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I very heartily recommend the first Lupin the 3rd TV series [1]. The Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata episodes are of course excellent, but what surprised me wh

I very heartily recommend the first Lupin the 3rd TV series [1]. The Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata episodes are of course excellent, but what surprised me when I watched the series (almost 20 years ago by now) were the first 6-7 episodes, directed by Masaaki Osumi, they had a (slight) bleakness to them that was really special. Also, Future Boy Conan is really excellent, too. Its ending/credits song is one of the best ever when it comes to anime. [1] https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=886 https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=8... [2] https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=10588 https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=... [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEq7m_6odoc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEq7m_6odoc

leoc 4y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt2tm9B6A4E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt2tm9B6A4E is a pretty good video essay which discusses Miyazaki's Lupin TV work, and of course Castle of Cagliostro.
toyg 4y ago
The original manga of Lupin III, by the late Monkey Punch (Kazuhiko Kato), is basically a psychedelic '70s Bond with heavy noir undertones. It's also very adult, with pretty explicit sex scenes and jokes. The TV series obviously toned it all down, but the first season is the closest to the original material - hence the bleakness and the crazy jazz score. Unfortunately it's also the worst one from a technical perspective, although it's one of the few products of that time that will continue to be watched probably forever, hence acting as a document.
labster 4y ago
The early episodes of Lupin III, especially the first ones, are something of an acquired taste. 1970s animation is so much more sparse than the bubble economy anime later on. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine captures a lot of the feel of the early episodes but with modern animation and themes. It is a great show, it’s just… variable. Some of this is by design, as a Jigen plot is going to be darker than a Fujiko focused episode. Every once in a while there will be an episode that’s pitch perfect and has a Spruce Goose (I wonder who directed that one?) but then the next episode is a bit lame. Or there’s the version with better music, Cowboy Bepop. The tone is a bit darker because the Lupin analogue is age twelve but it’s still fun.
wodenokoto 4y ago
I really enjoyed the first season / series. I feel the earliest episodes often had a great cinematic feel to them, and would in their short runtime take time to show long, wide shots to establish atmosphere. I felt as the show went on, it became more and more silly, and I lost interest. I'm not sure how many episodes I ended up watching and at what point Miyazaki and Takahata left. The movie is they directed was also very good. I did enjoy the dark themed, somewhat recent spinoff "A woman named Fujiko", which is also recommended by a sibling comment.

leoc 4y ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt2tm9B6A4E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt2tm9B6A4E is a pretty good video essay which discusses Miyazaki's Lupin TV work, and of course Castle of Cagliostro.

toyg 4y ago

The original manga of Lupin III, by the late Monkey Punch (Kazuhiko Kato), is basically a psychedelic '70s Bond with heavy noir undertones. It's also very adult, with pretty explicit sex scenes and jokes. The TV series obviously toned it all down, but the first season is the closest to the original material - hence the bleakness and the crazy jazz score. Unfortunately it's also the worst one from a technical perspective, although it's one of the few products of that time that will continue to be watched probably forever, hence acting as a document.

labster 4y ago

The early episodes of Lupin III, especially the first ones, are something of an acquired taste. 1970s animation is so much more sparse than the bubble economy anime later on. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine captures a lot of the feel of the early episodes but with modern animation and themes. It is a great show, it’s just… variable. Some of this is by design, as a Jigen plot is going to be darker than a Fujiko focused episode. Every once in a while there will be an episode that’s pitch perfect and has a Spruce Goose (I wonder who directed that one?) but then the next episode is a bit lame. Or there’s the version with better music, Cowboy Bepop. The tone is a bit darker because the Lupin analogue is age twelve but it’s still fun.

wodenokoto 4y ago

I really enjoyed the first season / series. I feel the earliest episodes often had a great cinematic feel to them, and would in their short runtime take time to show long, wide shots to establish atmosphere. I felt as the show went on, it became more and more silly, and I lost interest. I'm not sure how many episodes I ended up watching and at what point Miyazaki and Takahata left. The movie is they directed was also very good. I did enjoy the dark themed, somewhat recent spinoff "A woman named Fujiko", which is also recommended by a sibling comment.