Lupin 3rd: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure
Bandai DVD
Review
by
: Matt
McConnel
How many
of these have there been? More than you can count on one finger
that is for sure. How many studios and licensees hold the
rights? Correct, just as many. This time the US production
was handle by none other than FUNimation, yup, ole DBZ themselves.
The film is however, all Lupin, and worth addition to any
fan's collection.
Lupin
is hot on the trail of the legendary treasure of Harimao,
a Tai warlord during World War II. He was reputed to have
left a vast treasure and the only man who knows where the
treasure is hidden is the equally legendary British agent
Sir Archer. Initially in opposition to Sir Archer and his
granddaughter, Lupin and company must unite with them against
the rise of a new and devious, if moderately silly, group
of transvestite neo-Nazis. Yea well, it is Lupin after all.
The animation
is alright, but there has been better studios handling the
franchise. One thing that is interesting is how the various
characters are more stylized in this feature than in some
others. Lupin's movements are very distinctly taken from a
monkey while Fujiko's are almost feline. This is not a new
nor necessarily uncommon practice in filmmaking, but rarely
is it so pronounced. A concern is that FUNimation claims to
have 're-version'-ed the work. Um, what? You mean the same
re-versioning that they inflict upon the fans of Dragonball
and DBZ? It is Lupin III, a horny upped amalgamation of Inspector
Gadget and Carman Sandiego, kids won't be watching this so
there is no need to perform the usual buturings that American
television demands.
The appeal
of Lupin is the same appeal of James Bond, Indiana Jones,
or the Maltese Falcon. It is a romp around the globe with
colorful characters popping up here and there. The story becomes
sublimated by the characters, one really does not care where
they are going, just that they are going and that it will
be a fun time. It comes down to whether Lupin 3rd is your
thing or not. If he is, the Harimao's Treasure is an enjoyable
romp. If not, then do not bother.
Email
Matt, our resident anime guru, here.
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