New details about the story, staff and premiere date for Lupin the 3rd Part 6 have been revealed.
According to Comic Natalie, the anime's story will center around the concept of mysteries and will follow the infamous thief Lupin as he tries to find a treasure hidden by The Raven, an organization that secretly manipulates the British government behind the scenes. However, The Raven won't be the only foe Lupin and his allies encounter, as they will also match face off against Sherlock Holmes himself.
According to the anime's script supervisor Takahiro Okura (Detective Conan: The Crimson Love Letter, Lupin the Third: Part 5), Sherlock is a natural fit for a series built around mysteries. He believes Sherlock is the only one who can rival the Lupin family, who have outsmarted police and investigators all over the world.
Lupin the 3rd Part 6 will not be the first showdown between Lupin and Sherlock. Toei Animation pitted the two against each other in a 1981 television special, titled Lupin vs. Holmes.
Lupin III is one of the longest-running anime/manga franchises of all time. The original story by creator Monkey Punch premiered in Weekly Manga Action in August 1967. Lupin the 3rd Part 6 commemorates the original anime's 50th anniversary; as such, an all-star group has been brought in to script the latest entry in the franchise, including the popular mystery writers Kanae Minato (Confession) and Taku Ashibe (Murder in the Red Chamber). Other writers include anime industry-veterans Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Gatchaman II) and Masaki Tsuji (Astro Boy, Jungle Emperor Leo, Doraemon). According to Oshii, the writers were encouraged to go all out with their scripts, being told to "Please write whatever you like."
Moreover, many crew members from previous Lupin III projects are returning to contribute to Lupin the 3rd Part 6. For example, Hirotaka Marufuji (Lupin III: Prison of the Past, Lupin III: the Last Job) is one of the show's main character designers, Hiromi Miyawaki (Lupin III vs. Detective Conan The Movie) is the color key artist, Masato Yoshitake (Lupin III: Goodbye Partner) is overseeing the editing process, Youji Shimizu (Lupin the 3rd: Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid, Lupin the Third: Goemon's Blood Spray) is directing the sound and Hiromune Kurahashi (Lupin III: Prison of the Past) is handling the sound effects.
Sentai Filmworks has licensed Lupin the 3rd Part 6 and will stream the anime through select digital outlets with a home video release to follow. The series is scheduled to premiere Oct. 1o on Nippon TV and other NNS networks.
Source: Comic Natalie, via Anime News Network
