I feel bad for Italian watchers…
When are they gonna stop postponing the air date?
I feel bad for Italian watchers…
When are they gonna stop postponing the air date?
That opening is just sad. It doesn't even have the corny charm the 4kids OP rap did (though that might just be because I don't speak Italian).
Yes, we already established the Italian opening is crap… but it sounds like the Japanese is just going to be a mild tweak of the classic. As it should be.
Seven episodes are already out, both in Italian upscaled HD and Japanese SD, first four have already been subbed to English.
October is soon, right?
Just for the record. As an italian I have to argue that the earlier openings were far better…
–- for example this one is iconic in Italy... –- as is this one.God they really butchered our opening with Moreno :( The other guy, Giorgio Vanni, is such a talent too! Really pissed about the opening.
Always found it weird how First Contact Fujiko looks like she does in the second series but for whatever reason was turned blonde.
And now for the real opening.
Been watching the proper Yuji Ohno ver. opening all day.
The visuals are fantastic.
And now for the real opening.
Don't stare directly at it Ladies and Gents, it's too beautiful! I've got chills!
When does the Japanese version of Lupin III air? I'm being picky, but the Japanese opening is just too good to miss out on.
Always found it weird how First Contact Fujiko looks like she does in the second series but for whatever reason was turned blonde.
She's been blonde quite a few times, most notably Cagliostro and Island of Assassins. Generally to distinguish her from some other new cast member or make her colors pop for a movie outing, given that she's the only one of the group that doesn't have a really iconic outfit.
I assume in Episode 0's case it was just an easy visual cue to say "the story you just heard may not be 100% correct", given she was a brunette the entire rest of the film.
Opening visuals looks great.
That OP is heart attack level of fangasm material.
Ok, finally got to see the ED as well, and MY GOD.
The famed enka singer, Ishikawa Sayuri!!!
Unbelievable, one of the biggest name in Japanese music industry for like… nearly half a century.
I can't believe how ageless that woman is, she sounds just as lovely as she did back 30 years ago!
Heck I can't even remember Sayuri ever singing any anime songs.
! Is it common for Lupin to lose the stolen prize at the end?
Well, that first episode was a lot of fun. Some good chases, good animation and music, great opening and closing, the usual Lupin fun. I'm hyped, this could become the best Lupin series. (It has an unfair advantage purely due to the animation quality over the 70's series)
Uncertain about the new girl though. The movies add in new girls all the time and thats fine, but she's got a lot of weight to carry if she really wants to run as a main character equal to the decades long franchise characters for the duration of the entire season.
! Is it common for Lupin to lose the stolen prize at the end?
Yup.
I watched this first episode, too. It absolutely oozes style starting from the opening song. It was a lot fun - my only introduction to the series is the Miyazaki movie and I feel like I can understand the difference here now. The Miyazaki movie just was a lot more modest with the characters' traits. The movie was those characters with Miyazaki's voice added to them.
Also, for some reason Lupin's voice reminded me of Usopp's, but checking it, he's not Kappei Yamaguchi.
I watched this first episode, too. It absolutely oozes style starting from the opening song. It was a lot fun - my only introduction to the series is the Miyazaki movie and I feel like I can understand the difference here now. The Miyazaki movie just was a lot more modest with the characters' traits. The movie was those characters with Miyazaki's voice added to them.
Cagliostro is a fantastic film, one of my all time favorites, but the entire cast is a bit more subdued. is generally attributed to being later in their careers, after they've all calmed down some.
But yes, generally Lupin outings are pretty high energy.
I'm sorry if it was already been said, but where is it going to be streamed? Or where can I watch it?
I'm sorry if it was already been said, but where is it going to be streamed? Or where can I watch it?
http://www.watchcartoononline.com/anime/lupin-the-third-part-four-english-subbed
Make sure to ad-block.
Nice start to the series…it's totally what you expect from Lupin, but with some dazzling artwork. Do we know if any of the episodes will have more of a Jigen or Goemon focus?
