Lupin III: Pilot Film (1978)

Well, this is just a remastered of the original Pilot Film so i'll just copy and paste what i wrote in the original review.

Lupin III Pilot Film – A Cool, Stylish First Look at Anime’s Slickest Thief

As a long-time Lupin fan (and even if you’re just dipping your toes in), the Lupin III Pilot Film is a fascinating watch. It’s short, stylish, and gives you everything you need to know about the series in just under 15 minutes. What it lacks in runtime, it more than makes up for in personality.

The biggest win here? It does an excellent job at introducing the main crew. You’ve ... got Lupin himself, smooth, cheeky, and absolutely loving the thrill of the chase. Jigen is all business with his hat, beard, and pinpoint accuracy. The guy barely cracks a smile, and it totally works. Fujiko Mine brings elegance and danger – seductive, beautiful, and always one step ahead. Then there’s Goemon, the traditional samurai with a weird sense of timing, but man, when he draws that sword, it’s all over. And finally, Zenigata, the goofy-but-determined cop who’s always on Lupin’s tail. He’s serious about his job, but half the time he’s two steps behind and that’s part of the charm.

Animation-wise, the pilot is a visual treat. The level of detail in things like cars and wristwatches is kind of insane for something this short. It’s clear the animators were flexing, and it pays off. The art style feels rooted in 60s/70s design but still looks slick today. It's got that gritty, analog charm that fans of retro anime will absolutely appreciate.

Is it perfect? Not exactly. It's a concept film after all but it's a super cool slice of what Lupin III is all about. Whether you're just getting into the franchise or you're already a fan, this little film is worth your time.

Score: 8/10 (A must-see for any Lupin enthusiast)

Every TV-show has a pilot, but it is really rare we actually get to see the pilot for an Anime series. Lupin was too mature for it's time, so it's not surprising that no TV-channel would fund this project. The Lupin TV-series didn't get aired until five years later, when one had the guts to release a TV show of this. For that reason, I am really gratefull to TMS for bringing it here to the west so we all could enjoy it.

The first pilot (standard edition) is a great start to this series, but would most likely not catch most of the viewers attention ... as it's actually more like an introduction to the characters rather than a full fleshed-out episode. Most viewers will prefer to know the characters through the plot of the show. The animation is actually pretty good for something that is made by just a few people and tries to impress with explosive scenes and stuff blowing up.

The characters is great as always, but Lupin is the opposite of what he is now. Just like the seven first episodes of the TV series, Lupin acts like a dork and his classy sharm is nonexistent. He kills for fun and trolls Zenigata for no good reason and even tries to kill him in an explosion.

The voice acting, however, is mediocre. Lupin has a voice that does not fit him at all, which is also the case for every character on the show with the exception of Fujiko, which sounds like the one we are accustomed with. There is also only two OST tracks.

Not counting each characters introduction scenes, there are two plots in the episode. One where Zenigata and Lupin plays shogi over the phone, and another one where Zenigata tries to chase Lupin out from a big mansion. Both of these were fairly good, the only problem is that they are not connected to eachothers whatsoever.

The second pilot is just like the standard pilot, but with improved animation and voices as it was supposed to be aired alongside the Lupin movie. Lupin still has his pilot voice, which isn't really that impressive. The second version also cut some live-action nudity that was in the first pilot, most likely due to visible breast nipples on an american lady, as well as a naked white girl and black guy.

This may not reach fans of modern, computer animated Anime, but will be a great way to see how Anime was when it was hand-drawn and a great addition to Lupin fans. It's reasy to see how the Lupin character has evolved over the years and this will be the superior way to notice that.