Reviews

FLCL is so worth a watch, if you're at all interested you'd be doing yourself a favor to check it out. It's got feels, it's got heart, it's got a moving and rockin' score by band The Pillows. It's not about some kind of weirdness value like you're maybe thinking, it's a unique work of art that just might click with you.

FLCL is a coming of age story that immerses us in the topsy turvy world of a teenage lad. And does it better than most movies or shows I've seen trying to tackle it, at least for me. It tackles that awkwardness and sadness with a sense of fun and adventure, among many other great things about FLCL.

One of my favorites, and really just thinking about it is moving to me, I think FLCL will stand the test of time very well.

Such a fun trip to take, gotta say I love this movie. I really dug the show, and this movie surprisingly exceeded my expectations as well. Was better than the last season or two, doesn't have much or any serious attempts at relationship drama, it's just bro-tastic kooky characters getting into hijinks. If you happened to dig the show at any point, the movie is up your alley. Viewers who haven't seen the show might not be as immediately taken by it, but who knows, maybe it'd be a gateway drug for Jeremy Piven's instant classic Ari Gold comedy rage, and the lovable ridiculous underdog Johnny Drama played to perfection by Kevin Dillon.

Call me crazy, I highly recommend this movie, really funny and clever oddly enough. Keeping in mind that the characters are buffoons you love to root for, always trying to get laid and dealing with incredibly unimportant problems. Then again, that describes Seinfeld as well. This movie is magic and one of my favorites instantly. I'd say this one is a victory! Check it out.

Anchorman 2 is one hell of a film, it's comedy heaven. This for me is pretty much the most anticipated sequel I can recall, such a unique and wonderful flavor and character, I needed a new helping of it. I of course wasn't sure if they could match the original, but they did it! Those crazy bastards actually pulled it off!

For me this is the best comedy out there, it's incredibly funny, countless great jokes, and the overall feel and the fun plot are just a joy to take in. This movie is like porn for the Anchorman fan, it's Ron Burgundy porn, can I give it any higher praise? I love the random absurd Ron quotations, from the whole crew really, hit after hit here, it all works. Plus that it's two hours long and I could've stayed for another two hours, for me this is the epic of comedies.

Pretty much, it's a comedy, it pays homage to the original but still packs plenty of surprises that I didn't see coming, and all in all is one of the best movies ever made oddly enough. You know you want to see it. Thumbs way way up, Anchorman triumphant!

Trigun Badlands Rumble is a very good movie, with some nice nostalgia for Trigun fans.

It's in the style of the first half of the series, Vash wandering around getting into trouble and helping people out. He runs into our cool heroine of the movie, Amelia, and she's quite likable. Of course, Meryl, Millie, and Wolfwood are in the house as well.

The story here is not black and white with good guys and bad guys, it's interesting in that the villains of this movie aren't all that evil, and overall the movie has a more laid-back feel than you might expect.

One cool aspect is how they incorporate Vash's past and how old he is, by tying in a flashback from 20 years prior into the current events. We have some nice fun dialogue, great slapstick humor, a crazy bar brawl, lots of action, and a bit of drama to give it some weight. The animation is the most flawless aspect of the movie, the art is detailed and it's lushly done. There's a lot of great detail, and all the wacky background characters have a lot of care put into them.

Overall, though the plot takes a couple clever turns, the movie is just a nicely done, very straightforward light action romp, done well. I enjoyed the ending especially, which had a nice way of commenting on Vash's ideals. And of course, this movie is even better for letting us hang out with those classic Trigun characters for another hour and a half. Check it out!

Piranha 3D is a fun horror movie. You have your usual horny comedy type of situations, hot chicks partying and getting naked, only then monster piranhas eat them!! American Pie Gets Eaten you might say.

The nudity is nice, and the gore is insane, it's so gory it works as a tense horror movie despite being so over-the-top. I think "please, stop mutilating these poor party people, you evil fish!"

