Of all the Lupin animated features that the saga has had in its long history, this one is my top favourite. It embodies all the elements that make up a great Lupin tale, but also stands out as being different from a normal expected Lupin tale. And it's just so much fun to see, too! Not since the Miyazaki era has there been a Lupin story that has been as entertaining as this one.
The story is the standard for a "soft-boiled" Lupin tale: Lupin and his mates carry out a caper with Zenigata in pursuit, Fujiko has her own plans in effect, and then everyone gets sidetracked by an innocent's plight who they help out against the bad guy troubling them. While it's the basic status quo, it's told competently and well and provides a great blend of action, comedy, danger and fun that engages and entertains.
What makes this a refreshingly different story for Lupin fans, is that the focus is on the tenacious Inspector Zenigata, an underrated character in the Lupin saga. Zenigata is famously portrayed as a comical figure that Lupin loves to make a fool of, but what most fans overlook is that it takes a master cop to catch or even catch up with a master thief. This feature gives Zenigata an excellent display of serious intelligence and bravery and prove himself a real hero to Maria, this story's supporting female.
Consequently this sidelines Lupin and his gang, a little uncomfortably but not unreasonably. The master gunman Jigen is hampered by a toothache, the master swordsman Goemon loses his sword and gets utterly emasculated, and Lupin and Fujiko are seriously outmatched by the villain, businessman Michael Suzuki. It serves in making Suzuki more dangerous and unstoppable, and his campaign is made more sinister by Maria experiencing visions of a terrible future... Of course the heroes manage to save the day and pull off their caper, but it's not really a victory unless their enemy was a serious threat.
The artwork is wonderful for a 1990s anime, the voice cast is reliable (in both the original Japanese and English dub), and the music is jazzy in both an exciting and mellow manner. It's a great ride to go through, and anyone who wishes to learn of Lupin III would be well advised to start off with this story.
The story is the standard for a "soft-boiled" Lupin tale: Lupin and his mates carry out a caper with Zenigata in pursuit, Fujiko has her own plans in effect, and then everyone gets sidetracked by an innocent's plight who they help out against the bad guy troubling them. While it's the basic status quo, it's told competently and well and provides a great blend of action, comedy, danger and fun that engages and entertains.
What makes this a refreshingly different story for Lupin fans, is that the focus is on the tenacious Inspector Zenigata, an underrated character in the Lupin saga. Zenigata is famously portrayed as a comical figure that Lupin loves to make a fool of, but what most fans overlook is that it takes a master cop to catch or even catch up with a master thief. This feature gives Zenigata an excellent display of serious intelligence and bravery and prove himself a real hero to Maria, this story's supporting female.
Consequently this sidelines Lupin and his gang, a little uncomfortably but not unreasonably. The master gunman Jigen is hampered by a toothache, the master swordsman Goemon loses his sword and gets utterly emasculated, and Lupin and Fujiko are seriously outmatched by the villain, businessman Michael Suzuki. It serves in making Suzuki more dangerous and unstoppable, and his campaign is made more sinister by Maria experiencing visions of a terrible future... Of course the heroes manage to save the day and pull off their caper, but it's not really a victory unless their enemy was a serious threat.
The artwork is wonderful for a 1990s anime, the voice cast is reliable (in both the original Japanese and English dub), and the music is jazzy in both an exciting and mellow manner. It's a great ride to go through, and anyone who wishes to learn of Lupin III would be well advised to start off with this story.