The Lupin III television series debuted in Japan in 1971, inspired by the manga series by Kazuhiko Kato a.k.a Monkey Punch. The storyline follows master thief Lupin III, grandson of Arsène Lupin from the Maurice Leblanc novels, and his exploits alongside a group of criminal friends. The television series ran for three seasons (1971-1985) and inspired a string of popular films, including what is probably the most famous of the group, The Castle of Cagliostro (1979).
Although common knowledge to Studio Ghibli fans, Hayao Miyazaki served as director of several episodes of the first and second seasons of the series (alongside future creative partner Isao Takahata) and made his directorial debut with The Castle of Cagliostro. Long before his feature film work, Miyazaki was making a name for himself in television animation with several series, including Future Boy Conan and Sherlock Hound, and many see his contributions to the Lupin III series and film as transitional works that would eventually lead to the birth of Studio Ghibli.
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| Jigen and Lupin III in a scene from the first season. (source) |
There's no word yet from Discotek Media regarding whether the first season DVD release will feature a dub or subtitles only, but more information should become available as we near the release date. I'm personally a big fan of The Castle of Cagliostro, so any news is good news when it comes to more Lupin III heading our way!
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