But does it actually work as an entertaining film? Do we care about the characters? I'd say so, the main plucky young guy who's trying to get with the main girl is sympathetic enough. And our action heroes all do well, Elisabeth Shue as the sheriff, Ving Rhames as the badass, and Adam Scott as an unlikely hero. Jerry O'Connell of Sliders fame is hilarious as the requisite asshole character too. And naturally Christopher Lloyd steals the show, hyping up how monstrous the piranhas are with awesome over-the-top dialogue.

And of course, England's own Kelly Brook is glorious in this. Legendarily hot and naked, plus she's a nice character who's somewhat heroic even, which is fun.

All in all, if you want a fun exploitation horror movie with lots of nude women, and you don't mind tons of fairly disturbing gore, this is a summer movie to check out.

The Last Job is enjoyable, I'd say it's a decent special, with fun and zany Lupin action. However, it just doesn't seem as clever or well thought out as a lot of the other specials.

One of the twists to this one is that a recurring character has an apparent death scene near the beginning. Oddly enough, this angle is barely played up, compared to numerous emotional or memorable "death" scenes throughout the years, this didn't really stack up.

Anyways, aside from that bit which doesn't really get much screen time, this is just business as usual, the Lupin gang getting into constant action and one-on-one fights. Very fast paced, pretty much nonstop action. However, its a bit lacking in memorable dialogue or cool character interaction. Pretty much, the legendary classic characters here aren't really well utilized.

None the less, this is still a lot of fun, I was laughing and enjoying the absurdity of it. The plot is especially nonsensical this time around, the climax for example is just so awesomely random. I love how Zenigata is like "Whats that do? What's his goal? Why is this happening? What is happening?", because I'm just as befuddled as he is.

But hey, its fun, and the main villain is hilariously awesomely over-the-top, gotta love his indiscriminate grenade tossing. Andre the huge yo-yo henchman is memorable, and of course Jigen and Goemon come across as classy as ever. Lupin and Fujiko both have some funny and cool moments, but overall they don't get much substance here. The ninja guest girl is decent, there's a wacky dog who has it out for Lupin, and you've gotta love Yuji Ohno's jazzy score.

There are a lot of really fun parts throughout, such as a chase scene involving a great kittens gag, Lupin making some wacky drawings, plus I enjoyed a lot of the action sequences with the jetpacks and whatnot.

So, long story short, I enjoyed this Lupin special, but at the same time it doesn't quite live up to its potential. Worth a watch for fans.

Lupin III vs Detective Conan is a very cool TV special.

This crossover between the two long running series is done quite well. There's a story involving a princess in danger, who looks just like Ran. Conan is on the case, and meanwhile Lupin wants to take a crown, which he attempted to steal long ago. This involves a nice flashback to Lupin wearing his classic green jacket, so we get both red and green action in this.

The plot is a Detective Conan style murder mystery, and the Lupin gang is added to the mix, bringing their brand of fun. It's a fairly complex plot, but it's goes down smooth.

Fujiko kicks ass in this one, she's on the run with the princess, showing her how to have a good time and protecting her. Very cool, fun stuff.

Jigen is enlisted as a bodyguard and ends up working with Conan, and there are some very hilarious scenes with these two. Lots of snappy dialogue.

Lupin and Conan, they're both doing their thing, they have some action scenes, some fun dialogue moments, and are in fine form here. They have some memorable interactions, very fun stuff.

The other regulars like Goemon, Zenigata, and Kogoro all have some fun moments too, mostly just a good gag here and there. The two casts gelled very well together.

The animation is smooth, and it's pretty interesting how we have two very different kinds of character designs used for Conan and Lupin characters. It could blend together better, but it's still fun to see. The soundtrack is also done by Lupin's usual Yuji Ohno and also the Conan guy, and it's a fun mix of energetic tunes and smooth jazz.

