Lupin the 3rd is definitely not one of the most...well known franchises in America. It's a shame really, because the only real public exposure to the franchise was with 20 somead episodes they showed on Cartoon Network for a year or so. However, this is the real Lupin. The best in the franchise, and why, therein, it BECAME a franchise.
The movie's plot is...sparce. Frankly, how it ends is pretty predictable, and you know that the heros will win. That's not the fun in the movie though. This shows the old euphanism that "its not the end that matters, but the journey that it took to get there". The movie basically starts out with Lupin and his gun-ho buddy Jigen in a car chase from a very nice bank that they just robbed. They finally get away from the police, but to their shock, they realize that the money they stole was fake bills. So, in real Lupin humor, they just chuck it all out of the car and are done with it, as though the whole thing didn't happen. They then run into a girl being chased by suited men and well....thats pretty much all the spoilers I will give. The name of the day in this film is comedy. You will be hardpressed to find a serious moment in this film that doesn't have a sly, comedy edge to it. This film doesn't take its story too seriously, but instead lets its characters create the atmosphere, and the real reason to watch it. Whether it's Lupin doing the craziest stuff imaginable to save some girl he only slightly knows, Fujiko, the commonplace vixen who is trying to make a quick buck in this whole thing, seducing the villain only to find herself on the wrong end of a gun, or Goemon, Lupin's samurai buddy, blushing at the sight of a pretty girl at the flick of a wrist, you will laugh.
This movie is heavily based on sight gags, and just setting up characters in the right place at the right time to generate something hilarious. But don't let that make you think that it is ever forced, it isn't. It's as fluent as the pace in this movie, which has no wasted moments, just nonstop action and fun. If there is one thing that this movie might fail in, and it is really hard to do that with something like this, it is with the animation. Granted, this movie is, at this writing, approximately 26 years old. And, trust me, the age shows. But really, when you get engrossed enough into the movie, that fact becomes a null factor with all the fun this movie has to offer, and pretty soon you will not even notice that it is animated at all, if not for the superhuman stunts Lupin is able to pull off with his gadgetry.
At the end of this movie, it's hard to say that it wasn't enjoyable. Sure, the movie isn't everyones cup of tea. But, if you have a funny bone that needs tickling, this is definitely something to consider. Even if your not a fan of Japanese anime, this is worthy of a viewing. If "Grave of the Fireflies" is the king of anime, then "Lupin the 3rd-Castle of Caligostro" is the joker.
The movie's plot is...sparce. Frankly, how it ends is pretty predictable, and you know that the heros will win. That's not the fun in the movie though. This shows the old euphanism that "its not the end that matters, but the journey that it took to get there". The movie basically starts out with Lupin and his gun-ho buddy Jigen in a car chase from a very nice bank that they just robbed. They finally get away from the police, but to their shock, they realize that the money they stole was fake bills. So, in real Lupin humor, they just chuck it all out of the car and are done with it, as though the whole thing didn't happen. They then run into a girl being chased by suited men and well....thats pretty much all the spoilers I will give. The name of the day in this film is comedy. You will be hardpressed to find a serious moment in this film that doesn't have a sly, comedy edge to it. This film doesn't take its story too seriously, but instead lets its characters create the atmosphere, and the real reason to watch it. Whether it's Lupin doing the craziest stuff imaginable to save some girl he only slightly knows, Fujiko, the commonplace vixen who is trying to make a quick buck in this whole thing, seducing the villain only to find herself on the wrong end of a gun, or Goemon, Lupin's samurai buddy, blushing at the sight of a pretty girl at the flick of a wrist, you will laugh.
This movie is heavily based on sight gags, and just setting up characters in the right place at the right time to generate something hilarious. But don't let that make you think that it is ever forced, it isn't. It's as fluent as the pace in this movie, which has no wasted moments, just nonstop action and fun. If there is one thing that this movie might fail in, and it is really hard to do that with something like this, it is with the animation. Granted, this movie is, at this writing, approximately 26 years old. And, trust me, the age shows. But really, when you get engrossed enough into the movie, that fact becomes a null factor with all the fun this movie has to offer, and pretty soon you will not even notice that it is animated at all, if not for the superhuman stunts Lupin is able to pull off with his gadgetry.
At the end of this movie, it's hard to say that it wasn't enjoyable. Sure, the movie isn't everyones cup of tea. But, if you have a funny bone that needs tickling, this is definitely something to consider. Even if your not a fan of Japanese anime, this is worthy of a viewing. If "Grave of the Fireflies" is the king of anime, then "Lupin the 3rd-Castle of Caligostro" is the joker.