Misplaced Pages

#273726

40-501: The pilot film, loosely based on the manga chapter Camera Tricks , primarily serves as an introduction to the five major characters, as well as a retired detective named Kogoro Akechi . Each character is introduced to the viewer through several vignettes with narration. The overarching story sees Lupin III , Daisuke Jigen and Fujiko Mine in a mansion surrounded by police led by Inspector Zenigata and Akechi. Goemon Ishikawa offers to help

80-587: A bi-weekly magazine on January 27, 2015. Scheduled to run for 45 issues, the magazine includes a DVD containing episodes from the first two Lupin III TV series. The first American release of the series was handled by Streamline Pictures , who distributed English language dubs of episodes 145 and 155 individually to VHS in 1994 as Lupin III: Tales of the Wolf and together as Lupin III's Greatest Capers in 1995. The series

120-531: A criminal femme fatale, along with a handsome young detective named Akechi Kojiro. The manga and anime Nijū Mensō no Musume , or the Daughter of Twenty Faces, focuses heavily on Akechi's arch-rival. Akechi himself is featured as well, but as a much more minor character. Akechi is also referenced in the character of Police Superintendent Akechi Kengo in Kindaichi Case Files , a popular detective manga series. In

160-447: A favourable response in the West . Rob Lineberger of DVD Verdict drew comparisons of the series to western works. He compared the flyovers of major cities and villains planning world domination to James Bond , the teamwork and "campiness" to Charlie's Angels and the "Zany humour" and disguises to Scooby-Doo but added that the series has "its own fun flavour". He expressed mixed views over

200-459: A lighter tone and more exaggerated animation to create a crime caper . Pop culture references appear frequently. The music for the series was composed by Yuji Ohno . Episodes 145 and 155 were written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki under the pseudonym "Terekomu" and they marked his final involvement with the Lupin franchise. Elements from these episodes would be reused in his films Nausicaä of

240-453: A master swordsman and the descendant of Ishikawa Goemon , the legendary Japanese bandit. Lupin is often chased by Inspector Zenigata , the dogged detective who has made it his life mission to catch Lupin. After Lupin the Third Part I became popular during reruns, a new series was created. In contrast to the dark tone and violence of the more serious first series, this series made use of

280-406: A parody of Kogoro Akechi. He has his cases solved for him by the youthful main character, Conan Edogawa. The name of young Conan's elementary school detective club is the "Detective Boys". Akechi himself is highlighted in volume 2 of the manga, in "Gosho Aoyama's Mystery Library", a section of the graphic novels (usually the last page) where the author introduces a different detective (or occasionally,

320-425: A vigilante serial killer. In October 2016, an Anime titled, Trickster: From Edogawa Ranpo's "The Boy Detectives Club" was made, based on the stories of the 'Boy's Detective Club'. The plot follows Kogorou Akechi who meets mysterious Yoshio Kobayashi. Kobayashi, who has an undying body because of an "unidentified fog," wishes his own death, but together they both make their way after a mysterious criminal, nicknamed

360-618: A villain) from literature. Further Akechi references can be seen in Aoyama's other series, Magic Kaito , where a master thief steals high profile items for recognition. Both Akechi and the Black Lizard are referenced in the Sakura Wars series of video games and anime. One of the musicals performed by the Teikoku Kagekidan is Benitokage ("Crimson Lizard") and features the title character,

400-599: Is a fictional private detective created by Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo . Akechi first appeared in the story "The Case of the Murder on D. Hill" ( D坂の殺人事件 , D-zaka no satsujin jiken ) in January 1925 and continued to appear in stories for a quarter of a century. Edogawa Ranpo (a pseudonym for Tarō Hirai) is considered the father of the Japanese detective story and was a great admirer of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . Akechi

440-500: Is a juvenile mystery series. Akechi has become a fixture in Japanese pop-culture . There have been a number of movies made based on his adventures, some of which pit him against other fictional characters such as Arsène Lupin . The actor best known for playing the detective is Eiji Okada . Akechi has been featured as a character in the manga Lupin III (and its anime pilot ) and references to him are common in Japanese fiction . He

