Lupin III: The First

Lupin III: The First
File:Lupin III- The First poster.jpg Japanese film poster
Directed by	Takashi Yamazaki
Produced by	Shuji Abe(ja) Hibiki Itô Hiroyasu Shinohara Shuhei Kato (Planning and production) Ryota Kato (Planning and production) Koji Nozaki Naoaki Kitajima Takeshi Ito(ja)
Screenplay by	Takashi Yamazaki
Based on	Lupin III by Monkey Punch
Starring	Kanichi Kurita Kiyoshi Kobayashi Daisuke Namikawa Miyuki Sawashiro Suzu Hirose Kōtarō Yoshida Tatsuya Fujiwara
Music by	Yuji Ohno
Cinematography	Yosuke Sakai
Edited by	Tomokazu Takahashi
Production company	TMS Entertainment Marza Animation Planet
Distributed by	Toho
Release dates	October 18, 2019 (2019-10-18) (Tokyo Midtown Hibiya) December 6, 2019 (2019-12-06) (Japan)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	¥1.16 billion ~ $11 million

Lupin III: The First (Japanese: ルパン三世 THE FIRST, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei Za Fāsuto) is a 2019 Japanese 3DCG comedy action-adventure heist anime film based on the Lupin the Third franchise created by Monkey Punch, to whom the film is dedicated. Marza Animation Planet and TMS Entertainment were the animation studios that brought the 3D venture of Lupin to the big screens. Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the film stars Kanichi Kurita as Lupin III, Kiyoshi Kobayashi as gunman Daisuke Jigen, Daisuke Namikawa as samurai Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Miyuki Sawashiro as Fujiko Mine, and Kōichi Yamadera as Interpol detective Zenigata.

Set during the late 1960s of the Shōwa era, the film follows gentleman thief Arsène Lupin III and his crew to Paris and Brazil to find the whereabouts of the Bresson Diary, a treasure even Lupin's grandfather Arsène Lupin failed to catch. A battle for the mechanical diary is unleashed as a Nazi treasure-hunter group led by Lambert and Geralt are also in a race to steal it, with the prize that whoever deciphers its mystery will be the owners of an enormous fortune. The movie was released to the theaters in Japan on December 6, 2019 distributed by Toho, with a later worldwide release planned for 2020. Eurozoom will release the film in France on October 7, 2020. GKIDS announced the film will debut in North America on October 18, 2020. The film was one of the selections for the animated festival Annecy, as well as for the 43rd Japanese Academy Awards.

Synopsis

In Nazi-occupied France, archaeologist Professor Bresson entrusts his heavily trapped diary and an amulet containing the key to the book to his family. The diary is purported to be the guide to an immense treasure called the Eclipse, which a group of Nazis working for Ahnenerbe seeks to get into their hands. Bresson is killed by the arriving Germans; his family escapes, but is chased down by Ahnenerbe scientist Professor Lambert, and ends up in a car crash which only the infant daughter survives. Lambert steals the amulet, but is unable to find the diary, which was lost during the chase.

In the 1960s, the diary resurfaces during a memorial exhibition in Bresson's honor. Lupin III tries to steal the book, as his grandfather had unsuccessfully attempted before him, only to be foiled first by a pretty young woman disguised as a security guard, then by Fujiko, and to be arrested by Inspector Zenigata. On his way to prison, Lupin is sprung by his friends Jigen and Goemon and sneaks in to the home of the disguised security guard, a young prospective archeology student named Laetitia. He presents a medal identical to the one stolen by Lambert, which Lupin's grandfather had left him. Laetitia contacts Lambert, who has become her adoptive grandfather and on whose order she was supposed to steal the book in the first place. Lambert tells her to bring Lupin and the second amulet to him, in exchange for sending her to Boston University to study archeology.

