Television Specials!

SYNOPSIS

THOUGHTS / HIGHLIGHTS

CONTENT WARNINGS / BAD THINGS

Jigen's old partner, Rooster, hid a diamond in the Statue of Liberty and Jigen wants to get it. The woman Lupin was dating took advantage of him and put him into a ton of debt, so even though Lupin has decided to stop being a thief because the police have a ton of information on him, he's broke and Jigen convinces Lupin to join him in theft. Goemon is off training in Alaska and Fujiko is dating some lame rich guy. A kid named Michael wants Lupin's help.

The art style is gorgeous. The story is bizarre and does not seem to be concerned with making sense. Michael is a cool character.

I don't remember a single thing Zenigata did, so his part was probably pretty dumb. The scattered, frantic story isn't for everyone. Good old Moemon isn't, either.

The last manuscript Ernest Hemingway ever wrote (which includes the directions to a huge treasure on an island!!) was put in a special box. Lupin wants the treasure. Goemon hears that Zantetsuken can't cut the box so of course he's going to cut the box. Fujiko is hanging out with the guy who has the key to the box. Jigen's murderous ex, Crazy Mash, has been hired by one of the guys who wants the treasure. And Maria, the owner of a strangely profitable bar in a dilapidated ghost town on the island, is grudgingly helping Lupin.

Jigen lounges on motorcycles in a cool manner. I like Crazy Mash because he has cool fangs. The way all the characters' different motivations fit together actually works pretty well. It's a nice special!

God please just cut Zenigata out. Spare him.

Napoleon's dictionary, the one that allegedly doesn't include the word "impossible," is the prize for winning a classic car race. Lupin steals a car to participate in the race with Jigen. Fujiko seduces some guy who is also racing. Apparently it's known in Italy as L' Impero Dei Lupin, which is a cool name, though it doesn't seem to have much to do with the plot.

There's a big military guy who Jigen doesn't know! When Lupin and Jigen see Fujiko with the guy she's currently "dating," Jigen says "go for it, Fujiko!" (this is one of my favorite moments of the entire franchise, honestly). Later in the movie, Jigen gives some really good life advice to the NPC girl about how living for oneself will inevitably cause one to be kind to others.

The art style is atrocious. The story is boring and forgettable.

This tiny Utah bank has a massive store of gold in its basement and Lupin wants it, of course. But also the mafia wants it. And Rasputin's grandson, who really loves sticking his fingers into people's cranial orifices, also wants it. Oh and ALSO Fujiko's new girlfriend, Judy, wants it.

Fujiko says fuck! I really like when they're robbing the bank in Utah. Jigen's pretty great, and he and Fujiko have at least one nice moment together. Judy is cool. I also like Lucky and Big.

It makes me extraordinarly uncomfortable. Bizarre depiction of Russia. The triple take effect is used so frequently it triggers my motion sickness.Sexual assault, and a joke (?) about sexual assault in workplaces.

Masaaki Osumi directed this one. I've seen it, but I remember practically nothing about it. I'll rewatch it, maybe, and write about it then.

This was made for the 400th anniversary of Goemon Ishikawa's death. Goemon is crying over kabuki when a ton of ninjas show up! They want Zantetsuken. Actually they are lying. But anyway this Hong Kong mob boss is after this little dragon statue that is in the wreck of the Titanic, so he ropes Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko into stealing it for him. Oh and Goemon meets up with a childhood (at least her childhood) friend.

The art style and animation are beautiful. The scene in the wreck of the Titanic was extremely tense. Fujiko, Jigen, and Lupin are great, and Jigen does a crossword at one point. I also like the scene where Fujiko chokes Lupin and then kisses him. Pretty cool.

I cannot comprehend why Japanese fans like this one so much. Goemon's entire part of the story is strange and I found him to be annoying, and I did not like Kikyou. The resolution is nonsensical and extremely unsatisfying.

