is a 2002 Japanese original video animation based on

Monkey Punch , known by the pen name , was a Japanese manga artist, best known for his series ''Lupin III''. Life and career Katō was born in Hamanaka, Hokkaido; he began drawing at a very young age, but did not draw manga until junior high school, when h ...

's ''

Lupin III , also written as ''Lupin the Third'', ''Lupin the 3rd'', or ''Lupin the IIIrd'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the endeavors of master thief Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsèn ...

'' manga. Directed by Mamoru Hamatsu and released on April 3, 2002, it is the second OVA in the ''

'' franchise. The story features the return of the magician

Pycal This is a list of characters from the ''Lupin the Third'' franchise, created by Monkey Punch. Monkey Punch's original manga differs significantly in both characterization and content compared to most anime adaptations. While the manga featur ...

, in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the manga's first television

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

adaptation. ''Return of Pycal'' won an Excellent Work Award at the 2003

Tokyo International Anime Fair The Tokyo International Anime Fair also known as was one of the largest anime trade fairs in the world, held annually in Tokyo, Japan. The first event was held in 2002 as "Tokyo International Anime Fair 21". The event was held at Tokyo Big Sigh ...

. It was released in North America on July 27, 2021, by

Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...

Plot

When Lupin attempts to steal a gem, he is interrupted by Pycal, a magician who was considered to have died after facing off with Lupin in the past (chapter 7: "Magician" of the original manga and episode 2: "The Man They Called a Magician" of the first anime series). Pycal, once a trickster, now seems armed with real magical abilities, and seems determined to get his revenge on Lupin.

Release

''Return of Pycal'' was released on VHS and limited edition DVD by VAP on April 3, 2002. The limited edition DVD set includes a CD-ROM with a puzzle game, which if beaten would provide a password for ZIP files containing wallpapers, and a CD of the soundtrack. On April 23, 2003, a standard DVD version and a standalone CD of the soundtrack were released separately. Vap released ''Return of Pycal'' on Blu-ray on September 15, 2010.

announced their North American license to the OVA in December 2020. They released it on upscaled Blu-ray on July 27, 2021.

References

External links

*
''Return of Pycal'' at Lupin III Encyclopedia
* 2002 anime OVAs Lupin the Third Discotek Media TMS Entertainment {{anime-OVA-stub