Arriving on blu-ray today is the charming throwback prequel series Lupin Zero courtesy of Sentai Filmworks. Go back to where it all begin and find out how Lupin III became the great thief for which he is known!
It’s 1968 and Lupin is a young punk teenager who just wants to cause mischief and make it with girls. His father Lupin II wants him to stay away from a life of crime but his grandfather, the master gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, has other plans for Lupin, wanting him to follow in his footsteps and devising all manner of trickery to get what he wants. Along the way, Lupin befriends a grizzled crack shot teen named Daisuke Jigen and together, they get into all manner of crazy shenanigans from high speed train heists to deadly games in a gothic castle. Will Lupin live up to his grandfather’s expectations or forge his own path in life?
Lupin Zero is a real love letter to long-time Lupin fans. Everything from the animation style to the music and the overall feel of the show is reminiscent of classic Lupin III. It also does a good job with period-specific details and offers a lot of the high-spirited antics and daring adventure we’ve come to expect from Lupin. Some may find the aesthetic of the show to be too dated for a series released in 2022, but I think there’s a lot of charm in it and fits the tone of it quite well. While Lupin Zero does have something of an overarching plot that culminates in Lupin’s decision to become a master thief, the episodes themselves are generally highly episodic much like the classic Lupin series which is both a good and a bad thing. Good because those already familiar with Lupin will find that watching this is like sliding into a cozy pair of well-worn slippers. Bad because the show introduces some interesting side characters we just never see again. I’ve always liked Lupin’s sense of fun tinged with just an edge of darkness, keeping it from being too silly.
It’s a bit tricky to judge the picture quality of Lupin Zero since it intentionally has an old-fashioned look. The transfer itself is crystal clear though and presents the hijinks as intended. For audio we get a Japanese DTS-HD 2.0 audio mix and it sounds nice and clean with no distortion I could detect at any point. Extras are the usual barebones OP and ED animations and some original Japanese promos.
While the newer Takeshi Koike Lupin series and films have leaned into that darkness more (and I did enjoy them quite a bit), it’s also nice to get a little old school Lupin action as well every now and then. And on that count, I think Lupin Zero delivers.