As many of you have probably noticed, I've been kinda dropping
some BIG HINTS that I'm a diehard Lupin the 3rd fan. One might
even say die-hard. Or superfan. Or megasuperfan-
*coughs* Anyway.
A little about Lupin the 3rd/Lupin the Third/Lupin III/Lupin the
IIIrd; yes, it's absolutely been called all of these things (and more!)
Lupin III is a franchise that started back in 1967 and still goes strong
to this day, with a new Special to be released in Japan on January 25th,
2019. Last year, we got to see the fifth instalment of the franchise,
Lupin III Part 5, which included 24 new episodes.
The nice thing about Lupin is that you don't need to start from the
beginning! Nope! Start anywhere you please! Lupin is long-running,
but 90% of the content is its own self-contained, episodic plots, save
for Parts 4 and 5 and the spin-off series, The Woman Called Fujiko
Mine (caution, this one's dark, gritty and shows a lotta titty, so minors
beware, don't stare! (Or, for your own safety, don't watch this one 'til
you're 18!))
to this day, with a new Special to be released in Japan on January 25th,
2019. Last year, we got to see the fifth instalment of the franchise,
Lupin III Part 5, which included 24 new episodes.
The nice thing about Lupin is that you don't need to start from the
beginning! Nope! Start anywhere you please! Lupin is long-running,
but 90% of the content is its own self-contained, episodic plots, save
for Parts 4 and 5 and the spin-off series, The Woman Called Fujiko
Mine (caution, this one's dark, gritty and shows a lotta titty, so minors
beware, don't stare! (Or, for your own safety, don't watch this one 'til
you're 18!))
Here's a comprehensive timeline of all things Lupin-related:
1967: Manga created by Monkey Punch.
1969: Lupin III Pilot Film debuts. Red jacket.
1971: Lupin III Part I debuts - 23 episodes. Green jacket. Later episodes co-directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Concluded in 1972.
1974: Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy, Lupin's first Live Action film.
1977: Lupin III Part II debuts - 155 episodes. Red jacket. 145 and 155 directed by Hayao Miyazaki. hose two episodes marked his final involvement in making television animation before exclusively working on feature films. Concluded in 1980.
1978: Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo, Lupin's 1st animated feature film. Red jacket.
1979: Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Lupin's 2nd animated feature film. Green jacket. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
1983: Cliff Hanger, a Laserdisc video game featuring clips from The Castle of Cagliostro and The Mystery of Mamo, releases.
1984: Lupin III: Part III debuts - 50 episodes. Pink jacket. Concluded in 1985.
1985: Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon, Lupin's 3rd theatrical release. Pink jacket.
1987: Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy, Lupin's 1st OVA.
1989: Bye Bye, Lady Liberty! Lupin's 1st TV Special.
1990: The Hemingway Papers, 2nd TV Special.
1991: Napoleon's Dictionary, 3rd TV Special.
1992: From Siberia with Love, 4th TV Special.
1993: Voyage to Danger, 5th TV Special.
1994: Dragon of Doom, 6th TV Special.
1995 - April: Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus, Lupin's 4th feature film.
1995 - August: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure, 7th TV Special.
1996 - April: Lupin III: Dead or Alive, Lupin's 5th feature film. Features some direction by Monkey Punch.
1996 - August: The Secret of Twilight Gemini, 8th TV Special.
1997: Island of Assassins, 9th TV Special.
1998: Crisis in Tokyo, 10th TV Special.
1999: The Columbus Files, 11th TV Special.
2000: Missed by a Dollar, 12th TV Special.
2001: Alcatraz Connection, 13th TV Special.
2002 - April: Lupin III: Return of the Magician, 2nd OVA, created to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary.
2002 - July: Episode 0: First Contact, 14th TV Special.
2003: Operation: Return the Treasure, 15th TV Special.
2004: Stolen Lupin ~ The Copy Cat is a Midsummer's Butterfly~, 16th TV Special.
2005: An Angel's Tactics – Fragments of a Dream Are the Scent of Murder, 17th TV Special.
2006: Seven Days Rhapsody, 18th TV Special.
2007: Elusiveness of the Fog, 19th TV Special.
2008 - April: Lupin III: Green Vs. Red, 3rd OVA, created to celebrate the Manga's 40th anniversary.
2008 - July: Sweet Lost Night ~Magic Lamp's Nightmare Premonition~, 20th TV Special.
2009: Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Special, 21st TV Special. First crossover with Detective Conan/Case Closed.
2010: The Last Job, 22nd TV Special.
2011: Blood Seal - Eternal Mermaid / Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid, 23rd TV Special.
2012 - April: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, a Spin-Off series consisting of 13 episodes debuts. Green jacket. Directed by Sayo Yamamoto.
2012 - November: Record of Observations of the East - Another Page, 24th TV Special.
2013 - November: Princess of the Breeze - Hidden City in the Sky, 25th TV Special.
2013 - December: Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movie, 6th feature film. Second crossover with Detective Conan/Case Closed.
2014 - June: Lupin the Third: Jigen's Gravestone, an animated film directed by Takeshi Koike. A follow-up to 2012's spin-off series, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine.
2014 - August: Lupin the 3rd, the second Live Action film.
2015: Lupin III Part IV: The Italian Adventure debuts - 26 episodes. Blue jacket. First new series in 30 years.
2016: The Italian Game, 26th TV Special, based on Lupin III Part IV: The Italian Adventure. Features three reanimated episodes along with new animation.
2017: Lupin the IIIrd: Goemon Ishikawa's Spray of Blood, a follow-up to 2014's film, Jigen's Gravestone. Another film directed by Takeshi Koike.
