Lupin the Third: Bye Bye, Lady Liberty

This is the first of the long running yearly TV movies of Lupin the 3rd.

This all starts off in Paris, France where Lupin steals computer files on his profile and every crime he committed. And he's looking for a way to destroy them.

And in order to do that he must retrieve the Super Egg which has a connection to the ultra Virus. The Ultra Virus is capable of deleting any secured information.

This is perfect for Lupin to delete all the known crimes from his past. To find the Super Egg lupin must search the Statue of Liberty to locate it. And with the help of a boy Genius name Micheal, Lupin will have no trouble in getting the Ultra Virus.

But a mysterious cult in New York wants the Super Egg for themselves. So they can achieve in world domination.

This one is pretty good for the earliest of all the TV specials. the animation is a bit old but it was made back 17 years ago. Has all 5 of the original voice actors portraying their own characters. And it's only available on Fansubs. It's yet to be release on DVD.

Lupin iii film 23

The predominant themes in this movie are action, gadgets and nonsense, like stealing the Statue of Liberty, that's crazy even for Lupin. Honestly the story is forgettable, it's just all over the place. There's just too much, the diamond, the virus, the woman, the Organization. And the evil guy just gets defeated by a shot, a mystic figure with powers cmon. I recommend it only to hard fans of Lupin.

It is clear when watching this film that this was not made for the theatres. This is a made for TV animated Lupin adventure, and the quality of the animation, music and voice acting reflect the reduced budget. Perhaps I mis-spoke, this isn't "Lupin" this is "Wolf" not to be confused. I do know that Lupin is Latin for Wolf, but it is still odd to hear characters refer to the famous thief by this name.

One more issue, this movie decides to add a little kid to the formula. He's not detective Conan, but he is likewise unreasonably smart for a child.

Despite all of those facts working against it, the charm of the characters still shines through. Lupin still manages to be his usual charming thief self, and the usual crew all get some time to shine.

Lupin also joins the elusive group along with Shredder and Egon as people who have successfully stolen the Statue of Liberty. I like how this is just a little side quest for Lupin, it isn't all that difficult for him.

If you are a Lupin fan and are forgiving on some lesser story and animation beats, this film should get you by.

There's a lot going on here, a bit too much. This one movie contains a hidden diamond, a grand heist, a mysterious woman, some kind of satanic organisation, a dangerous computer virus, and there's a smart kid in the middle of it too. It all ties together in the end...more or less (I was confused to be honest).

Let's be real: there are better Lupin movies. This one is fine; it's entertaining and the animation is great but personally I don't find it memorable at all. It's a movie I'd recommend for Lupin fans to watch once so they can say they've seen it but it's not a movie I'd rewatch myself personally.

Lupin III: Bye Bye Liberty Crisis from 1989 is the first annual Lupin TV movie special, which they've continued doing every year since. Unfortunately, starting that great tradition is pretty much the only good thing about this particular Lupin tale.

It starts out with Lupin retired, slumming it, watching TV. Pretty different way to start a Lupin story, and it does lead to a fun reuniting with Lupin and his gunslinger sidekick Jigen. Their classic characters, and their great dynamic together are one of the bright spots of this story. These characters are classic no matter what.

Pretty much, this has one of the more nonsensical Lupin plots. I enjoy some surreal craziness, it can be fun and has suited Lupin from time to time. Here, it's just a muddled mess.

Lupin and Jigen set out to literally steal the statue of Liberty and thoroughly search it for a diamond. Meanwhile, Goemon is working as a bodyguard for a weird emotionless woman, and Fujiko is off doing her thing, trying to rip off an eccentric rich guy for money.

There is very little Fujiko in this by the way, so we don't get to enjoy her classic dynamic with the Lupin gang as much as usual. Lupin's lovable enemy Inspector Zenigata does have some fun scenes in this one though, like usual.

Somewhere along the way a computer virus and an evil cult come into play. By this point, the plot becomes very bizarre and messy, but not really engaging or entertaining.

All in all, this movie just lacks the Lupin magic. It lacks most of the fun and style that comes along with the franchise, and for the most part it lacks the classic dynamic between the characters.

I'd recommend skipping this one and enjoying some other Lupin adventures. As a curiosity, this may be worth a watch for the hardcore Lupin fan though.