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178 - Lupin III (ルパン三世) Arsène Lupin III Hand-painted celluloid sh…
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Estimate €250 - €500
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Description
Lupin III (ルパン三世) Arsène Lupin III Hand-painted celluloid sheet used in the production of the Lupin III anime, based on Monkey Punch (モンキー・パンチ). Executed in ink and gouache on an original gouache background. Produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS Entertainment) 1971–1972, Japan H27.2 L38.5 cm Lot 178 captures a stylised sense of contentment — half-closed eyes, a lopsided smile, part of his teeth visible. This is Lupin having regained his composure and savouring the moment, with that expression of calculated and slightly predatory pleasure which is the character’s other graphic signature. The half-closed eyes convey conscious, unashamed pleasure; the crooked smile suggests he knows exactly what is going on and has no intention of protesting. This stylised expression of contentment is graphically more sophisticated than the surprise in batch 177 — it requires the colourist to convey a complex emotion, somewhere between pleasure, irony and a touch of perversity, through facial features alone. The difference in medium between the two lots — pencil keyframe for lot 177, painted celluloid on a large-format original gouache background for Lot 178 — suggests that the surprise scene (Lot 177) may not have resulted in a finalised celluloid that has been preserved, or that it belongs to a different sequence. The large format of lot 178 (H27.2 × L38.5) indicates a wide shot featuring both characters in a painted setting — the woman’s hand, Lupin, and the scene’s surroundings are all visible simultaneously. These two pieces are among the most representative of the spirit of Lupin III in its original 1971–1972 version — the most adult and the most faithful to Monkey Punch of all the adaptations, before later versions gradually toned down the tone. They capture Miyazaki and Takahata’s Lupin: irreverent, sexually expressive, graphically exaggerated in his emotions — a character whose facial animation alone spoke volumes.
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About the sale Knights, Armour and Samurai + Animation Art Selection
Auction location
Auction time 06/28/2026 at 3:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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