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The central mecha AV-98 Ingram from The Next Generation: Patlabor made an appearance at Tokyo Marathon 2015, held on Feb. 22. It showed itself in Ginza to support the runners and security and even executed a deck-up.
The Igram’s appearance startled many people, attracting a huge crowd wanting to take souvenir pictures. After its deck-up, it joined the fans and cheered on the runners as they made their way through the streets of Tokyo.
Tokyo Marathon 2015 started at 9:10 a.m. with slight drizzling. Meanwhile, at Ginza Shochiku Square, 35 kilometers from the starting point, a life-size Ingram standing 8 meters tall that was used for the filming of the theatrical movie The Next Generation: Patlabor - Shuto Kessen (Tokyo Showdown) (scheduled to be released on May 1) was waiting for its chance.
The Ingram finished decking up at 10:30 a.m. and revealed its tall figure. It had banners hanging from its shoulders saying, “Go, runners! From here on, it’s showdown!” and “Only 7 km left to the goal. Tokyo showdown begins here!” to cheer on the runners. After 11 a.m. there were people among bystanders and runners alike who took out their cameras and took pictures. This gave us a peek into just how popular the Ingram is.
The bystanders commented things such as, “You’ll certainly give it your all after being cheered on by an Ingram,” and, “Coming out to the site to guard the place is how Special Vehicle Division 2 works. I’m at ease now,” proving the success of the deck-up event. Some of them even mistook it for being real, saying, “The Japanese police is awesome.” It also seems to have left a lasting impression at Tokyo Marathon 2015.
The Next Generation: Patlabor is a new live action sequel to Mobile Police Patlabor, born in 1988. The release of its final episode, titled The Next Generation: Patlabor - Shuto Kessen (Tokyo Showdown) is set for May 1. As the episode rounding up this huge project, it’s drawing great expectations.
The Next Generation Patlabor: Shuto Kessen (Tokyo Showdown)
Releasing May 1, 2015 at Shinjuku Piccadilly and other theaters Japan-wide
Source: animeanime
Source article written by Katsunori Takahashi
