Opinion: Lupin ZERO and its announcement
[This article was first published on October 23rd 2022, the day of Lupin ZERO’s announcement. The contents below also feature minor spoilers for Lupin III: Part 6’s ending—if you are yet to see Part 6, read on at your own risk.]
LUPIN Zero is a project that I personally am excited about.
While it is early days, having only seen a few screenshots and a teaser trailer at the time of writing, the staff list and a return to Telecom Animation for the production work has given me high hopes. Personally, I have never felt too attached to the recent Part 6, and mostly found myself not engaging with its stories, and not appreciating its animation. On the other hand, 2015’s Part 4 and 2018’s Part 5 contain some of my favourite moments from the show as a whole—and since there is a decent cross-over of staff here, and considering its unique, stylized look, I expect good things.
The premise centring around a young Lupin will no doubt present the production team with some fun story ideas, and provides audiences with something new and different. The manga saw a younger Lupin popping up, and of course, there was also the spin-off featuring Lupin III Jr., our heroes canonical son. The latter included plenty of tongue-in-cheek antics, and I cannot help but feel we may be seeing some of that carry over into animated form here, along with the inspiration from the original Young Lupin III stories.
Personally, I’m hoping to catch a glimpse of a young boy who likes playing with wooden swords and dreams of being a samurai—and perhaps a sharp-eyed lone wolf who likes shooting cans with his beloved pop-gun during school break! There’s room for it to get silly, and if it does, I am here for it!
As mentioned in the Q&A between Daisuke Sakô (Director) and Koji Nozaki (Producer), young Lupin features here as a thirteen-year-old boy. This is a side of Lupins life that we have never had the oppatunity to explore before—at least in animated form. Previously flashbacks from the likes of Part 2, Cagliostro, and more, all tended to focus on a younger Lupin in his early 20s, and no further back than that. We’re likely going to see an even more playful, mischievous side of our favourite thief here, which is something I am personally up for exploring.
We are also bound to see some grand life decisions, too. Perhaps something happens that puts Lupin on the path of villainy. What could this be, and why does he ultimately choose the life of a master thief? Part 6 did explore some similar themes, but I felt by the end, it never really went anywhere. The conclusion felt shallow, and learned little to no new facts about Lupin’s past.
Thankfully, going by the Q&A, the plot for Zero appears to be in good hands. Both Daisuke Sakô and Koji Nozaki prove that they understand the series well, and its previous iterations. While not stressing too much about series canon, the pair appear to be focusing more on its link to Part 1, and how Lupin ended up the way he was in that series, as opposed to the likes of Fujiko Mine or First Contact. This should give the team a decent amount of flexibility to explore Lupin’s origins without being tied down to existing works—no doubt a level of freedom the writers will appreciate,
Six episodes feels like the perfect length for Zero, too. While it sounds on the short side, for a spin-off, I think this could be the ideal length. Quality over quantity is my preference, and going by the teaser trailer, it is already looking the part! Telecom Animation very rarely disappoint in the visuals department, and comparing how this looks to 2021s Part 6, there is quite a gap.
Vehicles are 2D animated again, and backgrounds look detailed. The style, which mimics the look of 1960s / 1970s era animation with a modern touch, is a superb look for Lupin. Character designs, from what we can see, look colourful and unique. There is a lot of character simply in how the shot looks, and I adore that about it.
While this is all sounding good, the slight elephant in the room, then, is a lack of Yuji Ohno.
We know the veteran musician was admitted to hospital earlier this year, it’s important not to read too much into his lack of involvement with LUPIN Zero. As this is a spin-off, it seems to simply be taking a different direction in regard to its audio. This has happened before—as with the two spin-off series’ that came before it, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine and the Lupin the IIIRD film trilogy. It is clear from Zero’s trailer that Part 1 is to be a heavy influence on the music—and that was also a series that saw no involvement from Ohno, as he joined during the production of Part 2 in 1977. Yoshihide Otomo (Ama Chan, INU-OH), is a great fit to arrange Takeo Yamashita’s original Part 1 tracks, and I am sure it is going to sound fantastic throughout.
With that said, I cannot help but still be worried about Ohno’s health. His PR account on social media is still active, although tours remain cancelled. I just hope he is getting plenty of rest, and that we can hear more from him soon (especially as he is credited as providing music for the VS Cat’s Eye cross-over during 2023).
With both Zero and VS Cat’s Eye on the way, there has never been a better time to be a fan of this franchise—regardless of where you live in the world.
Zero is shaping up to look incredible. This is the most excited I have been for a Lupin related thing since The First, mostly due to its links with Part 1 (my favourite part), and the pedigree of the staff working on it. I have a feeling this won’t disappoint, and I cannot wait to share further thoughts with you all come December (I also look forward to hearing what you think about it, too)!
