Reviews & Ratings for
"Rupan sansei" More at IMDbPro »

4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Lupin's first TV series., 19 January 2006
Author: emasterslake from United States

This was the first Lupin the 3rd TV series aka The Green Jacket series, cause Lupin wears a green jacket.

After the making of the pilot film of 1969, this TV program was promoted to air with the help of TMS Entertainment(which has been producing Lupin anime for more than 30 years now).

Unlike the second TV series, that everyone's familiar with, this one has a more serious tone to it. Due to that, it received low ratings, so the later ones had a little more humor to it, which almost equals to the humor from the Red Jacket series.

It aired from 1971-1972. With a total of 23 episodes. Meant to end with 26 episodes, but it was canceled before any other episodes were put in production.

The animation is decent since it was made 34 years ago. The episodes done by Takahata and Miyazaki are the best ones. But too bad it only lasted for 1 season. Luckily over the years of reruns it received a fan base, and demands for more Lupin were made. It came back as the Red Jacket series which lasted longer than this one.

What's cool about the Green Jacket series was it was the first anime aimed for Mature Audiences.

Due to it having nudity, violence, and some drug use. i recommend it for teens and older.

Those who like Lupin the 3rd can check this series out. There's no word on this series being dubbed yet, but my advice is to search this series on Bittorrent or a Fansub shop if you're lucky enough.

4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
The greatest anime serie ever made!, 29 August 2000
Author: Roberto Ruccolo from Milan, Italy

The best animated serie ever made! That wonderful japan anime was the first (and maybe since today the only) that describes the life of a gang in the crime world. Lupin The Third, the greater thief of the 20th century, his friend Jigen, a great gunman, his girlfriend Fujiko, the most sexy character in the japanese anime, and the samurai Goemon, enemy and friend at the same time, fight against the inspector Zenigata of the japanese police and against a lot of super villains, gangsters and criminal associations. The action, the violence, the sex, the adult target, weapons and cars made this cartoon a unique experience, with some humor, a lot of suspense and a wonderful soundtrack.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
The one that started it all., 10 October 2009

Author: Ian Gear (psychogoatee) from United States

This is a legendary anime series about some instant classic characters, the Lupin gang. This is amazingly ahead of it's time, being the first anime starring criminals, the first gritty comparatively more realistic anime with guns and such. Not just for anime, it's ahead of it's time in general.

Most importantly, it's still a joy to watch nearly 40 years later. Lupin is the cool, laid back antihero. This laid back style, helped by the very cool soundtrack, is still influential today in titles like Cowboy Bebop. Lupin has other sides to him too of course, he has an ego, and he'll laugh like a maniac and take on any challenge. And of course, he gets pretty excited when there are ladies around, especially Fujiko.

The supporting characters are great here. You have Jigen, Lupin's partner and best friend. He's very cool himself, a smooth criminal, but he's also the voice of reason, a more mature criminal. Then you have Fujiko, the classic femme fatale cat burglar, she is Lupin's love interest, and often his rival. Then there's Goemon, the renegade samurai with a strong moral code, who can cut anything. And of course, Inspector Zenigata, who tirelessly dedicates his life to capturing Lupin.

Lupin is episodic, featuring 23 self contained stories. Although there is one plot that takes two episodes early on, with Goemon out to defeat Lupin. One episode Lupin is in prison, another time him and the gang have explosive watches put on that they can't take off. These are all great stories.

An interesting thing about this series is that it has two different feels to it, depending on who is directing. Masaaki Osumi directs episodes 1-7, 9, and 12. These are the more dark and gritty episodes, and sometimes have a melancholy feel. These episodes are amazing, giving us the depth that the Lupin characters are built on.

The founders of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, direct episodes 8, 10-11, and 13-23. These episodes are also superb, with a more fun and upbeat feel, closer to what Lupin is known for today. You can tell Miyazaki is involved when Lupin starts saving cute damsels in a gentlemanly heroic way.

All in all, Lupin III is a classic series, which is still going strong today with movie specials. I recommend checking this out, it's must see anime.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Quite Possibly, the best animated series ever, 16 January 2004
Author: comedicactor2840 from USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

May contain mild spoilers to those who haven't heard of it.

Okay, basic plot? We'll go back to the late 1800s/early 1900s for this. Arsene Lupin is the greatest thief in France, and quite possibly the world. His trademark? He warns the person he is going to rob (usually a corrupt royal) and offers them to give him one object he desires, otherwise Lupin will rob the royal of everything they own.

Cut to, the nineteen sixties. Lupin's grandson, Arsene Lupin the Third, has become the greatest thief in the WORLD. With the help of a former mafia enforcer, Jigen, a samurai who owes Lupin a life debt, Goemon, and occasionally (Though she usually works AGAINST Lupin to steal the same prize) Fujiko Mine, a beautiful thief who uses her good looks and sex to get what she wants. All the while the gang is being chased by bumbling interpol detective, Inspector Zenigata. Zenigata has vowed that he will not rest, until he has Lupin and his gang in custody, and has become obsessed with arresting the thief.

All in all, this is a wonderful show. It brings to mind the original Pink Panther, and The Return of the Pink Panther (Both of which involved "the world's greatest thief" The Phantom.) Zenigata is a great take on the bumbling detective, and in the American Dub, Lupin (who's main weakness is the opposite sex (especially Fujiko) and his own ego) sounds almost identical to Don Adams.

All in all, my rating of this series is 5/5. Can't wait to see the American big budget film that's in the works.

2 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
A decent watch, 19 April 2007

Author: NooniWooni

I've been a Lupin fan for a while. I started with the second series, and moved onto the comic. A while back, I had a chance to see some episodes.

One thing that bothers me about it is the music. The background music is absolutely awful. This doesn't affect the story, but it doesn't really give the feel it should.

This can often get a little too whiny for me as well. Especially with Fujiko, her attitude is perfect, but she can be a little 'weak' and 'whiny', which is my least favorite thing. And I don't mean the 'serious' tones, because I'm fine with those.

Both a pro and con is that it doesn't have a lot of goofy humor. I like when it's more normal, less goofy (especially with Zenigata!), but I do like the goofy moments the comic has, and the second series, while it may have a little much.

The dialog also has me going 'huh?' sometimes, but in some parts it's really cool, so.. Again, pro and con bit.

I can't think of anything that should really make someone stay away from this series, so I say go ahead, watch it, and see what you think. Don't stay away just because it's old!

Add another review

Related Links