All in all, if you're a fan of Lupin or Conan I'd say you'll enjoy this. It's a fun, very good anime adventure. Check it out.

Da Capo of Love: Fujiko's Unlucky Days (The Columbus Files) is a nice Lupin special.

It starts with Lupin and Fujiko up to their usual shenanigans, until they are bombarded by explosions and things get wild. The story here is that Fujiko has amnesia, and only she knows where the treasure is. And of course, getting Fujiko's memory back is Lupin's top priority.

Lupin is pretty serious a lot of the time in this one, because Fujiko is who he cares about the most. It's always nice to see that kind of emotion from the world's greatest thief. There's plenty of great comedy from the man as well of course. He has a great villain to comedically own here too, the green jacketed laughing madman, Nazaroff.

Jigen and Goemon both get some good stuff here, Goemon is hilariously eccentric in this one. Lupin and Jigen's usual tag-team is put on the backburner in cases like this one though, when a woman needs Lupin's help. Inspector Zenigata pops up from time to time, and while he's used sparingly he does get some good laughs.

The main story does get a little shaky by the end though, involving mad scientists and a crazy world domination plot.

Yuji Ohno gives this a very smooth jazz soundtrack of course, with the appropriate intensity added when needed. The original voice acting from these veterans is great as well. And some fun trivia, Nabeshin of Excel Saga fame directed this special.

All in all, this is a good Lupin adventure, with some nice attention given to Lupin and Fujiko's always interesting relationship. Check this one out.

Sweet Lost Night is a great adventure with Lupin III.

The title is appropriate, as the twist here is that Lupin can't remember anything that happened during the night. Twelve hours are a blank to him, and some additional memory wackiness comes into play as well, as someone is stealing memories.

This sets up some great stuff, as Lupin scrambles to find out what he did during that time. A very cool narrative device, it sets up some nice gags as well as keeps the intrigue going for the main plot. Lupin even writes on his body to try and remember things, à la the film Memento.

The star of the show, Lupin, is portrayed very well here. He's slick, cool, funny, a fool for love, and he takes all the craziness going on around him in stride.

Lupin's partner Jigen is great in this, he's always there to help in a jam. The lovable cop Inspector Zenigata has some really entertaining stuff in this too. Goemon is also used to great comic effect here. Fujiko is used a bit differently than of late, here she's against Lupin. This fun rivalry is an amusing aspect of their complicated relationship.

This plot involves a magic lamp, and a girl named Drew. She's a pretty straight forward guest heroine, although she does have some fun flirty humor with Lupin.

Pretty much, this has all the aspects you'd expect from a Lupin anime. It has car chases, over-the-top action, lots of great comedy, and some brief emotional moments to give it some weight. It's all done with a fast thrill-a-minute pace too. The atmosphere is great, lushly animated with fantastic music and voice acting as always.

A great action/adventure with a clever twist, this one is a lot of fun. Give this a watch, it's must see anime.

The Fuma Conspiracy a somewhat decent tale brought down by it's flaws.

Goemon is getting married when ninjas swoop in! The Lupin gang has to stop these evil ninjas, save Goemon's bride, and try for some treasure, for good measure.

This 80's OVA has the unfortunate distinction of being the only Lupin anime without the usual Japanese voice cast. This is especially bad, because the voices used don't fit the characters at all, and are distractingly out of place. The English dub is not good either.

On top of the unfortunate voice choices, the characterization is pretty weak here in general. The dialogue is not as clever as usual, and the characters don't gel together as well as they usually do. Inspector Zenigata is very bland in this one too.

Another problem with this OVA is the poor soundtrack. They don't use Yuji Ohno or any classic Lupin themes, and they don't even attempt a jazzy style.

There are some good things though, the animation for example is very fluid, and the art style is nice. There are some fun car chases, and a couple enjoyable action sequences. Any time Lupin and Jigen are in a car, it's decent Lupin fun. Plus Fujiko has some cool motorcycle action.

