This is probably the happy medium of Lupin III films. It has an equal mix of humour and danger, an unusual treasure that needs stealing, and a pinch of sci-fi oddity. Zenigata, always a good barometer of the show’s mood, is both serious crime fighter and buffoon here.
While Satoshi Hirayama had done some design work on Island of Assassins it’s here he makes himself known on character design and would go onto work on a further 8 Lupin projects in various artistic capacities.
Again the film benefits from Hiroyuki Imaishi’s presence – a wild section on a rollercoaster is clearly his work. There’s a number of action scenes shot side on in imitation of some of Monkey Punch’s Shin Lupin strips that might be him too. Regardless of whoever animated them, they are some fun sequences.
Storywise, the most admirable thing is that it finds something for each of the characters to do, often only Lupin and maybe Fujiko have motivations outside of helping each one another (and of course Zenigata’s eternal ambition of catching Lupin). But all five get nice character-based scenes here.
All in all it’s everything you want from a Lupin III film. It’s not the best, but it has a very good grasp on the franchise’s appeal.
How much do the characters look like the animators might have seen a Monkey Punch drawing at some point in their lives?
The gang looks great. Except Fujiko. Who looks good, but she looks closer to Grandis from Nadia than Fujiko. Slightly longer face than you’d expect and the hair’s a little off.
The other characters have a touch of Monkey Punch to their physiques and movement, but facially could be from any TMS show.
But I’m giving it another head for the movement of the main characters, this is the first of these to really remind me of those first Lupin strips I read in Manga Mania many years ago.
How ludicrous are the capers?
Silly gadgets and tricks abound here, the highlight being a heist involving many, many remote control cars and a convoy of moving trucks.
How much is Goemon involved in the story, rather than just a third act deus ex machina?
Goemon and Jigen get their own comedic subplots here. They find away to pull Goemon out of his normally stoic persona that doesn’t seem cheap, and it is genuinely hilarious if you know the character.
This was one of my favourite Lupin III TV specials by far. I liked how the character designs were kind of a throwback to the first bunch of TV specials (1989-1992). I agree with a lot of stuff you said, especially how it had the right mix of comedy and seriousness.