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I should preface this with the fact that this show is primarily meant for children; the review will therefor be written from the perspective of what a child aged 3-5 can get out of this unfortunately quite obscure masterpiece.

Anyway, on to the proper review.

In the modern era of bright, non-educational and frankly brainrot-inducing children's media this decades-old show stands as a standard to which all children's entertainment should be held. While it is far from perfect, it teaches solid morals to young children, doing so in a playful manner without needlessly talking down to its audience.

This series also shows a surprising amount of dark theming without being traumatizing to its young audience (unlike many of its contemporaries). It handles its themes well and doesn't fall into the trap of simple moral dynamics (i.e. A demarcated "good" and "bad" side) while still keeping it comprehensible for the average child.

All in all the stories that are told all carry a message which is still (mostly) contemporary thirty years after its release. While sometimes it can feel preachy, the show truly cares about teaching even the youngest children a lesson in kindness, compassion and justice.

If you are a kid you probably wont mind the frankly quite unprofessional dubs (especially in the earlier episodes), which make watching this as an adult a bit of a challenge. What however does not disappoint is the animation, which, while not being stellar for its time, shows merit in a distinct fusion between western and Japanese animation style (it was animated by a Japanese studio).

In conclusion, this show is critically underappreciated as a children's show. On the internet it's known as "that anime related to Moomin", but there is little to no attention to the original target audience of the show. I hope this review may change that.

TL;DR: Even though it is not one of the greats or classics of the Lupin III franchise, this Mystery of Mamo-inspired TV-flick still brings something incredibly important to the table; change. This movie strikes a tone with its late 80s aesthetics, comedic flare and unorthodox characterizations that other Lupin III movies have yet to replicate. It is however different than the usual Lupin III outings, so I do not recommend anyone new to the franchise to watch it without some introduction beforehand.

Now, for the long-form review.

Lupin III to some of its most ardent fans can seem to get a little bit repetitive at times. You've just seen it all, y'know? Big womp when Lupin himself dies for the twenty billionth time in the series, we all know it won't stick. That's where this movie comes in. It definitively breaks the mold on a lot of the main Lupin cast (except Jigen, but Jigen never changes); Lupin himself seems fairly apathetic to Fujiko (instead choosing other women over her), Goemon seems to discover his inner romantic attraction and Fujiko herself has manned up to become the effective master thief she hasn't been since part I. Unfortunately poor ol' Zenigata was done dirty in this movie, as he gets very little of the spotlight. He does shine with each of his appearances though!

The story in general follows a quite generic structure for anyone acquainted with the franchise; it is however the way they execute it that surprises. It is quite similar to both Mystery of Mamo and Farewell to Nostradamus, borrowing plot elements that are frankly done better in the aforementioned movies. This however does not mean that it is per say a poorly done job; even though the pacing and revelations are done weirdly the film still keeps you hooked with quite interesting strings, and at the end you have closure for the main story which still leaves a bit of room for your own interpretation of what happened in the little side story.

What this movie however certainly doesn't hold back with is the late 80's theming. Did you know computers were getting big? Well, during a watching of this movie you certainly do. Just like in luxury cars from the late 80's everything now centres around the hip, hot and happening early age of the personal computer! In the year of our lord 2024 this is all quite amusing to see, and it adds a fun time capsule factor to your watching of the film.

They did not hold back on the animation and music either; the animation borrows heavily from the style created in Mystery of Malmo (only now with a budget about triple that of the aforementioned movie), while the music remains true to Yuji Ohno's fusion jazz roots. Unlike in part III there is not a single bit of computerization to find in this soundtrack, I'm afraid. Still makes for an absolute joy to recognize the new renditions of the classic Lupin themes while watching, and - as always - the sound is supreme.

The most important subject however when discussing any media made in Japan is the battle between the Japanese and English dub. And I'll be honest, even though the main dub cast of Lupin III is not present for this iteration and Lupin's name being censored to Wolf for copyright reasons (thanks, Leblanc family), the English dub still reigns supreme. Its cheesy, offbeat and absolutely deranged, and thats exactly what this movie needed. If you however want to hear more consistent voices, watch the original Japanese dub, which features the omnipresent Japanese cast.

In general, this movie shines most when its allowed to let the characters interact a bit; the action sequences are good and all, but the comedy and very unique interactions are something which I thoroughly enjoyed and wished to see more of. Even though it can be generic at times (looking at you, child character of the week) it is still a fun time, and that's what we are all here for. So I implore any Lupin fan tired of the same old tropes to go check out this movie, as it spices up the character dynamics in ways most other movies have yet to attempt.

TD;DR: Although not blessed with the voices of the great part 2 cast, this movie manages to incorporate everything that made early Lupin III great in a package that has some very 90's influences. A must-watch for any Lupin III fan.

I'd like to preface the long-form review once again with the statement that I have only watched the English dubbed version; even though it does indeed lack the great voice of Tony Oliver and his accomplices, this movie's dub is fairly acceptable. The voices sound a bit too silly at times, but I honestly did not mind this as the movie clearly also goes for this tone most of the time.

As for the writing; this has to be simultaneously one of the most grounded and most off-the-wall Lupin III films ever. It combines a frankly insane premise with some down-to-earth Lupin III character moments and action, making for an enjoyable watch with some incredibly funny recurring gags.

Side note: I do recommend any potential viewers of this movie to do at least a bit of surface level research into who Nostradamus was in real life; I sure didn't and even though it didn't make it unwatchable on my first viewing, it did confuse me a bit as to what the importance of the central McGuffin was.

The animation is done surprisingly well, with the animators keeping a classic Lupin look while upgrading the quality of the animation to what was a superb quality in 1995, which still holds up today. The settings are amazingly creative and surprising while its incorporation into events that happen in the movie are very well done.

Of course, with this movie being made in 1995, it has some traits which can be best described as symptoms of its time; some characters feel kind of inserted "just because we needed a character with (x) trait" and its message can come over a bit heavy-handed and preachy; this however does not sufficiently detract from the watching experience to bump the score down any more.

The soundtrack also doesn't really break any new ground, and you can definitely feel the slump of the soundtrack-work between part 2 (1977) and 4 (2015) in this movie; it is still alright as far as regular movies go, but when compared to the other entries in the Lupin III franchise it's in the lower ranks.

In conclusion; this movie is supreme in its looks and the execution of its themes. It manages to keep its insane premise on the ground with some 90's flair thrown in with it. It features an amusing cast which provides many funny moments throughout the film with a bit of the tomfoolery we have come to expect from this franchise. As far as Lupin III movies go, this is one of the classics.