Yuji Ohno's latest work to mark the 50th anniversary of the "Lupin the Third" anime - CD "Lupin the Third Part 6 Original Soundtrack 1 "LUPIN THE THIRD PART 6 - LONDON"" [Ryozo Fuwa's "Anime no otto" Vol.11].

The 11th edition of "Anime no otto" focuses on the CD "Lupin the Third Part 6 Original Soundtrack 1 "LUPIN THE THIRD PART 6 - LONDON"" released by VAP on November 3, 2021.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of "Lupin the Third" (1st series), an anime created by Monkey Punch in 1971. A new TV animation "Lupin the Third Part 6," appropriate for this anniversary year, has also begun to be broadcast on Nippon Television Network Corporation from October 9, 2021. This CD is a soundtrack disc of the theme song, theme tune, insert song, and BGM music, all composed by the composer and pianist Yuji Ohno, who has been in charge of Lupin music for 44 years since the anime "Lupin the Third" (2nd series) started airing in 1977. Before we get into the contents of the CD, we would like to take a look back at Mr. Ohno's first encounter with Lupin the Third and the 44 years that they have been together.

*Honorifics are omitted below.

Yuji Ohno was born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1941. While a student at Keio University, he was a member of the prestigious big band "Light Music Society," and together with fellow jazz pianists Hiromasa "Colgen" Suzuki and Masahiko Sato, was already making a name for himself as one of the "Three Crows of Keio Piano". While still a student at Keio University, he made his professional debut as a member of jazz clarinetist Niji Fujika's quintet, and later joined the Hideo Shiraki Quintet and the Terumasa Hino Quartet, among others, before forming his own band, the Yuji Ohno Trio. In 1971, they released their first album "Mr. Happy-Gon" as the Yuji Ohno Trio.
In the 1970s, he began his active career as a composer and arranger, writing and producing songs for Hatsumi Shibata, Ken Narita, Sonia Rosa, Yusaku Matsuda, and others, as well as contributing to the suspense television drama series "Tuesday Woman" and "Saturday Woman" (1971-1974/NTV), the Union Film Productions drama series starring Tetsuo Ishidate He also produced music for dramas such as "Ohie Asobase" (1971), "Mizumore Kosuke" (1974), and "Kimagure Tenshi" (1976) (all for NTV), as well as many commercial songs. In the midst of all this, "Inugamike no Ichizoku" (1976), the first film by Kadokawa Pictures, a child of the movie industry, became a huge hit. Ohno, who was in charge of the music for the film, also enjoyed a breakthrough and quickly became a sought-after composer. The year 1977, when "Lupin the Third" (the second series) began, was the right year for him.

Yuji Ohno

It was NTV producer Kei Kosaka, who was known for his love of jazz, who appointed Ohno to the "Tuesday Girls" and "Saturday Girls" series, as well as the Tetsuo Ishidate drama series. Then, Bin (Akira) Yoshikawa succeeded Kosaka as the producer of Ishidate dramas from "Mizumore Kousuke". Ohno, who gained experience in music for these dramas at the invitation of both Kosaka and Yoshikawa, soon became a composer who could handle both comedy and suspense.
Then, in 1977, Yoshikawa was put in charge of a new program as producer, "Lupin III. When considering who should be in charge of music, the name of Takeo Watanabe, who already had a proven track record with "The Star of the Giant" (1968) and "Suzunosuke Akamodo" (1972), animation works by Tokyo Movie (now TMS Entertainment), the production company, was mentioned (the previous program in the same broadcast slot as Lupin, "Genso Tensai Bakabon" ( ), but Ono was chosen because of his experience in the drama series mentioned above, even though he had never worked in animation before.
At that time, NTV had Godaigo for the dramas "Iroha no "I"" (1976) and "Saiyuki" (1978), Kentaro Haneda for the anime "Treasure Island" (1978), and the dramas "Oretachi wa tenshi da! (both 1979), and the experimental band Mariah, which included Yasuaki Shimizu and Masanori Sasaji, for the anime "Tetsujin 28-go" (1980). The appointment of Ohno to "Lupin the Third" was a forerunner of this trend.

As you all know, Ono's music was a perfect match for the new "Lupin the Third" world of the second series, which was a slight change from the first series, and was bright and comical, sometimes serious while retreating from a hard-boiled touch, and was set in cities and resorts around the world. The fact that Ohno has been in charge of Lupin's music for the next 44 years is the best proof that his appointment was not a mistake. During the course of its broadcasts, he has entertained and surprised us with his arrangements of the theme songs and theme music, which were renewed one after another, as well as with various music for the movies "Lupin the Third: Lupin vs. the Copy Man" (1978) and "Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro" (1979).

