Lupin III: Parte 4

Fourth television series dedicated to our beloved Lupin III, who this time shows off a stylish blue jacket in an adventure set almost entirely in Italy, with some detours between San Marino, France and Japan.

After the flop of the third series, which ended in 1985, it took thirty years before seeing a Lupin television series again (except for the 2012 spin-off dedicated to Fujiko) and this series is exactly what we needed.

Here Lupin is told to us in a new way suited to modern times. In previous series, characterized by the large number of episodes, there were almost always stories that concluded during an episode and antagonists that appeared and were defeated in the same episode. Furthermore, the character of Lupin, over the years, had lost the noir tones of the first series and sometimes tended more towards comedy.

Instead, in the fourth series the narration has a modern style: first of all there are fewer episodes (26), in each there is a common thread that follows the main plot of the series and there are new characters who will be present in more episodes to help/ hinder our protagonist.

The character of Lupin returns to have a character closer to that of the first series. Less clumsy and blatantly good, more serious and less comedy. Determined to achieve his goals without too many scruples

This fourth series introduces the modern Lupine. Told with a fresh and new style, which revives the character making it compelling and current.

Furthermore, if you are Italian like me, you will appreciate the setting even more.

Obviously it is not without errors or boring and somewhat useless episodes, but despite this, it manages to attract new viewers and satisfy long-time fans.

Good vision.

When a franchise has been around for decades, it can be hard to balance staying true to its original appeal while also keeping things fresh. Lupin III is a franchise that dates back to 1967, for crying out loud-- you might think that every plot line has been exhausted. Not to mention, almost all of the core characters still dress like they're living in the 1960s. And yet, Lupin has managed to keep itself popular for half a century now, all without going too far off the rails.

Part 4 (commonly known as "Blue Jacket") is quite reminiscent of Part 2 with its wacky humor and breezy episodes. There is an overarching plot with some heavy moments (some of the story gave me MYSTERY OF MAMO vibes too), but on the whole, it's a little loose. The show is set in the modern day and adjusts for the existence of smartphones and the internet. Putting old-school characters into such a setting usually invokes "hello fellow kids" cringe, but Blue Jacket updates the usual Lupin schtick well without compromising the fun qualities that have allowed the series to endure. Even the new characters mix in well with the Lupin gang. I would definitely recommend the show as a great starting point for people interested in Lupin III but daunted by just how much of it there is to wade through.

This series sees master thief Lupin III and friends, sharpshooter Jigen and samurai Goemon getting into a number of scrapes in Italy and San Marino. Inevitably where Lupin goes sometime lover, sometime rival Fujiko Mine and Interpol officer Inspector Zenigata can't be far behind. Over the course of the series he gets into many single episode adventures as well as having some plotlines that run through the series. Key among these are the introduction of wealthy thrill-seeker Rebecca Rossellini, who marries Lupin in the opening episode; Nyx, an MI-6 agent and a rather surprising famous Italian whose identity I won't divulge.

I really enjoyed this series; the regular characters are nicely established and keep the classic look rather than making them look more like the standard characters of today. Things started really well with Lupin and Rebecca's wedding... something I was not expecting then continued with a succession of enjoyable adventures. These adventures provide the great mix of comedy and excitement. The Italian setting is used well incorporating plenty of interesting locations. The animation and backgrounds are impressive. I went back to this series after watching 'Part Five' and would say they are of a similar quality although I slightly preferred this season. Overall this is definitely one to watch if you like other Lupin films and series.