Animation Block: Lupin the Third

Having heard of the passing of the famed manga creator Monkey Punch, and being on an old school anime kick, why not take a look at his famed creation?




Now, the saga of Lupin the Third spans quite a few decades but for brevity's sake we'll limit our focus to the first series (commonly called the Green Jacket).

Arsene Lupin is a thief, grandson to the infamous thief Lupin (creation of French writer Maurice Leblanc). With his gang (sharpshooter Daisuke Jigen and samurai Goemon Ishikawa XIII) and sometime partner/sometimes rival Fujiko Mine, Lupin matches wits with dogged Inspector Zenigata.

Debuting in 1971, Lupin's episodes focused on the crooks and their misadventures. Usually there was a larger or worse criminal at large, forcing Lupin and co. to switch their focus on stopping them. Sometimes Lupin would get caught, thus the focus on escape.

The show was groundbreaking in many ways, with a heavy focus on realism and actually being aimed at an adult audience. Adult in this case meaning complex characters and mature storytelling and not nudity.

The show ended in 1972, yet found a second life in reruns. So much so that TMS decided to give Monkey Punch's characters another shot in 1977 but we'll focus on them later.