Lupin III: The First (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray & DVD) Unboxing

Lupin III: The First (also known as Lupin the Third: The First) is a 2019 theatrical anime film based on Monkey Punch’s manga series Lupin the Third. The anime was produced by studios TMS Entertainment and Marza Animation Planet with director and writer Takashi Yamazaki, and published by TMS Entertainment. It was released in Japanese theaters in December 2019.

Background:

“The iconic “gentleman thief” Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colourful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich.

The gang undertakes trap-filled tombs, aerial escapades and daring prison escapes with the trademark wit and visual finesse that have made LUPIN THE 3RD one of the most storied animation franchises in the world, in a thrilling new caper that is sure to delight fans old and new.”

Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, September 2021.

Lupin the Third is a classic that TMS Entertainment has managed to not only keep the franchise relevant for fifty years, but also consistency providing the quality with each instalment. While the past two decades had mostly been filled with television specials, the success of the spin-off series The Woman Called Fujiko Mine pretty much brought the franchise back into the TV format with the twist being the Lupin gang going to places outside Japan more often. Part 4 was co-funded by Italy so it was set in Italy, Part 5 was set in France, and Part 6 (which is airing in October 2021) is set in the United Kingdom.

As the 50th anniversary of Lupin the Third was creeping up, sadly the author Monkey Punch had passed away. TMS Entertainment collaborated with CG animation studio Marza Animation Planet (Dragon Quest: Your Story) for a new theatrical anime film, this time fully in CG, which is dedicated to the late author.

When it comes to CG anime, it generally gets a lot of flack because of its visual look and presentation, but there are a lot of great anime that are overlooked as a result. Examples like Ajin: Demi-Human and Knights of Sidonia from Polygon Pictures as well as Orange’s work on BEASTARS and Land of the Lustrous. I also enjoyed Production I.G.’s Ultraman even if its human models could have had extra work to them and while it was controversial Marza’s work on Dragon Quest: Your Story visually was also impressive.

Getting back on topic, Lupin III: The First not only is being presented in CG but also brings the film’s setting back to the 20th century sometime in the 1960s which is when Monkey Punch first wrote the Lupin the Third manga. The Japanese cast are back as expected, and from what I have heard, the film does a very good job with its animation and story which is great to hear.

While TMS Entertainment usually places their licenses with Discotek Media, for the new film GKIDS has stepped up to distribute the license for North America. The plus side of this situation is that GKIDS did manage to bring back the English dub cast trio who voiced in the Lupin the Third Part II Geneon releases and recent instalments distributed by Discotek Media for this film. Meanwhile in the UK, Anime Limited acquired the license which makes this film its third Lupin acquisition after Part 4 and Part 5. Both distributors have provided a theatrical release for the film.

Collector’s Edition Contents:

Anime Limited once again offers their collector’s edition packaging treatment for their release of Lupin III: The First.

This package offers a rigid box that houses the film in an Scanavo Blu-ray case and a 64-page booklet. The booklet goes over character artwork, designs, storyboards and more information about the film.

The artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info o-card covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The collector’s edition Blu-ray is limited to 1000 units for an SRP of £39.99 (the higher price is due to the extra costs involved with the booklet). Because the film was released theatrically in the UK, a standard Blu-ray and DVD release is available day one with the collector’s edition so there’s options for those who just want the film and nothing else.

I pre-ordered the film via Anime Limited’s store during its early bird week using the Anime (Un)limited membership with a 10% store discount, going from £24.99 to £22.50.

Physical Contents:

• Rigid Box with Scanavo packaging and clean artwork
• Info o-card for specification and BBFC description
• 64-page Booklet

On-Disc Contents:

Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 20th September 2021

The collector’s edition release for Lupin III: The First contains the film on a single Blu-ray and DVD disc using the GKIDS encode/author. The audio options available include Japanese with English, French and Spanish subtitles, NYAV Post English dub commissioned by GKIDS with English Hard of Hearing subtitles, and an English Descriptive Audio option which is very rare to see for an anime release. The white subtitles are unlockable during playback, and the regions are locked to Blu-ray players set to B and DVD players set to 2.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages	English, English Descriptive, Japanese
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English Descriptive Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video	1080p High Definition Native format 2.35:1 aspect ratio
Region	B
Subtitles	English, English Hard of Hearing, French, Spanish
Locked Subtitles	No
Discs	1 BD-50

DVD Specs:

Languages	English, English Descriptive, Japanese
Audio	English Dolby Digital 5.1 English Descriptive Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Video	Standard Definition in NTSC format 2.35:1 aspect ratio
Region	2
Subtitles	English, English Hard of Hearing, French, Spanish
Locked Subtitles	No
Discs	1

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:

• English Cast Reunited
• CG Model Gallery
• Animation Breakdown
• Yellow Carpet Premiere
• Trailers and Promos
• Interviews with Director and Japanese Cast

DVD On-Disc Extra Features:

• CG Model Gallery
• Animation Breakdown
• Yellow Carpet Premiere
• Trailers and Promos

Unboxing Photos:

Final Notes:

Lupin III: The First is available to order through multiple retailers across the United Kingdom. You can order the collector’s edition Blu-ray & DVD release, standard Blu-ray and standard DVD on Amazon UK.

(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)