Lupin, Jigen, and some contract worker are looking to steal three statues that are the key to a treasure accumulated by a guy named Harimao. But then this underwater railway explodes and the owner and his granddaughter need money to pay for insurance so they're after the treasure too. Oh, now there are Nazis!

The beginning is actually pretty good. Jigen insults Goemon by calling him a multi-level marketer at some point. The art style is nice. The characters' eyes get huge when they're far from the camera; it's a great visual gag. Jigen dances and sings a song to distract some guards. Darling baby, hey!

Ahaha. The queercoded neonazis one. The main villain, who is an awful stereotype of a gay man? trans woman? has a very fucked-up name. Highlight the invisible text to read it. The villain's fucking name is Herr Maphrodite! I am not fucking kidding! Yep. Sorry you had to read that. This special does not know what "queer" means besides "evil." If you decide to watch this special, the Nazis first appear at 31:00 and the mind-melting transphobia starts at 52:00. There's also just the normal special problem of Goemon and Zenigata being disrespected by the plot.

Some old guy who calls Lupin baby... Morocco... gay villain...

I have watched the first half of it twice, and have become so bored I stopped watching both times. The art style is weird. Fujiko looks particularly strange, and it's not just her blonde hair; it might be that her eyes are too big or her face is too short or something. There's also stereotypical Morocco, and the weird warring clans situation. There's a subsection of one of the clans that dresses pretty much exactly like the KKK.

I need to rewatch this one. There's a classy party and Zenigata got shot by a pretty filigreed Walther P38. Lupin shot Zenigata??? No, he didn't, silly. Now Lupin's on an island... of assassins? Like... the title?

I remember it was really pretty, and that the plot was not very Lupin-esque but was engaging. There was a cool scene with a motorcycle.

Very violent.

Sorry, couldn't find a decent-quality cover image.
There's an art show happening for the grand opening of this theme park, and the guy running the show and the park has these photo plates that contain a map to a treasure. Guess who wants to steal the photo plates. A reporter named Mariya who was assigned to report on the Lupin case reluctantly tails Zenigata, who is the main character of this special.

GUYS! IT'S THE GOOD SPECIAL!
Making Zenigata the main character was a fantastic idea. Mariya's a fan favorite NPC girl because she's memorable and well-written and also has purple hair. The art and animation are gorgeous. Also, it's a successful comedy! Jigen and Goemon are relegated to comedic side quests, but they're genuinely funny. If you watch one special, it has to be this one.

Not a fan of Zenigata thinking he had a chance with a woman who's, like, 30 years younger than him

Apparently Christopher Columbus found this egg in the Americas that has some sort of connection to Orgone energy and weather control. Lupin wants it. The NPC girl's dad (?) was involved in... something. Oh, and Fujiko memorized some documents relating to the egg, but she got amnesia.

Immediately following the Good Special, we have This Fucking Special. I hate it. I think I blocked most of it out. Fujiko gets amnesia at the very beginning of the movie and then spends the rest of the movie acting all submissive and useless and just not like herself. There's a scene where Lupin threatens to rape Fujiko to help her get her memory back and she responds with a meek sure... if that will help... It sucks! It sucks! This special is probably most famous for the Goemon mouth-to-mouth scene, which I also despise. Can we not use internalized homophobia as a running gag? Zenigata was lame as hell and also stupid. I do not remember the actual plot. I think the NPC girl was a mildly predatory lesbian.

It's just about, like, capitalism. Shady investments and exploitative multi-level marketing schemes.
Please note the quote on the cover- what on earth does that mean?

Gorgeous art style, colors, and animation. Decently insightful political commentary. A twist I entirely did not expect (I don't remember what it was, though). That scene where Jigen loses his Magnum (I also don't remember this). Also I did like Sundy even though she was barely there; she really improves the soundtrack.

Includes a whole lot of comparing guns to women. Sexual assault. Fujiko and Goemon are not this gullible...

So there's this luxury cruiser called the Machine Gun Kelly (after the gangster) that is also an illegal casino and ALSO is looking for gold in the San Francisco (or, as all the characters call it, 'Cisco) harbor. Lupin and gang try to rob the casino but then get tangled in this whole JFK assassination / presidential election / criminal "paradise" / mob plot.

