The Winter 2021 Manga Guide

Lupin III (Lupin the 3rd): Greatest Heists – The Classic Manga Collection

What's It About? 

Lupin III: Greatest Heists is a collection of twelve classic stories from throughout Lupin's history. Taken from Monkey Punch's Lupin III and New Lupin III, these stories have been fully retranslated and are collected in one volume for the first time. (from Seven Seas)

Lupin III (Lupin the 3rd): Greatest Heists – The Classic Manga Collection is drawn and scripted by Monkey Punch and Seven Seas Entertainment has released both digital and physical versions of the book for $11.99 and $23.99 respectively.

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

The stories in this collection of Lupin III capers were all originally published between the late 1960s and the very early 1980s. That's not always something you need to consider when reading an older title, but with this book, it definitely bears keeping in mind, because there are some definite markers of attitudes much different from our own. It's nothing worse than your average James Bond film of the same time periods, but if your only familiarity with the franchise comes from the more recent anime adaptations, some of what's in Monkey Punch's originals could come as a shock. Mostly that has to do with the two earliest stories in the collection, both of which involve a man forcing himself on a woman whom we're clearly supposed to believe is “frigid” (to pull out a term from the bad old days) and who in one story discovers that she just hadn't met the right man yet. In the other? She's hiding microfilm for her father – in her vagina. You know, as one does. She's also very much painted as a victim of sexual assault, except that that assault is drawn as fodder for audience titillation, with a note from Monkey Punch saying that the man has been omitted. Granted, that could be for censorship reasons (and it's used in the second story as well), but it's really uncomfortable to read.

Luckily those are the most objectionable portions of the volume, which is otherwise a lot of fun. In a selection of tales from both iterations of the manga, Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko fool Zenigata and a few other of the series' regular lawmen, pull off heists, survive bizarre odds, and lose their pants an awful lot in what is clearly a butt-based running gag. The best stories are the ones that rely on Lupin's amazing talent for disguise, because those allow the plots to twist and convolute in exciting and silly ways, such as when Lupin disguises himself as a cop and the cop as himself and no one can quite figure out what's going on. The two-parter that ends the book is another goofy masterpiece wherein Lupin (and later Jigen and Goemon) attempt a highly booby-trapped treasure hunt, which is replete with imaginative and vaguely familiar pitfalls for would-be thieves. It also stands out by virtue of featuring the entire gang working together – with the exception of Fujiko, of course, who switches sides with dizzying frequency throughout the volume (that could be more the result of anthologizing out of order than anything else.) – something that is quite rare among the collected stories.

This book was originally published in Japan in 2019 as a tribute to Monkey Punch upon his death. There's an essay included from the anthologizing editor, written as a letter to the creator after his death, and that more than anything else says a lot about how much the manga means to a lot of readers. Just because something is silly or outdated doesn't mean that it doesn't still have merit, and this compilation of Lupin stories does a good job of showing that. The translation has a few blips, sometimes using period-appropriate language (“It's one of those mod parties!”) and other times feeling a bit too modern, the art is all over the place, but the stories are mostly a lot of fun. If you're a Lupin III fan, you want to check this out.

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Christopher Farris

Rating:

Having reached the fiftieth anniversary of the original Lupin III anime, this has been something of a banner year for everyone's favorite famous thief. There's a new anime in the currently airing Part 6, a special release of a brand-new dubbed version of the first episode of that aforementioned original anime, and now Seven Seas has seen fit to put out an English version of this 2019 collection, which you have to presume is at least partially meant to test the waters in regards to the full manga itself. It makes sense at a technical level, this being a set of chapters curated as a tribute after Monkey-sensei's passing, but being selected at the behest of a single editor, Ryuichi Endo, can make for some odd-feeling decisions apart from what we might guess the original author or even fans might opt to present.

The most unusual quirk, to me, is the order these greatest hits tracks are presented in: Rather than a straight publication order, Greatest Heists opts to alternate chapters between the original Lupin III manga from the '60s and the New Lupin III series that started in the late '70s. This does mean you get a solid smorgasbord of Monkey Punch's evolving artstyle evenly represented across the whole of the volume, and I can even agree with opening the book with 1977's 'Lupin Family Reunion', a rollicking showcase of all the main characters as more casual audience members may be more familiar with them. But it can also lead to odd situations such as Goemon being present in several chapters we've already read, before we cut to the 'origin story' of him meeting Lupin, which itself abruptly ends after only the first chapter of that story. It can end up feeling absolutely scattershot at worst, and at odds with one of the stated priorities of this collection: to appeal to readers new to Lupin III.

