Compared to the two months it took me to get through Lupin: Part II, watching all 50 episodes of this show only required nine days—a welcome change because it didn't feel tedious. It’s a bit ironic that this mainline Lupin series, which draws so heavily on Western culture, never received an official English dub. While I would love to see Tony Oliver and his cast tackle it someday, the subtitles were perfectly acceptable. I went into this show expecting it to be merely adequate, assuming it wouldn't add much to the franchise compared to Part I and Part II. It did surprise me by being genuinely good, although it’s not as dramatically intense as Part I or as humorous and unpredictable as Part II. What it *does* offer is very well done. I heard this show was considered an outlier in the Lupin series, and initially I didn't see why, but after watching more episodes, I think it’s because it lacks a distinct personality. Parts I and II have strong personalities, whereas this one feels somewhat generic—and I don’t want to be overly critical since many of the individual episodes are good. The question is, what sets it apart? Ultimately, I'd say that in the later half of the series, they dialed back some of the more mature elements (like brief visual depictions) and shifted towards wacky, slapstick animation, which I actually enjoy. It’s reminiscent of Part 1’s tonal identity issues, but less severe. Some episodes can be quite silly, and those are usually my favorites. The overall quality remains fairly consistent, generally around a 7/10, though there aren't many truly outstanding episodes. Episodes 6, 30, and 37 stand out because they attempt to tell compelling stories with the characters while still being entertaining. I noticed that there’s a lack of character-focused episodes; while there are some featuring Jigen and Goemon, there aren’t as many as in Lupin: Part II. There's not much to discuss regarding the characters themselves since they largely remain consistent with Part II, aside from minor design alterations. The early episodes feature a more realistic humanoid art style that I don't particularly like, contrasting with the later wacky and silly style that I do appreciate. Jigen’s and Zenigata’s designs are the most noteworthy; I dislike Jigen in the "realistic" style because it removes his signature hat-over-eyes look, which is a key part of his character. However, they bring the droop back when he adopts the goofy style. I also like Zenigata's design here, which rivals his appearance from *The Mystery of Mamo* (pre-Part III), but there’s not much more to say about that. Overall, this show doesn’t hold my attention as strongly as Parts I or II, and while most episodes are solid on their own, few have left a lasting impression. I don't really have much else to say because it isn't driven by an overarching narrative; it's episodic. It’s surprisingly good for what it is, but it's clearly the weakest of the original three series. Now I have quite a few movies, TV specials, OVAs, and spin-offs to watch before moving on to Part IV.

Source on TMDB