And so we start the series! Part 1 is a jumble of stories, some taken from the manga, some completely new, some that were written and never actually turned into episodes. It was directed by Masaaki Ōsumi, Hayao Miyazaki, and Isao Takahata, though not all at once (except for a few episodes where the direction is very obviously changing hands).
But for now, let’s talk about the first episode.
For a show that claims to be about heists, we start with…a race. Okay, so technically, Fujiko Mine is running a heist in the background, but our main characters — Lupin III and Daisuke Jigen, Goemon Ishikawa (thirteenth of his name) hasn’t joined the crew yet, and won’t until episode 7 — are busy attempting to win a special race funded by a company called Scorpion and a man called Mr. X.
Mr. X is a perverted old dude who is, despite his very funky character design, exclusive to the anime. He mosts enjoys trying to kill Lupin the Third (for reasons that are…kind of? Eventually explained in Part 2. Sorta. If I remember right), weird robots, and tickle torturing sexy women.
Yeah, I dunno if I mentioned it, but it’s an odd sort of episode.
Anyway. So there’s this race, and Lupin plans to win it (steal it?) while his amazing girlfriend infiltrates the Miracle Hotel and…steals all their money? Finds treasure? Tries to figure out what’s going on with the race? You know, it’s never really gone into. She gets caught rather immediately, either way, and subjected to Mr. X’s torture methods (as mentioned, a tickle machine).
As Fujiko is dealing with this, Lupin is circling the racetrack, followed by his eternal rival, Inspector Zenigata (at this point in the series, he was still Heiji Zenigata the Seventh, I believe? That will change as the series progresses, and we will come to know him as Inspector Koichi Zenigata). Zenigata’s introduction is definitely one of those “There is almost no heterosexual explanation for this” moments, down to the cherry blossoms.
But the race continues! Lupin and Jigen switch places, which in the comic, leads to Lupin robbing a bank, but in the cartoon, leads to Lupin going to rescue Fujiko from Mr. X. Fujiko betrays Lupin, a thing that will become a regular occurrence during the series (he likes it). Lupin gets away from Zenigata for the zillionth and first time.
Is this episode worth watching? I personally think it’s not the greatest introduction to Lupin III, which doesn’t mean it’s a bad watch. It’s simply odd, especially as an introductory episode to a series.
Nipple Sightings: Fujiko, briefly, while being tickled wildly
Underpants Sightings: Lupin, after getting soaked thanks to his plumbing shenanigans
Does anybody die: Mr. X and everyone in the room where Fujiko is getting tortured get electrocuted; done by Lupin specifically. They also blow up a lot of the race cars and the entire stadium. By all rights, a whole lot of people probably die in this episode.
Trigger Warnings: Non-consensual tickle torture, non-main character death
Has it been dubbed in English? Yes, it’s available streaming on HIDIVE and on blu-ray.
Personal Rating:
4/8 Bullets from a Walther P38. A very interesting introductory episode, but not the greatest way of starting a series.