Although my plan to watch all the movies and episodes of "Lupin III" has been suspended for the time being, I will be happy to watch a new movie or series. It is not a big time investment, I will always have a good show on 7/10. I have never been disappointed with them before, and the weakest films in this universe fell just below 7/10, and they are generally better than most movies based on manga from Weekly Shounen Jump. At least in terms of the script and characters, because I do not care about good animation and drawing, as long as it is not a production bordering on action and combat genres or one that requires a good audio-visual setting. Today I am reviewing just such a video. My first association and the bon-mot with which I will associate this movie (as well as disseminated among my readers) for years is "This is an anime at the Pixar and Disney level. Perhaps this slogan is exaggerated and there will probably be some expert who will prove to me that in many respects it differs from the production of Mickey Mouse or Pixar Lamp. If this is the case, I will admit he is right, but I will not change my opinion myself. "Lupin the First" is too beautiful and too well animated for me to back off from these words. Sure, most of the cash and attention went to the main characters and their actions, but I tried to look at the secondary and third-party characters and they don't look bad. Sure, Disney is doing better in this regard, but I don't consider it very important (I'm talking about my personal feelings, I'm not saying that it doesn't matter at all).
Although "Lupin III" is a fairly well-known brand with good esteem, it is far from recognizable as "Dragon Ball Z", "Pokemon" and such titles. Therefore, a short introduction - Lupin III is the grandson of Arsene Lupin. The famous French thief who clashed with Sherlock Holmes several times. The Japanese Lupine continues his grandfather's thievery and steals from rich or bad people. He is an intelligent, gallant, clever and exceptionally wise man, despite his stupid character and ape-like appearance. Despite the various titles that suggest that "this is their first action", the situation looks like in the Marvel comics - until you enter the middle of an event, a longer story arc (in "Lupine" this applies only to 3 films that are history side, in a universe where everything is 100% serious, there is blood, nudity etc.), you can start at any time. The stories are not related to each other, sometimes they refer to the past, but in any case it does not bother the screening - the creators wink at the fans associated with the series for years. You can start from the 4th, 2nd, 3rd season or any cinematic movie, there are better and worse starting points. This movie is all the better. However, if you prefer a longer, more complex story, then I recommend seasons 5 and 4, viewed in this order. 5 is more attractive for a modern viewer, has more interesting plot threads, in my opinion the best presented characters (which is especially important when you are just starting your adventure with this anime). "Lupine the First", despite all its sweetness, has one drawback - Mine Fujiko (temptress, comprehensively skilled, like Lupine), Jigen Daisuke (marksman of all types of weapons + Lupine's right hand) and Goemon (samurai, the main strike force of these four), that is, Lupin's comrades, have been given extremely little time and opportunity to prove themselves. Even Inspector Zenigata, who is usually the least important figure of the five, doesn't fare too badly because he has more to say and act than usual, which is rare.
The film I am discussing begins during the Second World War, when the home of one of the archaeologists is visited by Germans who want to obtain a mysterious artifact and discover how to use its power. The Nazi action fails, and the notes intended to explain one of mankind's greatest discoveries disappear for many years. One day, the remnants of the famous painter from Austria and Lupine find them, and this is where the main plot of the film begins. In addition, the child who escaped with the archaeologist's son turns out to be the researcher's granddaughter, a very pretty granddaughter. I didn't mention it in the introduction, but "Lupine III" is a brand made for fans of conspiracy theories. We have threads here about bankers, wealthy influential families like the Rothschilds, Nazis, drug use in the army, MK Ultra, fantasy elements, paranormal phenomena, UK and US governments that put pressure on different countries (and it is even explicitly stated that they can make a revolution in any country on earth, provided that the right conditions are met), special forces, the FBI ... If, like me, you like such atmosphere, you will find a lot of familiar things in this franchise! It is no different in this movie, and one of the most famous mustaches in human history also appears! I will not spoil the rest, so as not to spoil the fun.
