Pretty damned good for something from 1971. No DVD related problems in image quality.

Exactly what were you expecting? I think it's enough to say MI didn't screw up on ripping the audio. Don't expect to be blown away though. It's from 1971 though, why would anyone want anything mind boggling?

Exactly what were you expecting? I think it's enough to say MI didn't screw up on ripping the audio. Don't expect to be blown away though. It's from 1971 though, why would anyone want anything mind boggling?

This was my first time watching the first Lupin eps. My first time watching ANY Lupin eps. And as someone who has been brought up on visual feasts like Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the shell, I can recommend this title to anyone who likes anime. Great show!!

As noted in the previous reviews, this is a nice, clean rip of an old show. There is little, if any, distortion, but due to the show's age it's never going to be as bright and crisp as later anime series, plus it's on a tv series budget. I don't think it should be marked down because of it's age. 23 episodes spread across three discs: 9 + 9 + 5. Tested on a Pioneer 636 (RGB output) + QED RGB Scart (video-only) cable + Hitachi 28" (flat) widescreen.

Clear enough with very little distortion, but perhaps hampered by age. More than adequate for the show itself. Tested on basic Sony Dolby Digital amp.

Clear enough with very little distortion, but perhaps hampered by age. More than adequate for the show itself. Tested on basic Sony Dolby Digital amp.

Very nice gatefold set with artwork on packaging on discs. Old style disc holders/hubs, i.e. brittle plastic, but these have changed to the 'soft plastic' versions on Lupin TV Part 2, so it's possible that more recent Part 1 sets have changed. Slick, animated menus, which are clear and easily navigable. Chapter menu uses stills of the episodes for even easier recognition. An early, dubbed, VHS version of Castle of Cagliostro was the first Lupin the Third anime I ever saw back in the early 90s and I thought it was fantastic. I followed this with Lady Liberty, Secret of Mamo, which were okay. However, next was The Fuma Conspiracy, subs only, and I thought the Japanese voice cast was far superior to any of the dubs. Nevertheless, I wasn't too impressed with the first episode of the TV series, blinded, I guess, by the extreme age of the animation. However, by Episode Three or so I was hooked and remembered why I like Lupin so much! The stories are engaging and humorous - you'll grin and Lupin's confidence and audacity; grit your teeth at Fujiko's treachery, but cheer again when she gets her comeuppance! Best of all is that Lupin doesn't always win, so the show is never entirely predictable. I also understand that Miyazaki directed quite a few episodes. There one or two observations I would like to make. Firstly, the show is sometimes extremely violent (not in a "ban this sick filth" sort of way, however) - bad guys are electrocuted, riddled with bullets and, thanks to Goemon, sliced in two! Secondly, there are often sexually-charged moments. Fujiko is not adverse to using feminine charms to get her way (she's a very big girl!) and Lupin sometimes gets a little frisky! These are not complaints, but rather things that stuck in my mind when considering the age and medium of Lupin. I was a kid in the 70s and there was never any animated shows like this! (in the UK admittedly). Enough babbling. Get this slice of animated history right now and you too can chuckle when you hear the crooned refrain: "Lupin...is a nice man" pop up every now and again!

If you're a Lupin fan, buy this set! If you're not a fan, buy this set! One of the best, classic anime programs of all time is finally put on a gorgeous 3-disc set. You'll watch this and repeatedly ask yourself- "Why aren't other dvd sets this goddamn good?" JUST BUY IT ALREADY!!! edited by Vicnuts on 11 Oct 2002 9:03 pm edited by Vicnuts on 11 Oct 2002 9:03 pm

