TMS confirm "special Lupin project" due for 2021!
It has been a little while since we have had some Lupin III news out of Japan, and it’s finally time to get excited!
The team have something big planned for the franchise in 2021. The new project, which is currently in the works, will be released in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the initial air date of Lupin III: Part I.
While no additional details have been shared on what the project may be, it is worth noting that the teaser video shared by TMS only contains clips from the mainline TV shows - Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part 5.
Is Lupin Burning…?!, the first episode of the green jacket series dropped on Japanese television back on October 24, 1971.
The first season was initially met by rather low viewing figures, which eventually led to its cancellation ahead of schedule despite additional help from Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. The series grew in popularity during re-runs, in parts thanks to the 1974 live-action film, and has since become a cult classic in Japan.
Further details on the 2021 project are due to release in the near future, so stay tuned to the official Japanese website for more details.
We will be sure to post up all of the information once it becomes available!
This is exciting news for Lupin fans - something new is on the way!
The following is pure speculation, and it is definitely worth waiting to hear from official sources before getting too excited, but it does seem likely this could be a new TV series.
Lupin III: Part 5 originally aired in Japan back in 2018.
It has now been a couple of years since Part 5 aired in Japan, and the show seemed to go down particularly well with audiences both abroad and closer to home. It has aired in Italy, North America and is currently showing on French television along with dubbed audio, the first time for a Lupin show in a long while.
The North American TMS account shared the same announcement, echoing the same information - that something special is due next year. The Japanese social media channels rarely hype up a TV special or OVA in such a manner, so we could assume this is something more substantial. Part 5 left viewers asking a lot of questions by the end - especially regarding the disappearance of Albert d'Andrésy, so we could see a continuation of that storyline.
The announcement of both Part IV and Part 5 was a tad more specific - with the first news directly confirming a new television series being in production. This has not been the case with the 2021 project, so it may well be something entirely different.
We can only wait and see - it’s easy to get excited about the prospect of a Part VI / 6, but we’re no doubt better to temper expectations a little bit.
Still - it’s nice to get hyped for something coming out of 2020 / 21, right?
