The updated Scopedog has a new goofy way to hold its rifle.

Bandai Namco Filmworks

The upcoming Mamoru Oshii-directed pair of movies called VOTOMS: The Grey Witch has had a new trailer and revealed that the first movie will be released in November.

We’ve now been given a much closer look at the redesigned Scopedogs (shown below). Most of the original design by Kunio Okawara is intact, but the rollers in the feet of the old design have been replaced with beefy caterpillar treads in the new one.

The new Scopedog also has this weird, goofy-looking reverse-firing position (shown above), which technically makes sense, as the arm joints can do that, but it does look a bit daft and somewhat unnecessary.

The overall updates to the Scopedog design are also clearly trying to modernize it, and for the most part, I think the new mecha designers Shinobu Tsuneki and Yoshiro Sono have done a solid job.

The other big update is that the Scopedog pilots now wear more of a VR helmet, rather than the funky goggles from the original anime.

Not much is known about the story, but this feels more like an alternate universe reboot than a spinoff from the main series.

The good news, though, is that Ryosuke Takahashi is returning as supervisor on these new movies. Considering he wrote and directed the original Armored Trooper VOTOMS and is the father of the military mecha genre, it makes a great deal of sense for him to return.

One other noteworthy addition to the production is the involvement of Kenji Kawai for the music. You can hear some of his new score in the latest trailer (shown below), and I really cannot wait to hear the whole score once the movies are released.

The first VOTOMS: The Grey Witch movie is released on November 20.

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