When it comes to characters, these have always been a strong point of this brand. Although their creations are deceptively simple, you could even say simplistic, the writers show great how they can be exploited without resorting to getting things out of your ass, as in some WSJ manga. I belong to a demanding audience, and so far I have not been disappointed even once. At most, in some films, it bothers me that Mine Fujiko could have looked better or the characters have too little to do, because most of the airtime went to Lupine and the new heroine. Still, their quality does not fall below a certain level and if I really had to stick to something, I would have to try very hard. Fujiko is a beautiful woman who has a rich personality and does not imitate a strong woman, such as Rey from the new "Star Wars" trilogy, but in fact she is. Goemon is a conservative samurai who does not fit into today's world and does not understand new technologies, but waves his sword as effectively and efficiently as the hero of "Bleach". Jigen Daisuke is a perfect shooter who unfortunately didn't have impressive scenes in this movie (apart from saving Lupine), but in others he acts like a bad-ass, so it's worth forgiving him for a momentary weakness that is not his fault. Lupine is comprehensively educated and has a lot of skills, and even if he doesn't know something or can't handle it, he learns quickly thanks to his intelligence. Besides, he's such a nice and cute silly, though it's just a shield so opponents won't take him seriously. Zenigata is an opponent of the thief and all seasons try to catch him, which he practically fails, and Arsene's grandson usually escapes him. He is often accompanied by police or Interpol units. Basically, it is impossible to dislike them, they are friendly, universally and clearly presented (which in this case is not a disadvantage), they have problems, weaknesses, generally the features that normal people exhibit. Sure, they often do things that are impossible to do in the real world, but they aren't that different from actors in effective action movies. Well, maybe sometimes, not to mention the plot-armor, which the opponents do not have, but the cartoon can afford more than the movie. As for the main character, she is not bad, I really liked her, but in my humble opinion her counterpart from season 5 and the movie "The Castle of Cagliostro" came out better. However, this is still a higher level than what most WSJ manga movies are used to. Considering the ones I had the pleasure or unpleasantness to see, this is one of the better original characters I have seen in animations based on comic books from this release.
When it comes to graphics, facial expressions and character movements, line and animation, let me say yes. Will I properly comment on Karol's words - "They probably spent 10% of what Disney spends on their animated productions on this film." All the aspects I wrote about in sentence 1 have been done VERY nicely, smoothly, generally neatly in this video. The Japanese once again set a great example of their precision and care for the smallest details. Even if it concerns only the main characters, to a lesser extent Geralt and Lambert (this choice of names is a coincidence? XD), and the rest of the rest at all, it does not bother me. Man doesn't pay so much attention to them anyway, because he focuses it on the heroes from the foreground. And these look great! They move smoothly, you can see it all over their body and the clothes they wear, reacting to their every move and everything else. The same faces, eyes, facial expressions, I felt like I saw a high-budget Pixar or Disney movie, but with a better plot - because it was less simplified. "Lupine III" is still a fairy tale that can be easily shown to children and young teenagers (if there was Polish or English dubbing, depending on which children we are talking about), but its script is written in a slightly more mature way. It deals with more serious topics, everything is not so simplified for children, and the message is not as universal as possible for all viewers around the world to understand it and pay money. The action scenes are mega good, and the demonstration of this artifact's capabilities ... Well, let me put it this way - majestic-looking destruction. It must have looked great in the cinema! Generally CGI 9/10, but due to the careful workmanship and the fact that the whole looks in a stunningly charming way, I give 10/10.
As for the music, it will be short, because there is no point in talking too long - this is another "Lupine III" with a brilliant soundtrack. Yuji Ohno, as usual, provided a portion of excellent jazz, which perfectly fits the content of the film and perfectly emphasizes the atmosphere and tone of spectacular action scenes. This gentleman has always been associated with the brand and has not let me down in any case. All his compositions for openings, endings, main musical themes and other songs are usually a very good job. He is a creative artist who creates simply good and catchy music. I am not a "Lupine III" specialist, like my friend Karol, so I don't know how many songs are original melodies created for this project, and how many are remixes. However, there are a lot of the latter in this movie, I know 2 seasons and a few movies, and I have heard many songs that I associate with them. The songs created for this part are good and have a similar atmosphere to what we have heard so far in full-length productions or series from this franchise.
To sum up, it is a very good entertainment that you can watch both with children and by yourself. Even though it is a fairy-tale and colorful fairy tale, its plot and direction are so good that you shouldn't be bothered by it. Unless, of course, you like watching full-length Disney animations. I will definitely watch this movie at least once more because I would like to show it to my girlfriend. Maybe I can convince her to learn about the other anime. What I wish you too, because it is worth getting to know "Lupine III". My rating is 9/10 - one of the best movies from this universe.