In December 1985, the consumer electronics giant, Pioneer, launched a company specializing in translating and distributing anime. It was renamed “Pioneer LDCA” in 1989, and “Pioneer Entertainment” in 1995. Pioneer Entertainment released a lot of anime during this time, such as Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, Armitage III, and even the home video releases of Funimation's Dragon Ball Z dub!

SOURCE: eBay user “Castle Ridge Collectables”

Interesting stuff… but that's not why you're here.

You're here because, in 2002, it was announced that, while Funimation had licensed several Lupin the Third movies and TV specials, and Tokyopop had Monkey Punch's manga, on May 27th of that year, Pioneer got the license to Lupin the 3rd Part 2 for seven years. What followed was a series of events that made it clear to me that Pioneer really, REALLY wanted Lupin to catch on in the U.S.

You know *Part 2,* right? It’s the one that looks like this. Yeah, my favorite one.

As the third most charming and fifth most attractive host of Sideburns & Cigarettes, a podcast that’s about to start covering Lupin the Third Part 2 very soon, I decided to look through my collection of VHS tapes recorded from TV, and found this…

One of the first episodes on here is episode 17, “Sheik-Down”/”Aim for the Oildollar”
That’s definitely my mom’s handwriting, but I can’t quite figure out why I was recording *InuYasha,* too in 2003. I mean, it’s a great series, but I’m not a big fan of it. My *dad* loves it more than I do.
Also on the tape: episodes of *The Simpsons, Futurama,* and…*Family Feud?*

… which inspired me to bask in the nostalgia of when I first discovered this franchise and investigate just how hard they tried to get it to stick!

At Anime Expo in July 2002, Pioneer's panel showed a clip of their upcoming dub of Lupin the 3rd from Phuuz Entertainment, with staff in attendance reportedly stressing that this clip might not be representative of the final dub. Nevertheless, the audience was happy with it... which was fortunate, since, from what I can tell, it seems like it actually was the final dub. Lucky them!

In (what I'm assuming was) late 2002, a Lupin the 3rd press kit was given out to individuals, a massive box containing all sorts of goods. Let's go over that, shall we?

SOURCE: Facebook, Dario Calabria’s Lupin Toy Page

The box is titled “World's Most Wanted”, which was pretty much Pioneer's whole Lupin pitch, as evidenced by this logo appearing on a bunch of their stuff:

*Big thanks to my fellow Lupin Central contributor* *TabbieWolf* *for upscaling this for me!*

This logo prominently appears on a t-shirt and wristwatch included in the press kit, as well as (in a much smaller form) on most of the DVD releases. Can’t say I blame them for putting it on everything, it is a pretty great logo, summing up the main theme of the series, Part 2 especially.

A CD titled “Sideburn Club Mix”, which was comprised of dance remixes of various Lupin tracks, originally included on the first three Punch the Monkey!! albums, also features here. It's a fun CD (it's got a remix of my favorite track, Super Hero - how could I not love it?).

I had a copy myself in 2005 but unfortunately misplaced it at some point (though I got the first Punch the Monkey!! CD about a year later, which has most of the tracks that would end up on the Sideburn Club Mix, so... it wasn’t all bad)!

We've also got a large poster talking about the series’ “Global adventure, global appeal” and a heading reading “The World's Most Wanted!”

We've got a cute pair of plastic handcuffs, and... adhesive sideburns. They're really going in on Lupin's facial hair, aren't they? I recently bought these from eBay, myself.

One of the weirdest pieces of merch in my Lupin collection, but still incredibly cool!

SOURCE: The Amazing Chris Godbey!™…hey, that’s me!

The first DVD volume was included in this press kit, containing the first two episodes, and episodes four through seven (“The Return of Lupin the 3rd”, “Guns, Buns, and Fun in the Sun”, “50 Ways to Leave Your 50 Foot Lover”, “Gold Smuggling 101”, “Shaky Pisa”, and “Cursed Case Scenario”).

Care to guess what the DVD was titled? Yep. “World's Most Wanted”. Where's episode three, though? More on that later…

According to Reed Nelson's old LupinTheThird.net fan site, the 2002 New York Toy Fair is where Pioneer gave out the adhesive sideburns on their own (I'm guessing that's where mine came from)?

The same website also stated that on November 28th, 2002, Cartoon Network will be airing Pioneer's dub of Lupin the 3rd as part of their late-night [adult swim] block, starting from Monday January the 13th at midnight. The show would air it as part of the [adult swim] Action portion of the night on Monday through Thursday, exclusively to Cartoon Network.

