How Lupin III perfected 3D anime

When the animation industry started to embrace computer-generated cartoons, many traditional animators began to wonder what their careers would look like in the evolving landscape of their industry. Similar to how the recent advent of Chat GPT and the ensuing panic its very existence has instilled in a variety of professions, watching 3D animation's rise during the early 2000s must have felt like looking at the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs for professionals in animation.

In modernity, the animation industry has found something of a happy medium where both 2D and 3D artists can thrive. However, even though the West has openly embraced 3D as the standard, Japanese animation, barring a few exceptions, still relies on 2D animation as their primary style. Whenever anime has attempted to move into the third dimension, the results have been a little wonky. In the video linked above, the YouTube channel Accented Cinema explains how Lupin III: The First should be viewed as the gold standard for all future 3D anime films.