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Next Generation Patlabor Film's Trailer Features Ayaka's Insert Song
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The Natalie news website began streaming a trailer on Friday for the upcoming live-action film The Next Generation Patlabor: Shuto Kessen (Capital City Battle). The film is slated to open in Japan on May 1.
Text: A film wanted by the whole world
Narrator: To fight against incoming crime, the police chief created the Patlabor company.
Text: Director Mmamoru Oshii's newest work
Narrator: Now, a new threat attacks the country.
Man: It's an AI fighter helicopter.
Akira: That's amazing!
Man: AH88-J2 Kai... Grey Ghost.
Text: The newest model of AI helicopter vs the police robot
Man: He's flying above Tokyo, and has ten million citizens as hostages.
Man: A storm is coming.
Shigeo: Looks like it's forbidden to activate Patlabor.
Man: At this kind of time...
Woman: This is an order to the Labor company! Switch out!
Woman: You still have power to fight. Isn't that right?
Text: Japan
Text: Becomes a battle field.
Yūma: Akira!!
Akira: You'd better hit!!
Text: 5/1 - Participate in this reality.
The trailer features Ayaka's insert song "Lose Control." The song will be featured on Ayaka's new album Rainbow Road, which is set to ship in Japan on April 15. Ayaka had announced in December that she was pregnant and would be taking a hiatus from singing until spring 2015.
The Next Generation -Patlabor- project is not a remake of the earlier Patlabor anime stories, but a completely new work. The story is set in Tokyo in 2013, and it represents the "third generation" of Patlabor. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has disbanded its Section 2 Division 1 of police robots, and Section 2 Division 2 barely survived the budget cuts due to the long recession.
The project began with a seven-part series, which is composed of the "episode 0" and 12 full episodes helmed by chief director Mamoru Oshii and other directors. Each full episode is about 48 minutes long. Finally, Oshii is directing and writing the feature-length film, which is expected to run about 100 minutes long.
The film will center on the Section 2 team fighting against a terrorist group that has taken all of the 10 million residents of Tokyo hostage. The seventh and final part debuted for a two week limited screening in theaters on January 10.
Former Hello! Project singer and actress Erina Mano stars as pilot Akira Izumino (as opposed to the earlier anime's heroine Noa Izumi). The cast also includes Seiji Fukushi as Yūma Shiobara, Rina Oota as Ekaterina Krachevna Kankaeva ("Kasha") from Russia, Shigeru Chiba reprising his anime role as maintenance crew chief Shigeo Shiba, and Toshio Kakei as Captain Keiji Gotōda (the successor to the anime's Captain Kiichi Gotō).
The Patlabor franchise's original concept of police officers piloting robotic mecha (patrol labors or "Patlabors") was developed by HEADGEAR, a group consisting of director Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Sky Crawlers), script writer Kazunori Itō (.hack, Dirty Pair), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (Eureka Seven, Mobile Suit Gundam franchise), character designer Akemi Takada (Kimagure Orange Road, Urusei Yatsura, Fancy Lala), and manga creator Masami Yuuki (Birdy the Mighty). The franchise spawned two original video anime, a television anime series, and three anime films. The last anime film, Patlabor WXIII, was released in theaters in Japan in 2002.
Oshii commented that the seven-part series would have a "slapstick" ambiance, while the feature film will be serious. Oshii and Kei Yamamura wrote the scripts for the series, and Kenji Kawai returned to the franchise to compose the music for both the series and the feature film.
Source: Natalie
