News

Lupin the IIIrd: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone Anime Film's 1st Teaser Posted

The teaser trailer for the Lupin the IIIrd: Jigen Daisuke no Bohyō (Lupin the IIIrd: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone) film debuted on Friday, along with a new key visual. The teaser trailer, the visual, and the film's website all carry the tagline, "So long, Jigen."

Lupin: Can you make it?
Jigen: Who are you talking to? Do you think that I will be beaten? In the end, you're a business partner, not a friend.
Lupin: Oh, yeah? Suit yourself.
Text: So long, Jigen.
Text: Lupin the IIIrd: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone

In the film, Lupin and Jigen infiltrate East Doroa to capture the secret treasure Little Comet. Queen Malta, a singer from East Doroa, was just assassinated in neighboring West Doroa, resulting in a tense situation at the border. The duo successfully steal the Little Comet, but a sniper tries to take out Jigen during their getaway. Jigen faces a powerful foe named Yael Okuzaki, an assassin who prepares graves for his targets before executing his kills. It is said that no one has survived after Yael Okuzaki makes a grave for that target.

Redline director Takeshi Koike is helming the new Lupin III spinoff anime film, which will be a "continuation spinoff" of the 2012 Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine television anime series. Koike served as the animation director and character designer for that series as well as for this film.

Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine centered on the character Fujiko Mine, and depicted her and the rest of the Lupin III cast during their younger days. Koike said of the new film, "I wanted to try to depict how Lupin and Jigen became partners."

Yu Kiyozono (Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Lupin the 3rd: Green vs Red) is producing the film. Kiyozono said of the project, "Since The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, I have been thinking that I want to continue to create even more spinoffs with a new, cool Lupin III."

Film director Katsuhito Ishii (Smuggler, Redline original creator and scriptwriter) will serve as creative adviser, Yuuya Takahashi (Tiger & Bunny, Donten ni Warau, live-action Aibō series) is writing the screenplay, and James Shimoji (Redline, Ginga e Kickoff!!) is handling the music.

The 51-minute film, split into two parts, will have a limited special screening at Tokyo's Shinjuku Wald 9 theater from June 21-27. Then it will get a home release this summer.

Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine was the first new Lupin III television anime series in 27 years. Sayo Yamamoto (Michiko to Hatchin) directed the 13-episode series. In October 2011, the voice cast for the Lupin III anime franchise changed for the first time in 16 years. The voice cast for The Woman Called Fujiko Mine reflected that change.

Funimation streamed Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine as it aired, and the company then released the series on home video last year.

• Original creator: Monkey Punch
• Director: Takeshi Koike
• Planning: Shūhei Katō, Ryōta Katō
• Script: Yuuya Takahashi
• Creative Advisor: Katsuhito Ishii
• Music: James Shimoji
• Theme Song: Revolver Fires/Gary Stockdale
• Character Design/Mechanic Design/Animation Director: Takeshi Koike
• Art Director: Seiki Tamura
• Visual Coordinator: Yuuko Saitou
• Color design: Takahiro Mogi
• Title design: Nobuo Sekiguchi
• Design Works: Toshiyuki Yamashita
• Sound Director: Youji Shimizu
• Director of Photography: Jiro Tazawa
• Editor: Yoshihiro Kasahara
• Producer: Yu Kiyozono
• Animation Production Telecom Animation Film
• Produced, Presented, Distributed by: TMS Entertainment

Sources: Cinema Today, Comic Natalie

Image © TMS