This is by far one of the best Hong Kong DVD sets created. This three disc set has all the quality of an R1 set but at half the price. You get the whole first season of Lupin's orginal TV series, twenty-three episodes in all, in what appears to be a pristine R2 rip. Such hi-end goodies as animated menus and a great looking black tri-fold slipcase packaging are just the icing on the cake when it comes to this meaty boxset. Video - A+ Though this series is from the early seventies, there is little to no dust and scratches to be found. Colors are bright and the picture is sharp as razor. Even in action sceens there is no noticable blocking or ghosting of the image. I'm guessing that the R2 source that this was ripped from was given a much needed, and deserved restoration. Audio - A You get a true Dolby Digital stereo mix that comes through in the center channel cyrstal clear. The only reason I can't give this audio an A+ is because of the age of the source materal. Yet for a show over thirty years old the soundtrack is still remarkably clean. Subtitles - A These subtitles are great. No Ingrish to be found at all. They are easy to read and are timed to perfection. These babes are as good as any fansub out. The only downside is that they still suffer from the occassional misspelling (only twice at last count) If you enjoyed Cowboy Bebop you'll love this series. Its got the same humor and irevernt style to it, along with get characters and storylines you'll jones over. I recommend this set highly.

VIDEO: This series is old. VERY old. The manga was made in 1968, and the anime was made in 1972, I believe. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. Now, taking that into consideration, the video was excellent, with very few glitches, if any. GRADE: A+ AUDIO: I had almost no problems here. Just, some very rare pop-offs, and those lasted only a split millisecond. Very good, all in all. GRADE: A+ SUBTITLES: Very good. Hardly any spelling errors, except in the later episodes. Also, one of the previous reviewers claimed that words would run together, but I never saw this happen. Maybe I just missed them. GRADE: A+ SERIES: Lupin III is wonderful. The very first fansub I ever bought was Secret of the Twilight Gemini, (Though, it wasn't the first ANIME I ever watched.) so I consider Lupin III a classic, and I'm sure everyone else can agree with me. As one of the previous reviewers said, Castle of Cagliostro is awesome. It's my fourth favorite anime. Buy this, AND that. MENUS: Very nice. They even have some background music (That lasts for about five seconds.) so that was nice. Also, as a lot of Manga International discs, there was no sub menu for subtitle selection. No bid deal, though. The lack of sub menus were still good. GRADE: B+ CHAPTER STOPS: Once again, Manga International gives us one an episode. As I will do in most of my reviews, I won't lower the score, because of that, mainly because I'm very, very used to this, by now. The menus for the chapter stops are nice too. GRADE: B- EXTRA FEATURES: If there were any, I never noticed them. GRADE: N/A DISC OPINION: This is probably the very best Non-Region One rip HK DVD around. A definite must-have for any Lupin fan, or any ANIME fan. Especially, seeing as how the series will never be released in America. Luckily, FUNimation has the rights to ten or so of the Lupin III movies, and I'll be picking all of those up, as should you. GRADE: A+ edited by Tommy on 29 Jul 2002 3:51 pm

I'll start by saying that I'm so very biased towards liking this series because of the long history of Lupin movies that I've enjoyed (my first exposure to Lupin was in the Cliffhanger video game that was edited from Castle of Cagliostro). Video - This series is 30 years old so you're not going to get the same crisp colours of a brand new series. That said, the quality is pretty good. I'm guessing this is from the R2 release because the restoration work is pretty good. Audio - The sound is a little tinny but still good. It lends to the retro feel of the show. Subs - These are some of the best subs I've seen. The only problems are the occasional spelling error as noted in the previous review. Content - For those who aren't familiar with Lupin III, this is a great place to start (it is the beginning after all). The best of the Lupin III movies is Castle of Cagliostro but it's a lot of fun seeing these self contained episodes and how the story moves in the scant 25 minutes.

I'm a big Lupin fan from way back. As a matter offact, To Hell with Nostrodamus was my very first anime. Video-- (5/5) Gotta take into consideration, that this series is damn old. The video is awesome, though. Maybe even R2 ripped. Audio-- (4.5/5) Sometimes, it'll get a little bit... crackly, and jumpy, but that happens very rarely. VERY rarely Subtitles-- (5/5) Pretty much perfect, except an occasional misspelling, or words that collidetogether. KnowwhatI mean? Content-- (5/5) Lupin is God.

The Lupin DVD has great subs, audio, & video. All the names are in the correct format...and the translation is better then the fansub that I own. Although the storyline and art are not as great as...most of the movies the stories are really funny. A must buy for any Lupin the Third fan.