I’ve been following the Lupin III franchise for years. This fascination first started when I saw the previews for the various iterations on my Dragon Ball Z VHS tapes. The series created by Kazuhiko Katō, “Monkey Punch”, served as the perfect amalgamation of two of my favorite things, anime and the crime genre. In later years, I started watching the series on Toonami. When I found out there was going to be a new entry in the franchise, I was excited to see that Monkey Punch’s dream of seeing Lupin in a 3D CG film was coming to fruition; in addition, some of my favorite voice actors were playing key parts in bringing the English dub to life, particularly Tony Oliver and Richard Epcar. Did the famous thief pull off a heist in a whole new animated format? Let’s find out.
Lupin III: The First centers on our titular character as he searches for the Bresson Diary. It is his life long goal to complete the one heist he believes his grandfather never accomplished. Alongside his usual cohorts, Jigan and Goemon, Lupin teams up with aspiring archeologist Letticia to find the diary. This diary is said to prevent an eclipse that would herald the revival of the Third Reich, all the while avoiding his old nemesis Interpol Detective Zenigata.
While at its core, this may be a typical Lupin adventure, there were a couple of things that I felt made it stand out from the rest of the franchise; yes, as blasphemous as it sounds, that includes even Miyazaki’s work in the series. For me, I was constantly reminded of the Indiana Jones franchise while watching this film. The entire piece had a grand sense of scope befitting a big-screen action-adventure spectacle that I feel allows the film to compete with any modern blockbuster.
Because of this, I have to say that Lupin III: The First really serves as a fantastic entry point for those who are unfamiliar with the franchise, and Lupin III’s exploits. With a franchise spanning more than 500 episodes, it can be daunting to try to figure out the best way to get on board. This is a strategy that has worked for a variety of anime in the past, in particular Dragon Ball’s 10th Anniversary special Path to Power. Movies like these tend to work really well as they serve as a distillation of the greatest aspects of the respective series. Unfortunately, in the case of Lupin III: The First, it also brought a few of the negative aspects of the series with it. That being said, the cast brought their A-Game to this latest tale.
Being that I am a huge Dragon Ball fan, I loved the fact that Sonny Strait voiced our eccentric thief. While this may seem odd, it gave me a sense of comfort that “Krillin” was voicing Lupin; this sort of served as the bridge between the anime I grew up on and this quirky crime series. When Tony Oliver took over, I was skeptical at first but quickly came to love him in the role. While his performances as Lupin are always exemplary, his performance in Lupin III: The First was on a completely different level. At turns mischievous and erudite, Oliver brought both a polish and joy to the role that can only come from a deep understanding of this iconic character. I also loved Laurie Hymes’ work as Letticia. While the character may have come off as a bit cliche at times, the performance that Hymes delivers made was extraordinary. The only downside of the movie in terms of voice acting was everyone else’s role, all of which were severely underutilized.
While voice talent is always key to this genre, the animation was always going to be of particular note with this film since this is something of a new conquest for Lupin and company. I’m pleased to say that this absolutely paid off. Every design from the characters to set pieces and even the ripples in the water made the movie come to life. I was really reminded of The Peanuts Movie and the way they were able to perfectly transition the 2D designs onto the CGI 3D format. I was really impressed with the work that was done with Lupin III: The First. The entire animation team should be proud of their work.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the story as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely stand by the Raiders of the Lost Ark comparison, but when there seems to be contrivance after contrivance it really takes away from all the things that make the film work. Many of the problems with the supporting cast come from the fact that they only show up when the plot needs or demands them. This gives each character little to no arc. Given that this movie is part of the Lupin III franchise, this is by far not the last time we will see these characters. I just hope that next time, the team works on ensuring that the story doesn’t suffer from those same pitfalls; hopefully, it does all of our characters justice next time.
Despite the plot issues, Lupin III: The First is a fine addition to the franchise. With great animation and fantastic voice performances, this film works well for both old and new fans alike. Hopefully, we’ll get to see more Lupin stories in the CGI format going forward.
To learn more about Lupin III: The First, visit the official website.
For more anime reviews, read our thoughts on the violent Goblin Slayer: Goblin’s Crown or the standalone film Weathering With You. For something in a similar mystery genre, you can read my thoughts on Enola Holmes.
