LUPIN III: PART IV

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME AdventureLupin III: Part III
SPECIAL ActionLupin III: PART IV Specials
SPECIAL ActionLupin III: Italian Game
ANIME ActionLupin III: PART 5
MANGA ActionLupin III: ITALIANO

REVIEWS

• 

  linajthol

  80/100
  The perfect gentleman thief for a modern audience

  [No Spoilers]

  When I started Lupin III, I never expected it to have such an incredible legacy, lasting from the not-received-very-well pilot in the late 60s to the 2017 movie/special with staffing from Redline and Michiko to Hatchin. But this 2015 season is unique and interesting to the point of completely validating Lupin’s legacy, with incredible amounts of originality mixed with creative writing and a high budget for animation and music.

  The main thing that sets this series apart from the rest of the Lupin that aired on TV is the consistency of setting, characters, and plotlines. Originally Lupin was completely episodic. Sometimes, the gang was in Japan, other times, in America. This week it’s a cruise ship, or we’re on the beach, or we’re gambling in the red light district… et cetera. No travel times, no name drops, no consistency. Which is perfectly fine, it made for a fresh experience every single time. However, what consistency of setting allows is a better flow from episode to episode.

  My example that I’ll use for why this works is a set of three episodes from this series. They have a connected plot, and the most you’ll ever see from an “arc” is 3 episodes. The first episode is Lupin working to save an imprisoned Rebecca (new mainstay character) who has discovered part of a government conspiracy. The second episode is Lupin solving an encrypted book which sheds light on that conspiracy, which ends in him being discovered by the government. That flows perfectly into a jailbreak episode which fans of Lupin: Part 1 will be very familiar with! The reason I appreciate this arc is that each episode provides a completely unique experience, while requiring honestly no exposition beyond that first episode. You know where they are, you know what the dilemma is, no time is wasted. The season is in Italy, you know the cast. It makes everything very easy to absorb and enjoy.

  The 2 new mainstay characters are also very much welcome, which is insane, considering that the appeal of most of Lupin is the specific cast. Sometimes you have Lupin, sometimes Lupin and Jigen, sometimes Goemon, Fujiko, Zenigata… and so on. But Part 4 adds two new cast members- Rebecca Rossellini, and Nix. Rebecca is a young and incredibly rich woman who has the secret double life as an adrenaline junkie, and Nix is a hesitant secret agent who loves his family above all else. No spoilers, but they are both well-written characters within the season, and do not feel out of place in the established universe. I actually ended up loving Nix, even more so than Rebecca.

  I really shouldn’t even have to talk about the animation and music. Let’s put it this way: it is EXACTLY what Lupin deserves! Yuji Ohno is at it again with the music composition, and this has probably the best soundtrack I’ve ever heard in anime. I skipped the OP maybe once, and the ED made for good reflection every single episode. Even the BGM is catchy and popped into my head afterwards more than once. The animation is flowing, bright, and expressive, leaving practically nothing to the imagination and helping maintain focus. Important characters have wacky, cartoonish designs that you can never forget. Fujiko, Rebecca, and Lupin have lovely colors to their outfits that are just so stylish and lovable.

  Not much to say about the story! It’s standard Lupin fare. Crime, misunderstandings, and everyone’s favorite gentleman thief is all you’ll get and all you’ll need. It takes inspiration from every part of Lupin, from the 70s’ Part 1 to the more recent Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna series. Some parts are mature and violent, some are childish and absurd, but it’s all wrapped up so nicely in a visual and aural masterpiece that I never really cared whether it got philosophical or defied reality. It’s just what it needs to be- and that’s a good time. 8/10.

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• 

  CosmicRoboto

  87/100
  Lupin III and friends up against all odds.

  
  
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  Be aware that this isn't necessarily a "review", or at least not one in the most basic definition. It's more of my collected thoughts on this show than a full-fledged encomium that analyzes the show right down to the little things.  I am by no means a professional reviewer. So with that in mind, my review for Lupin III (2015) or Lupin III: Part IV.
  
  Lupin III: Part IV sees the Lupin III and friends Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko returning to TV with a whole series after three whole decades (at the time it was released). Almost all of their escapades are now set in Italy and San Marino with new characters. The most prominent of them being Rebecca Rossellini, who has married Lupin III, although it was just a sham to get another treasure. I'll admit Rebecca wasn't my favorite character in the show. I didn't care for her at first, as she just seemed overly cocky and smug. But as the show progressed, I started to grow with her more. She's not perfect, but she isn't too bad either. 
  
