The Legend Returns: New Armored Trooper VOTOMS Film Directed by Mamoru Oshii Announced!
The mecha world is shaking! Two giants of science fiction and anime, Armored Trooper VOTOMS and director Mamoru Oshii, are coming together in a massive project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sunrise studio. Titled Sōkō Kihei Botoms: Haiiro no Majo (The Grey Witch), this brand-new production will meet the audience as a two-part film series. According to the official announcement, the first film of the series will be released in theaters in Japan on November 20, 2026.
This announcement holds historical significance for the series' loyal fan base, as no completely new story has been told in the VOTOMS universe since Phantom Arc, which was released in 2010-2011. The fact that Mamoru Oshii, the architect of cult works such as Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor, is in the director's chair raises expectations to the peak. Oshii stated that he is a huge fan of the original series, setting the tone for the project by saying, "VOTOMS has always been a work I admired and wanted to do something similar to one day. Some might think we will see scenes of people eating soba while standing (referencing the director's signature scenes), but this time I am very serious; we are making a real war action film."
A true "dream team" is working behind the scenes of the film. Ryosuke Takahashi, the creator and director of the original series, is serving as a supervisor on the project, ensuring that the spirit of the story is preserved. The music is entrusted to Oshii's indispensable partner, legendary composer Kenji Kawai. While the basic lines of the original designer Kunio Okawara are preserved in the mechanical designs, Shinobu Tsuneki and Yuta Sono are involved.
