Rebooting Patlabor! Interview with Yasuhiro Yoshiura, Director of "Mobile Police PATLABOR REBOOT

The new short film "Mobile Police PATLABOR REBOOT" was shown under the title "Nihon Anime (tata) Miho Fair EXTRA" at the "Go Go Japan Anime (tata) Miho Fair Theater Screening. Before the release of the Blu-ray and DVD, we interviewed Director Yoshiura about his passion for this new "PATLABOR" directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura, the director of "Time of Eve.

───How did Yasuhiro Yoshiura come to work on "PATLABOR"?

Yoshiura: I was working on two films for the "Animation (Tater) Trade Fair," and I went to deliver the second film, "History Agency," to Studio Color. At that time, producer Tomoyuki Ogata (Tomoyuki Ogata) mentioned to me in a casual conversation that we might be able to make "PATLABOR" at the trade fair. At that moment, I had a flash of inspiration in my mind. I said, "I'd love to do it.

─ So you had an epiphany.

Yoshiura: Yes. I love "Patlabor" to begin with. When I made "Pale Cocoon" (2005), I even made it while looking at "METHODS: Mamoru Oshii's 'PATLABOR 2' Direction Notes" (a collection of layouts for "PATLABOR 2"). I also had some more calm thoughts (laugh). Later, I thought about "Patlabor" and how I came up with the idea. Then I analyzed it and found that "science fiction elements in everyday life" ...... "Yes, I can do that. Comedic dialogue. ...... "I'm good at it. I could do "mecha warfare"...... "If you think of it as special effects, I did "POWER PLANT No. 33," so I could do it. I thought that because of that, the idea came to me instantaneously.


─ How was the content of the film decided?

Yoshiura: When it was decided that I would direct the film, I met with Kazunori Ito, Masami Yuki, and Yutaka Izubuchi, who are members of Head Gear (a group of creators credited as the original creators of "Patlabor"). I was very forward and told them how much I loved "PATLABOR" and how I would like to make this kind of "PATLABOR" if I were to make it now. Thankfully, Mr. Ito told me that I should make what I wanted to see. The plot I wrote became the prototype for this film. The subtitle "REBOOT" was also a tentative title at the time, and as the word implies, I wanted to "reboot" Patlabor. The rest of the work was done in one fell swoop, just as I was passionate about at the time.


───Did you feel any pressure to "make "PATLABOR""?

Yoshiura: I didn't feel any pressure when I was making it. From the beginning, I didn't think, "I have to make 'PATLABOR'" but rather, "I can make 'PATLABOR'!　Yay! I was doing it with a feeling like, "I can make a 'PATLABOR' film! But even though it was a short film, I was aware of the significant impact this video would have on the future of "PATLABOR". So it couldn't just be a reunion, it had to be something that young fans who don't know "Patlabor" would find interesting.

─ ─ What do you think is the appeal of the "PATLABOR" project?

Yoshiura: The "PATLABOR" project is very solidly built, with a very tasteful design in the "present" downtown scenery--this is a line from the manga version. --First of all, there is a very tastefully designed robot in a "current" downtown scenery. And although it is a hobbyist design, there is a clear link to reality, such as the letters of the Metropolitan Police Department and the license plate number. There is also an element of growth for the newbie characters, and the way it is portrayed is somewhat comedic. With a robot in a near-future reality, it would have been easy to make the story more serious. It's nice that the characters are made to seem familiar in a comedic way. Moreover, the main characters are police officers who use taxpayers' money. The fact that they solve cases despite the residents' complaints is also a very tasty setup. So I was confident that if I could reproduce this fun aspect of the film in a straightforward manner, it would be interesting enough.