In the meantime, Fujiko delivers the diary to a small group of Ahnenerbe fugitives still looking for the Eclipse, among them Lambert and their leader Gerard. However, Gerard quickly discovers Fujiko's plan to get the treasure and has her detained. Laetitia leads Lupin to Lambert's hideout, a customized transport plane, where they retrieve the book and the counterpart to Lupin's amulet. Lupin succeeds in disarming the trap and opens the diary, and the two learn that the Eclipse is a power generator left behind by a highly advanced lost civilisation and is hidden in the ruins of Teotihuacan, and knowing Laetitia has led him into a trap, Lupin willingly surrenders to Gerard and Lambert. When Lupin is locked up with Fujiko, the latter uses him as a diversion to escape on her own. Lupin sneaks back into the plane and eavesdrops on Gerard and Lambert, learning in the process that they are seeking none other than Adolf Hitler himself, who reportedly faked his death and escaped to South America during the fall of Berlin, and is now intending to use the Eclipse to resurrect the Third Reich.

When Laetitia, who has also overheard the conversation, confronts the two men, Gerard throws her out of the plane. Snatching the diary and the amulets back, Lupin jumps after her, and he and Laetitia are then rescued by Fujiko, Jigen and Goemon. Left stranded by their adversaries, Lupin summons Zenigata to his location and steals his Interpol helicopter. Zenigata manages to get back on board, and after learning of the stakes, he teams up with Lupin's gang and Laetitia to thwart the villains. During a stopover, Lupin reveals to Laetitia that he has deduced her to be Bresson's granddaughter and that Lambert adopted her only to get his hands on the diary and the Eclipse. He also discovers that his grandfather had actually helped Bresson to find the Eclipse, but afterwards booby-trapped the book for Bresson to prevent the Eclipse from falling into the wrong hands.

In the meantime, Gerard and Lambert find the Eclipse's hiding place, but are unable to proceed past its traps without the diary, forcing them to return to the place where they left Lupin. Exploiting their absence, Lupin's team makes it past the obstacles, but are then forced to discover that their enemies' retreat was merely a ruse to clear the path to the Eclipse. Lambert and Gerard activate the Eclipse, which carries them and Laetitia back to the surface, but Lupin's team intercepts them before they can escape, scuttling Lambert's plane. Lambert uses the Eclipse to get the plane to fly again, and activates a micro black hole to finish off Lupin's team; believing them dead, and drunk with power, he claims the device for himself and incinerates the diary. When he prepares to use the Eclipse to destroy Berlin, Gerard fights him; when Laetitia takes control of the device, Gerard shoots at her, but Lambert takes the bullet for her and dies. Right afterwards, Gerard receives the news that Hitler has been located and takes the Eclipse and Laetitia to him.

When Gerard arrives at the Ahnenerbe headquarters, he meets with Hitler and the two depart on the Eclipse to see its capabilities, and Laetitia is sent to be locked up. She finds herself in the company of Jigen, and discovers that Lupin and his gang beat Gerard first to the base with the help of Zenigata and Interpol, and Lupin is secretly disguised as Hitler upon her and Gerard's arrival. Back on the Eclipse, Lupin gives away his disguise and Gerard attacks him, but Lupin tampers with the Eclipse controls to release a micro black hole directly inside the Eclipse. Gerard is sucked into the hole and perishes while Lupin barely escapes with a gravity device he kept from the Teotihuacan ruins. After a fond but hasty good-bye to Laetitia - and gifting her with the gravity device along with enrollment into Boston as a farewell present - Lupin and his associates rush to escape Zenigata's ever-zealous attention, with Zenigata and his men bidding Laetitia farewell with a salute.

Voice cast

Character	Japanese	English	Italian
Arsène Lupin III	Kanichi Kurita	Tony Oliver	Stefano Onofri
Daisuke Jigen	Kiyoshi Kobayashi	Richard Epcar	Alessandro Maria D’Errico
Goemon Ishikawa XIII	Daisuke Namikawa	Lex Lang	Antonio Palumbo
Fujiko Mine	Miyuki Sawashiro	Michelle Ruff	Alessandra Korompay
Inspector Koichi Zenigata	Kōichi Yamadera	Doug Erholtz	Rodolfo Bianchi
Laetitia	Suzu Hirose	Laurie Hymes	Joy Saltarelli
Lambert	Kōtarō Yoshida	David Brimmer	Franco Zucca
Gerard	Tatsuya Fujiwara	Paul Guyet	Lorenzo Scattorin