Nice start to the series…it's totally what you expect from Lupin, but with some dazzling artwork. Do we know if any of the episodes will have more of a Jigen or Goemon focus?
I watched four subbed episodes from the Italian broadcast and #4 is focused on Jigen.
Haven't watched much beyond that I've seen unsubbed bits of #5 and it is about Fujiko.
http://www.watchcartoononline.com/anime/lupin-the-third-part-four-english-subbed
Make sure to ad-block.
Thanks a lot for the link!
Nice start to the series…it's totally what you expect from Lupin, but with some dazzling artwork. Do we know if any of the episodes will have more of a Jigen or Goemon focus?
They're usually pretty good about balancing things around. Lupin gets the most focus but each member of the team (and Pops) gets episodes or movies more on them usually, I can't imagine the new show being any different. (Goemon usually gets the least focus though due to being the hardest to fit into the modern world.)
I watched four subbed episodes from the Italian broadcast and #4 is focused on Jigen.
Haven't watched much beyond that I've seen unsubbed bits of #5 and it is about Fujiko.
Cool…I like the Jigen episodes. :)
They're usually pretty good about balancing things around. Lupin gets the most focus but each member of the team (and Pops) gets episodes or movies more on them usually, I can't imagine the new show being any different. (Goemon usually gets the least focus though due to being the hardest to fit into the modern world.)
Interesting comment…I would think it would make for an interesting juxtaposition.
Interesting comment…I would think it would make for an interesting juxtaposition.
The juxtaposition is there, he comments on what everyone else is doing all the time, but for actually plot generally he's just there to cut another worthless object in half.
Ocassionally he'll get a girlfriend or an ancient treasure that's important to him, but you're much more likely to see Fujiko shacking up with the villain of the week or Jigen meeting some old member of the crime community as plotlines. Lupin for his part usually is just treasure chasing and whatever, and whoever, that ultimately entails.
Fuma clan is the best Goemon movie, to be sure.
I'm curious why the series was aired so much earlier in Italy. I could understand a simultaneous release but 5 months or more of difference?
The juxtaposition is there, he comments on what everyone else is doing all the time, but for actually plot generally he's just there to cut another worthless object in half.
Ocassionally he'll get a girlfriend or an ancient treasure that's important to him, but you're much more likely to see Fujiko shacking up with the villain of the week or Jigen meeting some old member of the crime community as plotlines. Lupin for his part usually is just treasure chasing and whatever, and whoever, that ultimately entails.
Fuma clan is the best Goemon movie, to be sure.
Yeah, that's my whole point…they can choose to make a good story about him, they just usually choose not to and just have him cut things and deliver one liners about what he has to do. :)
They could have Goemon be challanged by a modern opponent for once, for example.
Plenty of things they could do with him.
He gets modern opponents all the time. And often has trouble with women. But when you've already got Lupin and Jigen to match guns against modern enemies, its more fun to throw ninjas or other swordsman at him. Or tanks and airplanes and other large dangerous objects.
Otherwise he doesn't break up the dynamic at all. The entire point of Goemon after all was to give an oriental element into an otherwise western series… its just they've been telling stories for 50 years now so he's played the role a lot.
Similarly, Zenigata is a strict counterpart to Lupin's free spirit, its why they balance so well.
Hrm. That second episode… not as good as the first. Kind of dull, even.
It is nice to see that the token new girl isn't going to be force shoved into the spotlight of every episode, she was barely even in the background of this one.
Oh well, hopefully the next one is better!
Man the music in the Japanese broadcast is simply immaculate. An amazing track played as Lupin escaped the mansion in episode two.
Oh and #3 is out there in the wild. Witness Lupin's run in with the NotDanielCraigJamesBond.
This episode serves as your daily reminder that Jigen is the God of shootbangs and not be fucked with.
Bet his noscopes are top tier.
Hrm. That second episode… not as good as the first. Kind of dull, even.
