Apparently this series will premiere some time in May on Italy’s RTI channel. It will air in Japan on Nihon TV in the Fall season.
It’s fitting I guess, since this newest iteration of the Lupin franchise takes place in Italy.
Details are still somewhat unclear, but the assumption is that more than just the premiere will air in Italy. If the entire series airs in Italy first, that would be an uncommon occurrence in the world of anime. Space Dandy did something similar, when it aired in the US before Japan, but that was a matter of hours difference, not a matter of seasons.
RTI is really a network of channels and one of their subsidiaries aired Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine in Italy back 2012. I mention this because according to an Italian wiki page, this particular broadcast was uncensored. The entire Fujiko Mine anime aired in basically about a month, meaning multiple episodes per week.
Given this past history, it should be interesting to see how quickly this series airs. Given the late start to this season, it makes sense to air the episodes in rapid fashion. Can’t say for sure that this will happen, but past history suggests it might.
Of course, the Lupin franchise has become increasingly adult oriented in recent times, and the current season’s director (Kazuhide Tomonaga) even mentions this in the Anime News Network link. I would say there’s a strong chance of nudity, and a decent chance the series airs uncensored. Definitely something to monitor.
Hopefully an Italian fansub group picks up the show and releases the raws as they air.
Thanks to UBW187 for the heads up and research.
