Liner Notes

These liner notes were originally prepared for Discotek's 2012 Complete First TV Series DVD collection, but didn't quite make it on the set. They are provided here for your amusement and reference.

Lupin the Third Pilot Film

ca. 1969

Director: Masaaki Ohsumi

Animation: Yasuo Ohtsuka, Gisaburo Sugii, Osamu Kobayashi, Tsutomu Shibayama

Would you like to play a game?

Shogi, the game Lupin and Zenigata play, is essentially the Japanese equivalent of chess. Gold and Silver Generals, however, do not have exact chess equivalents. They both move similarly to a king, but with additional restrictions. For example, a Silver General cannot move from side to side or directly backwards. A Gold General cannot move backwards diagonally in either direction. The "king" Zenigata discovers to be fake is literally a "jeweled General" and the pawn technically translates to "soldier." However, they otherwise mirror their chess versions.

TPO... Toilet Paper Overload?

Lupin's clothing is good for any "TPO." The Japanese adopted this now-obscure English term which means "time, place, and occasion." The subtitles simplify this to "situation." Another borrowed word, the German "gewalt," was used to describe the "violence" that Lupin somehow delivers with "a cool touch." Clearly, the writer of this script enjoyed laying on the buzzwords as thick as possible. Some other winners include "a la carte," "special order," and "young men."

I Know a Good Character When I Steal One

Kogoro Akechi is a famous, Holmes-like detective in the novels of Japanese mystery author Edogawa Rampo. Akechi featured in the very first Lupin story by Monkey Punch, but (if this author is not mistaken) the character was never seen again in the Lupin manga. Akechi's design was revised and paired with Zenigata once again in the 2002 TV special Episode Zero: First Contact, where he shamelessly bears the stolen name of Back to the Future character "George McFly."