Overall, this Lupin OVA is really off it's game. It lacks the usual Lupin stylishness and is pretty generic all around. Definitely on the lower end of the Lupin spectrum, but it's a passable if generic action adventure on it's own.

The Castle of Cagliostro is a masterpiece.

Lupin and Jigen are following the trail of some counterfeit money to a castle in a small independent country in Europe. This leads them to a girl from Lupin's past in need of a hero.

Miyazaki's first feature film is a great one. He takes the already lovable Lupin cast and makes them just a bit more innocent, which gives this a very pleasant fairy tale feel. The characters are charming, and it's a joy watching the story unfold.

In this great adventure, our heroes set out to save the damsel in a tower from an evil count. The always great Fujiko is there looking for some loot, samurai Goemon shows up to lend his blade, and Inspector Zenigata is on Lupin's tail as always.

The movie has a laid back, cool feel at first. It also gets pretty fast paced, and the action heats up. Pretty much, it's great to see all the Lupin characters in top form, their interactions always entertaining.

There are some nice nods for fans of the series too. For example, a montage of a younger Lupin's exploits features some of the situations from the intro of the original series.

It's beautifully animated, with a very moving score by Yuji Ohno. And of course, great voice work from the Lupin cast. Plus this movie has one of the coolest car chases ever.

Pretty much, this movie is two masters at the top of their game, Hayao Miyazaki and Lupin III. A true classic, check it out.

This is a legendary anime series about some instant classic characters, the Lupin gang. This is amazingly ahead of it's time, being the first anime starring criminals, the first gritty comparatively more realistic anime with guns and such. Not just for anime, it's ahead of it's time in general.

Most importantly, it's still a joy to watch nearly 40 years later. Lupin is the cool, laid back antihero. This laid back style, helped by the very cool soundtrack, is still influential today in titles like Cowboy Bebop. Lupin has other sides to him too of course, he has an ego, and he'll laugh like a maniac and take on any challenge. And of course, he gets pretty excited when there are ladies around, especially Fujiko.

The supporting characters are great here. You have Jigen, Lupin's partner and best friend. He's very cool himself, a smooth criminal, but he's also the voice of reason, a more mature criminal. Then you have Fujiko, the classic femme fatale cat burglar, she is Lupin's love interest, and often his rival. Then there's Goemon, the renegade samurai with a strong moral code, who can cut anything. And of course, Inspector Zenigata, who tirelessly dedicates his life to capturing Lupin.

Lupin is episodic, featuring 23 self contained stories. Although there is one plot that takes two episodes early on, with Goemon out to defeat Lupin. One episode Lupin is in prison, another time him and the gang have explosive watches put on that they can't take off. These are all great stories.

An interesting thing about this series is that it has two different feels to it, depending on who is directing. Masaaki Osumi directs episodes 1-7, 9, and 12. These are the more dark and gritty episodes, and sometimes have a melancholy feel. These episodes are amazing, giving us the depth that the Lupin characters are built on.

The founders of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, direct episodes 8, 10-11, and 13-23. These episodes are also superb, with a more fun and upbeat feel, closer to what Lupin is known for today. You can tell Miyazaki is involved when Lupin starts saving cute damsels in a gentlemanly heroic way.

All in all, Lupin III is a classic series, which is still going strong today with movie specials. I recommend checking this out, it's must see anime.

Lupin and the gang end up on an island where two tyrants are having a conflict, and a sleazy arms dealer is in the middle. That guy wants a treasure, and of course so do Lupin and Fujiko.

Jigen has a pretty interesting role in this, getting hired by one of the tyrants to infiltrate them and get revenge against a crazy mercenary, who he has a problem with from the past. They really play up Jigen's stoic badass nature in this, which is nice.

Goemon hears that a chest can't be cut by his legendary Zantetsuken blade, so it's his mission to cut it. He's funny and cool as always, the straight man to the more wacky things happening around him. Inspector Zenigata is entertaining in his few token scenes as well.

