Lupin the 3rd Part 2

Lupin the 3rd Part II (新 ルパン三世 Shin Rupan Sansei) is the second anime series adaptation of Monkey Punch's Lupin III manga series. Simply known as Lupin the 3rd in the American market since the first series wasn't dubbed.

The show was created after the success of the first series (1971-1972) in reruns. In contrast to the dark tone and violence of the serious Part I, this series made use of a lighter tone and more exaggerated animation to create a crime caper.

Dubbing History
The series was first dubbed by Streamline Pictures in 1993, dubbing Episodes 145 and 155 and releasing them as Tales of the Wolf and later as Lupin III's Greatest Capers on VHS. The reason these episodes were specifically chosen is due to the fact that they were directed by legendary anime director Hayao Miyazaki, who also directed Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro. The voice actors used for Cagliostro reprised their roles for this dub. Although there was interest in dubbing the rest of the series by Streamline, the inability to get a TV deal prevented it from happening.

The series was licensed by Pioneer Entertainment in 2003, preferring to go with the more light-hearted series rather than Part I. An English dub was produced by Phuuz Entertainment Inc. and directed by Richard Epcar. Bob Bergen was originally to reprise the role of Lupin from the Streamline dub, but due to the non-union status of the project he opted out and was replaced with Tony Oliver.

The Pioneer/Phuuz dub is often criticized for opting to modernize the script with pop culture references dreadfully out of place for a series from the '70s (e.g. references to Shaquille O'Neil, The Simpsons, and The War on Terror). These were likely attempts to make the series more appropriate for Adult Swim's comedic nature, as once the series stopped airing there after 26 episodes, these references disappear on the further episodes released to DVD. Only 79 episodes were produced of the dub as, according to Richard Epcar, Pioneer (by then Geneon) had lost the license before they could complete dubbing.

Video Releases
* including the undubbed episodes with subtitles