During the broadcast period of the second series of "Lupin the Third," the early Kadokawa film trilogy of "The Inugami Clan," "Proof of Humanity" (1977), and "Proof of Wildness" (1978), the hard-boiled action films "The Most Dangerous Game" and "Murder Game" (both 1978), starring Yusaku Matsuda, "Execution Game" ( (1979), the TV dramas "The Great Chase" (1978) and "24-Hour TV: Love Save the Earth" (1978-), and the animation "Captain Future" (1978).

In the 1980s, the third TV series "Lupin III Part III" (1984) and the third theatrical film "Lupin III: The Golden Legend of Babylon" (1985) followed, and in 1989, the first TV special "Lupin III: Bye Bye Liberty Crisis! was broadcast.' From the 1990s onward, these TV specials, which were broadcast at a pace of one per year, became Ono Lupin's main battlefield. However, Yasuo Yamada, the actor who had played Lupin the Third, passed away in March 1995. Yamada had met Ono in the second series of "Lupin the Third" and had become such a close friend that he even agreed to produce his solo album "Se-Shareman" (1979). The following year, however, he was not in charge of "Lupin the Third: The Secret of Twilight Gemini," which was released in 1996.

However, he returned the following year with "Lupin the Third: Walther P38" (1997). He was to return to the new system surrounding Kanichi Kurita, who became the second generation Lupin voice actor. Without this decision to return, both the work Lupin the Third and Yuji Ohno's music might have had a different future than they do today. The "Lupin the Third: Walther P38," which was selected as the number one movie out of 27 TV specials in the "Lupin the Third: What You Want to See Most" poll and aired on Friday Road Show on October 22, was such an important film at such an important time.

Around 1999, Ohno's activities began to shift toward a return to his roots as a jazz pianist. In 2006, he added trumpet, saxophone, and guitar to his trio to form a sextet (6), In 2006, he formed "Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five," a six-piece sextet with trumpet, saxophone, and guitar. The "LUPIN THE THIRD JAZZ" album series has continued with releases such as "Bossa & Fusion" (2002), "PLAYS THE "STANDARDS" (2003), "the 10th New Flight" (2006), and "FOR LOVERS ONLY" (2008). The trio, Lupintic Five, and other groups continued to expand their performance range.
Also around this time, the Lupintic Five began to perform more BGM music for the TV special "Lupin," and the group naturally evolved into a fusion of their work as arrangers and performers as jazz pianists.

Then, in December 2015, the group celebrated its 10th anniversary with the "Lupin III Concert - LUPIN! LUPIN!!! LUPIN!!!! 2015", Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five disbanded. The sudden announcement of the breakup had everyone worried about the future of the Yuji Ohno sound and Lupin Music, but in March 2016, the formation of "Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Six," a septet (seven members) with new members and a new Hammond organ, was announced, reassuring many This announcement reassured many fans.
The Lupintic Six will include drummer Ichihara Yasushi, who has participated in the recording of albums such as "The Inugami Clan," "Proof of Humanity," and "Proof of Wildness," and bassist Michi Nagaoka, a former member of SHŌGUN who also recorded "Lupin the Third" (second series). The participation of the veteran rhythm section, longtime friends of Ono, including bassist Michi Nagaoka, a member of SHŌGUN who also participated in the recording of "Lupin III" (2nd series), also greatly pleased fans. The members of Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Six, which celebrated its 5th anniversary this year, are as follows Yuji Ohno on piano and electric piano, Yasushi Ichihara on drums, Michi Nagaoka on bass, Hiroyuki Matsushima on trumpet, Hisao Suzuki on saxophone, Satoshi Izumi on guitar, and Jun Miyagawa on Hammond organ. Although the Corona Vortex has made it difficult for them to perform, this seven-member energetic group is finally returning to their original form on a tour that will take them all over Japan.

The CD "Lupin the Third Part 6 Original Soundtrack 1: LUPIN THE THIRD PART 6 - LONDON" includes the background music for the new TV anime "Lupin the Third Part 6," which began airing on October 9, as well as the music for the insert songs. includes BGM music, insert songs, the ending theme, and of course a new version of the "Lupin the Third Theme," which is renewed for each new film.
Instruments and music associated with the region have been featured in recent films, such as the mandolin in 2015's "Lupin III" (4th series), set in Italy, and the musette-style accordion in 2018's "Lupin III Part 5" (5th series), set in France.
In addition, the 2019 theatrical version of "Lupin the Third: The First" will revive the spirit of the original "Lupin the Third Theme" from 1977, and the November 2019 TV special "Lupin the Third: Prison of the Past" will feature a vocal version of "Lupin the Third" (2nd series) by Pete Mac, Jr. (2nd series) will be revived by Ohno's old ally Shigeru Matsuzaki ....... Many people look forward to the new version of "Lupin III Theme," which is reborn in a new form with each new film.

