Thank you for downloading my torrent. I put months and months of effort into this, and I'm glad to see it finally come to fruition. This contains every Lupin III television series, movie, and special. I even included all of the OVAs and some bizarre additions like the short, "Lupin Ikka Seizoroi" found on the 40th Anniversary blu-ray in Japan, or the original Pilot film, or "Greatest Capers", a VHS release from the 90s combining two episodes from the second series into a short film. You may or may not be particularly familiar with the Lupin III franchise. Well, I'm not going to tell you about it if you haven't. I think it would be easier to simply watch it. BUT WHERE OH WHERE SHOULD YOU START? Allow me a moment to make some recommendations. THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO Despite Lupin III being created by Monkey Punch, it turns out Studio Ghibli (before Studio Ghibli existed) worked extensively on the original 1971 anime series. Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata were the episode director and series director, respectively. A lot of the classic, fun behavior found in the series (and absent from the manga) were created by these two brilliant minds. And Castle of Cagliostro is one of the first anime films that Hayao Miyazaki ever made. It is widely considered to be the best Lupin film (not my personal opinion, but it's the majority vote) and it is extremely well animated, acted, directed, and written. It's hard to find anything to hold against it. It also does a great job of introducing these classic characters to the audience. This is the best starting place. Note: Miyazaki and Takahata didn't direct episodes 1-7, 9, or 12. These were directed by Masaaki Osumi, and are much darker and grittier than the rest of the series. Osumi would go on to direct the Lupin television special, "Orders to Assassinate Lupin" in '93. Lupin III: Part I This entire series is great. Most of the episodes are based on the manga, though once the change in director is made, they become much more light-hearted. But we also see a lot more heist episodes, and I think that's a good thing. Some of these episodes are so rich in plot, it feels like it could be dragged out into a full-length film and be amazing. You'll also come across three villains who make appearances again in later episodes or films, so despite Lupin III's episodic nature, I actually would recommend watching this series before venturing into the deep end. If you truly feel compelled to watch just the bare minimum from this: Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 19, and 23 are the most important episodes in the series. Episodes 1 and 23 directly lead into the first episode of the '77 series. Episode 10 was the inspiration for Castle of Cagliostro. Episode 2 is the prequel to the Lupin film, "Return of the Magician". Episode 13 is the prequel to the first Lupin III movie, "Secret of Mamo". Episodes 5 and 7 introduce Goemon Ishikawa XIII, a main character of every film, and both later series'. Episode 9 is background on Fujiko. And episodes 4 and 19 both really illustrate Zenigata as a character. Lupin III: Part II This is where Lupin III's true nature of episodic comes into play. Despite being 155 episodes hefty, the only important episodes from this series are 1 and 11. However, this is also where Lupin III really hit it off as a successful franchise. If you ever watched dubbed Lupin as a kid, it was this series. They're mostly good episodes, though some get pretty bizarre (Lupin becomes a vampire in one episode, and there are quite a few unexplainable feats; it at times gets more outlandish than the movies ever do). Island of Assassins/Walther P38 This is one of the television specials, but it's a great one. It delves into Lupin's past quite extensively, and really puts the team to the best of their abilities. In the opening scene, and main character is shot and hospitalized, for goodness' sake. It's a great addition to the franchise and widely considered to be the best entry from the television specials. Note: The television specials started in 1989 with "Goodbye Lady Liberty" and have since released in the late-October-Early-November timeframe once a year. The most recent special was "Another Page" (2012) and before that was "Blood Seal", which was incredibly well done. However, "The Last Job" (2010) was also the last Lupin television special that utilized the original voice cast. "Blood Seal" marks the first special with new voice actors in most of the roles. If you decide to watch them chronologically, which would be a great way to do it, and become attached to the original voice cast, "Lupin Ikka Seizoroi" is the last work the original cast ever did, and is also very well animated and a great watch. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER: Secret of Mamo (Feature film, 1978) Castle of Cagliostro (Feature film, 1979) Legend of the Gold of Babylon (Feature film, 1985) The Plot of the Fuma Clan (OVA, 1987) Goodbye Lady Liberty (Special, 1989) Mystery of the Hemingway Papers (Special, 1990) Steal Napoleon's Dictionary (Special, 1991) From Russia With Love (Special 1992) Voyage to Danger/Orders to Assassinate Lupin (Special, 1993) Dragon of Doom (Special, 1994) Farewell to Nostradamus (Feature film, 1995) The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure (Special, 1995) Dead or Alive (Feature film, 1996) The Secret of Twilight Gemini (Special, 1996) Island of Assassins (Special, 1997) Crisis in Tokyo (Special, 1998) The Columbus Files (Special, 1999) Missed by a Dollar (Special, 2000) Alcatraz Connection (Special, 2001) Return of the Magician (OVA, 2002) Episode 0: First Contact (Special, 2002) Operation Return the Treasure (Special, 2003) Stolen Lupin (Special, 2004) Angel Tactics (Special, 2005) Seven Days Rhapsody (Special, 2006) Elusiveness of the Fog (Special, 2007) Green vs Red (OVA, 2008) Sweet Lost Night (Special, 2008) Lupin III vs Detective Conan (Special, 2009) -Note: Lupin vs Conan was so popular that in December 2013 a new Feature film is being released as a direct sequel to this special, making it the first Lupin feature film in 17 years. The Last Job (Special, 2010) Blood Seal - Eternal Mermaid (Special, 2011) Another Page (Special, 2012) You may have noticed "Cinderella Boy" and "Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman" sitting in this file, too. They're other Monkey Punch franchises, and I enjoyed seeing them. Cinderella Boy is particularly rare to find. The version I have here is a VHS rip that was hardsubbed after the fact. I hope you enjoy them! Thanks for downloading, and I hope you learn to love Lupin III like I do.