A 50th anniversary production that aims to "go back to the basics" and "take on new challenges! Interview with Eiji Suganuma, director of the 2021 Fall anime "Lupin the 3rd Part 6!

The "Lupin the Third" anime series celebrates the 50th anniversary of the broadcast of "PART 1" in 2021.

Lupin the Third Part 6" ("PART6"), which will begin airing in October 2021, will feature many fascinating new characters in addition to Lupin the Third's eternal rival, Sherlock Holmes. In addition, the series has been written by a splendid lineup, including Mamoru Oshii, an animation writer, Masaki Tsuji, a veteran screenwriter who has recently worked on "Detective Conan" and other scripts, and Taku Ashibe, a novelist, all of whom have written scripts for this series, making this a work befitting of this memorial year.

We interviewed the director of this film, Eiji Suganuma. He talked about the charms of "PART 6," including his love for "Lupin the Third.

The most attractive point of the film is that Lupin and his friends are both childlike and mature.

--How did you come to direct this film?

Suganuma: I have worked with the team that produced the "Lupin the Third" pachislot movie, but I did not direct or storyboard the movie, so I honestly don't know why I was asked to direct this one (laughs). (Laughs.) However, I accepted the offer with the feeling that "I should have confidence in the evaluation that I was given. (laughs).

--Do you have any memories of the "Lupin the Third" series?

Suganuma: I started watching the series in real time from "Part 1" broadcast in 1971, and by the time "Part 2" was broadcast from 1977 to 1980, I was in the middle of puberty and started watching the series from the perspective of a so-called "otaku.

At the time, there were many other fascinating works being broadcast, so there was a time when I was a little detached from "Lupin the Third. However, as I mentioned earlier, I had opportunities to work on the work after I started working as an animator, so I was not conscious that I had "distanced myself" from it.

--What do you think is the charm of your work?

Suganuma: The characters, especially Lupin III, Daimon Daisuke, Ishikawa Gomon, Fujiko Mine, and Inspector Zenigata, are well-defined and their relationships are always interesting and never boring.

Their "childlike and adult-like aspects" are applicable to any era. That is what really appeals to me.

It was difficult to put together a script from a group of writers with so many different personalities.

--In this work, each school year has a different theme.

Suganuma: I am involved purely as a "director. I think the work of an animation director can be divided into two main categories. There are directors who think about the "core" of the work, and directors who are purely directing.

--What exactly did you do?

Suganuma: The writers who were in charge of the screenplay were all very diverse and had strong personalities, so I tried to think about how I could create an omnibus-like element. However, if the colors were too different, it would lose its cohesiveness, so we had to find a good balance. That was the difficult part.

--How did you meet with the writers?

Suganuma: Some of them we were able to meet in person, while others unfortunately had to be remote. In either case, we basically took the stance of "leaving it up to everyone.

Our biggest concern was, "Will it fit in the scale? The first draft was spectacular, so we had to cut it down a bit to make it fit into the 30 minutes. ......

The green jacket may be a sign of "going back to the basics.

--From here, I would like to delve into the contents of "PART 6. First of all, how did you feel when you heard the arranged version of the theme song "Theme of Lupin III"?

Suganuma: I listened to the song after the recording session, and when I first experienced the voice actors' performances during the recording session, I was impressed and thought, "It's Lupin! I was moved by the performance of the voice actors during the postrecording, and when I heard the theme song, I thought to myself, "I'm involved in a Lupin work, aren't I? It was a good pick-me-up for the rest of the work.

--What were you particular about portraying the car chases and the other confrontations between Lupin and his gang and the opposing forces in the "Lupin the Third" series?

Suganuma: I was in charge of the direction for "Lupin the Third: Prison of the Past," and the animation staff from that time also participated in "PART6," so I consulted with each staff member to explore the possibilities, such as, "Let's draw up to this point in the animation, and although there are cost considerations, let's use 3D from here on. We aimed to create a hybrid image (a combination of 2D and 3D).

--The Lupin jacket, which is also likely to attract attention from fans, is "green" in this film.

Suganuma: Producer Nozaki suggested that we use green. Since this is the 50th anniversary of the anime adaptation, I think it also represents a return to the roots. I was also happy to see the color green in "Part 1.

Also, Lupin wore a green jacket in the previous "PART5" episode, which was created by Takahiro Okura, who is in charge of the series composition, so perhaps producer Nozaki had an image in his mind that "Lupin in Okura's works has a green jacket.

Please pay attention to the depth of the human being Holmes!

--Do you have a favorite character or episode from the series?

Suganuma: I loved the "magician" Paikaru, who appears in the second episode of "PART 1. I love the type of character who is sharp-witted.

There was also a story about a bad guy who grows forbidden flowers, and Lupin goes to rescue a girl who is being held prisoner there ....... There was a time when I kept thinking about the enemy leader and the captive girl. I interpreted it in my mind as "a scene I would have to refer to if I were to direct "Lupin the Third.

--Lastly, please tell us again about the highlights of the film.

Suganuma: I drew not only the relationship between Lupin and Holmes, but also the depth of the character of Holmes, so I hope that people will pay attention to the film.