And now, "Lupin III Part 6," set in London, England, presents a new version titled "THEME FROM LUPIN III 2021," featuring a guitar sound befitting the home of rock. Satoshi Izumi, guitarist of the Lupintic Six, has already received many inquiries from Japan and abroad asking if he could get a copy of the guitar solo from "THEME FROM LUPIN III 2021" and if he could play it. He has already received inquiries from Japan and abroad asking if he can obtain the score. As if in response to these requests, Yuji Ohno's official YouTube page is now showing a video of Izumi himself "playing" the piece.

The teaser poster before the broadcast reads "Is this man a villain or a hero?" and guest writers include Mamoru Oshii, Masaki Tsuji, Taku Ashibe, Akio Higuchi, and Kanae Minato. The story is expected to be different from the previous "Lupin the Third" films, with a hard-hitting development that goes one step further. In addition to the usual Lupin jazz, the background music that supports the story is characterized by rock arrangements featuring guitars, suspenseful songs reminiscent of foggy London scenes, and songs with a more hard-boiled touch.

Another feature of this CD is the absence of songs that are quoted or re-arranged from past Lupin songs and background music that Ohno has accumulated since the second series, which had been common in previous Lupin soundtracks. Another feature of this CD is that the majority of the songs are new songs newly written for "Lupin the 3rd PART6. This seems to indicate the production staff's desire to create a new image of Lupin that is not bound by the image of the past.

The mysterious insert song "FOGGY LOVE feat. Inaizumi Rin," sung by Rin Inaizumi, a member of the chorus unit "Fujikochans" that supports Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Six, and up-and-coming singer Akari Dritschler ( Akari Dritschler sings the cute ending theme song "MILK TEA.

Lupin the Third Part 6" appeared on the 50th anniversary of the anime. On October 8, 2021, the day before the start of the broadcast, the so-called "subscriber ban" was lifted and the distribution service began for the 1,200 songs that Yuji Ohno has created so far for Lupin's music. In addition, on January 27 and 28, 2022, "Lupin III: Cagliostro's Castle" Cinema Concert will be held as an official project to celebrate Yuji Ohno's 80th birthday! And Yuji Ohno Best Hit Live! will be held at the Tokyo International Forum.

Ohno has already conducted a number of large-scale cinema concerts (concerts with live music synchronized with film screenings), including "Kadokawa Pictures Cinema Concert" (Tokyo International Forum) in April 2018 and "Lupin III: Cagliostro's Castle Cinema Concert" (Pacifico Yokohama, National Grand Hall) in October 2019. He has already conducted many large-scale cinema concerts (concerts with live music synchronized with video screenings), and his skill in matching and synchronizing with video images is of the highest quality among these types of concerts, which have been increasing in number in recent years. We look forward to seeing this concert as well as the development of "Lupin the Third Part 6.

(Text by Ryozo Fuwa)

Product Information

CD "LUPIN THE THIRD PART6 Original Soundtrack 1 "LUPIN THE THIRD PART6 - LONDON

Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Six

Release date: November 3, 2021 (Wednesday)

Price: 3,850 yen (excluding tax: 3,500 yen)

Label: VAP Inc.

Contents
1. THEME FROM LUPIN III 2021

2. RAILWAY ADVENTURE

3. betting

4. for the mission

5. foggy love feat.

6. eye catch 2021 #1

7. lupin vs holmes

8. get ready

9. EXECUTED

10. JUMP AHEAD

MILK TEA feat. Akari Dritschler (TV size ver.) 12.

12. lily's will~i'll go too

13. theme from lupin iii 2021 (british ver.)

14. missing piece

15. CONGRATS!!!

16. i'm home ~as usual

17. MEANWHILE

18. milk tea ~twilight

19. eye catch 2021 #2

20. the strangers

21. two faces

22. this is how i do

23. i'm home

24. lupin vs holmes part ii

25. foggy love ~in the dream

26. theme from lupin iii 2021 (tv size ver.)

27. milk tea feat. akari dritschler *ending theme