It is nice to see that the token new girl isn't going to be force shoved into the spotlight of every episode, she was barely even in the background of this one.
Oh well, hopefully the next one is better!
Are the Lupin and Conan specials worth watching?
Are the Lupin and Conan specials worth watching?
Depends on if you've seen any Conan and if you like it.
I still haven't seen the second crossover film, but the first one at least is like 80% a Lupin movie with a little Conan, particularly the resolution. It was okay as I recall, but not great.
Lupin the Third, Part 4 is getting a dub. It will feature the return most of the Pioneer dub cast from Part 2.
Lupin the Third, Part 4 is getting a dub. It will feature the return most of the Pioneer dub cast from Part 2.
Interesting! I think I'd prefer to watch the series all together on a nice official release. I always liked that particular cast, too.
Just watched Castle of Cagliostro for the first time, which was also my first time ever watching something Lupin III related.
Thoughts:
! Have to say, it was a really solid film and a pretty good introduction to the franchise for me. Though it did have a few noticeable issues that bugged me.
! First off, the animation is superb. This is Miyazaki's first full length film and its easy to see why he became the animation wizard that he is today. That opening title sequence in particular is absolutely gorgeous. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Miyazaki film if we have some awesome airplanes flying around.
! The plot is fairly standard. Lupin and his crew encounter a princess who is being forced to marry an evil also, while also there's a search for a hidden treasure, the key to which is two rings. Oh, and of course there's the completely implausible subplot of a family that's been controlling the world's economy over the last 500 years, but it's an over-the-top farcical adventure, so I'll go with it. What I don't really get though is that, apparently, the Count only really wanted the other ring so he could get the treasure, so why was marrying the princess so important to him? Something about combining their two families (light and shadow), but….they never really explain that. Well, anyway, the plot's fairly straightforward and little muddled in a few places, but what really makes this movie is the characters. Speaking of which:
! Lupin - Or "Wolf" as this dub apparently likes to call him. Yeah, apparently that's due to some copyright issue, which I think has been resolved now, but for some reason the Hayao Miyazaki Collection (which I watched this from) included the 1992 dub (I think the 2000 dub calls him Lupin?). Well, whatever ya call him, Lupin is a really fun character. He's the thieving, womanizing scoundrel with heart of gold. And he gets a number of badass moments where he shows off his cleverness. He kind of reminds me of Sanji if he were more of a goofball.
! Jigen - With his eyes constantly hidden by his fedora and him packing a humongous rifle, this guy is one cool customer. So cool, in fact, that it's kind of hard to believe that he lets himself play second fiddle to Lupin. I really dug him and the way he played off Lupin in the first half, which makes it all the more a shame that he kind of faded into the background during the second half.
! Zenigata - Ah yes, we've all seen this character before. The hard-boiled police detective who always comes up short. And although he means well, he's kind of a stick-in-the-mud so it's easy to root for Lupin against him. Yeah, I like him. Not my favorite, but I like him.
! Goemon - This is the one character that I feel the film didn't do a very good job of establishing. And I guess maybe I shouldn't count that against the film since, "Hey, if you aren't a Lupin fan then why are you watching this?" But anyway, near as I could tell, he's basically a hired gun (so to speak) who frequently collaborates with Lupin and Jigen. But, of course, it doesn't help that he wasn't given very much to do in the film. Seems like a cool character though.
! Fujiko - The femme fatale. The cat burglar. A woman after Lupin's own heart. Again, not a character that got a whole lot do in this story (well, she got more than Goemon at least), but she did have some cool moments, and her character was well-established enough.
! The Count - As one-off anime villains go, he's pretty good. As the latest in a lineage of nasty, underhanded royals who have been screwing the world for centuries, he exudes greed and pompous self-importance. And with an army of armored ninjas (who, for some reason, go down fairly easily towards the end) he's a force to be reckoned with. So yes, he's an utterly contemptible slimeball and an effective villain, even if the logic of his actions sometimes escapes me (see above).