What remains then is more of an aesthetic sampling of the distinctive style of Monkey Punch's art and storytelling, and to its credit, that still makes this presentation an appreciable treat. There's a loose, almost newspaper-comic-esque sensibility to the action and gags throughout (with fourth-wall-breaking jokes aplenty), and even after all these decades, some of the heists still feel fresh in surprising ways ('1 Man, 180 Roles' is a personal favorite of mine). Of course, the classic status does not mean that all of its elements are aged successfully, and I'm not just talking about how the original inciting chapter opens at a Mod party. The grittier, more genuine-scoundrel-esque take on the life of a thief means you'll have to contend with Monkey Punch's portrayal of sexual assault in varying degrees, though at least Lupin himself doesn't rape anybody in this selection. As with so many of the other odder elements of this collection, it means it feels best-suited as a supplement for established fans, instead of the effective jumping-on point for the inexperienced Lupin-curious.

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Grant Jones

Rating:

Lupin III Greatest Heists is something of a Schrodinger's manga where the shock you experience will depend entirely on how much you know of Lupin's outings to begin with. For myself, this is my first time reading any of Monkey Punch's classic work but by no means my first exposure to Lupin and the gang. I have sampled from a rather broad mix of Lupin works (TV and film) and know that the series varies in tones, themes, and characterizations, even if the central hook of world-hopping Cold War-era criminals is the same.

I would imagine most people these days know Lupin III either through reputation, the Castle of Cagliostro film, or random gifs/memes. As such, I think it's important to note that if Lupin seems like “just” a lovable thief, then you might be in for a surprise regarding how explicit Monkey Punch's original work can be. This is not a negative by any stretch, but I think it's important to remember that the work is over half a century old and is – in classic anime parlance – Not Kids Stuff™.

What I love about Lupin is precisely the fact that these works are from another era. Lupin, Jigen, Fujiko, Goemon, Zenigata, and the rest are all iconic characters with distinct, larger-than-life personalities. To say they are instantly recognizable is an almost criminal understatement. They are both quintessentially of their era and timeless in their staying power. Has there ever been a more recognizable group of rogues?

They get into globe-trotting hijinks involving fast cars, meticulous heists, and slapstick comedy, all without being weighed down by the structural demands of a larger narrative. Similar to other iconic, pulpy heroes of the last century, there is no real need for a strict chronology or nailed-down details. Lupin and the gang blast from one adventure to the next, shooting and scheming and laughing their way through increasingly outrageous and disconnected tales. Much as Conan the Barbarian could be rogue, king, and buccaneer from week to week, there is little connective tissue between the stories because it is more about the excitement and suspense of the ridiculous moment-to-moment scenarios and hilarious slapstick comedy.

Because make no mistake, Greatest Heists is a creative highlight reel of outrageous goofery. Lupin is a gag manga in heist's clothing. This is James Bond by way of Tex Avery. Golgo 13 presented by Akira Toriyama. If you're here for meticulous job-plotting and mission-focused competence porn you're probably going to be disappointed. The real treat is the joyous irreverence and artful expression. The sheer elasticity of Monkey Punch's characters is a delight in every panel. It's easy to see why Monkey Punch's work continues to amaze, shock, and delight audiences all these decades later, and for (mostly) good or (seldom) ill you will find a surprise on every page.

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MrAJCosplay

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I've been a big fan of Lupin's animated endeavors so I was surprised at just how cartoony and over-the-top he and his crew were portrayed in manga form. While the animated shows and movies have always been very cartoony, Monkey Punch's artwork takes it to a whole other level in turns of rubbery expressiveness. However, this wasn't an off-putting surprise but rather a welcoming one as Lupin is an icon that lends itself to that exaggerated art style that has been slowly refined throughout the years. This collection of shorts feels like a perfect personification of the more out-there aspects of Lupin's career. Even amongst the violence and innuendos, there's a surprisingly childish sense of playfulness with the characters and how they approach everything, but it never feels jarring or out of place. I think it says a lot when one of the funniest stories in this collection is Lupin and his friends all disguising themselves as each other for the sake of getting the jump on one another. I think this collection does a solid job of encapsulating the balancing act that Lupin has always embodied as a character. He's goofy and eccentric but also talented and fast on his feet. He's easily distracted and laid back but also incredibly loyal and dedicated. However, this isn't just about him; it's also about his crew who share similar eccentricities that match his energy well even if they don't always want to admit it. I think any self-respecting Lupin fan should already have this as part of their collection. However, if you don't mind a little bit of a rougher aesthetic compared to what's coming out today and have always been curious about what has made Lupin the household name that he is today, then I think that this would be right up your alley.