I need to rewatch this one now that I've "read" the San Francisco Edition chapters of the manga; this special adapts parts of that series.

Well it's pretty fucking out there. Anime JFK assassination. Zenigata actually plays a major role. Goemon is kind of sidelined because he has found a sugar mommy with purple hair. Fujiko is apparently quite skilled with mechanics! This is the first computer animated special but honestly the animation isn't too bad. The art style is whatever.

Chinese mafia torture man. Lupin compares torture to sex (okay man?? I get it??)

A reporter asks Jigen to recount how he met Lupin. He tells the story of how he had been hired by some rich criminal underworld guy to protect the Clam of Hermes, an unbreakable metal tube. A thief called Lupin III wants it, and a thief who does not own a single shirt called Brad and his girlfriend Fujiko want it, and a samurai, too. A Japanese cop is chasing Fujiko.

Reevaluation: actually this ones alright

It's ugly. There's the scene with the racist depictions of Black people and Zenigata making a racist joke. It also has the normal special problems of characters who do not need to be there: Goemon, Zenigata (why does he become interested in Lupin? Never explained).

Lupin's old thief friend Mark just died. Mark asked Lupin in his will to return some treasures he stole so that they could be enjoyed by the people (hell yeah! art theft is bad!), and after these treasures are returned, he would reveal the location of the Trick Diamond.

I remember loving this special and I have no memory of why. Feels DEEPLY neutral.

Lupin gets stolen while trying to steal some generic treasure that this girl with a swallowtail butterfly tattoo is also trying to steal. Fujiko was also stolen and she's being used as leverage to get Lupin to steal this gemstone from this big museum. Lupin gets Jigen and Goemon to help him and then immediately betrays them. Oh also the girl from earlier is the daughter of Lupin's past partner who is dead, and there's a guy named "Lumberjack," neither of whom are important. And apparently Lupin keeps all his treasures in the "Lupin Collection" that none of his friends know about and the villains want it.

I'm sure Part V Goemon "I'm not a part of your collection" Ishikawa would love this special. The fight scenes at the end were really cool! I honestly feel bad for the sword/hand launch pellet guy. Jigen also shoots guns weirdly or something.

Toeing the line of pedophilia. I honestly forgot the NPC girl and the villains even existed a couple times.

Lupin and gang steal the "original metal" that the American govt got from a REAL UFO (they're in Area 51) and then they make their getaway in the UFO. Oh no, now there's this terrorist group of assassin women who just really hate the US who want the original metal (which looks like a wizard orb).

Starts with all the characters being killed (possibly a James Bond reference? no clue which movie) which was quite cathartic. Intriguing how many scenes and plot points that seem directly ripped from Mamo. Weirdly good special for Zenigata, and sort of for Goemon.

It's fucking ugly. The Bloody Angels are so brightly colored they're kind of aesthetically pleasing in a garish way. Lady Joe is all negative stereotypes associated with bisexuals and queer women. The reveal of her big lolita dress was dumb. Overall I found this special to be not quite weird enough to be memorable.

Again, could not find a decent quality cover.
Jigen and Lupin are shooting tranquilizers into horse jockeys' asses to get horse racing money? But then Lupin meets this SIXTEEN year old girl who is super rich and wants Lupin to steal a diamond from her father. Jigen meets up with an exeptionally evil ex of his and they go to work for a mercenary who happens to be the girl's father. Fujiko and Goemon are stealing other diamonds from a diamond exibition thing. Zenigata is doing Zenigata things.

My birth year special!
The Wikia page says, and I quote, "The special is known for its spectacular amount of gay jokes." For once, the Lupin Wikia got something right. And it's not homophobic! Shocking! The comedy, gay or otherwise, succeeds in being funny (even Zenigata's bits, somehow). There's an intense focus on the concepts of heaven and hell. Themes? Wow! I had written in my personal record "Hell is actually the lack of other people because the Lupin family wuvs each other."

