Given the longevity of Monkey Punch’s beloved Lupin III, it’s a wonder the franchise is not regarded with higher acclaim. Not that Lupin III is without a rabid fanbase; it’s just not as openly celebrated with the same fervor that fuels other long-running anime, including spotlight-hogging fare like One Piece, Demon Slayer, and My Hero Academia. Originally published as a manga in 1967, Lupin III has spent the last six decades building a media empire that has included but is not limited to eight anime series, seven theatrical films, a slew of original video animations (OVAs), and an even greater slew of television specials. That’s a lot of Lupin, but the only entry to really break through to the main stream is 1979’s The Castle of Cagliostro, and that’s less because it’s an exceptionally strong Lupin III entry and more that it was helmed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki (though it is a genuinely excellent Lupin film, Miyazaki’s stature as an artist notwithstanding).
The scope of Lupin III’s catalogue may appear outwardly daunting, but it really couldn’t be an easier series to dive into. Each adventure is largely self-contained and sticks to a core quintet of characters. There’s Lupin III, of course, the wily and resourceful master thief and grandson of the great gentleman burglar Arsène Lupin. His regular partners in crime are Jigen, a cool-as-ice gunman capable of hitting any target from great distances with a single bullet, and Goemon, a thirteenth-generation samurai whose reticent nature does not betray his unparalleled skill with a blade. Their paths frequently cross Fujiko Mine, a gorgeous and deceptive spy who is fond of playing all sides until she comes out on top. Rounding out the cast is Inspector Zenigata, a headstrong and devoted Interpol agent who would scour the ends of the earth to apprehend Lupin and his colleagues. Taking cues from James Bond, a typical Lupin III story revolves around the thief and his gang out-maneuvering Zenigata to steal a priceless artifact, rescue a member of a royal family, or foil a villain’s plot for world domination (or sometimes, all of the above). It’s a template that has served Lupin well, allotting for plenty of sleuthing, globe-trotting, and exhilarating action sequences.
2012 saw the release of The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, which deviated from the series’ characteristically frivolous texture in favor of something darker, grittier, and more sensually-charged. As far as Lupin III goes, it is arguably the franchise’s zenith, thanks in no small part to the striking character design and animation direction from Takeshi Koike. Koike, an anime veteran who made a name for himself with 2009’s Redline, would go on to direct four additional Lupin III stories, each one focusing on a key member of Lupin’s inner circle. (The films are Jigen’s Gravestone, Goemon’s Blood Spray, Fujiko’s Lie, and Zenigata and the Two Lupins, all highly recommended.) Which finally brings us to Lupin the IIIrd the Movie: The Immortal Bloodline, Koike’s fifth and supposedly final trip with the gang in his own Lupin the IIIrd timeline. Bringing together the team one last time, The Immortal Bloodline pulls from some of the greatest Lupin III films, including Dead or Alive, Island of Assassins, and The Mystery of Mamo, to deliver a fast-paced, rip-snorting thrill ride that sends off the master thief on a high note.
Following his latest escapade, Lupin (voiced by Kanichi Kurita) is looking to retire to his palatial estate, only to find it has been cruelly rigged with explosives. With the only evidence pointing to a map of an uncharted island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, Lupin, accompanied by Jigen (Akio Otsuka), Goemon (Daisuke Namikawa), and Fujiko (Miyuki Sawashiro), set a course for the unknown, looking for answers as to who’d want them dead. Ignoring the desperate pleas of Zenigata (Koichi Yamadera), Lupin, et al. arrive at their destination, only to be summarily shot down out of sky. Marooned and separated, four of the five soon encounter a horde of assassins hellbent on murdering them, while Lupin meets the brains of the organization, the immortal warrior Master Muom (Kataoka Ainosuke VI) and his companion, a mysterious young girl named Salifa (Aoi Morikawa). With the mysterious island administering a poisonous fog that will kill the team dead within 24 hours, Lupin must discover the secret to defeating Muom and help the others escape the island before their time runs out.
Despite the aforementioned accessibility of a standard Lupin III tale, The Immortal Bloodline does require extensive foreknowledge of the preceding four films to make any narrative sense. Thankfully, Koike provides a helpful recap up top, speedrunning through the various names and faces encountered previously before crash-landing on Muom’s island. The island itself is a neat visual creation, littered with discarded weaponry and vehicles from killers past. The denizens of the islands are also failed assassins, among whom are deadly sharpshooter Yael Okuzaki (Akio Hirose) and steel-toothed lumberjack Hawk (Takaya Hashi), two foes looking to settle their respective scores with Jigen and Goemon. Alone and without backup, Zenigata is also given moments to shine as a hero, allying with his greatest adversary in the hopes of making it off the island alive. Shamefully, it’s Fujiko who is given little to do, reduced to a damsel in distress, complete with the requisite lack of clothing.
Supernatural elements are no stranger to the Lupin III franchise, though Muom might still befuddle viewers going in cold. A beast-like fighter who can survive point-blank gunshots to the head, Muom is certainly one of the franchise’s more outré creations, whose real purpose is masked until the end of the film. Direction by Koike, meanwhile, is reliably slick, marrying his trademark animation style with kinetic sequences of action, sending wave after wave against Lupin and co., seldom taking his foot off the pedal. As an exercise in sheer excitement, then, The Immortal Bloodline is largely successful in bringing this chapter of Lupin III to a satisfying close. Newcomers will likely need to brush up on recent lore before heading in, but for those attuned to the previous trials and tribulations of the lovable master thief, a most enjoyable time will be in store.
DIRECTOR: Takeshi Koike; CAST: Kanichi Kurita, Akio Otsuka, Daisuke Namikawa, Miyuki Sawashiro; DISTRIBUTOR: GKIDS; IN THEATERS: January 4; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 33 min.
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