Production

Development

"This work was completed over a long period of time, supported by the words of Monkey Punch Sensei: '3DCG Lupin is my dream.' To express "Lupin" that everyone knows in 3DCG was a very happy and exciting job. Especially with regard to unique movements and facial expressions, I think that the production team's high technical ability and deep love for Lupin have made it attractive compared to overseas masterpieces. It would be great if not only fans but also people who have not touched the work so far can feel that "I like Lupin more" after watching the movie. I sincerely hope that this work "THE FIRST" will serve as a bridge to bring more Japanese stories to the world." — Producer Takeshi Ito (Marza Animation Planet)

The film was teased by Kiyoshi Kobayashi after the passing of Monkey Punch. Sega Sammy Holdings, the parent company of both TMS Entertainment and Marza Animation Planet also made a tweet later. On June 10, 2019 a Twitter account under the name @lupin_3rd_movie was created showing a poster of a 3D model of Lupin wearing Arsène Lupin's sword-scarred hat while holding his cane and smiling fearlessly. With the tagline, "40 years from the immortal masterpiece The Castle of Cagliostro" it was revealed that Lupin III will debut in the screens as a 3D character for the first time. It has been 23 years since a Lupin feature-length film released to the cinemas ever since Lupin III: Dead or Alive in 1996.

Bringing the eponymous thief into the 3D format was one of Monkey Punch's most cherished goals. The film is dedicated to the memory of Monkey Punch, the creator of Lupin III, who died on April 11, 2019 before the movie was released. When Monkey Punch saw the preliminary results of the movie he stated, "I’ve been looking forward to a 3DCG Lupin III for a long time. I’ve taken a look at the characters and story: it looks like this Lupin will come packed with new sensations, and I’m getting excited just thinking about how the film will turn out."

Marza Animation Planet and TMS Entertainment were the animation studios assigned to bring Monkey Punch's masterpiece into the screens. On June 10, 2019, the teaser for the movie was released with Lupin sporting the taglines "Well, let's get started" and "It's showtime!" The teaser features a montage of the history of Lupin's adaptations from traditional hand drawn animation to finally the 3D footage. The animation team decided Lupin will wear the red jacket (second anime (1977-1980)). Later on October 1, 2019 the official trailer and poster was released. On November 22, 2019 Toho released the opening title sequence of the film. On September 28, 2020, GKIDS released the official English trailer for the North American release.

Director Takashi Yamazaki, one of Japan's leading film 3DCG VFX animation directors having previously worked for such projects as Dragon Quest: Your Story, wrote the script and directed the movie. He was entrusted to bring the late Monkey Punch's masterpiece "Lupin the Third" into a movie with a full 3DCG animation. Director Yamazaki says bringing the character into the 3D screen was filled with pressure. However, he intended the movie to be a segue or a hook from 2D adaptations of the past to the 3D movie. Marza Animation made over 12 screenplays and 3 story reels for the film. The storyboards were detailed with voice actor's voices acting as a reference point. Director Yamazaki decided to participate in the screenplay process that spurred an eventual 3DCG adaptation. Yamazaki was honored to become part of the Lupin franchise legacy: "I am really happy to be added to the end of this lineage in a new format called 3DCG."

The creative team of the Lupin franchise from previous works resumed for this production. For the first time since the stories were serialized as a cartoon in 1967 and in animated television in 1971, the eponymous thief was animated into a 3D figure amidst CGI background. Naoaki Kitajima, producer for the movie stated Japan is at the forefront in the 3D industry, and this movie is a testament to the creative potential of the Japanese people. The animators from Toms Entertainment and Marza Animation Planet intended the movie to serve as a cultural bridge between the different nations of the world, with a story that will be understood by any audience. The movie was slated to be released in Japan on December 6, 2019 by Toho following a worldwide release schedule with a release during December 16 in France, the birthplace of Lupin's grandfather.