Fujiko has some entertaining dialogue with Lupin here, of course, their chemistry is classic stuff. They do some thievery in this, as you'd imagine.

There's a woman, Maria, who owns a bar on the island and has her own issues with the villains here. She's pretty cool, and is a fine guest star in this story.

Pretty much, the Lupin gang fight people, have some amusing interactions with each other, commit some crimes, and do some heroic stuff as well. This one doesn't stand out, but it gets the job done.

If you enjoy the Lupin brand of entertainment, this should be on your watch list.

Return of Pycal is a decent Lupin OVA, but it does have it's drawbacks.

It starts off pretty quickly with Lupin doing a flashy robbery, making women's clothing disappear, and doing magic tricks dressed up as a clown. This leads into a gunfight in a hall of mirrors with Zenigata, who is acting very strangely...

This is the return of Pycal, the villain from the 2nd episode of Lupin III, as you'd figure. It's entertaining to have him back, he's a stylish villain. This has some other nice callbacks to the first Lupin series, such as Lupin's green jacket, and Fujiko's motorcycle animation from the original show's ending credits.

This OVA also has a slow paced, laid back feel reminiscent of some of the first Lupin episodes. This isn't a problem by itself, but combined with the short length it is a drawback.

Fujiko is sexy as always, sporting a character design closer to the first series in this one. Her amusing obligatory playing the seduction card on Lupin is a standout scene.

Lupin comes across as cool and confident like usual, trying to collect some crystals to thwart Pycal. Jigen and Goemon are solid, but in fairly small roles. Zenigata has a very small part in this, but the screen time he does get is entertaining.

The problem however really comes about 46 minutes in, when the credits start to roll. This ends abruptly, with questions unanswered, and it feels like we're missing a third act to come. We do get a few minutes of decent stuff after the credits, but unfortunately this only makes things more confusing.

So, if you're a Lupin fan this is worth watching, but it does leave you wanting much more.

The Secret of Mamo is a crazy, memorable, and pretty enjoyable Lupin movie.

The first theatrical Lupin movie, this has some very solid animation for 1978, and some very interesting direction. Very colorful and lively. The soundtrack by Yuji Ohno is a blast too, and of course the original voice cast delivers.

The story in this one is pretty crazy, and by the end it's pretty much pure nonsense. Lupin is up against a psychotic diminutive man with a god complex, and it leads to some very strange things. Including a cameo from Hitler, naturally.

This movie has a fairly brisk pace for the most part, bad things just keep happening to the Lupin gang. One minute they're on the run from a freakishly large truck, the next they're being bombarded by bombs.

Where this movie gets really weird is the characterization. Lupin is less cool and laid back in this one, in general he's pretty irritable and annoyed, even with his loyal gang. I have to admit, this makes Lupin less likable to me in this one.

Fujiko has a pretty big part in this one, she's quite entertaining, although she does make some questionable decisions. Jigen makes out well in this, and Goemon is pretty cool like usual. Zenigata is great in this, tirelessly hunting Lupin down. But again, seeming a bit out of his usual anime character when he actually wants to kill Lupin.

The movie in general is closer to the tone of the manga, with it's insanity and less likable characters.

So, pretty much, this is a very memorable movie, it goes above and beyond into the realm of insanity, and it's quite entertaining. The classic dynamic that the characters usually have in the anime is somewhat skewed here though, and the story itself is not entirely satisfying.

None the less, this is a wild ride that I recommend checking out.

This OVA celebrates the 40th anniversary of Lupin, and it includes a bunch of nods to previous Lupin anime. Pretty much every criminal on the planet has taken to disguising themselves as Lupin, and we end up seeing pretty much every Lupin character design used, even the pink jacket.

A new main character for this is a guy named Yasuo, named after Lupin's original voice actor, who looks just like Lupin and wears a green jacket.

