Hiatus Announcement: Deadlines are approaching fast so I’m really busy at the moment. I’ll be back hopefully on the 15th
I posted my season preview a little bit later than usual this season, because I was waiting to see if any other series were announced. But after a week I gave up, thinking that if a new series was announced, it would be some dumb kids show or some flash shit. Then what do you know, up pops a new Lupin III anime. A television series no less, first one since 1691. With the Redline guy working on it. So yes, it did turn out to be something other than some kiddy flash shit.
There had been rumours flying around about this new Lupin III anime for a while, with one of the prominent rumours being that it was going to be a collaboration between Mr. Redline Takashi Koike and a bunch of old Gainax folks. That has turned out to be largely the case. Takashi Koike isn’t directing unfortunately, he’s just doing character design and animation. Director is Sayo Yamamoto, ex-Gainax staff and a seriously talented person. Worked on everything from Evangelion to Death Note to Eureka Seven to Samurai Champloo. Her one role as a director was on Michiko to Hatchin, which I felt I should have loved but ended up rubbing me seriously the wrong way. Everyone else seems to love it though, so I might just chalk that up to me being in a bad mood when I tried to watch it. It’s not you Sayo, it’s me! I’m the one at fault here!
On a slightly less positive note, the main writer is Mari Okada. Some call her an enigma. I call her a shit writer. Her series are a bunch of awful melodramas with really shitty attempts at drawing emotion like Black Rock Shooter, Fractale, Ano Hana etc. She is currently working on Aquarion EVOL, which I like a lot, but Aquarion EVOL is…well, it’s really dumb. It’s more how it embraces the cheesy factor that makes it click, turning what should be awful melodrama on its head. Shoji Kawamori took her script and thought “this is really stupid, it’s perfect!” and ran with it. So maybe she’s better on a series that doesn’t take itself seriously. In that case, Lupin III probably fits her. It’s incredibly goofy, doesn’t really take itself seriously and has little intent on sophistication.
An interesting point to note is that the two main creative directors, both writer and director, are women. In an industry almost entirely male dominated, it’s really rare to see this. This goes hand in hand with the reveal that this new Lupin III TV series plans to focus on Fujiko, Lupin’s femme fatale, as the main character. What this actually means I couldn’t tell you, I just thought it was interesting. Certainly doesn’t mean a drop in sexualising Fujiko. The press release claims they’re exploring the original work’s “sensual side” and the homepage proudly displays Fujiko’s nipples. At the very least, it will be different, which is probably what Lupin III needs.
So yes, I’m hyped. If you’ve never watched Lupin III before, don’t worry because it really won’t matter. Lupin III is always designed to be open to newcomers, and likely this one especially so. I used to just tell people that, if you’re going to watch any Lupin III, just watch Castle of Cagliostro. But this may end up being an even better place to jump in. Especially if you’re tired of moeblobs, Fujiko is a Real Woman.
The Cart Driver 
Yeah, really looking forward to it, though I watched only the first season of Lupin and really liked it. I should watch this movie someday, I think.
I mean this Cagliostro movie.
Yes. Watch Cagliostro. Miyazaki’s second best movie after Porco Rosso in my totally biased opinion
No toothbrushing, no thanks.
”I call her a shit writer”
Comrade!
In any case, this is et to be at least visually awesome. I’m just glad that it turned out that the rumors were true to begin with … for the past few months, I was going through this emotional roller coaster of whether or not this was going to be made at all or if it was just going to be a commercial for a gambling machine LOL.
I’m looking forward to it! The promo art looks gorgeous.
It’s good to see more women working in prominent roles in anime production. (The K-on director is the only other one I know of.)
There’s a lot working on music, such as Yoko Kanno and Yuki Kajiura. There’s also plenty of mangaka, even on shounen works (most notable probably the FMA mangaka). As for directors though…well, there’s Chiaki Kon, but she’s kinda shitty. Did the Umineko anime, for example, along with those BL fests Sekai-ichi and Junjou. Errr…tbh I don’t know much more, mainly because I don’t tend to pay attention to gender. I know the script-writer for Arakawa Under the Bridge is female, but I only remember that because her profile pic on MAL is hot.
Yep, that’s hot alright.
I watched Castle of Cagliostro and though it was really good and then torrented the Green and the Red and promptly lost any time to watch it. Maybe this will jumpstart my drive and I can get started on those Greens again.
Don’t watch Green vs Red. It sounds cool on paper, but the anime is a confusing mess. My personal favourite, after Cagliostro, is Alcatraz Connection. It has an awesome tram chase sequence
No no, I’m not saying Green vs Red, I’m saying I have over 200 episodes stashed away on my computer which is all the Green episodes and all the Red episodes.
In an unrelated note, holy shit logh got really intense.
I think you just convinced me to watch that new Lupin III series! I know little about the franchise, been hearing about it here and there but I know I like crime fiction. And while I like me some moeblobs, I always prefer real women who know how to handle themselves.
That last pix sold me.
same here
1691?
Yeesh, my grandma said television came out when she was young, had no clue she was that old!
But hooreyey,
Lupin the 3rd!
whoo…
1691
HEAR YE, HEAR YE.
appropriate post for the international womens day~ (or so the fb tells me)
“the two main creative directors, both writer and director, are women. This goes hand in hand with the reveal that this new Lupin III TV series plans to focus on Fujiko, Lupin’s femme fatale, as the main character.”
spongebobwallet.jpg
My interest in this series went from zero to ‘why isn’t this here now?’ in these two sentences. This is exactly what this franchise needs.
Now I want a James Bond movie with the super villain as the main character.
It’s over. It’s done. No need to run the Spring season. Winner by default.
Yeah, hopefully this will add I spark to the otherwise dull Spring season. Lupin is not something I often think about, but Cagliostro was great fun, and I’ve always wanted to see a little more of Lupin and his schemes. So count me in.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-03-14/cowboy-bebop-writer-sato-new-composer-join-2012-lupin-iii
It keeps getting better and better!
Lol, so he’s working on this rather than Eureka Seven? That’s too funny.
Fujiko Mine will be voiced by Miyuki Sawsahiro, which means I’m hitting this one.
I haven’t seen Lupin the Third since it finished its broadcast here in the Philippines, so this one is full of novelty to me.
NOVELTY, I say. NOVELTY.