What went right?

They pretty much left it the f&$* alone :)... Evidenced by the way they kept the opening theme and credits intact, as compared to the hideous display of the Streamline tape. Instead, Manga integrated the english title around the existing japanese title credit, let the un-edited japanese credits play, then produced a credit sequence at the end of the film with the translated credits. (The original film ends with the 'Fin' symbol, this dvd fades out, then starts up the theme music again with vertically scrolling credits.)

On a similar note, upon some repeat viewing of the new dub it's apparent that unlike some dub productions, the actors here were shown the original japanese performances. Why some voice directors and actors don't prefer this, I have no idea. Just like reading a script with directions on it, it's another tool to examine the characters & motivations.

Story elements that were mucked around in Streamline's version were left alone in Manga's version. A Good Thing™. One of the most egregious fo-pahs in Streamline's version is the explanation of Claricss's absence (as spoken by the barmaid) was that she 'was away at college', where in the original (and in Manga's) it was explained she was away in a convent. This is a semi-crucial point in the story, explaining a bit how Clarisse comes off as emotionally sheltered, as well as resigned to her 'fate'. This illustrates the brilliant choice of not changing a nice piece of writing. Gee, how quaint!

Also there is the brilliantly done tower scene where Lupin first enters in attempt to rescue Clarisse. In the Streamline version, there was a ton of knight in shining armor BS non-techno babble, glossing over the original fun dialogue of Lupin explaining about the 'honor of the thief' while being both heroic and mischievous at the same time. The Manga version keeps the spirit of the original about as well as could be expected.

As a picky fan type, one thing I like about the dub is that they pronounce Lupin like it should be, LOO-pahn. :) After years of pussy-footing around the whole gee-I'm-too-scared legal beating around the bush remedies like 'Wolf', 'Rupan III', and even TMS' own preferred English name for the character, 'Cliff Hanger', Lupin appears alteration-free. Either this nebulous legal matter was resolved, or Manga did what Carl Macek did in his later Lupin dubs ('Mystery of Mamo', & the tv episode dubs), which was to basically say 'fuck it' and did it anyway. With either scenario, you get a big 'Huzzah! Finally!' from this little corner of space.