Lupin the 3rd

[tatermoog]

Just made it through the fourth episode. Can see why you like it, though it didn't grab me the same way.

Weird, weird series so far. I think Mr. Luffy nailed it when he said they seemed to jump in at a middle point in the manga; fourth episode "introduced" Goemon and then didn't have him in the episode.

Also, the third episode involved a flower witch. That's a magician and a witch in two of the first three episodes.

[RobbyBevard]

Goemon's first appearance is the fifth or sixth episode I think. And its an actual first meeting/first appearance, and one of the only bits of continuity throughout the green jacket series, because the second time they meet him a bit later... is the second time they meet him.

[Dumhuvud]

Isn't the Red Jacket series very hit-and-miss? Then again, I guess it's difficult to avoid when it's like 150 episodes. And speaking of Pycal, I found another recurring character from the original series: Mamou Kyosuke. No, it's not that creepy blue midget even though they have the same name. Also, here are my thoughts on the movies I've watched.

Spoiler:

Mystery of Mamo - Well, it's a required taste; some will enjoy it and others won't. It's pretty dark and very surreal but has a lot of awesome moments. Zenigata trying to kill Lupin rather than just arresting him might leave you with a bad aftertaste. If that wasn't bad enough, he doesn't even necessarily want to do Lupin in by himself; at one point, a giant truck tries to run the gang over and Zenigata cheers the driver on. Shamefur dispray.

Castle of Cagliostro - I think it's the best one, but it's not my favourite. It's more Miyazaki than Lupin. So while Cagliostro is great, it would probably not make a good starting point. The plot is awesome, so is the music and I especially liked Lupin and Jigen goofing around in the intro. It also has one of the best villain death scenes in animation.

Farewell to Nostradamus - The fans are definitely too harsh on this one. I thought the political aspects were silly, but I liked the rest of it for the most part. I'm confused on who the "uncle" guy was though.

Dead or Alive - The darker art style is enjoyable; Goemon also gets more screentime than usual and Fujiko less which I'm completely okay with. One might even argue that she's not the primary love interest. Zenigata is more competent than usual so that's cool.

Episode 0: First Contact - Masterpiece; my favorite.

Lupin III vs. Detective Conan - Much more Conan than Lupin. I'd like to see more crossovers though.

Blood Seal ~ Eternal Mermaid - Even by Lupin standards, the villain is ridiculous is this one. The plot is predictable and generic, but it has some awesome remixes of the main theme and like someone pointed out, it was nice seeing grandpa Lupin in flashbacks.

[Sander]

Finally sat down to see Castle of Cagliostro a couple of weeks ago.It embodies the thing I love about Takahata/Miyazaki style of Lupin-it powercharges the viewer with positive energy.I couldn't help but to smile.

Same thing with two episodes of the Red Jacket,ones that were reales as "Greatest Capers".

[tatermoog]

Finally sat down to see Castle of Cagliostro a couple of weeks ago.It embodies the thing I love about Takahata/Miyazaki style of Lupin-it powercharges the viewer with positive energy.I couldn't help but to smile.

Same thing with two episodes of the Red Jacket,ones that were reales as "Greatest Capers".

I rarely laugh out loud watching movies, even if I really enjoy them. There are about four to five moments in Cagliostro that still get me, from the car driving up the side of the cliff to the run and jump off the castle to Lupin trying to swim up the waterfall...

It's just entertainment in its purest form.

[Bentham]

This is one wacked out series

[Sander]

So with Woman Named Fujiko Mine over,what are your thoughts?I believe that the series kinda bailed out on it's "mission" at the last second.

[goty]

So with Woman Named Fujiko Mine over,what are your thoughts?I believe that the series kinda bailed out on it's "mission" at the last second.

"oh by the way, i was always like this, your brainwash didn't affect me at all!"
I can say i enjoyed watching it, but the cop out surrounding "the tale of Fujiko Mine" was pretty disappointing. They obviously didn't want to mess with the character's origins, but still, this kind of makes the series feel like a waste.
Anyway, i like how they tied it nicely with the original Green Jacket series.

[Thousand Lion-chan]

I'm glad for the cop-out. I was finding Fujiko's "back story" overly dark, contrived and excessive. It was ultimately harmful to the character. I'm glad Mine Fujiko didn't grow up being molested by owls. Fujiko is Fujiko because she's Fujiko. That's all we needed. They should have focused on the silly exploits rather than try to go all deep.