Always thought it was awesome how, despite being an advertisement for Part 2, Adult Swim’s promos used silhouettes of what appears to be Monkey Punch art

From January 13th to June 3rd, 2003, the series aired on [adult swim], covering the first twenty-seven episodes... aside from episode three, “Hitler's Legacy” / “To Be or Nazi Be”.

Presumably, not wanting to kill Lupin's chances in America by airing an episode prominently featuring Nazis (albeit treated as a joke) ... the episode was skipped both on [adult swim] and the first DVD release.

The ad bumpers for Lupin the 3rd were a lot of fun, such as one suggesting ways for Lupin to update his style to attract Fujiko, or one that just played the theme song with the lyrics showing up on screen as “dun dun dun dun…Lupin the Third!” In fact, quite a few of the Lupin bumps were gushing over Fujiko. Someone on the message boards called them out on it, and they responded with “Duh. Boobies.”

They even had a bump talking about Gerald R. Molen’s attempt at doing a live-action Lupin the Third movie!

Meanwhile, over on Pioneer's official Lupin the 3rd website, we've got...

I’m not sure how, exactly, but looking at the website’s intro…these do not feel like the silhouettes of women from the 70s. I’m getting early 2000s vibes off them. Maybe it’s the hairstyles? Jeez, now Pioneer’s got ME focusing on hair.

A nifty little Flash intro mimicking some of the TV series openings, a brief guide of our main five characters, an episode guide, an incredibly short “history” page, a merchandise page to order the DVDs and CDs, a “Catch Lupin the 3rd” Flash game, and a multimedia page, containing QuickTime (remember that?!) episode clips, “desktop schemes” (is that supposed to be a play on “desktop themes”, but because Lupin's a criminal, they're “schemes” instead? If so, that's cute. If it's not, that's dumb…), a screensaver, and... downloadable sideburns. Sideburns again, huh?

In April of 2003, Pioneer released the Lupin the 3rd Original Soundtrack, which I remember hearing about, but never realized was actually released. I also bought a copy of it recently. It contains the Lupin '78 and '79 theme tunes, as well as a bunch of background music, and all five character themes. It does not include “Super Hero” or “Lovin' You (Lucky)” ... I know, I know. Don't throw it out, though! As disappointing as it may be that those tracks aren't on there, what is there is awesome, and the insert booklet is full of translations for the Japanese dialogue and lyrics on the CD, as well as a bunch of cool artwork.

SOURCE: The Amazing Chris Godbey!™…hey, there I am again!

I'm sure it's obvious at this point, but Pioneer was really playing up the fact this was a series from 1977, with all the bright, psychedelic colors, spirals, and 1970s patterns. It's most prominent on the website, but the DVDs were really big on it, too.

In July 2003, Pioneer Entertainment was acquired by Japanese advertising and marketing company firm Dentsu and renamed to “Geneon Entertainment Inc.”

SOURCE: I, Omnibus “Anime Monopoly - Pioneer/Geneon”.

What did this mean for Lupin the 3rd?

Not much, really. Especially since that month also brought us the DVD release of the first animated theatrical Lupin feature: 1978's Lupin the Third (popularly known in Japan as Lupin vs the Clone)! Previously released on VHS and DVD by Streamline back in the 90s as Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo, but now, feeling confident with the TV series on the air and all the cool merch, Pioneer / Geneon released a brand-new DVD of the film with the TV series' voice cast, and called it Lupin the 3rd:The Movie: The Secret of Mamo (I, myself, got this as a Christmas gift in '03, and it was the first Lupin movie I ever saw)!

The DVD cover art may not be that great (looks a little like a 90s bootleg VHS, in hindsight), but it came with a booklet that’s a translation of the program sold in Japanese theaters, and a “Magic Keychain” with Lupin’s Part 2 design engraved on it. Again, going all out on it. That’s awesome.

Geneon really did believe in this franchise.

SOURCE: eBay user “beelineindustries”.
I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that I wore the “Magic Keychain” as a necklace in high school.

From January 28th, 2003 to January 14th, 2004, Pioneer released four volumes of Lupin the 3rd on DVD, covering the episodes that had aired on [adult swim], with volume five, Mission: Irresistible, including “To Be Or Nazi Be”.

SOURCE: Lupin III Wiki
Of these five, I own “Love Heist” and “Thieves’ Paradise”.
FUN FACT: If you rearrange the letter of the second DVD volume’s title, you get something special.

