Rupan sansei: Fûma ichizoku no inbô

If, like me, you think Lupin III's gang are just as engaging characters as the master thief himself, this is definitely one of the movies for you. Like 2002's "Episode Zero: First Contact", which tells the story of the gang's first meeting from the viewpoint of Jigen Daisuke, this story is focused on another member of the crew, the enigmatic samurai Ishikawa Goemon. About to marry, Goemon finds his bride and her dowry both abducted by the Fuma ninja clan, and must--with the help of wedding guests Lupin and Co.--battle through all obstacles to get her back. I'm biased here, as deadpan Goemon has long been my favorite member of Lupin's crew, but I honestly think there's enough Lupin hijinks here to keep his fans happy as well. Car chases galore and the dogged but humane determination of Inspector Zenigata keep the energy high throughout. If you like animated martial arts action, though, this is the primo Lupin movie for your collection, as Goemon is the star and fights several terrific sword battles. Extra-cute character designs and fluid animation by Tokyo Movie Shinsha add to its charm. A real treat.

The Fuma Conspiracy is a good time filled with action, reality-bending physics and characters, but it's what fans of the Lupin the Third franchise have come to expect, know and love about it.

This is a very watchable OVA and a good Lupin story, though it's probably not for people unfamiliar with the characters of the franchise. You need prior knowledge to fully appreciate this film. While that may seem like it degrades from the experience, it really doesn't degrade the quality of the film itself. Maybe someone out there's seen this without having known any Lupin III media and became a fan from Fuma. Well I'm one of those fans whose love grew from The Castle of Cagliostro.

Fuma has all the good stuff from the anime icon, and it's exactly that. There's action, humour, and the cat and mouse chase between Zenigata and Lupin. A routine that's entertaining when done well.

This movie is so much fun. There is never a dull moment, the movie either has an action sequence or funny character moment to throw out there. The movie has terrific momentum, and it all leads it to an excellent finale. Approaching the third act, there are all these different characters converging to the main treasure. In that group there are 6 different motives leading them there. To add to these conflicting forces, it is all taking place inside an ancient booby-trapped ninja cave. It is a very creative and visually interesting setting. To add yet another complication, any second the whole cave might explode trapping them all inside.

On the negative side, this is a rough English dub. It isn't Sonny Strait, nor is it the original Lupin, it is Robin Robertson. He does fine, as does all the English cast, but they refer to "Lupin" as "Rupan", it gets a little distracting. Murasaki also isn't that interesting of a character. I didn't buy Goemon and Murasaki as a couple and her inclusion felt very tacked on. And the villain isn't all that memorable. It plays a lot off of the ninja/ samurai rivalry for Goemon, but outside that there isn't much to them.

Outside of those small points, I really enjoyed this movie. It is one of Lupin's finest adventures. It is the type of movie that I would have loved as a child and watching it as an adult, brought out my inner child.

The Fuma Conspiracy is the fourth film in the Lupin the 3rd series and turns out to be a fresh and exciting adventure after the disappointment of Legend of the Gold of Babylon. Even though it's one of the shortest films in the series, at only 73 minutes, it manages to pack enough thrills to make it worthwhile.

The film begins at the wedding of one of Lupin's long time partners, Goemon Ishikawa XIII, being married to Murasaki Suminawa. The guest list includes Jigen, Fujiko, and of course Lupin, who has recently faked his death. However, some uninvited guests arrive: Ninjas of the Fuma Clan. During their raid they attempt to steal an urn belonging to the Suminawa Clan. When, their attempted robbery fails, they instead take Murasaki hostage and decide to trade her for the urn. The leader of the Suminawa Clan reveals to Lupin and the gang that the urn contains the secret location of the Suminawa family treasure, which the Fuma Clan has been after for centuries. After saving Murasaki, Lupin steals the urn for himself to search for the treasure with the Fuma Clan in hot pursuit. But that's not all. Recently out of retirement, Inspector Zenigata joins the chase and is determined to have Lupin's gang as well as the Fuma Clan arrested.

So, after summarizing the basic plot, there's not really much else to say about this movie. The action was great, the humor was great, the villain, simply known as The Boss, was great. Really, all I can say to describe this film is that it was great. The only thing not so great about this was the English dub. Hopefully they'll make a better one in the future. Murasaki, Goemon's bride-to-be, is a pretty enjoyable character. She' smart and joyful and the film does a great job of showing her positive influence on Goemon's life. It allows us to see a happier, more human, side of Goemon that we don't usually see often.

There really isn't anything else to say. The movie is great. It just makes me really happy whenever I watch it. If you're a Lupin fan, then go see it. If not, well go see it anyway. It's just great :)

First note that Rupan III and Lupin the 3rd are the same character and this is the same movie series. There was some legal trouble back in the 90s over the use of the 'Lupin' name, then still copyrighted in France, and so a couple of the movies were translated as 'Rupan'. So there.

Anyway, this time around the Lupin gang are in rural Japan because Goemon is getting married! But the bride's family are caught up in a feud with the mysterious and deadly Fuman clan, who are searching for a vast treasure in gold. Lupin promises to get to the gold and steal it first, but discovers that it is hidden in a tricky labyrinth - obviously inspired by the Indiana Jones movies, which came out just a few years earlier. The traps and dangers are very cool and imaginative, as is a breakneck car chase scene through a hotel that occurs near the beginning of the picture. I saw this movie in 1992 as a fansub version and it immediately became one of my favorite anime features. The action animation, comedy timing, and suspense are top notch and even though the run time seems a bit short at 73 minutes, that is simply due to the breakneck pacing of the thing and not a scarcity of plot. A lot happens and the whole thing hangs together better and entertains a heck of a lot more than Indy IV did.