Lupin the Third, one of this generation's iconic and well-known manga and anime character, has buzzed in again on the online world. On Nov. 22, the title sequence of Lupin III: The First has finally been released by Japan's famous animation company, TOHO.
TOHO presented the opening sequence of the infamous Lupin the Third through its Computer-Generated Imagery or CGI effect that gone wild for most Lupin fans.
Lupin the Third and his Conquests
Lupin the Third, as said, was an infamous character back in the 1960s that narrates the life of the 'world's greatest thief.' According to its creator and illustrator Monkey Punch, Lupin the Third's name was based on another infamous character of Maurice Leblanc named Arsene Lupin. Ever since its release, the manga world knew the name Lupin.
"Lupin wearing a red jacket caught the hearts of many people with a cool, messy and comical appearance, and made his popular position unmovable," roughly translated from Lupin the Third's website.
Lupin is known for his charm as a bad guy, stealing tricks, and for being consistent in leaving a calling card to all his victims. His team of thieves is composed of his right-hand man Daisuke Jigen and his master swordsman, Goemon Ishikawa XIII. Lupin the Third also encounters his femme fatale and love interest named Fujiko Mine and a mysterious girl named Leticia. Another character from the famous saga was Lupin's enemy named Interpol Inspector Koichi Zenigata—who's determined to catch Lupin even all over the world.
'Lupin III: The First' in Theatres
After so many years, TOHO announced to have a remake of the said manga on which CGI will be their main medium. The title sequence was opened with Lupin's 'James Bond-like' scene on which he tries to run away from the spotlight and swiftly dodge the bullets aimed against him.
The second frame introduced Jigen who shared a car with him on their famous yellow 1957 Fiat 500.
As stated on its website, Lupin's storyline will be focused on his conquests to steal a secret treasure of Bresson Diary in which along the way, he will meet Leticia. The story will revolve around them together in finding the secret treasure. However, a researcher named Lambert and a mysterious man named Geralt will be the ones who will stop Lupin and his team from owning the said treasure.
How's its Animation?
According to an article from Gizmodo, TOHO's animation was a perfect representation for Lupin's wicked and crooked way of lifestyle due to its well-presented details—much alike with the manga series. Even the faces and costumes of the characters were explicitly presented by the Japanese company.
Lupin III: The First would be shown to Japanese theatres on Dec 6; however, international screenings are still not yet posted by the distributors.
Though many fans of the Lupin: the Greatest Thief have their eyes for the showing of the said film, there are still issues that Lupin cannot be shown to other countries since the name of Arsene Lupin is still under copyright by Maurice LeBlanc—which means that the name might change from different parts of the world.
