S3E6 - Lupin III in Transition: Reviewing Films & Specials 1987-1995

“I can’t just ignore a lovely lady with a big Diamond.”

As Lupin the 3rd rounded the corner of the 1980s into the 1990s, the character and the series was in a period of transition. The 1987 OVA film The Fuma Conspiracy featured some of the franchise’s greatest animation, but also had a completely different voice cast than Japanese fans had come to know and love. The series went back to the tone and style of Part II for the 1989 Osamu Dezaki-directed TV special Bye Bye Lady Liberty, with Yasuo Yamada, the original voice cast, and the red jacket in tow, and it was a huge success, creatively and commercially, kicking off an annual string of feature-length TV specials that continued through 2013, including 1993’s Voyage to Danger, which saw the one-time-only return of Part I director Masaaki Osumi to the franchise. Sadly, Yasuo Yamada grew ill and passed away in 1995, just before the release of the first theatrical film in 10 years, Farewell to Nostradamus, with Kanichi Kurita stepping into those impossibly large shoes as his replacement, and doing such an amazing job that he continues to voice Lupin to this day! We cover all 4 of these feature-length Lupin experiences in today’s episode, analyzing a period where everything is in flux for Lupin III, and the possibilities are endless!

Enjoy, and come back next week as we look at Lupin’s adventures on the brink of the new millennium with a selection of films and specials from 1996 to 2002 – Dead or Alive, Island of Assassins, Tokyo Crisis and Episode 0: First Contact!

Time Chart:

Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:20

Intro: 0:01:20 – 0:06:57

The Fuma Conspiracy: 0:06:57 – 0:49:06

Eyecatch Break 1: 0:49:06 – 0:49:38

Bye Bye Lady Liberty: 0:49:38 – 1:51:46

Eyecatch Break 2: 1:51:46 – 1:52:10

Voyage to Danger: 1:52:10 – 2:35:28

Eyecatch Break 3: 2:35:28 – 2:35:54

Farewell to Nostradamus: 2:35:54 – 3:27:49

End Theme: 3:27:49 – 3:29:04

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