SECTION 10

#1732858208274

480-406: Is a non-violent criminal who steals to demonstrate his brilliance rather than out of need for money. He and Akechi have a mutual respect in the stories. The Akechi stories are based mainly in the detective's home city of Tokyo , though some move the action to the Japanese countryside. The stories often feature supernatural and erotic overtones, though not so much as Ranpo's other fiction. This

520-526: Is an expert at disguise and is especially adept at posing as a young woman. Aside from these relationships little is known of the detective's personal life, which always takes a back seat to the mystery in his adventures. Detective Akechi's most frequent foe is the infamous " Fiend with Twenty Faces " ( 怪人二十面相 , Kaijin ni-jū mensō ) . The fiend is a master criminal whose infallible gift for disguise may have been inspired by Hamilton Cleek , Thomas W. Hanshew 's heroic but amoral "Man of Forty Faces." The Fiend

560-454: Is considered high camp with its bizarre conventions and over-the-top performances but has a loyal following among fans and critics alike. Modern references to him can also be found in Gosho Aoyama 's popular and long-running manga series, Detective Conan . One of the characters, Detective Kogoro Mori is a persistent and courageous yet highly flawed and lecherous private detective—almost

600-454: Is probably best known in the west through the 1994 movie, Rampo . Another notable movie featuring Akechi is the 1968 film Black Lizard , directed by Kinji Fukasaku . The movie was adapted from Ranpo's novel of the same name by noted author Yukio Mishima , who also appears briefly in the film. The story pits the detective against a female mastermind, known as the Black Lizard, who is played by cross-dressing actor Akihiro Miwa . The film

640-448: Is the first recurring detective character in Japanese fiction and is clearly inspired by Doyle's Sherlock Holmes . Like Holmes, Akechi is a brilliant but eccentric detective who consults with the police on especially difficult cases. He is a master of disguise and an expert at judo whose genius lets him solve seemingly impossible cases. Also like Holmes, Akechi makes use of a group of young boys to gather information. His version of

680-587: The Baker Street Irregulars is known as the " Boy Detectives Club " ( 少年探偵団 , Shōnen tantei dan ) . Akechi smokes Egyptian cigarettes when he is thinking about a case. Kogoro Akechi is a tall, handsome man with heavy eyebrows who dresses well. He is married to a woman named Fumiyo ( 文代 ) and lives with Kobayashi Yoshio ( 小林芳雄 ) , the leader of the Boy Detectives Club. Kobayashi often plays an important part in solving cases. Like his mentor, he

720-464: The Lupin III manga written by Monkey Punch beginning in 1967, centers on the adventures of Lupin III , the grandson of Arsène Lupin , the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc 's series of novels. He is joined by Daisuke Jigen , crack-shot and Lupin's closest ally; Fujiko Mine , the femme fatale and Lupin's love interest who works against Lupin more often than with him; and Goemon Ishikawa XIII ,

760-508: The North American distribution rights to the entire second series. Released in four sets, the releases included "any English dubs that already exist" and newly produced subtitles for episodes 80 to 155. The first set included the first 40 episodes and was released on January 10, 2017. The second set included episodes 41 through 79 and an interview with Richard Epcar and was released on December 26, 2017. Set three with episodes 80 through 117

800-527: The Pilot Film were released in North America by Discotek Media in their 2012 DVD set of Lupin the Third Part I . Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post wrote that the Pilot Film really captures the feel of the original Lupin III manga in terms of both character designs and the raw sexuality, making for "a really, really fun viewing." Kogoro Akechi Kogoro Akechi ( 明智 小五郎 , Akechi Kogorō )

840-462: The Pilot Film , were cast as Lupin and Fujiko. Yamada, known for his dubbing of Clint Eastwood , continues to be widely acclaimed for his serious and humorous portrayals of Lupin, and remains synonymous with the role even after his death in 1995. Masuyama played the one-time character of Catherine in an episode of the series, and eventually replaced Nikaido as Fujiko from the second anime series onward until her retirement in 2010. The Pilot Film