Meanwhile, the real Lupin in the red jacket and his partner Jigen are doing their thing as always. They're on the run, all sorts of random wackiness happens to them, and there's a constant mob of fake Lupins causing them trouble.

Pretty much, a lot of this is somewhat somber slice-of-life stuff focusing on the Yasuo guy. This is decent stuff, though of course it's kind of odd for a Lupin story.

As for the story, well, it's pretty much just Yasuo competing with Lupin to try and become the "real" Lupin.

Fujiko is only in this briefly, although there are some interesting scenes where Yasuo sees her and it's animated like a psychedelic trip. Goemon pretty much has a cameo role, and Zenigata is great as always.

This is a pastiche, sort of an abstract, arty anime that pays some tribute to that laid back Lupin feel of old. The actual story however is pretty esoteric, and not entirely satisfying.

All in all, this is an interesting anime that is somewhat thought provoking and beautifully animated. While it's not a proper entry in the Lupin series, it's still well put together and worth a watch.

Elusiveness of the Fog is a passable Lupin special, but not very impressive.

Mamo Kyosuke, the classic time traveling villain from a 1972 Lupin episode is back! He sends the Lupin gang, sans Fujiko, as well as Zenigata back in time 500 years.

A large portion of the run time is consumed by a plot about two warring factions in feudal Japan. This is pretty generic stuff, and it doesn't really suit the Lupin gang. Mamo messing around with the Lupin gang is the interesting part.

Mamo is a very entertaining villain in this, quite theatrical, popping up in his time travel device and laughing at our heroes. It's enjoyable watching him get flustered by Lupin's antics, although for the most part Mamo is not used to full potential.

Fujiko wasn't sucked back in time, so instead we have one of her ancestors, the cute thief Ofumi. She's pretty fun, and it does make for some interesting "Back to the Future" style family time shenanigans. If she dies, Fujiko never exists.

Lupin and Jigen have a great dynamic with snappy dialogue like usual, and Goemon gets a bit more screen time than he often does. Zenigata has a few funny moments, but he is mostly a non factor here.

This movie doesn't have enough thrills or laughs to be a really engaging one. But while it's a pretty generic story, it does include some fun with the classic Lupin characters.

Pretty much, if you're a Lupin fan you'll want to check this out, but it's not one of the better outings.

Walther P-38 (Island of Assassins) is a damn good Lupin III adventure.

A man commits a heinous crime using a Walther P-38 pistol much like the one Lupin has, along with a spooky group of assassins with spider tattoos. This leads Lupin and the gang to the foggy island of assassins.

This is the most serious Lupin special, and also the most violent. It's an intriguing change of pace for Lupin, where he has a serious score to settle from his past. The less known about the plot going in the better, there are some nice twists.

Lupin naturally takes a liking to a female assassin on the island, she turns out to be one of the better guest leading ladies. The scenes between Lupin and her are pretty touching.

The Lupin gang is here as well, with Jigen there to help his partner, Fujiko with a couple nice scenes, and of course Goemon with some great fighting. For the most part they're separate from Lupin in this one, as he is doing his own personal thing, but they do get some decent screen time.

This has a comparatively more serious art style, and is pretty dark looking. The soundtrack by Yuji Ohno is also pretty intense. There's still some good comedy in this though, being Lupin, and Inspector Zenigata provides quite a few of those laughs.

A really good thriller, I recommend giving this one a watch, Lupin fan or not.

True Mazinger is a very good, thoroughly entertaining super robot show.

Pretty much, Kabuto Kouji pilots the original badass super robot, Mazinger Z. Dr. Hell and his psychotic minions are constantly waging war, they want to stop Mazinger Z and get all the various powers and technology from the good guys.

For the most part, the show is dialogue driven, with all the eccentric characters going into great detail about how they feel and why they want what they do. The plot is more explained than actually shown, although this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it keeps the intrigue going.