Pedophilia- visual sexualization of a sixteen year old, speaking about said child in a sexual manner, etc. Misogyny of the "annoying tomboy" variety.

I think there are no good cover images because no one cares about these specials.
The gang is trying to steal a mysterious treasure spoken about in a myth, but then Zenigata shows up and they're in the obligatory car chase, but random drivers keep disappearing?? And here's Kyosuke Mamou because apparently Lupin XXXIII stole his girlfriend.

HOW DID THAT KEY GET ZENIGATA OUT OF THAT PRISON IT WASNT LOCKED LIKE THAT
This is literally just Neighbor World Princess but I could stand it. The boat chase followed by car chase at the beginning was really fun! Lupin and Jigen beating each other up in a casual and friendly manner was cute. I also really liked that Kyosuke Mamou is decently manga-accurate.

I struggled to care about the conflict between the villages, and they focused WAY too much on that aspect of the plot. It's really boring and forgettable.

Fujiko wants Lupin to steal a magic lamp. The lamp contains a hot genie!! And then 7 pm rolls around and Lupin suddenly gains consciousness at 7 am with no memory of the last 12 hours and no idea why so many people are trying to kill him.

Visually, it's exciting, and the 3DCG works quite well. It's very cellphone heavy, which dates it in a charming way. There's also Goemon's lobotomy.

Boring and forgettable. Lupin is not that ripped.

Something about stealing a... thing from some ninjas

THIS FUCKING SPECIAL! Watching this fucking special is like being brained with a brick. It is torture. If I could un-watch this special, I would. Pretty please promise me you won't watch this piece of shit. I cannot impress on you enough that watching this will damage you. God. So, the NPC girl has a dog. First off, dog in the criminal underworld means dog experiencing extreme violence. Then, the running gag is that the dog keeps biting Lupin's ass. I think it pisses on his head at some point. So. Then. Lupin fucking farts on the dog. I hate this fucking special. The rest of it is just boring as shit. Ninja secrets... I do not care. Fuck this special. I hate this fucking special.

Lupin steals a jewel called the mermaid's scale from an auction but it's a FAKE! And then this little kid named Maki, not "Farewell My Beloved Lupin" Maki, really wants to be Lupin's apprentice and she is very insistent.

Maki is pretty cool. I love the soundtrack. The art style is cute, which makes the extreme violence and horniness very unexpected. The backgrounds and colors are also super pretty and I like the Lupin gang's weird bar apartment; it's a great and memorable environment! Arsene Lupin flirting with what is essencially a corpse... I hope Maurice Leblanc is watching this in heaven. All the Lupin I stuff was pretty cool. The mix of implications that Lupin and his grandpa are biologically related and that they're not was very nice. Also, Lupin immortality theorists: here's your proof!

Looks better in stills than it does moving. REALLY violent and bloody. Young kids in really bad situations, young kids being hurt. Body horror.
I can see why this characterization of Lupin doesn't sit right with some people.

The old "Farewell My Beloved Lupin" Castle in the Sky robots make a reappearance!

It was very bland. Exremely forgettable.

I'm going to keep avoiding this until someone sits me down and forces me to watch it.

You may have heard about the opening credits sequence. Here's a video explaining the references.
This special is Part IV again, but now good old Count Cagliostro is involved! This time it's the real guy instead of another guy based on the real guy.

The opening is very cool.

I already don't like Part IV, so most of this special being reused animation and plot points from that part was unpleasant. Also it was boring.

The synopsis on my personal record just says "Let's stop Hatsune Miku from solving poverty by killing her with the power of jazz and also this massive fucking rail gun." Edward Snowden is there. I think they were in Arizona.

This was my first special! Not sure why. The concept of Zenigata being arrested for being suspected of aiding Lupin is good! The concept of Jigen betraying Lupin and Goemon would be difficult to pull off, but could be interesting. I love that Fujiko is canonically a jazz pianist.

It is boring. They didn't really use the good ideas they had.

Saving for a rainy day