Lupin III – Fujiko to Iu Onna
As many fans would know by now, a brand new Lupin TV series just started airing this week. Leading up to now, I was pretty sure I was not going to like the series, despite my overall liking to the rest of Lupin series. Boy, was I wrong.
Yes, this is a completely different Lupin III than anything we’ve seen up to this point. The artistic direction is completely different from what we’ve gotten used to with last twenty-odd TV specials and OVAs and such. They don’t even make any attempt to going back to the good ol’ days of Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle of Cagliostro style. They go much further back. It’s back to the style that I’m not very familiar with – hard boiled, original Lupin III style from 60’s comic series.
I knew this was going to be different from the recent Lupin outputs. And that’s exactly why I thought I wouldn’t like it. They completely went the other way. They made it different AND good. Tempo of the story is different. Music is different. Art is different. Even the characters feel different. But they all mesh well.
I’m sure there are those who disagrees with me. But my point is this. I like this Lupin so much that I’ve decided to translate this series. Or I’ll at least attempt for a few episodes.