Monkey News - All aboard the Lupin train!
Welcome to Monkey News, your weekly news update for everything Lupin III.
Lupin III: The First is coming soon to home video / streaming services in Italy!
The first feature-length 3DCG Lupin III film is soon to be releasing on home media formats in Italy later this year!
Anime Factory and Koch Media Films are handling the release, which had its February 2020 cinema run cut short due to COVID-19.
Those who missed out do not have much longer to wait, as a DVD and Blu-ray release is planned on October 29th, 2020. For those living in the futuristic digital age of streaming, Amazon Prime will have the film from September 15th, 2020.
For more details on the Italian release, please see Anime Factories official Facebook page here.
New artwork for upcoming Lupin III: The Theater pachinko slot revealed!
A selection of new artwork from the upcoming “four-dimensional” Lupin III pachinko slot machine has made its way onto the web!
The game, which is to feature 3D visuals, surround sound, motion and wind effects, sees Lupin facing off once again with the clone antagonist from the 1978 feature film, The Mystery of Mamo.
The artwork itself sports a familiar look, with Lupin and the gang appearing as they did in many of the red jacket TV specials circa 2001 - 2010. While we’ve been spoiled by blue jackets and designs by Takeshi Koike as of late, but it’s still nice to see the older look make a return.
You can read more details on the pachinko slot machine itself right here.
Hamanaka Town Lupin III festival officially cancelled…
The 2020 Hamanaka Town Lupin III festival has been cancelled.
The unfortunate but sensible decision was made due to fears of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event, which takes place in series’ creator Monkey Punch’s town of birth in Kushiro Subprefecture, has been ongoing for several years. This marks the first time it has ever been cancelled.
With that said - it’s for a good reason, and we hope to see it return in 2021!
In the meantime, fans pining the festival experience can take part in a virtual “AR” stamp rally.
Users can connect their smartphone to a special app and collect virtual stamps from September 1st - October 31st, 2020!
All aboard the Lupin (model) train!
While not entirely new, we thought we would end on a more positive note regarding Hamanaka Town!
Our friend TabbieWolf over on Twitter has been figurine hunting as of late, and came across this lovely little model train.
The model is based on a real train, as this cute little figurine features the same Lupin livery as the small engine that’s often seen running through Hamanaka Town station.
How do you feel it compares to the real thing?
