Mar 13, 2023 1:01 AM
Lupin III: Pilot Film Retrospective
Anime Relations:
Lupin III: Pilot Film
I've made the insane decision to completely rewatch every Lupin III entry and because I'm taking on such a massive feat again, I feel that I want to at least have some documentation of this. I'm so passionate about this series that for every episode/movie/special I want to share my thoughts. I'll be splitting it into categories: characters, story, art/animation, music, and any additional comments. So, I'm starting from the very beginning in 1969.
Honestly, when I first started watching Lupin I wasn't too invested (starting out in order is not the way to go) but the pilot film, albeit very simple, is fun. And I actually wish there was more stuff done in the style of it.
The thing I will forever compliment Lupin the most on is how consistently written the characters are, and they nail it right off the bat with this. Lupin is charming and devilish as ever, Jigen chill but loyal, Goemon stoic but still cocky, Fujiko a femme fatale, and Pops goofy and determined as ever. There's not much I can say since we don't get to spend a whole lot of time with them in this, simply that what we do see of them is good. The only thing of note as far as the main characters, Goemon is seen much more as an enemy, saying he dedicated his life to training to kill Lupin, it's not really explained why, but that's just what he does. In modern Lupin you can't exactly call Lupin and Goemon best buds, but I definitely like that he wasn't made out to be a complete antagonist. There's another inspector joining Zenigata in this, he didn't really seem to have any reason to be here aside from giving Lupin a way to escape, but I'll just mention him here anyway.
The pilot only served as just that, the pilot for what was to come. It was used to prove that adult-targeted animation was worth pursuing and so a lot was done just quickly convincing exects. The story basically introduces everyone to the characters and sees how they interact with each other. Lupin and Jigen fighting off cops sent in by Zenigata. Goemon eventually shows up to kill Lupin but is tricked, giving Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko a chance to escape. For what it is, it's concise and to the point.
I honestly love it. I really wish we got to see more stuff drawn in this art style. I like art styles that like to mess with proportions and let the facial features slip around (not doing a great job at describing this). It reminds me of the manga's style which I love.
Lupin's always been great with expressions, but to me, it felt like they didn't have any limitations and went all out with the expressions. Now as far as the animation goes, this was 1969 and used to prove that adult animation was worth funding, so because of that, they were working with a super limited budget, aside from that, I'm really impressed! There are a lot of shortcuts for sure, but there are a lot of really smooth moments of animation. Little scenes like Jigen loading his gun, Lupin getting ready to jump on Fujiko's bed, and Goemon jumping on rocks. Some of those scenes look better than a lot of stuff from parts 1-3 so it's impressive stuff! My one complaint about the art style is Fujiko, they did her so dirty. She has the same copy-and-pasted expression the whole time for some reason. I would have been fine with it had they at least changed up her face a little bit.
Love it too! As much as I love Yuji Ohno, this was a cool change. It's a different type of jazz but it totally works. It's definitely a lot more dated, and totally sounds like something you would hear from the 60s, but I also love music from the 60s/70s, so it's a win-win situation for me. Nothing will ever replace the great music Yuji Ohno makes, but I wouldn't mind hearing some more like this again.
It's only 12 minutes, so there's no harm in checking it out every now and then. Like I've already said many times, the pilot had a different vibe to it that I wish we got more of. But as it stands, the Lupin III pilot will serve as an extremely important mark in the history of animation, so all my respect goes out to its creation!
Honestly, when I first started watching Lupin I wasn't too invested (starting out in order is not the way to go) but the pilot film, albeit very simple, is fun. And I actually wish there was more stuff done in the style of it.
Characters
The thing I will forever compliment Lupin the most on is how consistently written the characters are, and they nail it right off the bat with this. Lupin is charming and devilish as ever, Jigen chill but loyal, Goemon stoic but still cocky, Fujiko a femme fatale, and Pops goofy and determined as ever. There's not much I can say since we don't get to spend a whole lot of time with them in this, simply that what we do see of them is good. The only thing of note as far as the main characters, Goemon is seen much more as an enemy, saying he dedicated his life to training to kill Lupin, it's not really explained why, but that's just what he does. In modern Lupin you can't exactly call Lupin and Goemon best buds, but I definitely like that he wasn't made out to be a complete antagonist. There's another inspector joining Zenigata in this, he didn't really seem to have any reason to be here aside from giving Lupin a way to escape, but I'll just mention him here anyway.
Story
The pilot only served as just that, the pilot for what was to come. It was used to prove that adult-targeted animation was worth pursuing and so a lot was done just quickly convincing exects. The story basically introduces everyone to the characters and sees how they interact with each other. Lupin and Jigen fighting off cops sent in by Zenigata. Goemon eventually shows up to kill Lupin but is tricked, giving Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko a chance to escape. For what it is, it's concise and to the point.
Art/Animation
I honestly love it. I really wish we got to see more stuff drawn in this art style. I like art styles that like to mess with proportions and let the facial features slip around (not doing a great job at describing this). It reminds me of the manga's style which I love.
Lupin's always been great with expressions, but to me, it felt like they didn't have any limitations and went all out with the expressions. Now as far as the animation goes, this was 1969 and used to prove that adult animation was worth funding, so because of that, they were working with a super limited budget, aside from that, I'm really impressed! There are a lot of shortcuts for sure, but there are a lot of really smooth moments of animation. Little scenes like Jigen loading his gun, Lupin getting ready to jump on Fujiko's bed, and Goemon jumping on rocks. Some of those scenes look better than a lot of stuff from parts 1-3 so it's impressive stuff! My one complaint about the art style is Fujiko, they did her so dirty. She has the same copy-and-pasted expression the whole time for some reason. I would have been fine with it had they at least changed up her face a little bit.
Music
Love it too! As much as I love Yuji Ohno, this was a cool change. It's a different type of jazz but it totally works. It's definitely a lot more dated, and totally sounds like something you would hear from the 60s, but I also love music from the 60s/70s, so it's a win-win situation for me. Nothing will ever replace the great music Yuji Ohno makes, but I wouldn't mind hearing some more like this again.
Final Thoughts
It's only 12 minutes, so there's no harm in checking it out every now and then. Like I've already said many times, the pilot had a different vibe to it that I wish we got more of. But as it stands, the Lupin III pilot will serve as an extremely important mark in the history of animation, so all my respect goes out to its creation!
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Worm_Death
| Mar 13, 2023 1:01 AM |
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