Underplayed Gems

Lupin III: The First (2019)

Lupin III: The First poster
Original title
ルパン三世 THE FIRST
Directed by
Takashi Yamazaki
Genre
drama film, comedy film, action film, adventure film, Action, Adventure
Country
Japan
Runtime
1h 33m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
7.3 of 10 from 317 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

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The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A gentleman thief and his crew hunt for a mechanical diary that holds a secret fortune. They race against a Nazi treasure-hunting group across Paris and Brazil to crack its puzzle.

fast-pacedlightheartedplayfulslickold-fashionedglobe-trottingaction-packedclevernostalgic

What happens

Lupin III: The First (Japanese: ルパン三世 THE FIRST, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei Za Fāsuto) is a 2019 Japanese animated heist comedy film based on the 1967–69 manga series Lupin III by Monkey Punch, to whom the film is dedicated. Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, it was produced by TMS Entertainment and Marza Animation Planet, and is the first fully computer-animated film in the franchise. The film stars Kanichi Kurita as Lupin III, Kiyoshi Kobayashi as gunman Daisuke Jigen, Daisuke Namikawa as samurai Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Miyuki Sawashiro as Fujiko Mine, and Kōichi Yamadera as Interpol detective Zenigata. Set during the late 1960s of the Shōwa era, the film follows gentleman thief Arsène Lupin III and his crew to Paris and Brazil to find the whereabouts of the Bresson Diary, a treasure even Lupin's grandfather Arsène Lupin failed to catch. A battle for the mechanical diary is unleashed as a Nazi treasure-hunter group led by Lambert and Geralt are also in a race to steal it, with the prize that whoever deciphers its mystery will be the owners of an enormous fortune. Lupin III: The First was theatrically released in Japan on December 6, 2019, by Toho. GKIDS released the film in North America on October 18, 2020. The film earned critical acclaim, with praise directed towards its plot, vocal performances, faithfulness towards the source material, and, in particular, the animation. Many felt the series transitioned well into CGI, praising the level of detail and fluidity. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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