New Lupin ZERO trailer, key visual, and supporting cast revealed!
The first key visual for the upcoming six episode miniseries Lupin ZERO, along with a second trailer, and information on its supporting cast, has all been revealed!
In the visual, which can be seen below, we can see our protagonists… a young Lupin III (voiced by Tasuku Hatanaka) and Daisuke Jigen (Shunsuke Takeuchi). In the centre of the poster is singer Yoko (Saori Hayami), a mysterious and alluring figure, who is being pursued by the Yakuza. Up top, we have both the original Arsène Lupin (Yoshito Yasuhara) on the left, and next to him, for the first time in animated form, Lupin II (Toshio Furukawa).
(… Well, unless you count that ONE flashback scene in Napoleon’s Dictionary—I see you, Tabbie)!
Also pictured above is a mysterious maid figure, who we know little about, other than that she is named Shinobu and is to be voiced by Toa Yukinari
While the cast list as a whole is sounding good—the individual that really catches our eye is Toshio Furukawa—who is perhaps most well-known for playing the character of Piccolo, in Dragonball Z.
The seventy-six-year-old industry veteran has starred in the Lupin franchise once before, as part of the 1987 OVA, Plot of the Fuma Clan (aka. The Fuma Conspiracy). It is said that due to budget constraints and the costly production of the animation itself, plans for Fuma’s use of existing voice and musical talent were scrapped in favour of cheaper alternatives—with Furukawa taking the lead role. This decision has been said to have caused a fallout between Yasuo Yamada, the regular voice talent for Lupin III at the time, his colleagues, and the production staff behind the series. It took several years to repair the damage—and the Japanese voice cast have remained consistent ever since (except in special circumstances, such as due to deaths or retirement). As a result of the fallout and these production decisions, Fuma has been seen as a bit of a “black sheep”, over the years.
Of course, all of this information has been passed down through many people over the years, and I am unsure as to exactly how true it all is. Furukawa and the replacement cast were never at fault, and all still performed terrifically as the Lupin crew in Fuma.
Key artwork from The Fuma Conspiracy / Plot of the Fuma Clan
Furukawa is still active in the entertainment industry, and his reintroduction to the franchise here as Lupin III’s father is exciting, especially for big fans of the green-jacket film, such as myself.
The obvious choice for this role may have been adult Lupin III’s current actor - Kanichi Kurita. Instead, it seems that TMS and Telecom Animation have opted for a much deeper cut, perhaps to distance this miniseries from the regular show, or simply as Furukawa is a better fit for the slightly shiftier Lupin II.
In addition, a second trailer for the show has been released, which celebrates the newly announced cast members, and the fact that Lupin ZERO will release on streaming service DMM TV in Asian territories starting this December.
The opening and ending themes of the show, which you can hear in the below trailer, both take from the original Part 1 TV anime, and are as follows:
Opening: AFRO LUPIN ‘68 (Takeo Yamashita, Otomo Yoshihide)
Ending: Lupin III Theme Song II (Tavito Nanao)
(Sadly, vocals do not appear to be performed by Charlie Kosei, the original artist from Lupin III: Part 1).
Images of Monkey Punch’s original designs for Lupin II, courtesy of Daily MP on Twitter
Source: Twitter
You can catch the whole six-episode series in selected territories starting December 16th 2022. Episodes one and two will drop on the 16th, with the remainder of the series releasing weekly, on each subsequent Friday.
Those living within the United States will be able to tune into the show via streaming service HIDIVE, with details for other territories to be announced closer to the air date.
Lupin Central will aim to review the first two episodes as a pair, with separate weekly episode reviews leading into the New Year.
