Lupin III Part I Episode 01 Review

Episode 01, "Is Lupin Burning...?!"

 


*****SPOILERS*****

 

Synopsis: Lupin III participates in a suspicious Formula One-style race. The race is a trap from the Scorpion crime syndicate to destroy Lupin and dominate crime in Japan. Lupin's operative, Fujiko Mine, is captured, and he has to switch places in the race with his ally Jigen so he can rescue her and confront the organization's boss. All the while, Lupin is pursued by Inspector Zenigata, dogged chaser of Lupin. Lupin manages to destroy the Scorpion group's headquarters and race track, but Fujiko betrays him to the law. Lupin manages to slip away, and shows Fujiko that there's no hard feelings.

 

 

Comments:

 

So, I thought I'd give a few thoughts to episode of the first Lupin III TV show in the lead up to the debut of the new TV series. Don't expect a thorough, in-depth analysis. If you want that, the DVD set has linear notes for each episode, and this episode even has a commentary track. I'm especially interested in commenting on these early episodes for a good reason: people seem to think of them as the best episodes of this series, and I disagree.

 

This first episode certainly captures the mix of comedic elements and unforgiving starkness that Monkey Punch's original manga exhibited. Lupin has no problem blowing up the Scorpion boss' racers in their cars and put the lives of the innocent spectators at risk. He electrocutes all of the boss' inner circle, including the man himself. Dude is ice cold. Even the would-be-assassins, with Fujiko in their grasp, only resort to tickle-torture and public nudity (though there is the implication of possible sexual violence), but Lupin outright murders motherfuckers. To be fair, though, at least they were trying to kill him. And since they couldn't even spell "scorpion" right on their own HQ logo ("SCOPION"), maybe they deserved to die.

 

But you also get that playful element, too, like Lupin's conversations with Jigen, his interaction with Fujiko and Zenigata at the end of the episode (and his tricking poor Pops), and the completely played for comedy final moments of the syndicate's boss as he collapses after watching his work go up in flames. It's biting and cruel in its humor, the way Monkey Punch is. Which is why these first few episodes are very popular with fans of the manga.

 

But there's a pretty big, glaring problem: just who is this Lupin guy, anyway?

 

Nothing about Lupin is established in this episode, aside from his thorough cleverness and skills in infiltration and killing. Is he a secret agent? An assassin? Why would he be participating in a race to begin with? What made the Scorpion group choose a race in particular as a trap for him? How did Zenigata find out about this? Even if you can consider some of these just minor details, the big problem is we don't know if this set up in the norm or not for Lupin, because we don't know what his calling is.

 

Now, of course, you and I both know Lupin III is a master thief. But that's just it, we wouldn't know by watching this episode. And it's the first episode of the entire series, of the entire franchise, animated-wise. Are we just supposed to glean from these events that Lupin is a thief? He doesn't steal anything in this episode. He doesn't mention stealing anything in this. Nobody identifies him as a thief, just as some amorphous concept of a criminal fighting other criminals. Why is Zenigata pursuing him? We don't know, because we aren't told.

 

And if you know ahead of time that Lupin III is a thief, it becomes even more confusing. What is it that master thief Lupin is doing in a race? Why does the Scorpion group want master theif Lupin III dead? Competition reasons? Why does Lupin himself even care about this group? What the fuck is even going on here? Who holds an expensive F1 race and invites regular spectators to a trap for a lone man where the spectators might easily die and an even larger investigation might be instigated because of it? That's just fucking stupid.

 

So yeah, I enjoy the characterization of Lupin. He's a cool guy with sharp wits, even if he treats human life rather casually. Jigen and Fujiko come off as pretty interesting characters, too, as Lupin's confederates (though Fujiko will change sides depending on what benefits her), and Zenigata as kind of a recurring obstacle. But the story is a complete mess and it only gets worse until shortly before Miyazaki comes in and steers the series into a different direction.

 

Well, at least the theme song is easy to remember. Even if it isn't yet the one we've come to know as the Lupin theme.

 


Overall Score:

 

2.5 out of 5

 

Feminism in 1970s Japan.


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