Lupin III versus Cat's Eye coming to Prime Video in 2023!
It’s the big cross-over event of next year, and the Lupin series’ second proper 3DCG outing!
The Lupin gang are due to face-off against a deadly trio of phantom thieves in Lupin III versus Cat’s Eye, coming exclusively to Amazon Prime Video worldwide during 2023 (exact date to be announced). The cross-over is to be directed by Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita (Knights of Sidonia, Godzilla).
Both Lupin and Tsukasa Hojo’s Cat’s Eye have recently celebrated their 50th and 40th anniversaries, respectively, and the festivities are due to cross-over in a one-off special event.
While it is currently unclear whether the announcement is for a film or television show, due to the nature of the concept and visual style, we strongly suspect it’s the former (but we’ll update this post once we know for sure).
Speaking of visual style—the animated works has a distinct 2D/3D look to it, and includes Lupin wearing his pink coloured jacket, from Lupin III: Part III. This is likely to honour Cat’s Eye’s original release, which ran in manga form between 1981 – 1985 (around the same time as Part III was on television in Japan). The Cat’s Eye manga was eventually turned into an animated show in 1983, and is well regarded in Japan as a classic of that era—with its stunning 80s visuals, fun, pop soundtrack, thrilling narratives, and strong heroines.
Just like Lupin, the Cat’s Eye manga features daring heists, inspiring characters, and even a fight against the Nazi regime. If you like one, it is very likely that you will enjoy the other, and as such, this cross-over event makes a lot of sense! Cat’s Eye is also set within the same universe as Tsukasa Hojo’s City Hunter, another popular manga and animated show from the 1980s. City Hunter features a goofy-come-cool detective protagonist, whose addiction in chasing beautiful women rivals only that of Lupin himself!
You can check out the trailer for Lupin III versus Cat’s Eye below, and visit the official website (in Japanese) by clicking here.
There is also an official social media channel for the cross-over, which you can view by clicking here. More details on the (suspected) film are to be announced in the near future.
If you are interested in watching Cat’s Eye ahead of this release, you can check out the first three episodes (for free) on YouTube in selected territories. Audio is in Japanese, and English language subtitles can be enabled via the YouTube player controls. The show is also available on the Retro Crush streaming service, and both season one and season two can be purchased on Blu-ray format, thanks to our old friends at Discotek Media.
