*PART 1 REVIEW* - *8/10* *(Dubbed)*

the thing i don't like about the treatment of Lupin the Third on here is that all the shows are compiled into one and I can't review each show individually, so I'' just have to make due and make multiple reviews on this one compiled page.

This isn't actually the first time I've seen this, back last April, I watched it subbed because i wanted to binge the whole franchise, but the more i thought about it it became more of a pipe dream because I was already doing my Scooby-Doo marathon at the same time and doing two at once would be to much, so I stopped when I started to watch the first few episodes of Part 2. I finished the Scooby-Doo franchise by new years and i wanted to restart my "Lupin-a-thon". To change it up on rewatch, i watched the new dub that came out last year and I think I like the show better on rewatch. The dub itself is really good, even if it clashed with the crusty old soundtrack a tiny bit

Well. it was great. I'm kinda surprised how much this shoe just works for me this time around. The characters are just beyond charming in their own ways. Lupin is such a fun lead and I always love watching all his brilliant schemes come to throughition while also being a joy to watch. Jigen is the weakest character out of the main 5, but not a bad one by any means, he is a real character with a fun personality, but i feel like his expert gunman skills are barely used at all through part 1. I like Fujiko quite a bit, Her manipulative and seductive nature was enjoyable and I liked seeing Lupin constantly simp for her and usually falls into her manipulation, but the show really liked her being in very precarious situations where shes constantly being being show as the sexual appeal of the show and not much else, but fortunately they phased some of that out towards the later half of the series and we could enjoy her character more. Goemon is cool as heck, I love seeing this somewhat enemy eventually become an alley for the Lupin Gang and used his insane skills to help with fun heists. You could question why a samurai would be help Lupin be a thief, but it makes total sense because the people he look up to in his life his master and "girlfriend" didn't really care for him and Lupin was the first real alley to him, so it makes sense from that standpoint. Zenigata is probably the funniest character in the whole shoe. I just can't help but be entertained by this desperate Inspector dedicating hos whole life just capturing this one dude and it's so good. I am jealous of his comedic timing sometimes, *especially* for episode 23, which he was hilarious and it still holds up 50 years later.

some of the aspects I want to praise is it's animation. I mean by modern standards, it doesn't look amazing, but for 1971 TV standards, it goes over and beyond. I mean this was made when Scooby-Doo just debuted and Disney Animation were still making movies like "Aristocats" and "Robin Hood" and this little show from Japan that came out on a weekly basis is more expressive and lively than any of those products I listed previously. And the quality honestly never drops and I can't really call any of these episodes bad, that said, I do still have problems. Like for instance, it's tone. The show has a mix between serious episodes with high stakes and not so serious episodes with fun heists. Both of them work on their own, but as a whole, it just clashes too hard and there's not really an overall consistent tone. I can't stress enough that both of these tones work, it's just putting these wildly different tones together creates tonal whiplash. Having a fun and quirky heist in one episode and then immediately follow that up something extremely serious makes for a confusing and muddled tone. But as individual episodes, I liked both equally. I liked seeing those really serious, especially Episode 9 and 11, becasue those episodes really Lupin's true character. Lupin is a thief, not a murderer. He kills people, yes, but those are always people from rival gangs who want to kill him and never innocent people or police. Like he puts himself out there to save Fujiko in a really desperate situation because he does really care for her outside of the usual flirtatious manner. and that especially goes for episode 11, where Lupin is put into a situation where a random girl's life at stake and he does want to save her regardless if he even knows her, which does a lot about his character. You could make the argument that he tied up a bunch of girls in suitcases in episode 18, but he only did that to frame other bad dudes and he probably wouldn't of even done that if he wasn't absolutely sure that Inspector Zenigata would get involved. He's a Phantom Thief with a , not a murderer and that's something I can respect. The more fun episodes that *Studio Ghibli founders* Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata directed are delights, they don't have that as much substance compared to the mature Masaaki Ōsumi episodes, but they they can be really fun, especially episodes like 13, 15, and 23 of course. a problem I have with it's western release is the titles of the episodes, there not pure translations and I hate it, but it's not the show's fault. the best example of this is with Episode 21's title "Rescue the Shrewish Girl" was changed to "Rescue the Tomboy!" or "Rescue of the Stubborn Tomboy"!for English audiences. I don't know about you, but the words "Shrewish" and "Tomboy" do not mean the same thing and the word "Tomboy" doesn't fit the description of the girl that Lupin rescues and "Shrewish" fits her perfectly and the girl isn't boyish, so I don't really get the thought process of that name change. And I'm at it, the villain in Episode 21 is a bit one note, and English title doesn't really fit regardless of how funny it may be, but Lupin slapping her in the face was based because she is a bit annoying and too oblivious to an extent.

Well, that's Part 1! I'm glad I rewatched it because it only got better and it was only 23 episodes, so it wasn't even a chore to get through it all. It definitely has it's growing pains to work out and overall muddled tone, but it was a really great watch that still holds up 50 years later and I can't wait to watch more of this enjoyable franchise

Best Episode: Episode 11 "When the Seventh Bridge Falls"

Weakest Episode: Episode 16 "Operation: Jewelry Snatch"(but still a good episode)