Italian Game now available to stream on Amazon in North America!
The 2016 TV special, Lupin III: Italian Game, is now available digitally on Amazon in North America!
The release helps kick off what TMS Entertainment USA are calling “The Year of Lupin”, in which North American fans can expect plenty of classic Lupin releases on new platforms. The 1994 TV special, Dragon of Doom, is also expected to pop up on Amazon within the next couple of weeks.
Italian Game features three classic episodes from Lupin III: Part IV, linked together with around 24~ minutes of additional footage. The new footage is excellently animated, and ties together the standalone episodes in an interesting way.
The special also features a stunning opening sequence that pays tribute to the original manga, and is directed by Kōji Morimoto of Studio 4°C fame.
At time of release, the special received some criticism from fans due to the reuse of footage from Part IV. This was a large departure from the usual uniquely animated 90-minute TV special format, and people became concerned regarding the future of the regular Lupin TV specials.
Since then, TMS have not revisited the format, with both of the most recent TV specials (Goodbye Partner and Prison of the Past) featuring all new animation.
You can currently pick up the special both to rent ($2.99) or buy ($9.99) over on Amazon. There is no English dubbed version available at time of writing, with only the original Japanese voice cast version available to North American fans.
