The Pilot Film: A Franchises Codex
It all started with a game of mahjong.
Lupin the third is now a highly successful, internationally known anime franchise that has explored a variety of tones and styles across more than five decades. To think that it originated with a lecherous parody manga that should have only lasted for five months is mind-boggling. Monkey Punch’s original creation had to go through many phases before it could turn into a viable and profitable series. In that regard, it is interesting that the very first step towards animation is also the most overlooked.
Most fans of Lupin III are now well aware of the existence of the 1969 pilot film, and how it was more or less the basis for Part 1s debut in 1971. And yet, it is rarely discussed. They are many reasons for that, one of them being that up until the late 1980s, the pilot was purely and simply invisible to the public. Before the 2012 DVD release of “Lupin’s Secret Files”, we only had bad quality copies lifted from VHS tapes, and it took until 2022 for the pilot film to get its proper HD visual treatment, which is now available on Amazon Prime.
The pilot film’s production is a testament to how difficult it was to adapt such an iconoclastic manga. Back in 1969, Monkey Punch was putting an end to his first run of Lupin III, with Lupin reuniting with his estranged father and elderly grandpa, the original Arsène Lupin, as well as his mother and countless half-siblings. Together, the three generations of thieves would go on to challenge a criminal organization called Pandora. Symbolically, it was like Lupin, the free spirit, was going home. The time of rebellion was over. At least for now. Still, the manga had proven successful and popular among the lower to middle class youth, and animator Gisaburo Sugii approached Yutaka Fujioka, then head of Tokyo Movie, a recently founded animation studio, with a pitch for Lupin. Fujioka liked the idea, but was uncertain of how to secure the funds.
Tokyo Movie was already facing financial troubles, something that would plague Fujioka’s endeavours for years. It was then decided to make a short film, and show it to potential investors. A team of young and promising animators was built, including the already talented Yasuo Otsuka, under the supervision of Masaaki Osumi, with music by Norio Maeda. While Monkey Punch was originally approached to take part in the production, the mangaka quickly gave up, as it was too much work, which funnily enough would also happen on 1996’s Lupin III: Dead or Alive. The pilot film still borrows closely from the source material, from its character design to entire shots, mostly from chapters 56 for the intro and 58 for the climax.
In spite of its undeniable technical qualities, the 12-minute Cinemascope film did not convince anyone to finance the project, mostly due to its adult themes of violence and nudity. Remember that in 1969, animation was still mostly targeted towards children. Not deterred by this defeat, Tokyo Movie showed a TV version, with minor tweaks, and a different cast. This time, the studio was successful. Yomiyuri TV greenlit what would become known as the green jacket series. Part 1’s production would prove to be as much as, if not even more troublesome, but that’s another story.
But what about the pilot film itself? What is there more to say about it, apart from its production and its place in Lupin’s animated history? Since its goal was to convince investors, the film works as an introduction to the main characters and as a proposed status quo. Each member of the gang gets a proper introduction, starting with inspector Zenigata, then Lupin, Jigen, Fujiko, Goemon, and finally Akechi Kogoro.
The inclusion of that last character may surprise fans, but remember that the detective created by novelist Edogawa Ranpo made an appearance in the first chapter of Monkey Punch’s manga as well. In a novel called The Golden Mask (1931), Akechi actually faced the original Arsène Lupin, who was attempting to seduce a lady called… Fujiko. Having this aged icon of old-fashion crime fiction feature in Lupin’s introduction is not only justified, but also a clever way of showing how Lupin represents a new, different brand of hero.
The time of sleuths is over, long live the crooks!
While the pilot film does not dwell too much on the psychology and relationships between the characters, the main gist is there. Zenigata is an overzealous pursuer, Lupin is a brilliant yet sometimes goofy thief, Jigen is his closest ally and a master marksman, Fujiko is an ambiguous and voluptuous femme fatale, and Goemon is a driven, traditional, samurai. While Goemon will become Lupin’s friend later in the franchise, his introduction here as an antagonist still stands, as it shows Lupin’s habit of turning adversaries into comrades.
We get car chases, gunfights, eroticism, danger and slapstick all rolled up into one simple narrative thread.
Even though the franchise would go in different directions through the years, one could say it never strayed from the core ingredients that are all present in the pilot. Lupin wears his red jacket which, while it would get replaced several times, remains his most identifiable colour. Jigen was already voiced by Kiyoshi Kobayashi, in both versions, and he would go on to play the role until his retirement in 2021. Eiko Masuyama voiced Fujiko and would reprise the role from 1977 to 2012. Goemon was voiced by Goro Naya in the theatrical version, while Chikao Otsuka voiced Zenigata in the TV version. The two voice-actors would exchange roles for the green jacket series.
While Gisaburo Sugii would not work on the franchise until The Secret of the Twillight Gemini, both Yasuo Otsuka and Masaaki Osumi would conceive Part 1, whose first opening featured shots lifted from the pilot film. Otsuka in particular would be such an important driving force to the franchise that Mystery of Mamo director Soji Yoshikawa called him the “kingmaker”. If Norio Maeda’s music is not distinct enough to call it seminal, some melodies do sound like echoes of future compositions by Takeo Yamashita and Yuji Ohno.
The pilot film also created entirely original shots that became such staples of the franchise that they feel like they were always there. In the manga, Fujiko was not as associated to motorcycles and leather onesies as she is shown in the pilot, and now she is almost synonymous with that particular vehicle and attire. Goemon’s well-timed clothes rip when he puts his katana back in his sheath, or Jigen’s gun acrobatics could only be created through animation. Lupin’s iconic running pose, lighted by huge police projectors, has become so iconic that it’s been parodied by many an anime! And what about the characteristic sound of a typewriter at the beginning and end of the film? All of these details we owe to Sugii, Otsuka, Osumi, and the rest of their team.
Yet, the pilot film’s legacy goes much further than that. At the heart of the project, there was a dream. One of making a series of fun animated films targeted towards adults. A dream that one ambitious but constantly challenged Fujioka would wait years to see fully realized. Part 1s relative failure seemed, for a while, like the final nail in the coffin for Lupin. Thankfully, TV reruns and the live action 1974 film reignited interest for the franchise, and after several successful animated series by what was now TMS, Lupin returned to animation with Part 2 in 1977.
The series was such a success that Mystery of Mamo entered production a year later. Lupin would finally go to the big screen! An early teaser for what was yet to be titled “Lupin vs Clone” in Japan was broadcast, and it used footage from the pilot film. As if to show how it all began, and how the promise was finally fulfilled. Lupin had won the game. Long live the crooks!
— Guillaume Babey
Pilot Film tribute artwork by Guillaume Babey
If you would like to hear more from Guillaume, you can check him out over on Twitter, or by listening along to Sideburns & Cigarettes, a Lupin III podcast in which he helps host! You can also check out his incredible artwork over on Deviant Art. A big thanks to Guillaume for writing this article, and an additional thanks from us to you for reading it!
