Rupan sansei: Part II

TL;DR: Though many of its episodes are more resembling of an old saturday morning cartoon, the quality in writing and funny (although quite campy) jokes make this series a superb comfort watch when you just want some well-done baseline Lupin III. Perfect for someone new to the Lupin III franchise to begin with.

Now to get into the long-form review:

This. This is what Lupin III should be in all its glory. This ancient anime set the standard for a dynasty that is still going to this day and is gaining more and more praise and fame across the world. Even though it is only the second series in the Lupin III franchise, it has managed to surpass the first by adopting a much lighter tone (although the later episodes of part 1 also laid the groundwork for this tonal shift), Yuji Ohno's superb work on the soundtrack and most crucially; the first English dub from what can now be called the greatest dub cast of the franchise.

It is for that reason why I recommend you watch the 2004 Geneon dub: even though its writing is heavily modified from the original Japanese dub and its animation is a bit shoddily adapted to this fact (especially in the first couple of episodes), the sheer hilarity campiness of the early 2000's dialogue can't be found anywhere else in the franchise.

I wouldn't really advise to watch this series from episode one 1 to 79 (yes, unfortunately only 79 of 155 episodes were dubbed), rather looking up a list of its episodes online (for instance here in IMDb) and just picking what you find interesting from reading the synopsis; due to a complete lack of continuity you can just tune in with any episode and get a unique story.

The episodes themselves can be categorized into three categories: 20% are true classics, 65% are fun for a comfort watch and 15% range from mediocre to downright awful. It is for this reason that I implore any new viewer to just explore the series on their own pace to test the waters and see what they like.

The series does have one pretty annoying aspect that can turn some viewers off of it; the animation. Even though it isn't bad for 1977, it still leaves a lot of room for improvement when you are used to the modern standard of animation in anime (and the latest installments of Lupin III). Some backgrounds loop too early, characters stand still for a bit too long, et cetera et cetera. Nothing out of the ordinary for cash-strapped TMS. Especially the English dub also suffers from poorly looped speech animations in its earlier episodes; if you have a strong distaste for poor animation, this series might not be for you.

However, the best part for the keen listener will be the soundtrack. This was the first series in which Yuji Ohno was involved with the soundtrack, and he hasn't been absent ever since for a very good reason. Comparing the sound design from part 1 to part 2 is comparing the sword to the rifle; there is simply no competition. In the series Ohno's masterful jazz fusion tracks are played near-constantly, and if you appreciate "70's groove" and a bit of spy movie aesthetic this series is practically Valhalla.

In conclusion; this is the true establishing ground for what Lupin III became. The English cast, the music and the style all originated from this series, and it still holds up as the baseline for any experience watching something from this storied franchise. Lupin III has his classic look, his classic gang and his classic adventures. If you want to get into the franchise without any previous engagement with Lupin III, here's where you start.

I'm not a huge fan of anime, but for some reason, I love Lupin. Ever since it premiered on Adult Swim back in January, I've gotten a huge liking for it. Plus, it's so darn entertaining!!!

The cool thing about this show is how Lupin, and company in each episode always encounter a bad guy who may have something involved with what they're after. Of course to add more trouble is the restless Interpol inspector Zenigata whose been after Lupin for 7 years. In between these factors is off the wall antics, sexual themes, and lots, and LOTS of cleavage(courtesy of Fujiko).

Overall I like the show. It's pretty appealing, and it won me over from day one. If you've never seen this show, I suggest you check it out. You may like it.

P.S. Fujiko is HOT for a cartoon!

This is one of my favorite Anime TV series.

I first saw it off of the DVD line up after seeing a few Movies of Lupin the 3rd.

I never seen it or heard of it on TV.

But doesn't matter since I own most of the DVDs of the series so far.

This is known as the Second TV series of lupin the 3rd. Aired from 1977-1980 in Japan. It took 26 years for this series to get debut in English. It couldn't of aired back in the 80's cause back then people think Cartoons are only for kids.

But this ain't no kids show. Has some swearing, violence, nudity, and use of drugs. If this were to air back 20 years ago then it be edited and chopped up banded the episodes that aren't appropriate for little kids to see.

So it's good for a popular Anime TV series to finally hit the USA shores since America changed the way it sees cartoons.

The English version is good, funny, and uncut. Please it has some mentioning of modern day jokes which don't fit in the actual time period it's in. Such as one character mentioning Ebay or stuff that wasn't around 26 years ago.

Still funny even with those jokes. Those who prefer seeing it in Japanese will know the DVDs have the old Japanese Track with them.

Most people in the US get acquainted with the Lupin III series via Hayao Miyazaki's debut film, The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) or this 1977 TV series which briefly aired on Adult Swim a few years ago. While it never made a hit on Adult Swim, this series was a smash in the late 1970s, the result of the franchise's renewed popularity which came from reruns of the 1971 Lupin anime.

Personally, I prefer the 1971 Lupin anime to this later incarnation. Despite the super limited animation and uneven tone over the 23 episodes, it broke more ground, feels more adult, and is less repetitive. However, that does not mean the second Lupin TV series is not worth your time. It's a fun, goofy romp of a show, one that can prove addictive if you're craving insane humor and quasi-surreal action. Yuji Ohno's soundtrack is superb, the essence of 1970s cool.

Also, the Geneon English dub isn't half bad. All the voice actors do their characters justice and seem to be having fun. This is a good series, one that deserves more than the lukewarm reception it received in the States.

The first 'Lupin' series from 1971 is an anime, and animation, landmark and is still a great show in its own right and a good demonstration of what is so appealing about the Lupin franchise in the first place.

It was inevitable that there would be another show, and a series of films, that would follow, and the second 'Lupin' series is a very worthy one. It is not as big a landmark as the 1971 incarnation, which was always superbly written, entertaining and even suspenseful, actually really admired the darker and grittier tone of the earlier episodes, which more than made up for the ill-fitting and out-of-date music. With that being said, 'Lupin the III: Part II' does have more polished animation quality and much better music scoring that fits much better and sounds more appealing, plus its tone for anybody more familiar with the films is likely to be more accessible.

'Lupin the III: Part II' is not perfect. Do have to agree that a lot of the modern day jokes in the American/English dub are really jarring and anachronistic, and whether they're successful in being funny wildly varies (some are entertaining, others pretty cringe-worthy and distract badly). Things can be wildly implausible in the earlier episodes, with action that is admittedly well-animated and exciting but throws logic out the window.

However, as said, the animation is more polished this time round. There is more refinement in the drawings, more vibrant colouring, bolder and more meticulous background details and it looks more imaginative in general. The music score, again as aforementioned, is a much better fit and is more dynamically scored with a real liveliness, cool vibe and lushness.

Writing is incredibly funny, very smart and also very intelligent, while the action even with the implausibility is really exciting and often beautifully and imaginatively animated. The stories entertain and intrigue, with a real sense of adventure, fun, charm and suspense. Nothing's too simplistic and nothing's convoluted.

Great characters too, with a likable and interesting titular character who has both a fun and gritty side that stops him from being a one-dimensional stereotype. Of the supporting characters, Zenigata is my favourite, the conflict engrosses between the two and the character is just very well-written in his own right. The voice acting is good.

In conclusion, very good series. 8/10 Bethany Cox