SECTION 20

#1732858208274

880-462: The "Fiend with Twenty Faces". The Anime takes place in the future period of the 2030s. Goro Akechi , a character in the 2016 video game Persona 5 , is a deliberate homage to this character, even down to the name. His early role in the game, as a celebrity detective who opposes the Phantom Thieves (especially their leader , whose Persona takes the name of the original Lupin), mirrors especially

920-1001: The Valley of the Wind , Laputa: Castle in the Sky , and Porco Rosso . Bob Bergen intended to reprise his role as Lupin in the Pioneer/Geneon dub, but chose not to because the dub was a non- union project. The series was broadcast on Nippon TV from October 3, 1977, to October 6, 1980. Episode 99 was the first anime episode to ever be broadcast in Stereo Sound . The series was released on Blu-ray by VAP as individual discs as well as several boxsets. Six boxsets were released between February 25 and December 23, 2009. Twenty-Six individual discs were released between March 25, 2009, and January 27, 2010. Kodansha launched Lupin III DVD Collection ,

960-516: The animation quality of the Pilot Film was high for the time in which it was made, few financial backers were interested in the project due to its adult themes of violence and sexuality . With the project still unsold over a year later, the Pilot Film was adapted for television. The animation of the TV version was mostly identical to the CinemaScope version, but it featured a largely different voice cast -

1000-501: The episode that was originally broadcast third in Japan was delayed until later in the series. Fifteen volumes of the series containing a total of 79 episodes were released on DVD between January 28, 2003, to July 4, 2006. Episodes 1–27 were broadcast on Adult Swim from January 14, 2003. Richard Epcar , the director of the English dub and voice of Jigen revealed via Twitter that Geneon lost

1040-504: The financial resources to produce such a project on its own. This led to the creation of a CinemaScope Pilot Film , which was intended to generate interest in the project and secure funding from potential producers. The Pilot Film , consisting of narrated introductions to the five lead characters of the manga, was scripted and animated by Sugii, Yasuo Otsuka , Tsutomu Shibayama and Osamu Kobayashi , with supervision by Masaaki Ōsumi and background art by Reiji Koyama. The music soundtrack

1080-498: The first to appear in the United States on VHS in 1994, released by Streamline Pictures separately as Lupin III: Tales of the Wolf and together as Lupin III's Greatest Capers . In 2003, Pioneer Entertainment licensed and released 79 episodes in North America, some of which were broadcast on Adult Swim . The series was picked up by Discotek Media , who released all 155 episodes to DVD between 2017 and 2020. The series, based on

1120-545: The license to the series before they could dub the rest of the episodes in English. In 2009, the Southern California-based United Television Broadcasting network began airing subtitled episodes from the series on their UTBHollywood channel. The series is available to watch in dubbed and subtitled options on Hulu and Crunchyroll . On December 20, 2015, longtime Lupin III distributor Discotek Media announced their acquisition of

1160-465: The manga, and analysed the characters from all angles; they were initially assisted by Monkey Punch himself until he felt the project was too much for him. Scripts and treatments were also written for a feature film adaptation, one of which depicted Lupin before the start of his thieving career as a hippie in Shinjuku , and explained how he came to be pursued by the police and other criminals. Although

1200-611: The media franchise, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes , Akechi is represented by a girl police detective named Kokoro Akechi. In 2015, a new Anime series entitled Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace has been created, based on the Mystery novels of Edogawa Ranpo, and in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death. The story follows Kobayashi (a reference to the leader of the Boy Detectives) who becomes assistant to eccentric 17 year old Akechi. In this Anime Twenty Faces also makes an appearance as