Ever since June of 2003, [adult swim] had kept running the same twenty-six episodes in order, week after week. By the time 2004 started, it was starting to become apparent that the channel had no intention of ordering any more of the series and was content just rerunning what they had.

Think that stopped Pioneer / Geneon from trying to get Lupin to be a thing in the U.S?

Of course not! After all, they were still releasing DVDs of unaired episodes every three months or so, and while the episodes on those DVDs weren't appearing on [adult swim], the show itself still was!

In presumably another attempt to move DVDs, some copies of volumes 7-10 were packaged with little Choro-Q (known in America as “Penny Racers”) cars. Looks like there were five of these: Lupin in his yellow Fiat 500, Jigen with a red Mercedes-Benz SSK, Fujiko with a green motorcycle, Lupin in a racing suit with a Ferrari 312, and Zenigata with a police car.

Weird thing about these figures, though... aside from Lupin and the Fiat, they're all based on Lupin the Third Part 1. Jigen, Fujiko, and Zenigata have their designs and outfits from that series, with the Ferrari plus Lupin's racing suit coming from the first episode of Part 1... not Part 2. Guess they didn't have enough Part 2 ChoroQs.

Speaking of toys, here's something I'm not sure what to think of.

There was a line of Lupin the 3rd action figures in 2004, based on the Part 2 series, decorated with imagery from the series' openings, and including the Geneon Lupin logo... released only in Japan. The logo for Pioneer / Geneon themselves isn't on there, and all the text on the back is in Japanese. How odd.

SOURCE: Mercari
This totally looks like something I would’ve found in a Sam Goody twenty years ago.

BREAKING NEWS: In the process of writing this article, I've found another piece of Geneon's Lupin merchandise released in the U.S!

It's a mini bust of Lupin III himself, in his Part 2 design, released in 2004 by Diamond Select Toys... with the branding of both Pioneer and Geneon, as well as the now-trademark psychedelic spirals and logo. I had no idea this existed until about twenty minutes ago as of this writing. That's really freakin' cool.

Anyway, where were we?

So, in February of 2004, it was time to take another step, one Lupin hadn't taken in the West since 1983 with Stern's Cliff Hanger: video games!

Lupin the 3rd: Treasure of the Sorcerer King was originally released in Japan three months prior. The game's story felt like a Lupin TV special, but the graphics, music, and overall aesthetic were clearly modelled after the Part 2 TV series... which meant it was perfect to bring over to North America with the TV series /Secret of Mamo cast!

My copy of the game, a little water-damaged due to an air conditioner leak fifteen years ago…also, say hi to Batman in the background there!

Geneon started doing a bit of a push for this one, too: it got a trailer on Geneon DVDs. I remember reading an issue of the American version of Shonen Jump, and being surprised to see a magazine advertisment for this game. It was reviewed on the TV show X-Play (it scored a 3 out of 5, if you were wondering). The game itself was kinda mediocre, and I don't think it sold particularly well...

Pretty cool ad, though!
Also, despite using a different (and honestly cooler) logo, they’re still being consistent with the colorful background swirls

But do you think that stopped Geneon from still trying to get Lupin to be a thing in the US?

Y’know, this time, I think it kinda did.

[adult swim] stopped rerunning the show in mid-2004 but soon brought it back with the same twenty-six episodes, and kept rerunning them on-and-off until about 2005. On July 4, 2006, Geneon released the fifteenth and final volume in their Lupin the 3rd series: Thievin' Ain't Easy, containing episodes seventy-five to seventy-nine. In 2008, 80.1% of the company was sold to NBC Universal's Universal Pictures International Entertainment.

SOURCE: eBay user “Kirill Recognize Real” and Wikipedia
(I’ll let you figure out which is which)

Lupin wasn't the only anime property that Geneon had, but I always got the impression that it was their top priority, presumably due to the franchise's popularity and history in Japan. You didn't see this kind of promotional push for stuff like R.O.D. the TV, Heat Guy J (which Geneon apparently paid as much for as Funimation did for Fullmetal Alchemist), Hellsing, or even Trigun.

(They also released Amazing Nurse Nanako? Not saying they deserved to be shut down because of it, but man does that show suck).

I was a sixteen year old boy when I watched this thing…which I’m sure completely explains why I’m familiar with it at all

BREAKING NEWS: We interrupt this article to report that I have purchased the previously-mentioned bust, and it is now sitting pretty in my living room!