The original cast that voiced the previous Lupin installments returned including the eponymous Lupin voiced by Kanichi Kurita, Miyuki Sawashiro voiced Fujiko Mine, Daisuke Namikawa voiced Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Kiyoshi Kobayashi voiced Daisuke Jigen and Kōichi Yamadera as Zenigata. News character took part in the movie including Suzu Hirose as Leticia the heroine archaeologist, Kōtarō Yoshida as archaeologist Lambert, and Tatsuya Fujiwara as Geralt. GKIDS who will distribute the movie in English-speaking countries. They announced the English-dub voice cast that includes Tony Oliver as Lupin III; Richard Epcar as Daisuke Jigen; Lex Lang as Goemon Ishikawa; Michelle Ruff as Fujiko Mine; Doug Erholtz as Koichi Zenigata; Laurie C. Hymes as Laetitia; David Brimmer as Lambert; and Paul Guyet as Gerard.

On Oct 18, 2019, the movie was presented at the Hibiya Cinema Festival at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. On Nov 11, 2019 a preview was held at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills theater. On December 6, 2019 the movie debuted at Toho Cinemas in Hibiya, Tokyo where a stage greeting of cast was held that included Kiyoshi Kobayashi who previously voiced Daisuke Jigen. The success of the film spurred new distributions in North America. In March 2019 GKIDS who specializes in distributing Japanese classics like Ride Your Wave, Weathering With You, and Promare to North America agreed to distribute the movie in 2020. However, COVID-19 has delayed the launch of the movie in North America and therefore it is expected to be released in the late 2020s. In September 2020, GKIDS officially released a statement that the film will launch in North America on October 18, 2020.

Themes

Of all the tones found in the Lupin franchise, director Yamazaki found the universally-appealing tone in The Castle of Cagliostro as the best portrayal for the 3D film. The script did not veer far from the themes of the canon. The familiar traits of Lupin and the stories are presented such as Lupin announcing his heists before it is put into action. The script revolved around the treasure-hunting scheme where the protagonists go off to different locales of the world including Paris, Mexico, and Brazil to uncover the secret of the Bresson Diary. The atmosphere of the locales is intended to be evocative of the post-war French-Belgian era especially found in the comic book series bandes dessinées.

French animators were present in the studio to help with the depiction of such sequences. The movie was intended to be an ancestral historical flashback movie highlighted by the nostalgic segue into the times of his grandfather Arsène Lupin, as Lupin tries to follow in his grandfather's footsteps in Paris, France. The plot drew inspiration from real-world history such as the artifact in question being one of the primary targets by the Nazis during World War II. The movie's use of an artifact that has worldwide implications is a reference to the globetrotting adventures of Indiana Jones. Director Yamazaki wanted to evoke a realistic adventure thriller elements into the movie without resorting to placing the setting in a fictitious setting. Therefore, the movie has considerable 007 James Bond themes present.

The movie was intended to be a highlight of the Japanese cinema industry during the new era of the Reiwa. However, the movie will continue to depict the stories during the nostalgic Shōwa period with the use of technology in the movie suitable for Lupin stories such as the airplane used during World War II or the Fiat 500. The time was set in the later half of the 1960s similar to the setting of another Lupin classic Castle of Cagliostro. The movie will use archaeological references within a heist, mystery genre.

Lupin and his crew will face off against Lambert, a researcher of a secret organization that later reveals to be the elite archaeological group of Germany- Ahnenerbe. A clash occurs as they pursue the artifact's whereabouts. The archaeological aspect is enlivened by the heroine Leticia as an archaeologist girl expert. Leticia has insight into archaeology and decided to cooperate with Lupin to pursue the mystery of Bresson Diary. They use the logic of archaeology to decipher the mystery. Like the previous installments, there will be a MacGuffin artifact. In this installment it is presented as the Bresson Diary, left to the world by the late archaeologist Bresson. Its findings are locked in a strict case by a key.

