This Week in Anime

School Jacket Lupin Makes a Daring Escape!

Nicky
Chris, I'm going to be honest here. All these young anime fans don't know how good they've got it. Back in my day, we had to watch episodes on YouTube split into three parts! With so many new titles available each season, current anime fans are spoiled for choice. Too many, if you ask me! So much that it's getting hard to keep up. Maybe it's my age, but sometimes I really wish I could turn the clock back and be a kid again. Relive the old days! When anime could still consist of only one name, the third in his name, even.

Or, y'know, maybe we could live that same wish-fulfillment in 2023 with these young versions of some classic characters!

Well, the thing about my guy, Lupin, is that he's always around. He's a skilled serial stealer of the audience's hearts, very proud of his fingerprints. Many movies, specials, and episodes are accredited to his name. Part VI wasn't too long ago, and TMS even uploaded Mystery of Mamo publicly to YouTube for a limited time. Just when you might think you're safe, Lupin III's just around the corner, ready to make another opportunity.

Oh yeah, they may be baby-faced, but these fresh iterations of Lupin and Jigen are such scamps that they could easily explore every vice on Pleasure Island and get bored before you could even say "hee-haw."

I agree that it's a more interesting take than I was expecting than just making a "babies" version of an existing property. One of the reasons Lupin III as a franchise has remained relatively timeless is the extremely simple-yet-defined static nature of its core characters. It's easy to become a new Lupin fan because every iteration is just the characters doing their thing without deep motives. Lupin steals, Jigen shoots, Goemon cuts, and Fujiko lies. It's those solid truths that make every one of them a staple.

It's a great formula, but that's also why I enjoy how Lupin Zero bucks that convention by trying to give a possible answer to "Why"? What makes someone want to become the infamous Lupin III we all know and love?

If Greek Mythology has taught me anything, great bromances are a quintessential and eternally relevant part of our storytelling history. There's nothing like the sense of closeness when you have people who are equal and loyal to each other. The first two episodes do a lot of work to sell you how these two would become lifelong criminal partners.

Again, the face is fresh, but this Lupin still keeps the old sense of style and formula that makes it feel familiar and appealing. While each iteration of Lupin balances differently, Lupin has always tight-roped being a renowned criminal of moral scruples and a hero with a heart of gold. Which is the nicest way I can warn you all that he's both a gentleman and a womanizer.

It's expected that a new girl gets introduced with a unique story. Still, the best series entries make the damsels somewhat interesting as our primary means of emotional investment in its conflicts. Yoko follows similar trends, but I like how mature she feels. Having got herself on a mob's bad side, she's no stranger to the seedy underbelly but still comes off as warm and playful like an older sister (and, obviously, out of Lupin's league).

Especially when Lupin's dad has a really screwed-up sense of humor about what constitutes funny pranks to play on your son.

That's not even accounting for the poor GRANDparenting he got, but that's what you get when you're the grandson of an important literary figure.

Lupin has a broad range of being a family-friendly adventure (like the recent CG movie) and a cartoon you put on when the kids are asleep, but I didn't expect this one to be closer on the scale to Goemon's Blood Spray than some of the more tame series. However, I wouldn't call it moody or ultraviolent like some of the OVAs. It leans toward adult and is more likely to be appreciated by old fans than newcomers.

Besides, there are a ton of callbacks, and the story, especially Lupin's grandfather, depends on familiarity to pick up on the family resemblance.

Oh, I watched part of Lupin the Third: Part 5, but it didn't occur to me that this smug little guy who looks like he walked out of an antique dollhouse was Lupin's future disgruntled ex-boyfriend.

This makes so much sense.

And even Jigen isn't alien to bad parenting since his dad supposedly took him all over on various war fields in this version. He and Lupin have a hard contrast because he thinks Lupin's rich life has made him too pampered compared to what he's gone through, but they bond over their problems and find enjoyment from the adrenaline-inducing stunts they pull together.

As an aside, I would like to give a shout-out to Lupin's housemaid pseudo-mom, who is probably the most normal adult in his life. Even if she's so relentlessly strict, she's not afraid to point a gun at the young master's BFF.

Lupin Zero has quite a bit of action to live up to its thrilling nature. Though I wouldn't say it's the best compared to other Lupins, it lives up to its name serviceably enough with an occasional great moment. Overall, the animation is watchable, and the cartoony style allows for more dynamic movement for both action and comedy.

Well, one of the joys of being an adult is that nobody gets to tell you what to do. Laugh at cartoons and eat as much candy as you want! What's the point if you can't enjoy what's good in life just because you're too embarrassed something is goofy? That's a thing I like about Lupin; many of the episodes feature wild or out-there plots as part of its overall pastiche, but it's usually heartfelt about inviting the viewers to have a good time.

Part of that initial apprehension comes from our experiences to try and do away with what works about an existing property in favor of what is believed to be appealing to a new audience. With Lupin Zero, a lot of what works best is what stays the same. They're still the characters we know and love, and what Zero adds doesn't feel out of place—often going out of its way to reinforce those known characteristics.

This is saying a lot because there have been many different Lupins throughout the years. Many can be very different in tone, sometimes even conflicting with each other! Not every version of Lupin is good. There's been a lot of disposable specials, for example. Recent stuff has tried much harder to make the heroic thief feel more consistent without feeling contradictory to himself or some of his most notable iterations.

Most people who love the characters might enjoy seeing what they do in this, and others might enjoy some of the episodic plots or the overall story. We only discuss them a little, but the general episodic nature of Lupin keeps it casual and easy to watch. The compact nature of Zero also means there's enough thread to hold all six episodes together. It leaves things off with a real sense of growth for something already pretty vintage.

Like I said before, I wouldn't call it the best of what the series has to offer, nor the best starter. There's plenty of Lupin out there. I recommend Part IV to get a vibe if you're looking for a more modern yet classic take on the series. However, Lupin doesn't have to be amazing to be entertaining. This fresh blood has enough confidence to feel at home.