Rupan sansei: Walther P38

Somewhat a change of pace and tone, even in its animation, when compared to the first few bright and lively TV specials. Lupin the Third: Island of Assassins, which I much prefer original title Lupin the Third: Walther P38, had rather a distinctively punchy, somber and violent approach. Sort of mixing together an intriguing whodunnit angle with a ludicrous conspiracy laced adventure sub-plot like out of a James Bond film. The story delves into a past incident of a mysterious figure shooting a familiar looking Walther P38 at Lupin falling out of a plane, well, it's déjà vu, as during a heist, in what looks like a set-up, Lupin's arch nemesis Interpol inspector Zenigata is shot by the same mysterious figure and elegant pistol from Lupin's past. Being framed for the shooting, this leads Lupin to the island of the Tarantula assassins, where he and co go about trying to uncover this shooter from his past, while also stealing the Tarantula's massive gold fortune.

The game plan is set, but it doesn't go so smoothly, as chaos erupts and the revelation to who set it all in motion shows their true self. Action, when it occurs, hits hard and fast with few bang-up scenes in the opening and closing sequences. Once the story hits the island, the operation rarely leaves and it can hit a bit of a bump as it slowly chugs along. In doing so, it felt like it could've been tighter and a little less self-contained, but this opened up a relationship struck between Lupin and one of the assassins, Ellen. The script gave it an opportunity to dig a little deeper into Lupin's psyche, and background showing a serious side whenever he's not being coy. This is powerfully projected in its final melancholy scenes of self-sacrifice and pure reflection - finishing on a beautiful end credits song "Don't Forget My Eyes" by Emi Shinohara, the Japanese voice actress of Ellen and who also did voice work for Sailor Moon and Project A-Ko.

Then I am the first person who will not speak highly enough of this film. So for me this film really shows potential because we have never seen a much more violent and bloody Lupine III film. And yet this river was truly a disappointment for me because a good oneit really had potential But I never understand these things that really get on my nerves. That is, you make a very violent and bloody film and it's that you add comedy and that's what's worse than these things that aren't funny at all, for example that Fujiko gives Lupine a slapThese things aren't funny to me at all and the villains. That is, the tarantulas are badly used in the film. She's the main villain, thrown at random. The only positive thing about this film is Ellen who, for me, was a really good character but you need another film. Failure of Lupine IIIWhat a shame with something like this that was really wasted to conclude the vote 5.

This Lupin the 3rd TV movie is different than the other ones.

It has more violence and the plot to it is more dark. Still has some humor in it but not a whole lot.

Lupin has to face the most dangerous group of Assassins ever. Who are trained/savaged killers. Lupin also tries to find his lost famous Wather P38 he use to own.

The animation is very smooth and well done.

Character designs are different than the previous TV movies character designs.

This may very well be the most violent Lupin the 3rd anime ever.

It's still worth seeing. I give it an 8/10

Walther P-38 (Island of Assassins) is a damn good Lupin III adventure.

A man commits a heinous crime using a Walther P-38 pistol much like the one Lupin has, along with a spooky group of assassins with spider tattoos. This leads Lupin and the gang to the foggy island of assassins.

This is the most serious Lupin special, and also the most violent. It's an intriguing change of pace for Lupin, where he has a serious score to settle from his past. The less known about the plot going in the better, there are some nice twists.

Lupin naturally takes a liking to a female assassin on the island, she turns out to be one of the better guest leading ladies. The scenes between Lupin and her are pretty touching.

The Lupin gang is here as well, with Jigen there to help his partner, Fujiko with a couple nice scenes, and of course Goemon with some great fighting. For the most part they're separate from Lupin in this one, as he is doing his own personal thing, but they do get some decent screen time.

This has a comparatively more serious art style, and is pretty dark looking. The soundtrack by Yuji Ohno is also pretty intense. There's still some good comedy in this though, being Lupin, and Inspector Zenigata provides quite a few of those laughs.

A really good thriller, I recommend giving this one a watch, Lupin fan or not.

"Island of Assassins" is another adventure from famed master thief Lupin III. In this one, Lupin and the gang face off against a notorious group of mercenaries all marked with a distinctive spider tattoo on their hand. Together, Lupin, Jigan, Goeman and Fujiko will race against the clock to clear Lupin's name, get the gold, free hostages and unravel a mystery about Lupin's past. Doing all this, while trying to escape with their lives.

I have now seen about 8 of these Lupin III movies, and they can vary wildly in quality. I am a fan of this series, these are fun characters, they work well off of each other and set up fun and unique adventures. And fear not, this is one of the good ones. There are just a few things that keeps it away from being a great one.

First, addressing the tone. This movie is decidedly darker in tone compared to the majority of Lupin adventures. If you come into Lupin for its humor, most of that is being held up by a side story only tangentially related to the main events. This is a more Lupin focused story, with as much for Jigan, Goeman, Zenigate and Fujiko. The new character for this movie, Ellen, is more interesting and plot relevant than most of the female add-ons from these movies.

The setting of the island is an entertaining one. There is an almost constant sense of peril, like our heroes are one wrong look away from being killed. This movie has an intimidating villain and a compelling overarching mystery. The animation style helps compliment the darker more serious tone. It isn't necessarily my favorite animation for Lupin, but it is undeniably a step up from their episodic animation. I also like the English dub of Sonny Strait and Christopher Sabat (Krillin and Piccolo) for Lupin and Jigan.

The movie builds up to an exciting third act, but this is when the main problems begin to arise. Without giving anything away, there is a major plot point that is just ignored. The movie sets up these rules, and apply actions to consequences, but then at the end just say: "nah, don't worry about it." For a movie that is so serious, that plot hole may be the funniest joke of the film.

Overall, it is a good adventure, intimidating villains, compelling mysteries, exciting action and constant suspense. Then the ending has such a large plot point that is just ignored, it is impossible to ignore. But it is not enough to ruin the movie. It still gets a recommendation from me. Give it a watch if you are looking for a darker animated adventure.