Promotion

British luxury apparel brand Dunhill launched a campaign in recognition of the release of the movie by featuring the key characters wearing Dunhill AW19 runway collection pieces. Lupin III wears pieces from the Walnut Dash capsule inspired by vintage British car interiors of the 1970s and 1980s; Jigen wears pinstripe suit with trilby hats inspired by English country dressing; and Goemon the samurai wears a kimono-style topcoat. Nippon Television hosted a telethon from November 29 featuring the TV adaptations of Lupin the Third.

Fiat had a special promotion with the Lupin team since one of the iconic car chases involve a Fiat 500. Darts company DARTSLIVE collaborated with the movie makers to distribute a limited edition Lupin-themed dartboard. Seafood specialty store Fukuya promoted the movie in their lineup of seafood brands. The DVD was released with the movie's clockwork motif of the Bresson Diary as the cover. The deluxe Blu-ray will include a special "Bresson Diary" type edition that resembles the original Bresson Diary treasure and a booklet of approximately 100 pages.

Animation

The movie became one of the earliest examples of Japanese 3D CGI content, which is still at a development stage compared to the established and mainstream 2D anime industry. The director explained creating 3DCGI content from Japanese 2D animation is a sophisticated transition that needs to find the right medium. If the translation is done with intricate details, the output will look completely different from what is intended. The director however explained 3D animation still has potential in Japan. The animation team workflow was noted for its efficient management and where budget was constrained such as during the lighting effects, they adapted with new techniques. Before the production a test sequence was created such as the action sequences where Lupin competes for the treasure via parkour atop the rooftops of Paris or the drama scene in the heroine's room. By creating a test sequence in the same flow as the actual production, the producers can evaluate the quality before declaring the final image. The animation tried to incorporate the landscapes, the environment, culture, languages, and history of the 1960s in which the movie is set. Real-world elements were drawn including Nissin Cup Noodle brand when the Lupin and the crew are transporting a fugitive in a vehicle.

A car chase scene was presented with the famous Fiat 500 witnessing a comeback. This episode was a homage to the Castle of Caglistro. The Fiat finds itself in a police chase that also depicts vintage cars namely Japan-only Nissan Cedrics. The animation team presented the nimble capabilities of the small car in a chase. The 3D aspect of the chase was supplemented by sound of tire squeaking, braking sound, and running sound like an "acrobatic running style." The action sequences, such as the car chase and airplane dog fight were pre-made in 3D. Takaaki Kise was in charge for the production of those scenes.

The character development team unraveled an archive of Lupin statues from earlier productions to find the best representation for this film. Facial expressions of the characters were particularly time-consuming and took considerable time in production. The dimensions of the characters also were a challenge. Lupin's facial rig used mGear and Maya's SoftMod deformer. Animation starts when a rough draft of a storyboard is drawn by hand. Then the episode is shot and connecting with music and dialogue with a final version completed as a story reel. The animators presented the characters in CGI depiction without going into the further ends of photo realistic expressions. Motion-capture was considered as the final animation medium but full animation was chosen because it will present the world with sharpness to the artistry and general richness. The animator's sought a delicate balance of comical cartoonish expressions and human-like movements. The episode where the Eclipse, a climactic orb of energy spirals into the air was delicately drawn by legendary animator Kazuhide Tomonaga. Houdini was the animation tool used to convert that episode from 2D story board to 3D. Pre-visualization took many takes with the layers of smoke around the sphere adjusted by animator lighting supervisor Satoshi Tomatsu.

Soundtrack

On November 12, 2019 Yuji Ohno released the soundtrack of the movie with over 61 songs. You & Explosion Band conducted the music while the theme song Gift was sung by guest vocalist Lyn Inaizumi(ja) and lyrics written by Yoshiki Mizuno(ja). Ohno who has previously worked for many Lupin installments was asked to bring back the nostalgic Shōwa post-war era jazz compositions familiar in such theme songs as Fire Treasure(Hinoo no Takaramono) in Castle of Cagliostro. As a result, Gift was rendered that combined with the rest of the soundtrack to create a jazz score.

