Lupin III: Parte 2

SSJAniFan explains the heart of the show. Lupin The Great (English Title) funneled through the Anime sub-culture until it made way to Adult Swim (most immediately).

This is one of the early greats, sweeping America from the 'China Towns' of San Fran, Toronto, Seattle and New York in 1975. Some have compared this show to "Scooby Doo", but the show is more sophisticated, with plenty of 'adult' content as earlier noted.

The one overlooked aspect of the show is it's English language cast, which includes the indelible Tony Oliver. Anthony or Antonio starred in some of the classic early Anime series, including the groundbreaking "Robotech". Along with his co-star on the show, Lia Sargent, Oliver never fails to appear in even the latest series, like "Last Exile".

Campy at times, but necessary in the sometimes overbearing world of Anime dramas. Maybe a live action version will be made someday, but I hope the charm of the show remains on the original cells.

The first episode of the series re-unites Japan's favorite comic felon with his gang: crack shot Jigen, steely samurai Goemon and devious ex- girlfriend Fujiko on a cruise that turns out to have a surprise party scheduled just for them! The action moves on through a dizzying blur of international hot spots as the gang attempt one wildly improbable heist after another, usually with unexpected results. Past enemies from the earlier TV show make return appearances, and the Loch Ness Monster has a guest spot. The series creators stick closely to manga artist Monkey Punch's distinctive Sergio Aragones-influenced cartoon style, which is both a plus and a minus; everything has a uniform kookiness that can sometimes be distracting, especially when the setting requires a posh look.

In addition to the elaborate heists which characterize the series, occasional episodes go seriously weird and mystical, with lots of mind- bendingly surreal elements: telepaths, beams that induce suicide, a nun who deals in mass hypnosis (!) to name a few. Series villains often sport the towering arrogance and ambitions of James Bond supervillains.

This series really hit its stride in the second season with a run of truly fine episodes. Great heist action, elaborate chases, exotic locations and outrageousness are all featured here as Lupin's gang tries to recover Peking Man's Bones, steal a golden lion from the Australian government, rob a casino and finally steal the crown jewels of England. This final episode is the best of the disc as Lupin disrupts a royal wedding to get a crack at her majesty's crown!

Fast moving, with good looking action animation and well written (if often wildly implausible) heist schemes, untimely double-crosses and good background art depicting the globe scattered locations, there is lot here to enjoy.

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.

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.