Lupin the Third Part 1

Many would put this part into a medium ranking from all the 6 series, but I would personally put this in the top 3 sections.

I must admit I am not a huge fan of the first few episodes, but later - They changed Lupin for the sake of action comedy, which I started to enjoy. Hell, this is mature and serious - Yet there is a charm to it about their characters. Lupin is that thief who's willing to steal everything, while Jigen is his trustworthy companion.

The only thing they can fix on is to give Goemon and Fujiko some more frequent appearances. Goemon was pretty much ignored during the whole season, while Fujiko didn't have her feminine charm during the whole season. Overall a good start, however.

This is a legendary anime series about some instant classic characters, the Lupin gang. This is amazingly ahead of it's time, being the first anime starring criminals, the first gritty comparatively more realistic anime with guns and such. Not just for anime, it's ahead of it's time in general.

Most importantly, it's still a joy to watch nearly 40 years later. Lupin is the cool, laid back antihero. This laid back style, helped by the very cool soundtrack, is still influential today in titles like Cowboy Bebop. Lupin has other sides to him too of course, he has an ego, and he'll laugh like a maniac and take on any challenge. And of course, he gets pretty excited when there are ladies around, especially Fujiko.

The supporting characters are great here. You have Jigen, Lupin's partner and best friend. He's very cool himself, a smooth criminal, but he's also the voice of reason, a more mature criminal. Then you have Fujiko, the classic femme fatale cat burglar, she is Lupin's love interest, and often his rival. Then there's Goemon, the renegade samurai with a strong moral code, who can cut anything. And of course, Inspector Zenigata, who tirelessly dedicates his life to capturing Lupin.

Lupin is episodic, featuring 23 self contained stories. Although there is one plot that takes two episodes early on, with Goemon out to defeat Lupin. One episode Lupin is in prison, another time him and the gang have explosive watches put on that they can't take off. These are all great stories.

An interesting thing about this series is that it has two different feels to it, depending on who is directing. Masaaki Osumi directs episodes 1-7, 9, and 12. These are the more dark and gritty episodes, and sometimes have a melancholy feel. These episodes are amazing, giving us the depth that the Lupin characters are built on.

The founders of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, direct episodes 8, 10-11, and 13-23. These episodes are also superb, with a more fun and upbeat feel, closer to what Lupin is known for today. You can tell Miyazaki is involved when Lupin starts saving cute damsels in a gentlemanly heroic way.

All in all, Lupin III is a classic series, which is still going strong today with movie specials. I recommend checking this out, it's must see anime.

My first encounter with the Lupin The Third name was The Castle of Cagliostro (a fantastic film on its own), which made me interested in watching the franchise. So where else to start then the series that started it all? (insert pointless plot synopsis here) Since this a episodic series, the early episodes are hit or miss sometimes, and I do prefer the Miyazaki-directed episodes in the ladder half of the series, but it's still fun throughout. The characters are extremely fun to watch interact and play off of each other (my personal favorite was Zenigata) The animation is quite dated, it grows on you after awhile. The music is pure cheese, but I loved it nonetheless. Overall, this series was what I expected for the most part, but in a good way. It really makes me want to watch the rest of the Lupin installments. I would strongly recommend this show. 8.5/10

Lupin in the Green Jacket is probably one of the most famous versions, although it is the shortest series of the gentleman thief. In this first series we see a Lupin with certainly more noir tones than in the following series.

Less kind-hearted and more determined to achieve his goals.

The merits of this series are many: first of all it was one of the first cartoons intended for a mainly adult audience, which made the character immediately loved, even outside Japan, there is a great attention to detail, both in terms of weapons and equipment, and for the plans put in place by Lupin and his gang. The characters are multifaceted and each episode has been crafted with care.

However, being the first television transposition of the Monkey Punch comic, some flaws are inevitable. One of the most relevant is the alternation of several people to direct the episodes (including Hayao Miyazaki). The episodes are all more than enjoyable, but sometimes there is a bit of inconsistency in the style and some are slower and less exciting.

In conclusion I add that: certainly compared to the most recent Lupin films and series, the first series can be slower and more particular, as we see a darker and less light-hearted protagonist, but if you love Lupin (or excellent animated series) , I advise you to retrieve this series and also watch it for what it represented.

Enjoy your vision.

The best animated serie ever made! That wonderful japan anime was the first (and maybe since today the only) that describes the life of a gang in the crime world. Lupin The Third, the greater thief of the 20th century, his friend Jigen, a great gunman, his girlfriend Fujiko, the most sexy character in the japanese anime, and the samurai Goemon, enemy and friend at the same time, fight against the inspector Zenigata of the japanese police and against a lot of super villains, gangsters and criminal associations. The action, the violence, the sex, the adult target, weapons and cars made this cartoon a unique experience, with some humor, a lot of suspense and a wonderful soundtrack.