Rupan Sansei: Honou no Kioku - Tokyo Crisis

Title:Rupan Sansei: Honou no Kioku - Tokyo Crisis
Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo
Lupin III: Tokyo Crisis
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , , ,
Notables: HAYASHIBARA Megumi
INOUE Makio
KOBAYASHI Kiyoshi
KURITA Kanichi
MASUYAMA Eiko
NAYA Goro
Original Concept - Monkey Punch
R1 License - FUNimation
Lupin has set his sights on stealing some priceless glass etchings. These etchings contain the map to the secret treasure of the Tokugawa dynasty. Lupin is continually foiled at every turn by Zenigata and a mysterious band of men. Meanwhile, Zenigata is being helped by a mysterious girl named Maria. Maria can see into the future and was orphaned as a child when her scientist father was murdered in front of her eyes.

The murderer turns out to be Michael Suzuki who also is the new owner of the glass etchings Lupin is after. To add to Lupin's woes, Jigen has a toothache preventing him from being able to shoot straight, and Goemon has had Zantetsuken stolen from him by an agent of Suzuki! Why is Suzuki interested in the etchings and Maria? Who will unlock the mysteries behind both first?! (taken from The Lupin III Encyclopedia)
[1 92-minute TV Special. R1 license by FUNimation.]
[edit] The ↗Lupin III franchise:
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 8 7 7 6 7 Ggultra2764 [series:1016#1552]
This movie's more focused on Zenigata and his assistant, Maria, in this Lupin special, the latter having a connection to the main baddie of Crisis in Tokyo having a crime ring that genetically engineers thugs for crime syndicates and shady politicians to milk use of. The baddie here's quite competent and gives Lupin a good amount of difficulty, knowing most of Lupin's plans for much of the film. Maria gets her focus as we learn of her past and what connection she has to the mentioned baddie thanks to her precognition ability and Zenigata is portrayed to be quite competent here compared to how many TV specials and movies portray him. A number of the chase scenes throughout the movie are as over-the-top as you would expect from a Lupin movie with vehicles involved and Lupin evading large numbers of police officers at points in the movie.

Lupin still gets his focus in this movie as he tries stealing etchings from the mentioned baddie, but his other gang members get shafted which is a common issue that comes up in the movies/ TV specials. Fujiko gets somewhat of a role to play in the middle of the film, but is quickly reduced to the background. Plus, Jigen and Goemon are at their lowest in this movie when they get crippled in some way to be reliable for Lupin, with Goemon's situation making him look like a fool.

Overall, Crisis in Tokyo is a decent Lupin film with its focus on Zenigata and Maria's chemistry with one another. Beyond that, not much else sticks out with the movie as it features the typical elements and flaws you would expect of a Lupin film.

Last updated Saturday, June 15 2013. Created Saturday, June 15 2013.
Rent 8 8 8 7 7 AstroNerdBoy [series:1016#436]

This Lupin title is a bit different in that Lupin actually takes a back seat to Inspector Zenigata. As such, we get a more interesting tale than if the focus had been on Lupin and his gang. With Lupin out to steal some rare etchings, Zenitata is out to stop him. Fujiko has somehow weasled her way into the job as the head of a Tokyo magazine and on her staff is a young female reporter named Maria. Maria is voiced by the excellent seiyuu Hayashibara Megumi who does an excellent job of making Maria come to life as a sweet, innocent young lady.

Maria joins Zenigata one evening as he foils Lupin's attempt to steal the etchings from a convoy. However, things go very wrong and Zenigata is put on suspention. This is where things get interesting. Maria stays with Zenigata as he gets drunk, then ends up taking him home and into his apartment. This is a nice touch because we get to see where and how Zenigata lives -- like a slobby bachelor. Of further interest is the jutte (a weapon used by Samurai police in fuedal Japan) that Zenigata has -- a link to his police heritage.

So while Lupin may be the star, Zenigata and Maria working together end up taking the focus. Zenigata ends up getting somewhat taken with Maria and naturally comes to her rescue when she's in danger. She helps him by using her special gift of precognition, so it ends up being a good partnership and a sweet one to boot. Too bad the writers didn't have it go a bit further. I would have liked to have seen Zenigata get the girl, but that's not where they went. How it went is much more realistic though.

The story itself isn't all that interesting, but serves its purpose. Lupin gets plenty of time. Fujiko starts off with more of an interesting role, but simply doesn't pay out. Jigen is taken out with a tooth ache, so he's not much of a presence in the special. Goemon having Zantetsuken stolen from him made him look like a complete moron rather than a cool, powerful samurai. Without his sword, Goemon is worthless in the special. We finally have a semi-intelligent villian in this special, but Lupin is just a tad smarter, as you might expect.

Bottom line: Megumi-san's work as Maria is very good and the depth given to Zenigata's character is a very nice touch. The story is only average making this worth a rent.

Last updated Saturday, November 26 2005. Created Saturday, November 26 2005.


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The Lupin III Encyclopedia http://www.lupinencyclopedia.com

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