A Lupin the Third manga spinoff has been announced that will blend the the iconic thief's antics with the premise and stories of the currently super-popular isekai genre.
As reported by Anime News Network, the new manga, entitled Lupin III: Neighbor World Princess, was revealed in the ninth issue of Akita Shoten's Young Champion Retsu magazine. The manga will begin serialization in Weekly Young Champion magazine on Aug. 26. The manga will reportedly feature a "summoning story," though its not clear if Lupin is being summoned to another world, or if that titular Neighbor World Princess is instead coming to Lupin's.
The series will be written Yosuke Saeki, who previously worked on the comedy-isekai manga Mukashi Yuusha de Ima wa Hone (A Skeleton Who Was Brave,) and will feature art by Keyaki Uchi-Uchi, who previously provided the art for the sports manga Basket No Megami-Sama (also known as B-Ball Goddess).
The spinoff will be the latest entry in the long-running Lupin the 3rd franchise, which was first created by Monkey Punch and published in 1967. The character of Lupin III is meant to be the grandson of famous literary thief Arsene Lupin, who was created by French author Maurice LeBlanc in 1905. Monkey Punch's Lupin travels the world, stealing valuable objects with the help of his associates, expert marksman Jigen, the classically trained swordsman Goemon, and the femme fatale Fujiko Mine. The series has been adapted into anime multiple times, starting with a TV series in 1971. The most famous animated work to come from the franchise, The Castle of Colgliostro, was released in 1979 and was the first feature-length film directed by Studio Ghibli auteur Hayao Miyazaki. Lupin is considered to be one of the most influential anime and manga series of all time, and has been cited as a direct inspiration on everything from Cowboy Bebop to FLCL to Metal Gear Solid.
The latest anime adaptation, Lupin the Third Part 6, is scheduled to debut in Japan this October and will mark the 50th anniversary of the TV series.
Source: Anime News Network