The animation, drawn in the style of the manga, is really fun. It's great to see Kazuhiko Kato's wild, chaotic, expressive style, animated.
It's also funny hearing the voices before they were recast.
Chikao Ohtsuka as Zenigata fits the manga's snide and competitive characterisation. It's kind of jarring to hear the voice difference. Honestly, I think I'd have preferred the voice if it was closer to his Tuco Ramírez voice, but I'm just nitpicking, and I guess the voice is fine for what it is and it suits the tone of this short.
But this pilot is the closest thing to an animated version of the manga we'll see. When the series actually started, Goro Naya portrayed a warmer, more sympathetic Zenigata. He shaped the character into what he was today, making him a true successor to Ganimard.
The funny thing here is Naya voices Goemon. In Part 1, their roles were switched around. Ohtsuka is an okay Zenigata, but a better Goemon, even though he didn't stay long.
Kiyoshi Kobayashi has been there from the beginning. He's the Japanese voice of James Coburn. Jigen was based on Britt from 'The Magnificent Seven', who Kobayashi dubbed who himself is based on Kyuzo 'from Seven Samurai'. Kobayashi even voiced a Jigen-like thief in the Japanese dub of 'Samurai Jack', he's that dedicated.
Eiko Masuyama was also there from the beginning. She retired as Fujiko eventually but for a long while she was a mainstay, so it's great to hear her voice as well.
And Lupin's voice? Again, fine for the manga characterisation. Yasuo Yamada, like Naya, shaped his character in the anime and gave the character a vibrant, youthful quality, while the guy in the pilot has a "smooth criminal" voice.
This pilot film is very different to the anime in a lot of ways, but just as fun. That's the charm of this short film. The anime is great in its own right, but the pilot is the manga, animated. There is nothing in the series like it.
