Part 6 broadcast details revealed!
The official Japanese website for Lupin III: Part 6 has been updated with a heap of new details!
First and foremost is the second key visual, drawn by lead artist Hirotaka Marufuji. It features a first look at all main members of the Lupin gang, who star in similar outfits to their Lupin III: Part I counterparts.
The two new focus guest characters can also be seen - a young female protagonist, who’s name we are currently unaware of, and the famous fictional private detective, Sherlock Holmes. Voice actors for both are to be announced shortly.
A single raven can be seen flying in the skies above - no doubt a nod to the shadowy, villainous organisation named “The Raven”, who are set to star in the show.
The first episode is planned to air on television in Japan on October 10th, 2021 at 12:55am.
It will first feature on NTV, however is also going to be made available on Hulu and various other streaming services within Japan after its initial air slot on NTV. The show will run weekly, each time in its early Sunday morning slot (or late Saturday night… depending on what time you go to bed)!
Outside of Japan, Sentai Filmworks will be bringing the series to streaming platform HIDIVE. More information on this can be seen over on the English language website for the show, with additional announcements to be made available in the coming weeks.
Part 6 is to have a strong focus on narrative, giving a unique sense of mystery and adventure like the series has never seen before. With the gang visiting the city of London and facing off with the great detective Sherlock Holmes, would you expect anything less…?
To help achieve this compelling narrative, various different guest writers will be working alongside Eiji Suganuma and Takahiro Okura, including AAA industry talent such as:
Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, Vladlove)
Mamoru Oshii was once due to direct a cancelled Lupin III animated feature film, which eventually took the form of Legend of the Gold of Babylon. The director is excited to work on Part 6, and it is said that he has free rein to do whatever he pleases with the characters and story.
Masaki Tsuji (Astro Boy, Kyojin no Hoshi, Umi no Triton)
Masaki Tsuji is a legend of the Japanese TV, film and animation industry, being an active writer on more than ninety-nine different shows since his first industry job in 1963.
Taku Ashibe (Murder in the Red Chamber)
Taku Ashibe is a famous Japanese mystery writer, who will no doubt contribute greatly to the story of Part 6.
Aki Higuchi (Zone)
Aki Higuchi is a self-proclaimed Lupin III series fan, and previously worked on well known sci-fi and adventure book series.
Kanae Minato (Confession)
Kanae Minato is an award winning crime and suspense novelist in Japan, who will no doubt bring her fantastic storytelling to the Lupin III series for the first time.
Yumi Matsumiya, Kōichirō Bizen, Hiromasa Ogura, Wataru Nishizawa, Beom Seon Lee, and Yūsuke Takeda are directing the artwork for the show, and Hiromi Miyawaki is the colour key artist. Akemi Sasaki is the compositing director of photography, and Masato Yoshitake is handling editing. Youji Shimizu is directing the sound, and Hiromune Kurahashi is handling the sound effects.
The soundtrack itself will be handled by none other than series veteran Yuji Ohno. Just like with Part 4 and Part 5, the show is likely to feature brand-new compositions, but also remixes of previous works in the series. The first OST, suitably named ルパン三世 PART6 オリジナル・サウンドトラック1『LUPIN THE THIRD PART6～LONDON』, is due for release on November 3rd, 2021. Fans living within Japan can currently pre-order the album for around 3,850 yen.
More details on Part 6 are likely to drop in the coming weeks, with a second preview video / trailer and an upload of the opening animation likely on the cards.
In the meantime, to read up on more story information for the show - check out our news post from August 20th, which includes a synopsis and other details.