Release

Theatrical

File:North American Theatrical Release Poster.jpg

North American Theatrical Release Poster

Philippines film distributor Pioneer Films(tg) revealed it will open Lupin III THE FIRST in the Philippines on January 29, 2020. Thai film distributor M Pictures agreed to distribute the movie on February 27, 2020 after releasing a Thai-dubbed trailer. In May 2020 the film released to the South Korean audience. The movie was released on May 15, 2020 in Spain. Sato Company will release the movie in Brazil in 2020. In Italy, during February 19, 2020 a special Yellow Carpet event commenced at The Space Odeon(it) in Milan. The event featured promotional events by Fiat as the Abarth 595 model was displayed. Anime Factory of Koch Media Italia agreed to release the movie in February of 27 of 2020. However COVID-19 has temporarily halted any new releases in Italy. In September 2020, the film was released in Italy through VOD service. At the 2020 Annecy in Annecy, France, the movie was presented in digital format. Although initially stated that the movie will be released in France on December 16, 2020 via Eurozoom(fr), the release date has been pushed back earlier to October 7, 2020 with promotional material featuring a new French poster.

GKIDS agreed to a theatrical release in North America in the latter months of 2020. On September 22, 2020, GKIDS released the teaser for the English dubbed release of Lupin III: The First. Followed by a full theatrical trailer release on September 28, 2020, the film was confirmed to be run in select North American theaters from October 18, 2020. The subtitled version, featuring the original Japanese voice cast, arrives later on October 21, 2020. The distributors of the film are GKIDS and Fathom Events. The screenings will feature a special intro with director Takashi Yamazaki.

Reception

Critical response

According to Pia movie ranking survey company from Japan, Lupin III: The First was ranked number 1 in movie satisfaction of all the releases on Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7, 2019. Japanese reviews were positive toward the film.

A review at Gizmodo says: "Toho keeps the animation quality high in this work as well, and is a perfect blend of the stylistic beauty of the Lupin series and the clear and accurate visual that is one of the greatest advantages of CG." Cinematoday(ja) of Japan remarked the innovations from 2D animation adaptation is still present in this film: "In this work, the royal road style that incorporates elements such as bold actions, mystery solving, and the reversal that are the charm of the series is present. As for characters, while taking advantage of 3DCG such as three-dimensional action, the appeal of hand-drawn animation has been inherited for movement and facial expressions. As "THE FIRST", Lupin the 3rd:The First in its 3DCG animation commemorates the entry of a new era in the "Lupin" series."

Shiraishi of Real Sound(ja) explains the 3D was "realistic" and the "animation stands out." The review explains the nostalgic themes present in the Lupin franchise such as "big jumps from roof to roof, the car chase in the familiar yellow car" all evoke the old Lupin despite the transition from 2D to 3D: "the Lupin gang remains the same." The review also noted its references to media and geography such as, "A careful copy of Paris in the first half of the 1960s, the remnants of the Nazi Germany." Naoko Hosoda for Mantan reviewed the film has rare glimpses of Miyazaki's Lupin. The animation for the eyes were particularly noted for its clarity: "Lupin's eyes staring at Leticia are also gentle." In conclusion, the movie's action is at the scale of Hollywood by stating: "the action is truly 3DCG, and the speed and scale of the Hollywood movie are eye-catching." The Japan Times stated, "A scene of Lupin and Laetitia sparring on a Parisian rooftop is so delightful, I wish it had gone on for longer; ditto a skydiving sequence that suggests the director has been cribbing from Kathryn Bigelow's '90s surfer caper, Point Break."

Ungeek from Philippines stated, "In fact, seeing the film feels like watching a movie-length classic Lupin III episode, in the best way possible!