  Though a new character than I did like more than I thought I would was Nyx, an agent for the MI6. I didn't care for him either but as learned more about him, the more interesting he seemed. Though unfortunately, he wasn't as developed as Rebecca. Which is a shame since he had a lot of untapped potential, I believe. I wish there was some sort of side story OVA that explains his relationship with the MI6 and his abilities, but alas.
  
  Speaking of the characters, all of the main characters were great in this. Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata were all great. (Their English VAs are great too. The Geneon cast is superb.).Each character has a time to shine with at least one or two episodes centered towards one of them. Though, I think Goemon was thrown under the bus. He doesn't really do much in the show and doesn't appear as much. Aside from that, the main cast were fun to watch.
  
  The series' main baddie is Leonardo Da Vinci, or at least a clone of him. Da Vinci's was no Mamo or Count Cagliostro, but he was still a decent and memorable villain. Though, i think the only reason he is memorable is because he's a clone of friggin Leonardo Da Vinci. 
  
  As I watched this series, I picked up a theme of sorts and I didn't realize it until the 17th (or 18th if you watched the Toonami airings) episode, The Murdering Marionette. Lupin and the rest are trapped in a labyrinth by Lord Greco, a man with a god complex and a lot of followers on his side.  They are challenged to escape in one piece with all the odds literally betted against them, as Greco is believed to win. There's one more thing. One person in the crew was hypnotized to follow Greco's orders and kill all of them as his marionette. The four immediately start suspecting each other and getting into petty arguments. Fujiko and Lupin go down first and second. Jigen and Goemon kill each other, both of them suspecting the other as the marionette. Greco's marionette was revealed to be Lupin and is ordered by Greco to kill himself last. A brainwashed Lupin points his gun to his head. As all hope fades, it was revealed that...
  
  It's all an act.
  
  Lupin was never hypnotized and everyone is still alive, to Greco's shock. Lupin explains how he did to Greco and the four escape safely. Even when all the odds were betted against them.
  
  So, what was that theme I was talking about? I believe the one of the main themes of this show and the possibly the whole franchise itself is going against the impossible and winning. It happens a lot within this show specifically. Jigen is about to be shot to death by a bunch of cronies surrounding him, but yet he gets away unscathed. A close partner of Goemon's has a bomb in their heart that cannot be removed or deactivated, but yet he is able to stop it. It seems like Fujiko was just burnt alive by a magician, but she makes it out okay. Lupin was just thrown in a maximum security prison in a island with only Zenigata watching over him, but he escapes. 
  
  That theme evens plays towards the very end of the series, when Lupin saves Rebecca from Da Vinci, even when Da Vinci says saving her was impossible. Lupin and the rest have the ability to overcome the impossible. Sure there are times when they make a mistake or slip up, but in the end. They win. 
  
  I may have made this review more dramatic and pretentious than it ever needed to be. And what I said can apply to a whole lot of other media too. It's just the way I see this anime. I think I've made this review long enough, I'll try to wrap it up. 
  
  In short, Lupin III: Part IV is a fun and exciting romp in the Lupin franchise reminiscent of different parts in the series. If you by some chance, want to get into Lupin. It wouldn't hurt to start here. Though, I prefer you'd start with Cagliostro and Part 2. Part IV is just another piece of Lupin goodness worth checking out.

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• 

  myvelouria

  75/100
  "Great artists and thieves are similar: they both know how to steal your soul." - Lupin III

  This review is spoiler free.