I don’t need to prove that I’m the one that took this picture, but the fact Lupin’s surrounded by Elvira, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, and Super Mario toys should be all the evidence you need

Anyway…

So, what exactly happened? Why couldn't Pioneer/Geneon get Lupin the 3rd to catch on in the West?

During this whole saga, Funimation had released seven TV specials (all the ones from Voyage to Danger to Missed By a Dollar) and two theatrical movies (Farewell to Nostradamus and Dead or Alive) with their own cast and crew. Meanwhile, Tokyopop had released all fourteen volumes of Monkey Punch's original Lupin III / Lupin III New Adventures manga, and the first six volumes of Shin Lupin III (which Tokyopop retitled, funnily enough, Lupin III: World's Most Wanted). Sadly, none of it really seemed to catch on.

Not to brag, but my Final Haul box set is signed by Sonny Strait (Lupin), Christopher Sabat (Jigen), and Mike MacFarland (Goemon)

Man, the covers of TOKYOPOP’s Lupin manga were SO cool

Ultimately, I feel that it just wasn't the right time for Lupin the Third in the West.

When [adult swim] was airing the series, I'd frequently see complaints online (especially on the [adult swim] message boards, of which I was a member) that the show looked so “old”, because, well, it was. Anime and manga were experiencing a pretty big boom in the U.S, but the vast majority of it was shounen action stuff from the 90s: Pokémon, InuYasha, Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh!, my beloved Yu Yu Hakusho... and here we have a silly, seinen-aimed comedy, with gangly character designs from the 70s that definitely looked its age.

Sure, the dub script tried to punch it up by making more contemporary pop culture references and jokes, but... that didn't change the way it looked.

And, to Geneon's credit, they tried to play into that, invoking Austin Powers with the psychedelic design on the merch and website, working Lupin's sideburns into as much as they could, and emphasizing the James Bond-style adventures all over the globe.

They tried, they really did. Personally, I think they were just about a decade or so too early.

In 2012, we got The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, which was distributed and dubbed by Funimation. Around that same time, Hulu added Lupin the Third Parts 1 to 3, and the aforementioned Fujiko Mine series. Soon, Discotek Media had released Part 1 as well as a few movies and TV specials on DVD and followed that up with the definitive DVD of The Mystery of Mamo.

Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine

I don't know what the specific point that hooked American anime fans was. Was it Part 4's Italian and Japanese release in 2015, or [adult swim]/Toonami's airing of it in 2017? Maybe Part 5 in 2018, before hitting U.S. airwaves in 2019?

In 2017, Discotek Media released the first half of Lupin the Third Part 2 on DVD, containing every episode that had been dubbed by Geneon. The rest of the series would soon follow over the next few years, and that voice cast (save for Dan Lorge as Zenigata) has been doing the English dubs for most of the new Lupin releases ever since Part 4.

All this to say that Pioneer / Geneon really, really wanted Lupin the Third to catch on in North America. It didn't, but ultimately, their efforts weren't in vain. In several ways, Geneon's push for the franchise paved the way for where it is now over here. The few of us that watched it on [adult swim] look back on it fondly. We got lots of cool, but bizarre stuff out of it. We got the first seventy-nine episodes of Part 2 dubbed, and the definitive English cast for these characters got their start here.

Pioneer / Geneon had a very specific direction for Lupin the 3rd. It was about globetrotting adventures in the 1970s, with all the psychedelia, fashions, jazz-funk music, and sideburns that entailed. And most importantly, it was about fun. There was a tongue-in-cheek vibe to the whole thing, never taking itself too seriously, with strong characters that, as we’ve all seen, could work in just about any situation you put them in. Unlike more modern Lupin anime series, Part 2 doesn't have a central theme or story arcs running underneath it. It's not trying to say anything, it's just about enjoying each adventure as it comes.

Geneon saw that, and wanted America to see it, too.

I mean, it certainly worked on me. At midnight, on January 31, 2003, I saw episode 13 of Lupin the 3rd Part 2: “I Left My Mind in San Francisco”, and now, almost twenty-three years later, here I am writing a hilariously lengthy article about how the show was advertised.

Nowadays, it's not the biggest thing ever, but it's doing all right. I'd wager most American anime fans have at least heard of Lupin the Third, if not seen anything from it. And, to an extent, we have Geneon's fixation on facial hair and being a globally wanted criminal to thank for getting the ball rolling on it.