Italian reviews marveled at the cinema whose franchise has been broadcast in Italy since 1979. Cinematik stated the movie's title The First is apt because of many reasons: "First, it is the first feature film made in CG; also it is the first film without the great master Monkey Punch. Finally, in this new adventure our Lupin III will try to get his hands on the Diary of Bresson, the only treasure that the famous grandfather Arsenio Lupin (I) never managed to steal. An adventure to which the famous thief has often accustomed us, made up of deceptions, breathtaking escapes, ancient mysteries to be solved, science fiction inventions, and secret organizations of the Nazi mold." Madmass magazine with a 4/5 stars stated: "Lupin III - the First is technically superlative, an authentic enchantment for the eyes in which each sequence of frames appears a painting in bright colors. The emotional aspect is no less heart-pounding, spectacular and photorealistic action sequences, experienced both at full speed and in slow motion: in the middle of traffic, in the desert, or on board the yellow Fiat 500 of the Lupin gang." Marco Tedesco of Il.Cineocchio marvelled at the limitless plots that can be created from the world stating, " Even in such an indistinct setting, however, it is capable of giving birth to stories that can push the viewer to doubt what is possible in this world."

French review by Caroline at the Annecy stated the charm of the characters did not diminish when they are presented in 3D because the animators did not focus on photorealism. Instead it is a faultless mixture of cartoonish and photorealistic characters:

"Far from looking for hyper-realistic effects that would have made Lupin III and his band difficult to recognize, the animation has fun playing with the laws of physics and frees itself from the constraints of anatomy. We recognize him by his corner smile of course, but we find him especially in his fluid and elastic movements so characteristic, which are quite respected."

The film's return to Paris was also appreciated, but the real feature of the film was: " Every situation is the opportunity to stage all possible and imaginable references to Lupin's universe: business card, mask, chase, gadget, opening of the chest, acrobatics, escape...here again the codes of the series are respected and transmitted until the very last scene." The 3D effects were marvelled with the review stating: "Here again, the power of 3D gives another dimension thanks to impressive monumental scenery: chase scenes on the roofs that fall backwards or a dive off of an airplane followed by a magnificent sequence of free fall. The technical prowess remains at the service of the cartoon energy of Lupin III: a 90-degree recovery at the edge of the roof, a Mini cooper that bounces on the road during a chase, Lupin that swims breaststroke in the air...this bundle of details restores in 3D all the humor in the action that makes the special flavor of Lupin III from 2D, a vivified version."

Matt Schley of IGN reviews stated "With the new visual style, the detailed textures of the film’s vehicles, clothing and other objects practically pop off the screen. Rather than total realism, Yamazaki seems to be aiming for something more cartoon-like, and some of the best shots almost look like fluid claymation. Lupin has always been about gravity-defying leaps and bounds, and this animation style fits perfectly. When jumping around the screen, Lupin’s body warps and stretches — not to the point where he loses all sense of weight, but just enough so he remains distinctly Lupin."

Variety review by Maggie Lee highlighted the movie stayed to its roots: "Setting this film in the early ’60s not only plays to his strengths, but also preserves the ambience of the original in architectural, vehicular, and panoramic designs, emulating the intense and vibrant color schemes of post-war French-Belgian bandes dessinées." In terms of animation the review stated: "A grand entrance is staged in elegant, showstopping style, from chandelier gymnastics to a rooftop chase, all with breathless balletic grace that also reveals period Parisian cityscapes in romantic splendor." The final verdict was: "This lavish, technically polished animated caper featuring the beloved gentleman thief of Japanese manga delivers high-octane entertainment but plays safe with the canon."

Box office

It was released on December 6, 2019 in Japan, ranking #2 in its opening weekend grossing 307,395,900 yen (about US$2.82 million) only behind Frozen II. By January 2020, the movie earned a total of 1 billion yen. Currently the film has earned a cumulative total of 1.16 billion yen(~$11 million).

Accolades

Award	Date	Category	Name	Result
43rd Japan Academy Award	March 6, 2020	Animation of the Year	Lupin III: The First	Nominated
	March 6, 2020	Excellent Animation Work	Lupin III: The First	Won
Annecy International Animation Festival	June 15, 2020	Feature Film	Lupin III: The First	Nominated

External links

• Official website
• Lupin III: The First at IMDb
• Lupin III: The First at Rotten Tomatoes
• Lupin III: The First at Movie Walker Press, a Japanese publication about cinema from Japan
• Lupin III: The First at Pixxin, a Japanese box office tracker from Japan