  

  The years following the completion of “Lupin III: Part III” were a curious time for the franchise. TV specials aired almost every year, films were made, and yet there was no new TV series being produced. I haven’t found a reason as to why, I can guess, but I can’t say with certainty what was going on at TMS. The fact remains that fans were left to make due with various materials like the specials and while I’m sure they enjoyed having that, it’s clearly not the same as a new full-fledged TV show. But then something amazing happened, over 25 years since the pink jacket series fans would at long last receive something new. A fresh, modern take on “Lupin III”. That anime was 2012’s “The Woman Called Fujiko Mine”. It’s a story for another day, but it did get more people discussing this franchise that was by many considered to be a product of the past. I don’t know entirely if this led to the subject of today’s review, but nevertheless in 2014 it was announced that “Lupin III: Part IV” was in the works and the franchise officially felt like it had returned. Naturally the franchise was never truly gone, but receiving one anime and then a few years later another new installment signified a trend. This was proof that TMS wasn’t content with using the characters for just one shot stories anymore to the delight of countless fans. It aired in the spring of 2015 for 24 episodes under the supervision of its chief director, the veteran animator Kazuhide Tomonaga, with Yuichiro Yano as director. Tomonaga’s goal with the show was to blend the various interpretations of the franchise into one unified project. The hardboiled edge of the manga, the charm of the Miyazaki episodes, the humor of red jacket, and anything else in between all combined to create Part IV. And so, without any further ado, let’s begin our exploration of the blue jacket era.

  The anime begins at a beautiful wedding for the Italian socialite and entrepreneur Rebecca Rossellini to none other than Arsene Lupin III. What has possessed our favorite gentleman thief to tie the knot? Has he grown tired of a life of crime and wishes to settle down? Did Rebecca tame his wicked ways? Is he after her riches? The truth is actually far more interesting than any of that for they are using one another to obtain something they seek. The consequences to this sham marriage follow Lupin throughout the anime as it is legally binding, in spite of the couple’s intentions, and thus begins Lupin’s adventures throughout Italy. Something this anime does that shakes up our usual episodic formula is that there is a story connecting various threads together. We still get a similar structure that we’re used to, it’s just now we have certain elements that build and develop into a cohesive narrative. In addition to what Rebecca brings to Lupin’s situation there is also a plot brewing with the British Intelligence agency, MI6, and its agent, Nix. When I first watched this anime I wasn’t too keen on this decision, but after revisiting the show I found that it worked far better than I remembered. Lupin has never been a plot heavy franchise though and it isn’t about to start now as various episodes within the anime don’t have much to do, if at all, with Rebecca or Nix. So you do need to be the sort that appreciates these one off episodes that exist to be entertaining above furthering the story. I’ve always loved episodic anime, I wouldn’t be a Lupin fan if I didn’t, so while I liked seeing them change the format I am happy they retained their roots.

  

  Rebecca’s addition to the anime is an interesting one. At first she seems like a shallow, flighty tabloid queen who’s Scrooge McDuck levels of wealth can solve all of her problems. However, upon getting to know her over the course of the anime the viewer discovers she’s far more developed than expected. Her aim is to always live in the moment and seek exciting new endeavors and Lupin represents that. Rebecca’s history ends up being a significant turning point where we not only start to understand her better, but the story also starts to connect and head down an intriguing path. Rebecca is a character who’s addition is vital to the overall structure of Part IV and her fun personality and how she plays off of Lupin always makes for a great scene. Now when it comes to this franchise there is something that does need to be understood and that’s the importance of “The Castle of Cagliostro”. If you know anything about this movie then you know it was highly influential and remains a milestone in the world of anime, especially towards the Lupin franchise. One of the biggest contributions it has given us is the concept of a lovely ingenue that’s helped by Lupin while he steals her heart in the process. Many installments work this idea into the mix and Part IV is no exception. Some versions don’t perform it as well as others, but I think the attempt at it here was a success. It doesn’t have the same deeper message about how some things in this world are too precious to have a price put on them, like in “Cagliostro”, but it makes sense for Rebecca to fall for Lupin even if it’s expected. Lupin symbolizes the spontaneity that she desires in life and her feelings develop in a way that feels very natural despite its unconventional beginnings. I know TMS employs this trope a lot, but if they use it in a way that doesn’t feel forced or inappropriate, then I can still appreciate it.

