Japanese animation production company GENCO — responsible for one of the most beloved mecha anime series of all time, Mobile Police Patlabor — will open its merchandise to fans globally through a newly revamped international online store.
GENCO Inc. has announced via a press release that BEENOS Group’s popular e-commerce service Buyee will handle international sales for its new online store, GENCO SHOP. The move will allow fans around the world to order goods from GENCO’s animated properties, including one of the most iconic mecha series around, Patlabor. This follows the recent announcement that Buyee will also handle overseas shipping for one of Japan’s largest marketplaces, Mercari. Readers can check out some of GENCO SHOP’s current products and more information below.
International Patlabor and Old-School Mecha Anime Fans Have Much to Look Forward to
GENCO SHOP’s original products include Patlabor posters and other artwork, such as the “Mobile Police Patlabor 30th HEADGEAR EXHIBITION 2 Exhibition Memorial Booklet” and the Character Book, which features artwork, descriptions, and interviews from HEADGEAR staff such as Mamoru Oshii. Patlabor merchandise such as transparent profiles are also on sale. GENCO SHOP’s upcoming anime lineup will include Kin-iro Mosaic, Please ☆ Teacher!, KATANA MAIDENS: Toji no Miko, and more. The company also produced the hit MAPPA series In This Corner of the World and PLUTO, which was praised for its animation and character development in a CBR review. Both are listed on GENCO’s website under “MASTERPIECES.” Other recent productions include Season 5 of the classic Ikki Tousen and Ascendance of a Bookworm.
Notably, the upcoming Patlabor EZY is also listed as a GENCO masterpiece. While little information has been revealed so far, that should change in the coming days. MANTAN WEB reported this week that two minutes of the anime will be screened at the Mobile Police Patlabor: Theatrical Revival Screening starting September 20. Patlabor mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi is credited as director, with original writer Kazunori Ito and composer Kenji Kawai returning for the upcoming anime. The voice cast and release date will be announced soon. Readers can check out the visuals and synopsis for Patlabor EZY below.
Patlabor EZY is described as follows: “With the rapid development of super technology, a humanoid machine called “LABOR” is being used in all fields of industry. However, it has created a new social threat called ‘LABOR’ crime. In order to prevent such crimes from happening one after another, the Metropolitan Police Department has established a special unit, ‘Special Vehicle Squad No. 2’. This unit includes a ‘LABOR’ patrol team called PATLABOR.”
Source: Press release