The oldschool super robot action is a lot of fun, pretty much our hero in his Mazinger Z whips out a few signature moves and that's all he needs for the most part. The great rockin' soundtrack helps fuel these scenes with burning passion though.

The show is very quirky, it pays homage to a lot of random Go Nagai comics that for the most part haven't been translated into English before. Lots of random nods to Go Nagai's past works, which admittedly can seem a bit out of place.

Pretty much, this show is very strong throughout, although I have to admit towards the end, after many plot twists, some of the characters motivations really didn't seem to add up.

All in all, this is a very memorable show paying tribute to the father of the genre, and I recommend checking it out. Hopefully it gets the sequel series it deserves.

Lupin sets off for Morocco, looking for a legendary treasure. His only clue is an interesting jewel that an old man gave him. It's a nice different location for Lupin, with the desert and that hot exotic feel.

One interesting thing about this movie is that Jigen has a much smaller role than usual, generally being in a different place than Lupin. On one hand their classic dynamic together is missed, but it is a change of pace. Plus, this way, Lupin can focus on the ladies...

Fujiko rules in this. Throughout the entire feature she is seducing Lupin, and us viewers. Then there's Lara, the damsel of this particular tale, and she's quite likable. This one has more nudity than any other Lupin anime, which is a fun distinction to have.

There's a very entertaining effeminate ninja guy who's the best villain in this, and naturally he has some great fighting with Goemon, as well as some fun scenes with Fujiko. Inspector Zenigata of course is also on a warpath here, in fine form.

Pretty much, this is a smooth ride with Lupin. The plot is average and there are some slow spots, but all in all this movie is a real pleasure. Enjoy.

The plot of this movie involves Lupin and his gang being in a submarine for twenty minutes, with little to no conflict. It's immensely boring. After this, the movie takes place on an evil guy's militarized headquarters in a jungle. The evil guy wants the submarine so he can fire nukes at people.

Lupin, Jigen, Fujiko, and Goemon at the very least are treated decently in this. They act like their usual fun loving, money loving selves. One plus side in this very generic movie, is that the Lupin gang end up being nicer to each other than they often do. Fujiko is especially nice in this one, and of course she brings that sex appeal to the table, which helps. These classic characters are the best part of this story.

Inspector Zenigata is a complete joke in this one, he gets no respect. He's been taken off the Lupin case, so he just gets drunk and depressed, and even hangs out with the Lupin gang. At one point he wears an apron and acts like the Lupin gang's butler. This is very out of character, and pretty much sacrilege, though I admit it's a bit amusing.

The movie does have an enjoyable action climax though, and a nice ending.

All in all, this is on the lower end of the Lupin spectrum. For me, it was worth sitting through for some fun moments between the Lupin gang. If you're not a Lupin completist, this one is very skippable.

Missed by a Dollar, from 2000, starts off another fun decade of Lupin in style.

Lupin wants a ring that can lead him to yet another legendary treasure, and so does an evil corporation. Meanwhile, we have a subplot where Lupin tries to help the career of an aspiring jazz singer. And, without giving it away, there's a pretty cool twist later on.

That's the basic outline, but like usual it's all the wackiness that ensues that makes this such a great show. Lupin and partner Jigen have some very snappy dialogue in this one. They talk about their guns as metaphors for women, a lot of great exchanges like that.

Fujiko is fantastic as always, she gets to kill a lot more people with machine guns in this than she often does. In general this one is pretty violent, which is a nice change of pace from some of the more lighthearted specials. Crazy people with guns are out to kill the Lupin gang, and this time around it really does feel urgent.

Inspector Zenigata is great in this, as always he's awesomely hilarious when he gets emotional about Lupin. Goemon is solid as ever, though he doesn't have a particularly stand out role here.

This is the last Lupin feature made with traditional cel animation before they switched to digital I believe, and it has a dark gritty look to it. Very cool soundtrack by Yuji Ohno, a bit more suspenseful sounding than usual here.