1240-421: The only voices who were retained for both versions were those of Kiyoshi Kobayashi (as Jigen ) and Eiko Masuyama (as Fujiko ). In 1971, Yomiuri Television agreed to produce a TV adaptation of the manga. By this time, only Otsuka and Ōsumi were still at Tokyo Movie. Ōsumi was assigned as director, and Otsuka became the character designer; Osamu Kobayashi provided key animation on several episodes. The series

Lupin the Third: Pilot Film - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-504: The original Akechi's role in Edogawa's works. Also of note his role in the overall story of the game, combined with the protagonist's ability to change Personas serves as an homage to the rivalry between Akechi and the Fiend with Twenty Faces. In 2013 and 2014 a pair of films were made pairing Akechi with another famous fictional Japanese detective Seishi Yokomizo 's Kosuke Kindaichi . Hideaki Itô

1320-408: The police by entering the house to kill Lupin. However, Lupin has already exited the building in disguise as Akechi and facilitates Jigen and Fujiko's escape. Adapting Monkey Punch 's Lupin III manga into animation was first suggested by animator Gisaburō Sugii to Yutaka Fujioka, the founder of Tokyo Movie (now TMS Entertainment). Although Fujioka was interested in the idea, Tokyo Movie lacked

1360-462: The series is now often referred to as New Lupin III ( 新 ルパン三世 , Shin Rupan Sansei ) by Japanese fans. Among English-speaking fans, the series is commonly known as the "Red Jacket" series in reference to Lupin's outfit. The series contains 155 episodes, which aired between October 3, 1977, and October 6, 1980, on the Japanese television network Nippon Television . Episodes 145 and 155 were

1400-560: Was Akechi, whilst Tomohisa Yamashita played Kindaichi. Lupin the Third Part II Lupin the 3rd Part II is a Japanese anime television series produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha . Part of the Lupin III franchise , it is the second anime television adaptation of the Lupin III manga series created by Monkey Punch . Although originally broadcast as simply Lupin III ( Japanese : ルパン三世 , Hepburn : Rupan Sansei ) ,

1440-510: Was broadcast on Yomiuri TV on August 17, 1988, and both versions were included on the Lupin III Secret Files ( シークレットファイル , Rupan Sansei — Shīkuretto Fairu ) VHS in 1989. However, animation from the TV version of the Pilot Film was recycled for several of the series' opening credits sequences, despite Lupin wearing a red jacket in these sequences (it was changed to green for the series at Otsuka's insistence). Both versions of

1480-457: Was composed by Norio Maeda , while the narration dialogue was written by Jiro Saito and Toshiaki Imaizumi. Yasuo Otsuka had left Toei Animation to join Tokyo Movie, as working on Lupin would allow him to use his knowledge and lifelong interest in guns and transport in his animation. The team studied Monkey Punch's style in detail, including the influence of American cartoonist Mort Drucker on

1520-475: Was licensed by Pioneer Entertainment for North America. Due to some licensing issues regarding trademarked logos and musical elements, Pioneer were provided with altered masters by the licensor. An English dub was created by Phuuz Entertainment and given a "modern feel" alongside a subtitle script that is more faithful to the original dialog. The storylines are unaffected by these changes. Due to potential controversy concerning an episode regarding Adolf Hitler ,

1560-464: Was originally planned for 26 episodes, with synopsis created for each one. Kiyoshi Kobayashi was retained as Jigen for the TV series (and continued to voice the role till 2021), while Gorō Naya and Chikao Ōtsuka , who voiced Goemon in the CinemaScope version of the Pilot Film and Zenigata in the TV version respectively, were assigned the opposite of each other's roles for the series. Yasuo Yamada and Yukiko Nikaido, neither of whom were involved in

1600-624: Was released on January 29, 2019. The fourth and final set was released on January 28, 2020, and included the Streamline English dub of episodes 145 and 155. The final episode of the series received a viewing share of 32.5% in the Kantō region during its original broadcast on December 8, 1978. Due to this the series was ranked sixth on Video Research 's list of anime series ranked by their highest rated episode in December 2015. The series has attained

#273726