  

  When it comes to the main characters I really loved what we got, though they could have dispersed the screen time a bit better. Lupin in this version is one of the more charming iterations of the character. I can see why Rebecca would fall for him and why he and Fujiko have a deeper relationship than they did in the past. The general banter between him and Jigen is always entertaining. The character interactions have always been a main draw and the screenwriter for this anime, Yuuya Takahashi, wove those in perfectly. Jigen is every bit the cool, sarcastic gun slinger we know him to be, but now he has an air of maturity that feels different from past versions. Maybe it’s because Kiyoshi Kobayashi’s voice is showing its age, but I appreciate this feeling that he emits during this period in the franchise. Goemon is wonderful, however compared to the other characters he feels underused. It took until episode 9 for him to be a main feature and that feels even worse knowing that Nix, who we’ll get to, got his own episode before him. To make matters worse he was used so sparingly in the episodes prior to that one, it really is a shame because Goemon’s regularly been my favorite character. His scenes are still strong and I’m always going to cherish the time we have with him, I just think he could have been put to more use than he was. Zenigata also felt like he could have had a bigger role than he got. I think the blue jacket interpretation of him is a terrific blend of comedic and crafty Zenigata and it just feels like a shame he didn’t have more episodes based around him. Lastly we have Fujiko in one of her best versions. This is one of the anime where it’s implied she and Lupin have something more beneath the surface and I believe it. There’s always this “are they or aren’t they” approach to it, but it works because that ambiguity leaves you wondering where everything is going. This Fujiko isn’t defined by her double crossing like she was in many red jacket episodes, instead she seems like an active member of the group. It isn’t the first time that’s happened, and I like Fujiko playing games to get what she wants, but I really enjoyed seeing her work with Lupin rather than against him.

  Visually this anime is as lovely as you’d expect when the chief director is a legendary animator. I’m happy we never had a show made during the 2000s because it meant we didn’t have to endure seeing Lupin and the gang struggle with the shift to digital animation outside of the specials, which were looking rough at that time. Lupin and Jigen’s designs feel like a nice upgrade to what Yasuo Otsuka did in the green jacket series. Zenigata’s got a healthy mix between the cartoonish and more hard-edged styles we’ve had throughout the years. Goemon’s Part IV design isn’t my favorite that he’s had, it’s the shape of his hair that throws me off, but the way this animation style moves leads to his action scenes looking amazing and I like the soft pink for his hakama. Fujiko meanwhile looks leaps and bounds better than she did in pink, feeling reminiscent of Otsuka’s design while still being fresh for modern audiences. That hombre running through her hair was a nice touch that helps distinguish her from the way she’s looked in other anime. And I love Rebecca’s design too. At first her hair reminded me too much of Nia Teppelin from “Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann”, but when you see her paired next to the other characters and how it works within the color palette it suits her. And of coarse, this anime is not without its fair share of amazing animation cuts. One in particular was by the famed animator, Shinya Ohira, who is best known for his work in anime like “FLCL” as well as various Ghibli and Masaaki Yuasa projects. Usually the animation has an almost sketchy quality, where the lines aren’t all connected, and it looks really interesting. Sometimes it switches into cleaner line work, but I don’t think it looks inconsistent. While the character animation isn’t as exaggerated as it was during the 70s and 80s I still think this anime, along with Part V, makes the characters feel expressive. It is a different form of expression than what used to be done, but I think there’s a lot of personality within the animation.

  When it comes to sound there is no denying that this is a huge leap from what we started with in 1971. Sound design in anime has come so far from those days and we really shouldn’t take that for granted. Yuji Ohno is back with his music and the way he’s rearranged these pieces compliments the series beautifully. The versions of “Zenigata March”, “Samba Temperado”, and “Super Hero” that play in this series just lit me up when I heard them. The image of Zenigata hanging onto a helicopter and laughing while his leitmotif blasts away is one of my favorite scenes with that character. What I love about “Zenigata March” is depending on the arrangement the song can be comical or intense, it’s a perfect embodiment of who Zenigata can be. The new tracks are no slouch either, I’m very drawn to the tracks “Chase!! Chase!! Chase!!”, “Fish and Hard Fried Chips”, and “Dear Belladonna” in particular. Even if you’re someone who isn’t interested in this franchise I would still recommend listening to the soundtrack, the songs are that good. Our closing this time is a song called “Chanto Iwanakya Aisanai” sung by a prominent enka singer named Sayuri Ishikawa and her voice is incredible. It’s very passionate and expressive and a nice contrast to the lighter singing styles we had heard in previous closings.

