Details on the upcoming live action Patlabor film has been coming in here and there, but after a period of quiet, we’ve now got the first theatrical poster for the release. It definitely gives us a good feel for how the characters are going to be dealt with in this next generation style presentation, though we certainly have to wonder if the scale is off a bit as it’s hard to see someone being able to get into the police labor with the size that it is here. The movie will star former Hello! Project singer Erina Mano as pilot Izumino Akira. She is joined by Fukushi Seiji as Shiobara Yuuma, Oota Rina as Ekaterina Krachevna Kankaeva (“Kasha”) from Russia, Chiba Shigeru represents for the original anime cast as he’s once again taking on his role as maintenance squad chief Shigeo Shiba, and Kakei Toshio as Captain Keiji Gotouda.
According to the information, there will be an initial seven-part series that will be screened in theatres in Japan starting Apr 2014, followed by a full length feature film that will premier in 2015.
Plot concept: Set in 2013, this original story deals with the third generation of Patlabor members. 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.
