“Lupin III is smart and cool.”
Up until 2002 Lupin III films tended to be compared to Castle of Cagliostro, however modern Lupin III projects have been judged against Episode:0 First Contact, the high point of the Kurita Kanichi years. This fortieth anniversary OAV special doesn’t quite reach that film’s heights, but it’s got a lot to recommend it.
The special deals with a surfeit of Lupins and a private militia in possession of a deadly weapon. But more importantly it deals with the idea of a person or character as a meme. Monkey Punch has spoken in the past about wanting Lupin to exist forever, to become an immortal comic character like Batman or Spider-Man. This special deals with that idea, within the world of Lupin III itself.
The pre credit sequence deals with a cook, Yasuo who bears a close resemblence to our hero. Yasuo was of course the name of the original voice of Lupin III, the late Yasuo Yamada. In addition to this callback to the character’s past, the other “guest character” in this special is named Yukiko, after Yukiko Nikaido, the voice of the Fujiko in the 1971 Lupin III TV series.
Then after the opening credits we get Zenigata returning to Japan after chasing fake Lupin IIIs all around the world, before launching into the opening sequence proper (that I swiped those screenshots from here). I recognise enough of the faces from specific Lupin III projects that I’m guessing that they all do. This is one problem I had with watching the OAV, are some things poorly explained or are they assuming a familiarity with the character’s history I don’t have.
And then we are swamped in Lupins. A Lupin is caught shoplifting, and soon, across the world, Lupins are outraged that someone is impersonating them to commit such a minor offence. It’s not long before Tokyo is awash in Fiat 500s and red and green jackets.
Let’s deal with the main problem with this feature up front. It’s about 10-20 minutes too short. There’s 3-4 strands of plot running through the film and only one of them gets the time it deserves. The story of the two fake Lupins on the run (one of whom bears some resemblance to Nabeshin) gets particularly short shrift, and the story of the “Ice Cube” and its commentary on Japanese national paranoia comes to an abrupt halt.
Luckily the main thread about Yasuo is strong, and throughout there are some great animated set pieces and visual touches, the highlight being a rooftop duel between Fiat 500s, in a fully animated black and white recreation of Monkey Punch’s line work.
There’s loads of blink and you’ll miss it references in there. I know I missed the cameo that Detective Conan apparently makes. It definitely feels they made so much effort in including things for fans, that they didn’t leave enough room for all the story.
But don’t let that put you off, the theme of Lupin III being a state of mind rather than a person is a strong one and it’s perfect for a celebratory project such as this.