All in all, this is some very good Lupin action. If you like Lupin III, you should give this one a watch or two.

Lupin wants a giant diamond, and he helps out a teenage girl along the way. Plot isn't what makes Lupin great though, it's the entertaining dynamic between the classic characters.

Lupin and Jigen have a lot of fun "best friends" comedy in the beginning, including a hilarious scene where they play with puppets. This is contrasted by them then taking opposing missions, and having a conflict of interest. Lupin and Jigen always have a great dynamic, and there are some nice twists to it in this one.

Goemon is great in this. We get to see a duo of him and Lupin for a change, which is fun to see. We also get Goemon working with Fujiko and putting up with her entertaining shenanigans. Plenty of enjoyable comedy situations for Goemon here.

Fujiko is fun and hot in this one, like usual, and she gets plenty of screen time. When she gets mad, things get entertaining.

Inspector Zenigata is hilarious, always one step behind the Lupin gang, but he takes a bit of a back seat in this one.

The presentation is top notch here. Very slick animation, attractive character designs (especially for Fujiko), and a great jazz soundtrack by Yuji Ohno. And needless to say, all the voice actors are great.

This is a fun Lupin adventure with a very cool vibe, great comedy, and plenty of thrills. Check this stylish anime out.

The Lupin gang is back, and while this TV special is not anything special, it's still a pleasant watch.

The plot is not very strong in this one, pretty much Lupin and his buddy Jigen set out to rob a bank, with some help from Fujiko. Still, it's fun to see the gang do an old fashioned crime like a bank robbery, compared to the crazy stuff they are usually up to in these.

The villain is a flashy one in this, Rasputin. A crazy monk with a gimmick where he pokes his finger into various orifices on people's faces, like their mouth or nose. He's a very over the top evil villain, and of course he wants what is in the bank as well.

Lupin's samurai pal Goemon is used very oddly in this one. He's studying meditation and whatnot under Rasputin, so he doesn't have as much fun as usual. Inspector Zenigata doesn't have much to do here either.

Fujiko has some cute funny moments though, and the classic duo of Lupin and Jigen is great as always.

What makes this a merely decent Lupin movie is that it just feels like random events stuck together, with little holding it together. Cars explode, people shoot at Lupin, and they're always on the run.

That wouldn't be a problem if the movie relished the fun absurdity like Lupin often does, but this one lacks that feeling. This is the last special directed by Osamu Dezaki and with character design by Noboru Furuse. Which is good, because they really didn't bring enough flair to the visual department in these first four Lupin specials.

All in all, this is a decent Lupin romp, though uneven and a bit lacking in style. Lupin fans should have a pleasant enough time watching this, but I'd recommend checking out the gang's other better adventures.

Napoleon's Dictionary is a pretty good early Lupin special.

Lupin is after Napoleon's Dictionary because, as you could imagine, it has information that can lead to a treasure. Lupin enters an old fashioned car race with the dictionary as the prize, and his gunslinger partner Jigen comes along for the ride. Fujiko is of course also after the treasure, and the classy samurai Goemon shows up to help his friends.

This is one of the less elaborate Lupin stories, feeling more like an extended episode of the TV series than a movie. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does lack the epic feel of some of the other specials.

We have some very fun stuff from Goemon, he's especially eccentric in this one. Zenigata and Lupin have some laugh out loud scenes handcuffed together, and Jigen like usual is the straight man to balk at Lupin's antics. Fujiko does have less screen time in this than I'd like though, her fun sex appeal is always a nice touch.

The plot in this one does give some brief attention to Lupin's grandfather Arsene Lupin, and father Lupin II. This is a nice touch for fans of the series.

All in all, this is your typical Lupin caper. A solid entry, but not one that stands out. It's a fun watch, with a laid back feel, jazzy music, and some hilarious comedy. Lupin fans, you may as well give this one a watch.