Gallery: Part IV (Concept Artwork)
When the 2015 released blue jacket series was announced, the fanbase was excited.
While the 2012 spin-off show The Woman Called Fujiko Mine had its fair share of fans, the direction the series took was quite different from the usual. With Part IV, both TMS and Studio Telecom were touting the show as a return to the style of Part II. For the first time in around thirty years, a Lupin TV show in the same vein as the classics was coming.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
The show aired in Italy first - a surprising announcement, much to the rejoice of the Italian fan base. The Lupin series is just as popular in Italy as it is in Japan - perhaps even more so - as the original Part I, Part II and Part III series aired there during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
Not only was the show to air in Italy first, but setting of the show was also the same. This was a love letter to Italian fans from the Japanese production team, and despite the terrible opening titles featuring rap artist Moreno, it was an amazing time to be a Lupin fan in Italy.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
When the show hit Japanese TV some weeks later, Yuji Ohno was back with yet another superb score.
Not only was the music and opening title different from the Italian run, it also had slightly redrawn animation in areas where needed. This was a refined version of the show for the Japanese audience, and eventually viewers in the U.S. and Europe were able to view the same thanks to separate home video releases from Discotek Media and AllTheAnime (you can read our review of the latter by clicking here).
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
Studio Telecom have always done a fantastic job at animating episodes from past series, however Part IV is perhaps their best looking to date.
It is consistently gorgeous, with some beautifully animated scenes, nice use of perspective and bold, vibrant backgrounds. Their sparing use of 3D gels well with the animation, and the Lupin crew’s new designs and colour schemes became series staples going forwards.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
If you are yet to check out a Lupin TV series and are looking for a good place to start, we would absolutely recommend going with Part IV. The overarching storyline is decent and the one-shot episodes are perhaps some of the best in series history.
If you would like to check out a few episodes from the series before committing to it, you can check out our “top episode picks” guide for Part IV by clicking here.
