[adult swim] plays host to a number of fun, humorous, and action-packed shows. The lineup includes titles such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Ghost in the Shell- Stand Alone Complex, and Samurai Champloo (I swear, Fuu has a set of fuzzy dice on her katana…). However, behind this star lineup is a show that has passed the test of time: Lupin the Third. It may be one of the cheesiest shows I have ever seen, but in the immortal words of Dominic Nguyen (of Shirt Guy Dom fame for Megatokyo), “The cheese must flow.” Besides, some of its charm comes from its cheesiness.

Lupin the Third follows the adventures of Arsene Lupin III, the grandson of a fictional “gentleman thief” from a French novel. Lupin is simply chock full of style and humor. This has allowed him to pick up a few co-conspirators over the time. His posse includes Daisuke Jigen, an accurate gunman, whose eyes are almost never revealed, but hidden under the brim of his trademark hat. His next partner-in-crime is Goemon Ishikawa XIII, a swordsman whose amazing skills aid Lupin in his less-than-righteous quest for loot. Playing the seductress is Fujiko Mine, a woman who always gets what she wants- most of the time at Lupin’s expense. And the womanizing Lupin is always happy to oblige. But for every “hero,” there has to be a “villain.” Enter Inspector Koichi Zenigata, the man who is ALWAYS on Lupin’s trail, no matter where he goes. However, he may have chased him a little too much, for no matter what happens, from petty theft to a terrorist threat, in his mind, Lupin HAS to be involved somehow. Ironically, he is both right and wrong. Lupin is there, but he sides with nobody. He screws everyone over equally!

Lupin the Third is a fun show, but one of the charming things about it is that it truly has no sequential order. You can watch any episode at any time no matter which one and they stand alone. No episode links to another. It would seem like the show has no point, and it really sort of doesn’t. Other shows may seem random, but they all lead up to a final climax. With this show, it truly is random. The only downside is that it comes on at about 5:30 AM… Lucky for me, I have satellite, so I get the east coast feed of Cartoon Network, and watch it at 2:30.

As always, feel free to post comments. Until next time…