  

  And finally I can discuss Kanichi Kurita. In 1995 Lupin’s seiyuu, Yasuo Yamada, very sadly passed away and the role was given to Kurita who has maintained it since then. His voice is a very accurate impression of Yamada’s, which makes sense as he is an impressionist and comedian, yet I still find there’s a subtle tone in his voice that sets him apart. It’s faint, but I find his voice to be a touch lower. He is still able to project all of the charm and personality that the character is known for and, while I am always going to be attached to Yamada, there is no denying Kurita has done a fantastic job of keeping this character alive for almost 30 years now. In 2011 the voices for Zenigata, Goemon, and Fujiko were all changed out to new seiyuu and they’ve been doing great too. Koichi Yamadera is a marvelous Zenigata, I love how much depth he brings to his voice despite how he usually sounds. Listening to him I almost can’t believe it’s the same man who brought Spike Spiegel to life. Daisuke Namikawa suits Goemon very well, I appreciate him lowering his voice so he doesn’t have the same tone that he brought to characters like Hisoka. I do prefer Inoue’s voice, but our replacement still feels right for the character. And the lovely Miyuki Sawashiro as Fujiko, when I reviewed red jacket I said Eiko Masuyama is the voice for her. However, after revisiting this anime I have a tough time choosing between the two. Both have their own strengths, Masuyama’s voice was very airy while Sawashiro’s is more sultry. Regardless her work with Fujiko is some of the best I’ve heard from her. Kiyoshi Kobayashi remains the only member of the classic cast and while his voice has changed a lot I still can’t get enough of it. There’s a warmth and wisdom to how he sounds in recent years and it helps reframe Jigen in a new light.

  

  For how much praise I offer to Part IV, it isn’t without its flaws. The biggest ones that I had were Nix and the MI6 plot. The truth is that Nix isn’t an interesting character. He’s an MI6 agent who is overly confident in his abilities and is thrown into an uncontrollable rage when his family is in danger. That’s really all he comes down to. Now granted the main characters can also be boiled down to key personality traits, but those traits offer more potential. People have built so much off of the simple idea of the gentleman thief or the woman loyal to her own desires, Nix meanwhile isn’t as malleable. I was so apathetic towards him and considering how important he is, and that this is only 24 episodes we’re working with, it felt like he took up too much space. The MI6 plot just felt too dull despite the strange direction it led the show to. I won’t reveal too much, but the episodes that were centered on them just weren’t engaging enough. I don’t have a problem with inserting Lupin into a James Bond style story, but you have to still make it enticing. Considering how great they did with Rebecca’s character and her side of the narrative it feels like this is holding us back a bit. And, again, knowing characters I’m attached to like Goemon and Zenigata weren’t explored as much as they could have been only makes me more disappointed with the time spent here. Ironically the anime does reach a place where it feels like Nix became obsolete and that his role had run out of purpose, yet he’s still around. Once we reached the climax and I saw that we were still being subjected to him I just asked myself “why are they still hanging onto this guy” and ultimately he didn’t add much to the ending. If the anime were longer and we had more time spent away from this sub plot maybe it wouldn’t feel as bad as it does, but at 24 episodes this is one of the shortest Lupin anime. The anime didn’t have enough time to recover from its missteps so it does drag an otherwise very strong anime down.

  

  Part IV is an anime that I do think succeeded at what it aimed to be. I can see the trace elements of the various anime that came before it, and I do think they work together cohesively. Some have complained that they want the franchise to be “all funny again”, but I think choosing to weave in these different elements makes sense in establishing the identity of a new page in Lupin’s history. It wasn’t perfect, but I am still happy with the end result. Every now and then I think back on something Hayao Miyazaki once said about how Lupin felt like he was swallowed by the times, but here we are moving into the franchise’s fifth decade. The secret to Lupin’s longevity is how moldable these characters are, they’ve adapted to modern times in ways that few old school anime can. And nowhere along the way has the essence of Lupin felt sacrificed for the sake of playing catchup. It’s become clear to me that TMS cares a lot about the fact that they have this franchise to play around with. Yes they sometimes lean into ideas and tropes they’ve used in the past, but they do treat Lupin with the respect the franchise deserves. As far as whether or not I think this is a good starting point for a new fan I’d say it is. As a culmination of past Lupin styles it offers a taste of what it has been while making it recognizable and distinct in the era where countless anime are at our fingertips. If you want to try Lupin out and are resistant to older animation this is for you. And even if you are open to anime across various decades I would still argue this as one of the most accessible installments available.

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