! Clarisse - Ugh. Easily the worst character for me. I get that she's supposed to be the pure, innocent damsel-in-distress type, but it's done to a sometimes obnoxious degree and they play her character totally straight. I don't know how much of it is the dub or the writing, but some of her lines just made me want to gag. It's such a surprise this coming from a Miyazaki film, when he would go on to make some of the best and strongest female characters in all of anime. I dunno, maybe he had nothing to do with writing her character.
! Other Observations:
! -The music is also really great in this. Again, that opening title sequence.
-How is that frequently tying at Janken is a common anime trope? Does that happen a lot in Japan? If so, I think they're playing it wrong.
-So not only does Lupin have gadgets like Batman, but he has the Spiderman-like ability to scale sheer walls.
-I got a kick out of the fact that all these people around the world are witnessing what they presume a totally legitimate wedding, all while the groom and all the guards are wearing these Satanic cult uniforms.
-Loved that little touch of Jigen wearing the princess's crown.
-So a 9-year-old Clarisse fell in love with Lupin when he was in his...what, late teens, early twenties? And she still carries a torch for him after all these years. Just, kind of....eww.
-Can I just say again how great the animation is?
! So yeah, real good, if flawed, movie, and I definitely wouldn't mind checking out more Lupin III stories in the future.
I love Castle of Cagliostro, but in all honesty it's an odd story for Lupin. He's made out to be much more of a hero than he normally is. It's not completely unbelievable that he'd do some of the things he does in the movie, but it is a bit out of character.
Its funny, cause Sage just reviewed it Castle of Cagliostro:http://channelawesome.com/the-castle-of-cagliostro-anime-abandon/
I agree, Miyazaki's episodes from Green and Red Jacket are more faithful in tone and characterization than Cagliostro is. It's a superb film, I consider it and The Mystery of Mamo the "essential" Lupin movies as they both have the best aesthetics that the series has to offer (IMO) and when compared to each other they show how flexible this franchise is.
Is the Manga dub any good? I hear it has David Hayter (Solid Snake) as Lupin, so I'm been interested.
Its easy to explain Lupin's behavior in Cagliostro mostly by saying its a late career caper and he's grown up in it… which actually is kind of the point. But yeah, its defiitely a Miyazaki flavored Lupin all around. (Still my all time favorite movie tho!)
So yeah, real good, if flawed, movie, and I definitely wouldn't mind checking out more Lupin III stories in the future.
Its hard to go wrong with the red jacket tv series, (which has a great dub) and the blue jacket series going right now is pretty decent.
FOr other one off movies check out
Fuma Conspiracy and Episode 0/First Contact.
The first is a great Goemon story and best car chase in the franchise, and the other is an origin story with a lot of style.
After those, other good ones are
Tokyo Crisis, Napoleon's Dictionary, Island of Assassins, Operation Return the Treasure, Alcatraz Connection,
which all excel in some thing or another. Character piece or action or drama or overall.
If you like those there's like 40 others films that range from good to okay, with a couple terrible ones and hundreds of tv episodes. Its very James Bond that way, there's a wide spectrum and a lot to choose from.
Avoid Dragon of Doom, and GOld of Babylon, those are awful.
And Return of The Magician.
And so after 12 long years (Give or Take) I've finally completed watching all of the Red Jacket Series damn now I feel even more old.
So I'm up to episode 13 of the Blue Jacket and I have to say, the thirteenth episode was absolutely splendid in every way. Lupin- Pops at it's finest. Magnifico!
As for the series overall, it's really growing on me. I used to be slightly lukewarm on it. It felt decent, but it felt like it was lacking something that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but if the lastcouple of episodes are of any indication, it seems like the show is starting to hit it's stride for me.
^ As it series it's definitely better than 2nd and 3rd series do to easing off the goofy,stupid, and inane aspects and plots that those two series seem to never tire of. It also helps they rerailed Lupin , Fujiko, & Zenigata's character's in the process.
Zenigata is perfect by the way.
They got the optimal balance between competence and comic relief.