Lupin III, Japan’s Beloved Gentleman Thief, Is Getting His First CG Feature
The Lupin III franchise has been evolving for half a century, outgrowing its manga origins to encompass anime films and series, videogames, and even stage musicals — but never a computer-animated feature. That’s set to change. The first trailer for Lupin III: The First, released on Wednesday, reveals that the movie will be entirely cg. It will open in Japan on December 6.
The character Lupin III first appeared in a 1967 manga by Kazuhiko Kato, better known by his pen name Monkey Punch. The comic pitted the world-renowned thief against the tireless Inspector Zenigata in various outlandish scenarios; Lupin was conceived as the grandson of Arsène Lupin, star of Maurice Leblanc’s turn-of-the-20th-century crime capers, although Kato was also influenced by action-adventure stories like Ian Fleming’s creation, James Bond.
The manga was a hit, and the first spin-off anime series, Lupin the Third Part I, was broadcast in 1971. Some anime translations preserve the comic’s dark, raunchy spirit, while others tone it down for family audiences, including Hayao Miyazaki’s feature The Castle of Cagliostro and the episodes he directed for Lupin the Third Part I. The director of the new feature is Takashi Yamazaki, the man behind Dragon Quest: Your Story and Stand by Me Doraemon.
Kato died in April, but he saw enough of the new feature to write the following, which is posted on the film’s official website: “I’ve been looking forward to a 3d cg Lupin III for a long time. I’ve taken a look at the characters and story: it looks like this Lupin will come packed with new sensations, and I’m getting excited just thinking about how the film will turn out.” The film’s Twitter account has also published a poster:
映画『ルパン三世 THE FIRST』
12月6日（金）公開🎬不朽の名作「カリオストロの城」から40年🏰
山崎貴による誰も見たことのない新たなルパン参上🎩
原作 #モンキー・パンチ 監督・脚本：#山崎貴#ルパン三世映画公式サイトはコチラ❗️https://t.co/O5HnCpWVyn pic.twitter.com/3HB08HHIHX
— 『ルパン三世 THE FIRST』公式 (@lupin_3rd_movie) 11 July 2019
The franchise remains a force to be reckoned with in Japan. The latest theatrical installment, the adult-oriented Lupin the IIIrd: Fujiko Mine’s Lie, was released in May, and ranked no. 1 in the mini-theater rankings in Japan in its opening weekend. For newcomers, Anime News Network’s roundup of the character’s various anime outings is a useful guide.
