Lupin III vs. Detetive Conan: The Special

As the previous user commented, this is a very well-done crossover, much better than I expected. There are lots of in-jokes for fans of both series, and pretty much every character gets a bit of time in the spotlight.

It helps a lot that there's been a bit of mixing between the various Japanese voice actors between the series - Jigen and Goemon have both voiced villains in other Conan movies, while Conan's VA has appeared as a side character in Lupin III movies.

The story tends to focus more on the Detective Conan characters, with the Lupin team generally in the background or supporting them. The plot isn't as convoluted as most Conan fans are used to, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, and there are a number of great twists at the very end.

Lupin III vs Detective Conan is a very cool TV special.

This crossover between the two long running series is done quite well. There's a story involving a princess in danger, who looks just like Ran. Conan is on the case, and meanwhile Lupin wants to take a crown, which he attempted to steal long ago. This involves a nice flashback to Lupin wearing his classic green jacket, so we get both red and green action in this.

The plot is a Detective Conan style murder mystery, and the Lupin gang is added to the mix, bringing their brand of fun. It's a fairly complex plot, but it's goes down smooth.

Fujiko kicks ass in this one, she's on the run with the princess, showing her how to have a good time and protecting her. Very cool, fun stuff.

Jigen is enlisted as a bodyguard and ends up working with Conan, and there are some very hilarious scenes with these two. Lots of snappy dialogue.

Lupin and Conan, they're both doing their thing, they have some action scenes, some fun dialogue moments, and are in fine form here. They have some memorable interactions, very fun stuff.

The other regulars like Goemon, Zenigata, and Kogoro all have some fun moments too, mostly just a good gag here and there. The two casts gelled very well together.

The animation is smooth, and it's pretty interesting how we have two very different kinds of character designs used for Conan and Lupin characters. It could blend together better, but it's still fun to see. The soundtrack is also done by Lupin's usual Yuji Ohno and also the Conan guy, and it's a fun mix of energetic tunes and smooth jazz.

All in all, if you're a fan of Lupin or Conan I'd say you'll enjoy this. It's a fun, very good anime adventure. Check it out.

Let me get your expectations in check. The "VS." part of the title is just a lie. Not even in the common marketing trope of "vs." selling better, I mean these two characters never do fight. In fact, their screentime together is fairly limited. Almost to a hilarious degree. It is like every time they could cross paths, another character comes along and pulls them apart. By my calculations, Lupin and Conan interact in less than 2% of the runtime of this film. With that in mind...I still really liked this film.

This movie is more a Conan project than a typical Lupin adventure. It is focused more on the mystery aspect and less on the heist. There are various twists and turns, alliances are questioned, motives are changed. It is impressive how much is going on in the story but how it never manages to lose its audience in the shuffle.

Although Lupin and Conan don't interact that much, most of the other supporting cast members, like Fujiko and Jigen, cross over with the Conan crew.

The movie does some new twists on old stories, some funny character interactions and a compelling mystery thrown in there too. Plus, it has a cool throwback that I'm not going to dare spoil here.

Let's hope that these two cross paths again some time.