Changes like these are the unfortunate result of the increased popularity and the push to get anime shown on television. Without the lure of the money they could make with a video release publicized by the broadcast on Cartoon Network, the skipping of the episode featuring references to the Nazis and Hitler would never have happened. Considering we have no guarantee the missing episode will ever be released in North America, Pioneer's handling of this title shows that the lawyers and business men are more concerned with covering their butts and how much money they can make than releasing a classic anime title in the best way possible.

Although it's unknown what changes have been made to the English dialog to 'modernize' the dub, I can't see any good coming of this either. It seems there is a good deal of nostalgia about the 70s these days (FOX's "That 70s Show" is one example of this), Pioneer would have been better off playing on the setting of Lupin in the 70s instead of modernizing it. My worse fear is that the characters will start talking like gansta-rappers... even if I know that's unlikely, it was my first thought when I was that dreaded "modernize" term used to justify their changes. It's just one term of many that companies have used to make edits and changes to anime titles over the long history of anime in North America.

The logo and copyright problems might be understandable (although it's hard to tell without knowing the details, but it seems to be the same overreaction by lawyers and beancounters that is driving this title into a mainstream release that will probably fail and the existing audience for it to avoid it.

If you have to change an anime title to appeal to a "mainstream" audience, why bother licensing an existing anime title at all? It would have been better for Pioneer to make a new show that targets whatever market they are attempting to reach with their edited version.

This information came directly from Pioneer:

Dear fans of Lupin The 3rd TV series:

Thank you for your enthusiasm for the long-awaited Lupin The 3rd TV series. Unfortunately, as noted here, the third episode of the original broadcast, “Hitler’s Legacy,” will not be included in this first volume. While Anime fans certainly understand Lupin, the uninformed public remains extremely sensitive to any references to Hitler and the subject matter will certainly offend the audience that does not care to consider the topic within the context of the show. The launch of Lupin would not survive any negative press or stereotypes from this type of publicity.

In the end, the decision was made to delay the release of this episode until the franchise has been established and any negative aura would be countered by the established, true nature of Lupin: Charming characters and outrageous fun for people of all ages. Other than this reordering of the episodes, Pioneer Entertainment has not made any edits and we have left the original Japanese dialog intact. While the English dialog has been updated to give Lupin a more current feel, a faithful translation of the original dialog is present in the subtitle track. Also, you will find the original Japanese episode titles translated in the previews, and, beginning with volume 2, we incorporated your feedback and added the episode titles as soft subtitles in the title slate.

However, there will remain discrepancies between the Japanese releases and the region 1 releases due to copyright infringement issues. Our licensor was forced to remove certain trademarked images and logos from the footage and swap out a few musical elements before they could release the masters to territories outside of Japan. Since we were denied access to the original masters, we cannot provide a full list of these changes (although we’re sure that a list will be generated by fans shortly), but there are not very many and they are minor nuances. The original storylines and contents remain unedited and unaffected.

Obviously the most dedicated fans who are the most aware of Lupin The 3rd will be the most concerned about these changes, so we ask for your understanding and your patience as we introduce everyone else in North America to this wonderful show. We found that despite some issues that may cause us trouble, Lupin The 3rd was just too much fun to pass up and we are doing our best, given the conditions forced upon us, to make everyone feel the same way. Please support Lupin The 3rd in its launch so that we may have the opportunity to release the title in its entirety for everyone to enjoy!

Update: The "Hitler's Legacy" episode is included on disc 5 of the DVD release. The disc is titled "Mission: Irresistible" and the episode is called "To Be, Or Nazi Be".

• Currently the only way to get the complete and uncut Lupin III TV series is by obtaining an import version from Japan that reportedly doesn't change any of the logos, copyrighted music, or leave out or rearrange any of the episodes.

• Please write or otherwise contact Pioneer and voice your opinion about the edits they made to Lupin III. Remember to be polite as possible and ask for them to stop making senseless changes to anime. Threatening or sending them flames will only get your message discarded.