Lupin III: TV Specials
Publisher
Various
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
Various
Year
1989
Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure
By Joseph (Joe) Wood
7th Mar 05  Lupin the third is an extremely well loved icon of Japanese anime and manga having stared in a number of manga runs and TV series, and also a large number of TV specials, films and OVAs. “The Pursuit of Harimao’s Treasure” (or Hunt for Harimao's Treasure ) is a TV special aired in Japan in 1995. Lupin and co. are hot on the trail of the legendary treasure of Harimao, a thief who is believed to have stolen over billions from all sides during the Second World War. To unlock the path to the treasure they must first collect three statues, one of a bear, an eagle and a monkey. The first one is easy to find in a museum but the other two are trickier as the only person who knows their location is a retired secret agent of “Her Majesty’s Secret Service” Sir Archer. Fujiko starts work as a personal assistant for the retired agent in order to try and find the location of the statues. After the Euro Tunnel is destroyed Sir Archer, being the insurer of the tunnel, is in need of a great deal of money, and so he too begins to search for the other statues with the help of his granddaughter and Fujiko. Lupin and the others follow in hopes to steal the statues either before or after Archer gets them however also after for the secret treasure is the Neo-Himmel, lead by the evil Hermaphroditê creating a hectic race against time and the odds. All the Lupin III regulars appear in “Harimao’s Treasure” creating a great atmosphere for adventure and comedy. Sir Archer the retired secret agent bears a striking resemblance to Sean Connery, and his manner throughout is very James Bond-ish a kind of in joke for most Lupin III fans as Lupin’s creator Monkey Punch has often stated Bond as one of the influences on Lupin III’s creation. During Sir Archer’s first scene there is even a piece of music that greatly resembles the Bond theme. The animation looks and feels like most other Lupin anime although it does have a slight feel that it was made for TV as some of the presentation feels cheap. The music is nothing that will make you stand up and take notice (apart from the Lupin III theme and the mock Bond theme). The problem with Lupin III specials and movies is often that it is made for the already large Lupin fan-base, and that newcomers may find it difficult to get into. Overall the plot is rather simple and there aren’t any major surprises wither you’re a Lupin fan or not, the ending is also a bit poor. If you know the characters slightly then the movie is far more enjoyable, as Lupin and co. will keep the action and laughs coming. If you’re a fan of Lupin III then you’ll want to check this out, but try and get it on the cheap side. If you’re new to Lupin then this is certainly not the place to start.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English Dubbed, Character Bios
Release information: Label: MVM
Released: April 7th 2003
Classification: 15
Running Time: 90mins
Director: Masato Sato
Chief Director: Osamu Dezaki
Notes: The DVD from MVM only has an English dub option, the dub isn't too bad but a Japanese option would of been nice, however this is not due to MVM but rather Funimation who produced the DVD. The charcter bios include information on all the Lupin main cast and new chacters, these aren't anything special.
-- Joseph (Joe) Wood 7th Mar 05
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