[Sander]

I admit that I was indeed somewhat relieved by the cop-out for those very same reasons.Yet,I felt pointlessly mislead at the same time.

I agree that we don't really need to know what made Fujiko the way she is.Indeed,

Fujiko is Fujiko because she's Fujiko

is all we really need to know.Characters like her,Lupin and the rest of the cast are way more about their present than they will ever be about their past.

However,this show asks this question and shows you it's full intentions to answer it,but,then,after dragging you along through an entire arc of twisted backstories and hallucinogenic sequences,it simply turns around and tells you "know what,it really ain't worth knowing,I'm bailing out on this thing,none of the stuff I showed really happened...to Fujiko,it happened to that girl over there.Bye!".

I guess you could say that show was trying to deliver a message of

Fujiko is Fujiko because she's Fujiko

,but that could've been done to the same effect in an episode or two.

So in short,the show shouldn't have asked a question it wasn't intending to answer.
Oh and the reveal of the owl-servant felt very Scooby Doo."And I would've gotten away with it,if not for this meddling thief and his stupid gunman!"

But really,as much of a cop-out as it all turned out to be,it was still entertaining.If anything,one piece of TRULLY bad writing was the return of Oscar.I mean,what was the goddamn point?Why did they give this character a redeeming and dignifying send-off,only to bring him back as a complete nutjob and die burning a castle to the ground and screaming "bad girls must be punished!"?

Overall,the series was a good watch,but it could've been more,way way more.Episode 5 is a good indication.

[Thousand Lion-chan]

How the fuck did he even survive the bomb explosion?

[Sander]

Meh,it's just standard stupidly imrobable character survival routine.Stuff like this doesn't surprise me anymore and I've honestly seen worse examples(a guy coming back from being DESINTEGRATED BY AN ANTI-MATTER CANNON with just a facial scar and amnesia,anyone?).

What really baffles me is why the writer(Okada,was it) wanted him back.He didn't serve any real purpose and he didn't recieve any kind of further character development.If anything,he regressed...severely.

[Deviant_Mugen]

What really baffles me is why the writer(Okada,was it) wanted him back.He didn't serve any real purpose and he didn't recieve any kind of further character development.If anything,he regressed...severely.

Fangirl bait, at least judging by his reception in another forum I frequent...

Oscar aside, I enjoyed the show and would watch it again if it ever gets dubbed...

[Sander]

Fangirl bait, at least judging by his reception in another forum I frequent...

Oscar aside, I enjoyed the show and would watch it again if it ever gets dubbed...

Fangirls like psychotic,homicidal,woman-hating maniacs?

Well,if Sasuke can have fangirls...

[Deviant_Mugen]

Well, I only followed the discussion thread for the first three episodes or so, so I'm not sure if he kept those fangirls by the end of the show, but they were definitely there before his meltdown...

[Dumhuvud]

Hey guys, Discotek will give Secret of Mamo another re-release, and there'll be a new TV special too.

I like how well The Woman Named Fujiko Mine added up with the first series. Like how Jigen and Goemon didn't recognize each other in Green Jacket because they only met when tripping. Goemon also refers to Fujiko as his girlfriend in his debut episode.

[Sander]

I like how well The Woman Named Fujiko Mine added up with the first series. Like how Jigen and Goemon didn't recognize each other in Green Jacket because they only met when tripping. Goemon also refers to Fujiko as his girlfriend in his debut episode.

Would've been even better had Lupin mentioned his plans about an upcoming race...

[Dumhuvud]

^ That would have been awesome. By the way, in my head-canon, the Green Jacket timeline goes like this:

The Woman Named Fujiko Mine -> original TV series -> The Fuma Conspiracy -> Castle of Cagliostro

Am I missing any others?

[Sander]

Where would Momo fit in?

[RobbyBevard]

You can't fit all the Lupin outings into a single continuity, you just can't. Some of them downright contradict each other, (particularly where it concerns how they all met for the first time) and how much Zenigata varies between some outings has him practically a different character entirely.

Cagliostro is definitely one of Lupin's later outings, after he (and Fujiko!) have grown up and matured some, and Zenigata has long since come to treat him like a friendly rival instead of just a criminal... possibly after Red Jacket.

Pink Jacket... didn't happen.

I didn't really care for the Fujiko series, I'll stick with Episode 0.