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Lupin the Third is arguably one of Japan's most iconic national anime series. Even now, 50 years after its first anime adaptation, it remains a popular work, regularly airing as special programs. This time, we've featured the commemorative first anime series.
00:20Lupin the Third is one of Japan's most iconic anime series, and even now, 50 years after it was first made into an anime, it remains popular as a special program that is aired regularly.
00:41This time we're featuring the memorable first animated series.
00:47Now, let's take a look at this work.
00:50The original author of Lupin the Third is Monkey Punch. The first manga series was published in 1967 and ran for a total of 94 chapters. The first anime series ran for a total of 23 chapters from 1971 to 1972.
01:16Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata were also involved in the production of the anime version.
01:24The story begins when Lupin III enters a race at Hita Speedway, built by Scorpion, a huge crime syndicate, knowing it is a trap.
01:36Inspector Zenigata, who is relentlessly pursuing Lupin, is also secretly participating.
01:43Scorpion had planned to use the race to kill Lupin, but instead Lupin destroyed his hideout and the race track.
01:52At the destroyed race track, Lupin seems relieved that he has defeated Scorpion, but when his friend Fujiko betrays him and reveals the destruction of Scorpion's hideout, he is suddenly pursued by Inspector Zenigata.
02:09Thus begins the Lupin III episode.
02:17First, let me explain about the main character, Lupin III.
02:23Lupin III is the grandson of the great thief Arsene Lupin and a genius thief.
02:29His age, place of origin, and nationality are unknown, and he is roughly set to be 179 cm tall and 63 kg in weight, although these settings have changed slightly depending on the series.
02:46Lupin was a narcissist and very soft on women, and he made many mistakes with them.
02:54The original manga version realistically depicted Lupin's violence, murder, and sexual acts, emphasizing a more accurate portrayal of the criminal world.
03:08His physical abilities are outstanding and he is able to compete in most sports and even perform car height dance.
03:16Nicknames such as Mercedes-Benz SSK and Fiat 500 appear in Part 1 of the anime.
03:24He wore a green or blue-green jacket and his favorite cigarette was a time-saver.
03:33And I always carry a Walther P38.
03:37And Lupin's eternal partner, Jigen Daisuke, is an expert marksman and helps Lupin in many situations.
03:50Although he is a very kind-hearted and intelligent man, he is always at the mercy of Lupin.
03:57His favorite handgun was the Smith & Wesson M19 Combat Magnum.
04:03Ishikawa Goemon is another partner of Lupin, but in the anime version of Part 1, he first appears in episode 5 and then does not appear much after that, and only becomes established as a regular character from Part 2 onwards in the original version.
04:21He values Bushido, is quite strict by nature, and has a hard time with women, tending to avoid them using the excuse that he is still training.
04:34The weapon he uses is a Zantetsuken, which can cut anything except konjac.
04:41There's also Mine Fujiko, who Lupin is chasing.
04:45She is a female thief who loves Lupin, but often betrays him in order to prioritize her own interests.
04:53In fact, it is confirmed in episode 9 that he was once a hitman for a criminal organization.
05:01In addition, Inspector Zenigata, who risks his life to arrest Lupin, is a descendant of Zenigata Heiji, a famous police officer from the Edo period, and from Part 2 onwards he is seconded to Interpol.
05:15This is the memorable first part of the anime, but in fact, there are many differences from the original manga version.
05:25And the one that showed the most deviation was Ishikawa Goemon.
05:30This is because in the manga version, his appearance and personality were set to make him seem like a completely different person.
05:38Furthermore, the name of the sword he used was not Zantetsuken, but a hidden sword called Ryusei.
05:47When speaking, he does not use samurai slang terms such as "I" or "You", but speaks using a veranda makeup book.
05:54In addition, Mine Fujiko's character has many differences. In the anime version, she is a female thief and a con artist.
06:04In the manga version, her role changes frequently, from a doctor's daughter to the president of a detective agency to a police officer.
06:11In the anime version, Lupin is used by Fujiko, but in the manga version, there are many scenes in which Lupin treats Fujiko badly, using her, being cold to her, and trying to abandon her.
06:27In the manga version, Lupin and Fujiko also had a child named Lupin the Elder.
06:32In the anime version, Inspector Zenigata is portrayed as a bit of a fool, clumsy, and easy-going person, but in the manga version, he is emphasized as a very capable character, as he is able to quickly see through Lupin's traps.
06:53He was also portrayed as a ruthless character who was not afraid to not only capture Lupin but also kill him.
07:00Also, his partner Jigen Daisuke is a nihilistic, taciturn, skilled gunman in the anime version, but in the manga version he is a rather sloppy character.
07:14The character's rambling setting was that of Lupin's childhood friend, a fluent talker who could express emotions with a wide range of facial expressions.
07:27In other words, in the manga version, every time he appeared he seemed like a different person, which must have confused readers, right?
07:37The difference between the character settings in the original manga and the anime version is that the anime version, which can be watched by children, needs to minimize the sexual and murderous depictions that were present in the manga.
07:52In addition, in the manga version, the original author is able to create character designs as he pleases, but in the anime version, the characters are created by those involved, including sponsors, which is thought to have also had an influence.
08:09Now, it's finally the final episode.
08:16It all begins with the discovery of buried treasure worth tens of billions of yen at a subway construction site.
08:23When Lupin finds out about this, he summons Jigen to Fuji Port and their hideout.
08:27The mysterious car chases after Jigen and Fuji Port, but it seems they somehow manage to escape.
08:36At the Metropolitan Police Department, the Commissioner General is present to examine Inspector Zenigata, who will not be going to the scene, but Inspector Zenigata shows him the plan to arrest Lupin and explains that this time, he will risk his own life to arrest the entire gang at Lupin's hideout rather than at the scene.
08:53Later, riot police storm into Lupin's hideout, which the mysterious car mentioned above had discovered, but Lupin disguises himself as a riot police officer and easily manages to escape.
09:08After escaping, they attempt to dig an underground tunnel to steal from the bank where the treasure is kept.
09:15On the day of the theft, the police officers, including Inspector Zenigata, all fell asleep after eating lunches laced with sleeping pills, and Lupin and his gang stole the buried treasure using the underground passage and escaped.
09:31At first, it seemed like a success, but in fact, one-third of the buried treasure was a listening device, and the machine would reveal Lupin's location.
09:41Lupin, sensing something was wrong, noticed the listening devices and threw them all into dozens of garbage trucks.
09:53As a result, Inspector Zenigata loses track of Lupin's location, allowing him to escape, and is attacked by the Commissioner General of Police.
10:02However, after a while, the machine showed that all the wiretaps were heading in the same direction.
10:09In fact, Lupin's hideout was located on Yumenoshima, which is a garbage dump, and it was also the final wiretapping location for a garbage truck equipped with a bug.
10:22When Lupin is cornered by Inspector Zenigata, he tells him that he has planted a bomb at the hideout, but Inspector Zenigata does not believe him.
10:30Then, just as Lupin and his friends enter the hideout, an explosion occurs.
10:37Inspector Zenigata sheds tears, thinking that Lupin is dead, but in fact the explosion was caused to launch the drum containing Lupin and his friends.
10:47Just when Lupin and his friends think they have escaped with the drum containing the buried treasure, a ship carrying Inspector Zenigata approaches.
10:57The show ends with a scene of Lupin and his gang being chased by Inspector Zenigata.
11:03Now, let's take a look at Lupin III in action.
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