Every night I toss and turn, no matter how early I try to get to sleep I always end up wide awake until around 9 a.m. when I can finally fall asleep with a little determination. So what exactly do I do after finally accepting that sleep is impossible? Instead of wandering the streets like a lunatic, or making some late night prank calls, I usually simply watch TV to try to make myself tired. Of course as some of you may know, there's really nothing interesting to watch at such a late hour. I found myself repeatedly tuning in to watch one show in particular; Inuyasha. Of course Inuyasha was taken off the air, and I was left with nothing. Then I accidently stumbled upon another anime series, this one was called Lupin the 3rd, but I was instantly turned off from it by the bad animation quality and weird opening sequence. It seemed like everytime I was flipping through the channels I would always see the show, and so I decided to try watching a full episode. Just one episode was enough, I became hooked on it.
Story
There really is no obvious story in Lupin the 3rd, I mean you could look for one, but there really is no clear cut objective to this series. The basic plot goes something like this; Lupin the 3rd is the grandson of a world famous thief. Him and his faithful friends are always looking for some new treasure to rip off, and Lupin has become quite infamous as a master of disguise and as a terrific thief. As with anyone though, Lupin has a weakness, and a big one at that. Lupin is in love with the elusive Fujiko, who is Lupin's rival in the world of thieving, and knowing this, whenever Fujiko gets into trouble she knows that Lupin will come and rescue her.
So there it is, but of course that's not all of it. Being a thief has it's bad points, and one of them is in the form of Zenigata, who is a police investigator who has been after Lupin and friends for a very long time, and this guy never seems to give up. One interesting thing about this series' story is how Lupin goes about stealing from his enemies, as the series slightly reminds me of James Bond, only much more light hearted and humorous, and of course the main difference between the two is that James Bond is a secret agent, while Lupin is a master thief living outside of the law.
The Main Characters
While character development and emotion may take back seat to one liners and other jokes, I still enjoyed the cast of Lupin the 3rd, even if there aren't that many recurring characters in the series.
Lupin
The first thing you'll probably notice about Lupin is that he bares a remarkable resemblance to a monkey, specifically a chimpanzee. Lupin has an ego as big as his straight from the 70s sideburns, and he prides himself on there never being too tough of a job for him. Lupin is easily my favorite character in the show, as he has the best sense of humor, and everytime I see him I just start laughing. Lupin is the most optimistic of his crew, and even though he has trouble thinking straight whenever he sees a cute girl, he's still an extremely intelligent character and is capable of getting himself out of any mess.
Fujiko
Often referred to as "Fuji-cakes" by Lupin, Fujiko is also an extremely clever character. Fujiko is an opportunist above all else, as she is loyal to nobody, and will betray anyone whenever it's convenient for her. Lupin is the only one of the main characters that is easily fooled by Fujiko, as Jigen and Goemon can often see past her pretty face, but Lupin is one completely determined individual and he'll do anything for Fujiko. This character is often running against Lupin and his friends looking for treasure, and, like Lupin, she's pretty good at disguising herself as anyone she wants to be should the goal at hand require it. Fujiko isn't quite as good at getting herself out of trouble like Lupin, but luckily for her, she can manipulate the master of escape with ease.
Goemon
As the most radically different character in the series, Goemon is also one of the most interesting. He isn't quite as reserved as Jigen, but he doesn't exactly wear his heart out on his sleeve. Goemon is a samurai, and he's as honorable as a samurai thief could be. Few people in Japan can match Goemon's skill with a sword. Goemon is a little on the old fashioned side, and this is why he uses his sword instead of getting with the times and fighting instead with a gun. Goemon and Lupin are fairly good friends, and even though Goemon doesn't seem to have much of a sense of humor, he's still interesting enough to watch in the series.
Jigen
As the most quiet of Lupin's gang, but that doesn't mean he's the tamest of them. Jigen is a crack shot with his pistol, and his accuracy is almost unmatched in Japan, with Lupin being one of Jigen's only equals. Jigen is a fairly mysterious character, and he's also one of the most distinguishable, with a pointy black beard and a hat over his head almost all the time. Jigen is a little cold towards women, and Lupin being used by Fujiko only makes him more reserved, as he disapproves of Lupin allowing himself to be controlled by their big bosomed rival.
Zenigata
Lupin's biggest enemy in the series is Zenigata, who's mission in life is to capture Lupin, Fujiko, and all their friends. Of course, Zenigata constantly tries to find new ways to slip his handcuffs on Lupin, he's almost mismatched against the master thief. Zenigata rarely goes after anyone besides Lupin and his friends, and because of his thousands of failed attempts to catch the crew, Lupin doesn't view Zenigata as much of a threat anymore. Overall Zenigata is a funny character, not because of his jokes, but because of how pathetic he comes off as being.
The Series In General
Despite the fact that I once laughed at the mere thought of watching this series, I'm glad that I gave it a chance, as it turned out to be very enjoyable and different from most anime series that I have watched thus far. Lupin is just the funniest, and it's humor isn't the cheesy type like Trigun's.
I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but you should know that Lupin the 3rd is one of the early anime series, and it was released in 1978 in Japan. Now that was a long time ago, I mean I wasn't even born yet. The series being this old isn't exactly a bad thing though, as I like the 70s feel that it has.
One good thing about Lupin the 3rd is that you don't need to watch every single episode to know what's going on in the series, as there is no big storyline behind it, the series is just a bunch of little adventures thrown together with no real chronological order to them.
Despite the fact that this series is supposed to take place in 1970s Japan, the company in charge of the english dub for the show, Pioneer, has updated a lot of the dialogue to fit with the modern audiences. There are numerous pop culture references thrown into this series, like for example, a reference to Halle Berry in the latest James Bond movie. There are numerous other references, but none of them that I can remember really.
Lupin the 3rd is definitely not a show for kids, and it probably shouldn't even be watched by most young teenagers. Sex and deceit are the two biggest themes throughout this series, and so if you don't feel comfortable with your child watching that kind of stuff, then you should probably keep them away from Lupin and his gang.
Animation Quality
Lupin was made in the 70s, and so it's pretty easy to imagine the quality of animation in this series. The backgrounds are animated with extremely dull colors, the characters are all tall and lanky (almost to the point of looking unhealthy), and nothing is really up to par with animation nowadays. One thing's for certain, Lupin the 3rd is definitely not easy on the eyes.
Final Recommendation
Honestly unless you're a fan of anime I don't think this series would be for you, but it's worth it to at least give it a chance. Lupin the 3rd is definitely an acquired taste, and it's definitely not for everyone. Even so, I highly recommend it.