2018: Lupin III Part 5 debuts - 24 episodes. Blue jacket.
2018: Is Lupin Still Burning? a special memorial episode for the 50th anniversary of the franchise. It was released along with the first Blu-ray set of Lupin III Part 5 in Japan. The episode was directed by Jun Kawagoe, with Monkey Punch as general director and character designs by Hisao Horikoshi and Satoshi Hirayama. Its title is a reference to the debut episode of the first Lupin the Third anime series and follows its story, but features other enemies such as Kyosuke Mamou, Sandayu Momochi, Pycal, and Stoneman.
2019: Lupin III: Goodbye Partner, 27th TV Special. Airs January 25th, 2019. Features Lupin in a black jacket.
*Note: Specials and OVAs MAY be feature film-length. Average special run time is about 1 hour 30 minutes. OVAs may run slightly longer or not as long.
1969: Lupin III Pilot Film debuts. Red jacket.
1971: Lupin III Part I debuts - 23 episodes. Green jacket. Later episodes co-directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Concluded in 1972.
1974: Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy, Lupin's first Live Action film.
1977: Lupin III Part II debuts - 155 episodes. Red jacket. 145 and 155 directed by Hayao Miyazaki. hose two episodes marked his final involvement in making television animation before exclusively working on feature films. Concluded in 1980.
1978: Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo, Lupin's 1st animated feature film. Red jacket.
1979: Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Lupin's 2nd animated feature film. Green jacket. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
1983: Cliff Hanger, a Laserdisc video game featuring clips from The Castle of Cagliostro and The Mystery of Mamo, releases.
1984: Lupin III: Part III debuts - 50 episodes. Pink jacket. Concluded in 1985.
1985: Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon, Lupin's 3rd theatrical release. Pink jacket.
1987: Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy, Lupin's 1st OVA.
1989: Bye Bye, Lady Liberty! Lupin's 1st TV Special.
1990: The Hemingway Papers, 2nd TV Special.
1991: Napoleon's Dictionary, 3rd TV Special.
1992: From Siberia with Love, 4th TV Special.
1993: Voyage to Danger, 5th TV Special.
1994: Dragon of Doom, 6th TV Special.
1995 - April: Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus, Lupin's 4th feature film.
1995 - August: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure, 7th TV Special.
1996 - April: Lupin III: Dead or Alive, Lupin's 5th feature film. Features some direction by Monkey Punch.
1996 - August: The Secret of Twilight Gemini, 8th TV Special.
1997: Island of Assassins, 9th TV Special.
1998: Crisis in Tokyo, 10th TV Special.
1999: The Columbus Files, 11th TV Special.
2000: Missed by a Dollar, 12th TV Special.
2001: Alcatraz Connection, 13th TV Special.
2002 - April: Lupin III: Return of the Magician, 2nd OVA, created to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary.
2002 - July: Episode 0: First Contact, 14th TV Special.
2003: Operation: Return the Treasure, 15th TV Special.
2004: Stolen Lupin ~ The Copy Cat is a Midsummer's Butterfly~, 16th TV Special.
2005: An Angel's Tactics – Fragments of a Dream Are the Scent of Murder, 17th TV Special.
2006: Seven Days Rhapsody, 18th TV Special.
2007: Elusiveness of the Fog, 19th TV Special.
2008 - April: Lupin III: Green Vs. Red, 3rd OVA, created to celebrate the Manga's 40th anniversary.
2008 - July: Sweet Lost Night ~Magic Lamp's Nightmare Premonition~, 20th TV Special.
2009: Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Special, 21st TV Special. First crossover with Detective Conan/Case Closed.
2010: The Last Job, 22nd TV Special.
2011: Blood Seal - Eternal Mermaid / Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid, 23rd TV Special.
2012 - April: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, a Spin-Off series consisting of 13 episodes debuts. Green jacket. Directed by Sayo Yamamoto.
2012 - November: Record of Observations of the East - Another Page, 24th TV Special.
2013 - November: Princess of the Breeze - Hidden City in the Sky, 25th TV Special.
2013 - December: Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movie, 6th feature film. Second crossover with Detective Conan/Case Closed.
2014 - June: Lupin the Third: Jigen's Gravestone, an animated film directed by Takeshi Koike. A follow-up to 2012's spin-off series, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine.
2014 - August: Lupin the 3rd, the second Live Action film.
2015: Lupin III Part IV: The Italian Adventure debuts - 26 episodes. Blue jacket. First new series in 30 years.
2016: The Italian Game, 26th TV Special, based on Lupin III Part IV: The Italian Adventure. Features three reanimated episodes along with new animation.
2017: Lupin the IIIrd: Goemon Ishikawa's Spray of Blood, a follow-up to 2014's film, Jigen's Gravestone. Another film directed by Takeshi Koike.
2018: Lupin III Part 5 debuts - 24 episodes. Blue jacket.
2018: Is Lupin Still Burning? a special memorial episode for the 50th anniversary of the franchise. It was released along with the first Blu-ray set of Lupin III Part 5 in Japan. The episode was directed by Jun Kawagoe, with Monkey Punch as general director and character designs by Hisao Horikoshi and Satoshi Hirayama. Its title is a reference to the debut episode of the first Lupin the Third anime series and follows its story, but features other enemies such as Kyosuke Mamou, Sandayu Momochi, Pycal, and Stoneman.
2019: Lupin III: Goodbye Partner, 27th TV Special. Airs January 25th, 2019. Features Lupin in a black jacket.
*Note: Specials and OVAs MAY be feature film-length. Average special run time is about 1 hour 30 minutes. OVAs may run slightly longer or not as long.
