Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Chainclaw
• Review Date: 2010-09-11 (updated 2012-07-21)
• 4 stars out of 5 (?)

Released in 1987, this film is a classic in the long-running Lupin series. Overall it's basically your standard Lupin fare, but I consider this to be a shining example of what happens when a movie in the series gets all the important themes and key elements right: Grand adventure, visually stunning locations, crazy, over-the-top chase scenes, and intense action. The story itself is thoroughly predictable and I really would have preferred some better villains (the ones the film does have are just simple greedy guys who want money, with only one even depicted as skilled in battle), but it makes up for it by giving the secondary characters--particularly Zenigata and Goemon--plenty to do.

Definitely worth a look for any Lupin fan, and if you have never seen a Lupin film, I can't think a better introduction to the series, as it is the perfect set up for the films that follow.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Chainclaw
• Review Date: 2010-09-11 (updated 2012-07-21)
• 4 stars out of 5 (?)

Released in 1987, this film is a classic in the long-running Lupin series. It's so old that the characters still refer to Lupin by his original title "Rupan" in the dubbed version. Overall it's basically your standard Lupin fare. It's got a cheesy adventure plot, standard cookie-cutter villains, ancient cites, caves, traps, chases and races, basically everything you would expect in the Lupin universe. Still, I gotta say I consider this one of the better Lupin films in the franchise, partially for the nostalgic feel, but mainly because all the action and adventure scenes are so well done.

If there's one reason to watch this film, it's the car chases. Good God this film has some great ones. I'd go so far as to say it has some of the best car chase scenes in the anime universe. In one car chase alone, Zenigata and his men embark on a pursuit of Lupin's gang that starts out in a city and ends going through a marketplace, the roadways on the edge of a cliff, down a hill, through a Buddhist temple complex, and back on the roadways before finally coming to an end on railroad tracks. It's almost too cool for words. The downside is that it sets standards none of the other action scenes can live up too, but who cares? It's just great, and the other scenes don't disappoint either.

Another thing this film deserves a lot of credit for is the wide variety of creative locations. It goes through the perfect transition of modern cities, high tech gadgets, and vehicle chases at the beginning, to ancient caves and lost temples at the end, effectively creating the feel of a truly epic adventure. Quite an achievement in a movie only 73 minutes long, I must say.

I also liked the supporting cast. Lupin's companions all have important roles in the story, and even Zenigata gets treated pretty well. Obviously all his attempts to arrest Lupin fail, but at least he gets an important role in some of the film's best action scenes and displays at least a moderate level of competences at times. I also liked how driven and relentless he is depicted in his attempts to catch Lupin, going so far as to drive his car underwater in an attempt to do so.

As stated in the plot description, Goemon is a central character of the film, with almost as much of an important role as Lupin. I gotta say this was his best role so far in a Lupin film, especially in regards to participation in the story and action scenes. Fujiko was impressive as well. This might be the first film in which she participated in no fanservice at all! She performs pretty well in the actions scenes too, and the one time she gets captured she is able to escape on her own. I also kind of liked Murasaki. For the most part she's just a damsel in distress, but like Zenigata, she is driven and determined, which helped override her lack of skill.

I also I loved the animation. If ever there was a film with a great nostalgic retro look, this is it. For its time, the animation is excellent, helping bring the wide array of environments and action scenes to life. Some parts were especially detailed, such as a scene where some of the characters are affected by poison gas, causing them to see their companions as demonic abominations. The soundtrack was a nice touch as well. There was nothing really distinctive about it, but the music always felt appropriate for the situation on screen.

Overall the Lupin franchise has been a mixed bag in terms of quality in the films, but I consider this to be a shining example of what happens when a movie in the series gets all the important themes and key elements right: Grand adventure, visually stunning locations, crazy, over-the-top chase scenes, and intense action. The story itself is thoroughly predictable and I really would have preferred some better villains (the ones the film does have are just simple greedy guys who want money, with only one even depicted as skilled in battle). But still this is definitely worth a look for any Lupin fan. And if you have never seen a Lupin film, I can't think a better introduction to the series, as it is the perfect set up for the films that follow.

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Related Recommendations

"The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure" is a fairly similar Lupin move: A grand adventure with a predictable, cliched plot. For films with a grand adventure and a good plot, check out "Castle of Cagliostro" and "Secret of the Twilight Gemini."