Since his animated debut in 1971, four years after his initial appearance in Manga Action, Lupin III has remained one of the most popular characters in anime history. Created by artist Monkey Punch (Kazuhiko Kato), Lupin has starred in television series, feature films, and TV movies. These adventures are from the second TV season. Accompanied by crack shot Jigen, super-samurai Goemon, and sex bomb Fujiko, Lupin travels the world, pulling off fantastic heists and impossible escapes. Although he never manages to hang onto the loot, Lupin stays ahead of Interpol Inspector Zenigata, who chases the arch-thief with a fanaticism that rivals Wile E. Coyote’s pursuit of the Road Runner. The decades-old animation looks decidedly cheesy, but the crude humor and offbeat appeal of the characters have won them countless fans on both sides of the Pacific. (Rated 13 and older: violence, nudity, profanity, risqué humor, alcohol and tobacco use) –Charles Solomon
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May 1, 2010
#1
Let me get down to the point. Lupin is a mediocre cartoon. There’s nothing about the plot, characters, or the animation quality that makes this series a stand out from any other cartoon.
However, this series is valuable for two reasons:
1) Practicing Japanese. For those of us who are trying to become fluent in Japanese, this series is an excellent way to get exposure to Japanese on a daily basis. The Japanese spoken in Lupin is pretty fast, probably faster than the average Japanese person speaks, but it’s still a good way to pick up some idiomatic patterns and vocab.
2) The music. Yuji Ohno’s musical score is absolutely amazing. All of the music in Lupin has a real jazzy feel to it, with a hint of bossa and other styles thrown in when appropriate. I find the music always fits the scene, which is difficult to pull off. So I find lots of times I’ll just want to watch Lupin so I can hear the music.
However, if you’re not trying to learn Japanese, and you don’t like jazz, then you’ll probably want to skip Lupin. Your viewing time could be better spent with other animated shows you’d like more.
May 1, 2010
#2
In opening, I must say, this Anime has given me a lot of joy, and to me, it’s by far, one of the greatest Animes, or one of the greatest anything, in that case.
Lupin the 3rd is a pure gem, about Lupin and his extremely skilled buddies, Jigen (A.K.A. The Marksman) and Goemon (A.K.A. Samurai Elite), and his sometimes partner, as well as his sometimes enemy, also the one one he cannot resist, Fujiko. Of course, you can never forget Pops/Inspector Zenigata (Interpol), but… You could definitely say he is not a part of the gang, him being Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko’s worst enemy, the one who always tries to wreck their heists and such. I must say, though, Pops, Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko have a weird relationship towards each other… I mean, Pops’ never ending chase of them, trying to put them behind bars permanently, yet… They have this relationship of not killing one another; Pops and Lupins Gang abide by that… A bit odd, hmm? Heh. Anyway, Together, they are unstoppable (that is Lupin and his gang), and can pull off any heist that you may think impossible. That being said, they ARE the world’s greatest theives, though, because I’m a Christian, that wouldn’t be something I my myself would be proud of for being. A long their LONG adventures, they meet some very interesting people — extremely skilled assassins; beautiful, exotic, yet, VERY dangerous woman; men with inforced steel bodies, proving themselves invicible to bullets and sword attacks. Lupin and his buddies are also always on the look out for beautiful women, liquor, money, and of course, Jewels, Gems, precious stones, ect. Yeah, the list of interesting people and everything else of their journeys can go on for ever in this 155 Episode Series. Here is my age rating for it: 14+/PG-13 (Violence, Profanity, Partial Nudity, and Sexual Siuations).
In closing, I must say, Lupin the 3rd goes down in history as one of the greatest Anime, or what not ever. At least, that is my opinion.
May 1, 2010
#3
You’ll find plenty of people that found Lupin on the Adult Swim lineup a couple of years ago but sadly because of new shows with more fanservice the time slot has been taken over and the much loved Lupin was kicked all the way to the 5 am slot along with the intelligent Case Closed. The synopsis can easily be explained. Lupin is one of the worlds greatest thieves and your on the ride with him and his friends for the wild comedic and dangerous quest for the worlds most important, lets not forget expensive, and most beautiful objects from all over the world. I can’t lie because when Lupin was premiering on Adult Swim it was taking the spot of either Cowboy Bebop or Trigun but either way it was a series I was really enjoying.
The previews of Lupin The 3rd with it’s old played out music and terribly old, edgy, and blurry animation made me hate it before it even debuted. Especially since it was taking over a good series spot on the Swim. It lacked color and A.Swim really did a bad job of advertising it because they showed none of the series just a short music video looking commercial. Now over the years anime has taught me to never and I mean never judge it by old looking animation because you will definitely suffer if you do. Lupin The 3rd is a very funny series and these beginning episodes don’t let you down at all.
The series handles it’s business by giving the fan everything a fan needs. You get a great main character in Lupin and a great supporting cast in Jigen, the amazing samurai that has some very polished skills, Goemon who is an ace shot with his what looks to be a colt revolver, and Fujiko your much needed anime hotty. Like I said the anime is nothing to rant and rave over and neither is it’s not to greatly polished audio. The story and beautiful characters basically win you over with their craziness and bad to the bone skills. A lot of people can’t get into it because of the powerful influence to not watch it the preview gives. But please take my advice and don’t judge it before you watch it because you will make a big mistake. It’s funny because the theme song I once hated I now love.
May 1, 2010
#4
I ordered this DVD after seeing a very short clip from an episode. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really like it.
For a show about wanted criminals, it avoids a lot of the cliches that come to mind such as having the central cast in some kind of secluded location to avoid cops almost all the time. Speaking of which, the central cast are more likable than I expected (though seeing as they’re criminals I guess that’s necessary).
The show has a much faster pace than what I normally think of when I think of older anime and as such there’s a lot of variety in the episodes.
May 1, 2010
#5
This dvd has the very first episodes on it. They are so funny. Worth every penny!