appeared on stage during the event.

Masami Yuki Talks About Returning to Patlabor After 32 Years

At the start of the event, Yuki joked to the audience:
“There are quite a lot of characters from my manga appearing in this work, so I think it would be fun if you try counting them.”

Yuki recently wrote the completely new one shot manga Mobile Police Patlabor 2026, which will be published in the August 18 issue of Weekly Spirits. The manga marks the franchise’s first new one shot story since the original series concluded in 1994.

When the topic came up during the stage greeting, Yuki reacted modestly, saying:
“I’d rather people not expect too much from it.”

He also revealed that when the project was first proposed, he initially felt:
“I wondered if I couldn’t make it anymore.”

However, he eventually found a direction that allowed him to return to the series.
“I found something that made me think, maybe I can draw this kind of story.”

“I’m Not Confident”

Yuki continued to downplay expectations, humorously reminding fans that Weekly Spirits also contains “other interesting manga.”

When the event moderator asked why he lacked confidence, Yuki laughed and replied:
“It’s Patlabor after 30 years. Of course I’m not confident!”

He added that he hopes the manga can serve as a kind of “catalog” showing what kinds of stories he can still tell within the Patlabor universe.

About Mobile Police Patlabor EZY

Mobile Police Patlabor EZY tells the story of a major crisis facing the newly formed Second Unit.

The anime project was first announced in 2017, with a pilot film shown at an event in 2022. In September 2024, the franchise officially launched its “2026 Project.”

Episodes 1 through 6 will follow a standalone omnibus format, while Episodes 7 and 8 will form a connected story arc.

Patlabor’s World in the 2030s

The story is set in Japan during the 2030s, where humanoid industrial machines known as Labors have become outdated due to advances in AI powered autonomous robots.

Even as society changes, the mission of Special Vehicles Section 2 remains the same. Together with the new “AV 98Plus Ingram,” the Second Unit confronts emerging technology related crimes through courage and ingenuity.

Following File 1 covering Episodes 1 through 3, File 2 covering Episodes 4 through 6 is scheduled for release on August 14. File 3, which includes Episodes 7 and 8, is planned for March 2027.

This marks the franchise’s first completely new anime project since Mobile Police Patlabor REBOOT released in 2016.

About the Patlabor Franchise

Mobile Police Patlabor originally debuted as an OVA series in April 1988. Set in Tokyo at the end of the 20th century, the story depicts a world where police robots bearing the cherry blossom emblem of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department patrol city streets.

The series follows officers from Special Vehicles Section 2 as they pilot humanoid robots known as Ingrams to combat crime.

The franchise became a hit through OVAs, theatrical anime films, manga, and television anime. Even after the real world surpassed the series’ original timeline, Patlabor has remained beloved by fans worldwide. Director Mamoru Oshii also adapted the series into live action films.

The event additionally featured a video appearance by Mori Calliope. Illustrator Hidetaka Tenjin, who worked on the opening illustrations, served as MC.

Source : ORICON NEWS