UPDATE: Lupin III: Italian Game is coming to Italy!
Update (September 10th):
Yamato Video have confirmed that the 2016 TV special Lupin III: Italian Game, will release digitally on Prime Video in Italy on September 13th!
Original article (July 26th):
The 2016 television special Lupin III: Italian Game is coming to Italy later this year, courtesy of Yamato Video.
The special, which is directed by Kazuhide Tomonaga and Yûichirô Yano, will include a full Italian audio dub. Kōji Morimoto of Studio 4°C notably directed the opening sequence, which features animated versions of classic Lupin III manga pages.
Italian Game marked the first time a Lupin III television special included reused footage from previous works, as episodes one, three and twenty-six from Lupin III: Part 4 are all included here. Each episode is tied together with around 24~ minute of bespoke footage, created specifically for the special.
Check the clip below for a sneak peek of the Italian dub. More details on the release are to come at a later date. Big thanks to Dario and DickMARNO for the heads up!
Despite it reusing footage from the television show, Italian Game is worth your time.
The new footage tying the story together is beautifully animated, exceeding even that of Part 4 itself. One new scene in particular, which plays out during episode twenty-six of the show, sees Goemon chopping his way through a firey forest blaze as he clears the path ahead for the dinky little Fiat 500. It’s amazing to look at - and a real treat for fans of the show.
While it received lukewarm praise back in 2016, it today offers a great jumping in point for new fans, and a unique way for veteran fans to re-watch three classic episodes from Part 4.
