New Lupin III 2D Anime Feature Film Gets Net Prequel on June 20
The official website for the Lupin III franchise announced on Thursday that Lupin the IIIrd The Movie: Fujimi no Ketsuzoku (Immortal Bloodline), the new feature-length film in the franchise, will have a net anime prequel titled Lupin the IIIrd: Zenigata to Futari no Lupin (Zenigata and the Two Lupins) that will begin streaming in various services in Japan on June 20. The site unveiled a visual and stills from the anime.The tagline on the visual reads, "What was stolen was your own identity …"The anime will feature a returning cast and staff, including director Takeshi Koike, scriptwriter Yūya Takahashi, and composer James Shimoji.The "hard action" net anime centers on Inspector Zenigata, Lupin's nemesis and erstwhile ally, as the protagonist. The story begins with an explosive terrorist attack in an airport in the wintry "Roviet Union," (a wordplay on the Japanese term for the Soviet Union) with Lupin cast as the prime suspect. Zenigata apprehends Lupin, who maintains his innocence, and Zenigata is quickly embroiled in a plot that seems to involve more than one Lupin.The film's story follows Lupin and his team as they seek a treasure on a mysterious unmarked island.Takeshi Koike (Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Lupin the IIIrd: Jigen's Gravestone, Lupin the IIIrd: Goemon's Blood Spray, Lupin the IIIrd: Fujiko Mine's Lie) is returning to the franchise to direct the film at Telecom Animation Film. Yūya Takahashi (Lupin the IIIrd: Jigen's Gravestone, Lupin the IIIrd: Goemon's Blood Spray, Lupin the IIIrd: Fujiko Mine's Lie, Lupin the 3rd Part 6) is also returning to write the screenplay. James Shimoji is also returning from the three films to compose the music, and Katsuhito Ishii is also returning from the three films as creative adviser. TMS Entertainment is credited with production and writing. TOHO NEXT will distribute the film. Rock band B'z will perform the film's theme song "The IIIRD Eye".According to the staff, the film will be the first new 2D feature-length anime film in the franchise in nearly 30 years, since Lupin III: Dead or Alive in 1996. Since then other anime have screened in theaters such as Lupin the IIIrd: Jigen's Gravestone, Lupin the IIIrd: Goemon's Blood Spray, and Lupin the IIIrd: Fujiko Mine's Lie, but those were not feature-length films. The 2019 film Lupin III THE FIRST was CG, and the 2013 film Lupin III vs. Detective Conan The Movie and the 2023 film Lupin III vs. Cat's Eye were both crossover films.Sources: Lupin III franchise's website, Lupin the IIIrd: Zenigata to Futari no Lupin anime's website, Comic Natalie
