Lupin III: Fuuma Ichizoku no Inbou

Underrated gem among the Lupin III series. Don't pass it up.

Bad stuff first: Plot-wise, this is a pretty average Lupin movie, it's got the standard cast of forgettable side-characters, a very straightforward quest for treasure, and a generic villain with generic evil motives. There's a bit of awkward pacing too, with really fun action sequences being separated by sequences of characters literally just walking around a cave. If you've seen Castle of Cagliostro, then this will come off as a weaker retelling of the same ideas.

Audio here is below average, unfortunately. The soundtrack doesn't have any memorable tunes, and a lot of it feels kind ... of inappropriately silly, rather than cool. The typical voice cast isn't here either, but that didn't bother me, personally.

Fortunately, this movie more than makes up for what it lacks by being the best looking entry in the series. This movie is made up entirely of jaw dropping car chases, intense fight choreography, and solid character acting. There were no corners cut here, you get to see every building fall apart in full detail, and it's incredible. I especially loved the chase scene in the middle of the movie. There's a lot of really good visual gags too; for example, when Zenigata's cars are run over by a train, you see his officers all crammed into one car chasing after Lupin.

This movie's setting is also good. A lot of Lupin movies take place in "Somewhere - Europe", rather than any specific locations, but the town in this movie has a lot of memorable set-pieces, and you can things about the setting while watching (it's got a lot of trains, for example). It's not quite as distinct as Cagliostro, but it's still good. Would've been better if less of it took place in a cave though.

Honestly a really solid Lupin movie

the characters aren't particularly complex, and at times it comes across like samurai movie especially with some of the fight scenes.

Also its a much more Goemon focused story so this is pretty much everything I want from a Lupin film.
Great score, fantastic if a little dated animation and its just a laughable good time.

The plot kinda feels like a bad TTRPG. The gang's at a wedding when *dice roll sound* ninjas attack and now the *dice roll sound* priceless family vase has been stolen! Go get it back!
There really isn't any reason for Lupin to be interested in the ... entire plot other than "other thieves seem to think this is a good idea so there must be something to it"

Characterization is hilarious, everyone feels funny and on point. Seeing Zenigata mourn for Lupin was genuinely touching and somehow the writers actually made me ENJOY Fujiko. Mostly cause Lupin seems fully aware of who she is and what she does.

I LOVE the action scenes, shot for shot scene for scene the slapstick is on point but what gets me are the samurai fight scenes. I'm a huge fan of westerns and samurai flicks so it is RIGHT up my alley. An absolute joy.

The Fuma Conspiracy a somewhat decent tale brought down by it's flaws.

Goemon is getting married when ninjas swoop in! The Lupin gang has to stop these evil ninjas, save Goemon's bride, and try for some treasure, for good measure.

This 80's OVA has the unfortunate distinction of being the only Lupin anime without the usual Japanese voice cast. This is especially bad, because the voices used don't fit the characters at all, and are distractingly out of place. The English dub is not good either.

On top of the unfortunate voice choices, the characterization is pretty weak here in general. The dialogue is not as clever as ... usual, and the characters don't gel together as well as they usually do. Inspector Zenigata is very bland in this one too.

Another problem with this OVA is the poor soundtrack. They don't use Yuji Ohno or any classic Lupin themes, and they don't even attempt a jazzy style.

There are some good things though, the animation for example is very fluid, and the art style is nice. There are some fun car chases, and a couple enjoyable action sequences. Any time Lupin and Jigen are in a car, it's decent Lupin fun. Plus Fujiko has some cool motorcycle action.

Overall, this Lupin OVA is really off it's game. It lacks the usual Lupin stylishness and is pretty generic all around. Definitely on the lower end of the Lupin spectrum, but it's a passable if generic action adventure on it's own.