Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures Blu-ray Movie Review

Lupin the Third: Part 1 is an iconic anime classic.  Based on the original manga by Monkey Punch, the television series adaptation comes from production company TMS Entertainment (Detective Conan, Yowamushi Pedal). As originally broadcast on Nippon Television Network, Lupin the Third: Part 1 is executive produced by Yutaka Fujioka (Aim for the Ace!, Sherlock Hound). Memorable not only as the legendary start to the long-running anime franchise but as one of the beginning works of Studio Ghibli filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Lupin the Third: Part 1 should be considered essential viewing for all anime fans.

The adventures of Lupin the Third (Yasuo Yamada) are never to be underestimated: Lupin is joined in his adventurous escapades by the beautiful vixen Fujiko Mine (Yukiko Nikaido), master swordsman Goemon (Chikao Ohtsuka), and his gun-master aid, Jigen (Kiyoshi Kobayashi). Always hot on the trail of Lupin and his collaborators, Inspector Zenigata (Gorō Naya) is always looking to catch the master thief!

As the exploits of Lupin continue, the stakes and drama add up to even more exciting fun. Lupin faces down some of his biggest challenges in the original series outing and with a variety of classic gems exploring an island of thieves or a time-travel enemy. Lupin remains the ultimate master thief and Zenigata can’t do anything to stop him!

The Lupin franchise never would have been so successful were it not for the exceptional cast of characters. The entire group makes the series much livelier and engaging. Lupin is a remarkable character with a slick sense of style and suave badassery.

Joined by the sexy Fujiko (who is also enormously gifted), Goemon (always ready with his blade), and Jigen (ready to take aim), the storytelling benefits a great deal from the character dynamics and their collaborations together. Last but certainly not least, Inspector Zenigata provides a wonderful sense of duality to the series – though he is technically always chasing after Lupin the Third, one can’t help but get the feeling he is secretly on the same side. This dynamic makes the series all the more entertaining.

The production features exceptional animation. The animation direction by Yasuo Otsuka (Future Boy Conan, Jarinko Chie) is one of the reasons the series looks so stunning. The animation is first-rate: it perfectly showcases the characters and their world. The production benefited from a great team of animators and the entire crew delivered. Otsuka is a wonderful animation director and helped to provide the series with the right ingredients.  Otsuka even handled the character designs for the anime production.

The cinematography by Akio Wakana (Panda! Go, Panda!), Iwao Yamaki (Aim for the Ace!), Kinichi Ishikawa (The Legend of the Galactic Heroes), and Toru Owada (The Adventures of Gamba) is an enjoyable element as well. The visual component of the series is one of the key reasons this is a successful anime. The cinematography highlights the suave aesthetics of the genre and the fun escapades of the characters.

Featuring music composed by Takeo Yamashita (Giant Robo, The Adventures of Gamba), Lupin the Third: Part 1 has a great soundtrack. The score is energetic, exciting, and vibrant. The music never slows down the pace or rhythm of the series. The music highlights dramatics as well but it excels the most when it is helping to explore the action-adventure elements – this is ultimately what makes the score such a great component of the production.

Written by Sōji Yoshikawa (Future Boy Conan, City Hunter), Lupin the Third: Part 1 has a lot of fun and entertaining episodes. Yoshikawa did a great job as the head writer of the program. This series is an incredible classic. The episodes are so well written and there is always a sense of charm to them. A wonderful adaptation of the manga, the anime provides the goods – exactly what audiences want.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service), Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday), and Masaaki Osumi (Lupin III: Voyage to Danger, Lupin III: Secret Files), Lupin the Third: Part 1 has a special place in the hearts of many anime fans – myself included – as one of the early works of the Ghibli founders. This makes Lupin the Third: Part 1 all the more essential as an anime masterwork. The series is first- rate and only a few episodes by Osumi seem a little less-effective than the episodes by Miyazaki and Takahata. Lupin the Third: Part 1 never runs out of steam and it helped to make the Lupin franchise enormously successful from the beginning.  

Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Lupin the Third: Part 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. This is certainly an impressive looking presentation. The color reproduction is excellent on the release. A fantastic high-definition upgrade. Compared to the DVD edition, the Blu-ray upgrade is a huge one. There is a lot of beautiful imagery. The animation benefits a great deal from the better colors and resolution. Discotek provided the transfer with a more natural looking scan and encode than the Japanese Blu-ray counter-part, which is fantastic.

Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release is outstanding. Dialogue is clear and crisp. The score is vibrant and energetic sounding on the release. An excellent encode and one that benefits from the lossless sound quality. Fans will be pleased with either option available for the original series. However, I am a bit partial to the original Japanese language version – it was the first way I experienced the series. Discotek did an excellent job with the audio presentation.

Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Episode 3 Audio Commentary with Reed Nelson

Episode 4 Audio Commentary with Mike Lepore and Ryan Gilbert

Liner Notes: Episodes 1-10

Disc 2:

Episode 13 Audio Commentary with Mike Lepore and Ryan Gilbert

Liner Notes: Episodes 11-20

Disc 3:

Episode 23 Audio Commentary with Reed Nelson

Creditless Openings (HD, 7:57)

Creditless Endings (HD, 4:03)

Gallery: Key Art includes 52 click-through pages of illustrations.

Gallery: Model Sheets – Characters includes 74 click-through pages of illustrations.

Gallery: Model Sheets – Weapons and Vehicles includes 57 click-through pages of illustrations.

Gallery: Model Sheets – Locations includes 8 click-through pages of illustrations.

Liner Notes: Episodes 21-23

Liner Notes: Vehicles

Liner Notes: Weapons

Liner Notes: Song Lyrics

Essay: La Dolce Vita and Lupin at Abbey Road

Essay: The Big Note

Essay: Trains and Scalps

Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lupin the Third: Part 1 is one of the best anime classics of all time. The production has outstanding animation, exciting storytelling, and vibrant creativity. The series is one of the earliest works of the legendary Studio Ghibli filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki (Spirted Away) and Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies). Every Studio Ghibli fan should consider seeking out this wonderful collection of classic Lupin episodes. The series has a great sense of adventure and anyone who has seen Miyazaki's feature-film masterpiece Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro will have an idea of what to expect. A wonderful collection. The Blu-ray release from Discotek Media has excellent video and audio quality alongside a wonderful assortment of supplementals.  Essential. Highly recommended.