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Lupin III changed the market for anime by introducing a cast of adult characters with adult stories and problems, attempting to breathe maturity into a medium whose initial visionary created in the shadow of the legendary Walt Disney.

The show narrates the escapades of the titular phantom thief, his right hand man Jigen, and his lady friend Fujiko. Heist, capers, and kidnappings abound as the gang seeks out their latest thrill.

Part 1 of this watershed franchise is where Lupin first leapt onto broadcast television. Its sound design and animation unfortunately reflect the times more than the capability of its staff, but with older productions from ... anime’s very infancy a certain unrefinement is to be expected by the viewer. Part 1’s production does the job: it conveys its narrative with enough audiovisual engagement to weave a story. Those searching for eye-melting sakuga sequences or emotionally evocative soundtracks should turn their attention elsewhere.

What Part 1 DOES offer is an admittedly delightful romp of elementary crime capers that earnestly presents its cast and situations in a charmingly campy manner. Its best episodes play the tried and true archetypes of Arsene Lupin III, Jigen Daisuke, and Fujiko Mine to their fullest, making for brief 20 minute stints of amusing jokes, goofy interactions, and ridiculous action. The primitive production actually worked in service of my connection with the Lupin gang during these moments; ridiculous tunes and bright, simple colors elevate the unfolding mayhem on screen.

Lupin III can be delightful for a few afternoons of chuckles and relaxation.

Even as I viewed it through the simple unpresumptuous lens the production aspires to, a “sort of funny anime where entertaining things happen to lovable characters,” Lupin III Pt 1 fell short of being the perfect crime in one critical area: consistency.

Even excusing the different ideas brought by its various directors, Part 1 possesses no sense of itself or its cast, with various elements changing or even disappearing across episodes. Nothing flows, as if the staff did not know what sort of characters the Lupin gang should be or what sort of stories the gang could tell.

Lupin III Pt 1 suffered from acute growing pangs. By later Lupins, a majority of its issues with consistency were sorted out and the resulting packages feel much more cohesive. Part 1is a different beast entirely: it regularly messes with its world’s internal logic, switches up its tone, and perhaps most offensively juggles the personalities of its cast. Lupin’s a good thief, Jigen’s a “cool gunman,” Fujiko is ambiguous, and samurai Ishikawa Goemon is a hardass. Those are the only constants across the 26 episode runtime. The relationships between the characters, how they play off each other to execute gags, and their own desires seem liquid for no artistic purpose. As a note, my own tolerance for Lupin III’s lack of vision as to what it wanted to be might be lower than most.

Aside from that, Lupin III’s first anime outing is an enjoyable ride. The production gave birth not only to a new demographic for the at the time infantile medium of anime, but also served as the premiere anime endeavor for legendary names Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. As a project in isolation it fails to deliver truly excellent entertainment in virtually any regard, but it deserves an audience for its amusing antics and deserves respect for its ambitious legacy to a medium that lacked identity, even if its own identity search runs parallel to early anime’s adolescence.

Note: I don't agree with half the stuff I said in this review and I think my writing style is quite immature and undeveloped, but the community got a kick out of it, so I'll leave it here.

Kill la Kill has been praised as hilarious satire of action anime, but it ultimately fails to communicate to the watcher that it is satire by attempting to include profound thought amidst a spectacular display of skin and stupidity.

Story: 3/10
When I saw Ryouku Matoi arriving at Honnouji Academy with half of a scissor to discover who killed her father, I'll admit that I was excited by the premise ... of this show. However, the plot for the first third of the show was repetitive and dull, and felt like 8 episodes of filler. Then, Ryouku finally made her way to battle the woman she had been seeking, lost, and the show proceeded into an arc revolving around the concept that high schools have more authority in Japan. While the dialogue is witty, the events are poorly written and crappily explained, and most of the time, one isn't even sure why the characters fight.
Now, the show's elaborate screaming fight scenes would be okay if it was satire, as most deem it to be, but Kill La Kill leads you to believe that it's taking itself seriously. There are dull conversations about how clothing somehow became sentient (huh?) and that it corrupts the human race (the explanation for how it corrupts humans is so shitty and half-assed i didn't bother trying to understand it.)
Ultimately, I would accept the story as satire if it didn't try to be ridiculous, non-sensical, and philosophical/intelligent all at once.

Art:5/10
While the fighting animation of the show is fluid and exciting, the environments are undeveloped and rely upon a dull color palette. On top of that, the characters look like they are still sketches, filled with haphazard lines and only a few bright colors. It's hard to tell the difference between Ira Gamagori and the desert with two buildings(half of the show's setting) behind him.

Sound: 8/10
Kill la Kill features catchy openings, closings, and a stellar fight theme in "Before my Body is Dry," but "Before my Body is Dry" is the only song that the show ever plays. The lack of variety is pretty sad.

Character:
I'm not sure whether to give Characters a "2" or a "10." Honestly, they're ridiculous and poorly developed (they remain pretty stagnant throughout all 24 episodes, except for Ryouku.) This lack of development is fine if this is satire of action anime, but KLK still attempts to make a point about malicious clothing and human shame, so the one quality that could have made ridiculous characters and lack of development for everyone but Ryouku is perfectly fine is made null by the show's ardent desire for us to take it seriously by adding in more bullshit.

Enjoyment:
Most jokes are pretty funny, and Mako Mankashouka is utterly hilarious, while Guts is pretty cool, too.

The Verdict: 5/10
As long as you don't go into Kill la Kill expecting it to have legitimate, intellectual weight and commentary, you'll find a show that is pretty funny, and Ryouku's pretty hot. It's a shame Kill la Kill couldn't decide if it wanted to be satire or serious.