Sunday 27 January 2008

Lupin III: Kiri no Elusive

Overall rating:7
The story is weak. Really, really weak, but the animation and the feeling of the movie as a whole is so nostalgic. This is the first time I noticed that they returned to the drawing style of the first series, which I will forever hold as the original. It was also somehow similar to Castle of Caligostro, right down to the original little Beetle and a cameo by Clarissa (granted, she was merely a sign on a truck that drove by, but it's the thought that matters). The expressions, the way they grinned at one another and a silly moment by Goemon were all so similar to those I saw in the first series and in Miyazaki's work. Not to mention the opening and ending sequence and the song, which they took from the first series.
The humor was also something out of the 70's, especially the moment in the boat where the small boy asks Lupin, Jigen and Goemon their names, while referring to them as 'old men' at which Lupin and Jigen do a comical moment announcing themselves in funny voices as "Old Man number one - Lupin!" and "Old Man number two - Jigen!" unconsciously pushing Goemon to keep up with the act and him saying "Old Man number three-"before remembering himself and just saying "Ishikawa Goemon" in an unnecessarily low tone.
It was nice, something for a person, who misses the sweet charm of Castle of Caligostro, but doesn't have too high expectations. This is something light with animation that quite good.