| I was initially introduced
to Lupin the 3rd, like many others, through Hayao
Miyazaki's first theatrical effort, the excellent
Lupin
the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979),
very loosely inspired by one of Maurice LeBlanc's
original novels. That movie is a fine ride, full
of excellent action and endearing charm, meeting
and exceeding my expectations for a quality popcorn
adventure story on film, which I originally viewed
perhaps two years ago. One might wonder, then,
why it has taken me so long to get around to
enjoying any of the arch thief's other light-hearted
adventures. But it was my enjoyment of Miyazaki's
work that made me hesitate to indulge in any
of the others. I was afraid that the other Lupin
the 3rd films wouldn't be able to match up, and
considering Monkey Punch's proclivity for salacious
material, I wasn't sure if I was up for the extra
helpings of cheesecake that would inevitably
be shoehorned in. Recently I chomped the proverbial
bullet and viewed the very first animated feature
film based on the Wolf's exploits to make it
to theaters, Lupin the 3rd: The Secret of
Mamo.
(Although there was a live-action film that came
before it, Lupin
the 3rd: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy.)
In sitting through the film, I found myself pleasantly
surprised—and,
at the same time, discovered my reservations
to be thoroughly justified.
As
with many properties that have a previous run
on television, the first movie tries to do everything
bigger and bolder and brassier, beginning with
the execution of the titular protagonist even
before the title card comes up. Of course, Lupin
isn't really dead, but something strange is afoot.
Lupin's deceptive and deadly lady love Fujiko
has sent him on a hunt to steal the Philosopher's
Stone, which he achieves in a riotous sequence
inside and out of the great pyramids of Egypt
with Inspector Zenigata on his tail. Later he
makes his delivery to Fujiko and demands his
payment—a date—but is rebuffed and
double-crossed, the femme-fatale making off with
the rock and leaving Lupin frozen via paralyzing
spray. The rock that Fujiko has taken, however,
is a fake, impregnated with a listening device
with which the master thief overhears the beginnings
of a mysterious conversation with an unknown
mastermind known as Mamo (or, according to some
sources, "Mameux" or "Mameaux"), who doesn't
take kindly to Lupin's subterfuge. Soon Lupin
finds himself a target of a seemingly omnipresent
menace, hoodlums in lethal vehicles around every
corner, all under the beck and call of a seemingly
supernatural super criminal with a ubiquitous
and malicious influence that circles the world—and
the woman he loves (err, lusts) is on Mamo's
side!
The
story of The Secret of Mamo is exciting and fast-paced,
replete with imaginative action sequences and
frequent amusing flourishes. As a whiz-bang adventure
flick, Lupin's first animated movie excels. For
the first hour or so, I was very entertained.
Everything moves along nicely, and while there
isn't really any thinking involved, there doesn't
have to be. It's small-brained enjoyment with
lots of high-speed hi-jinx and spoofish James
Bond nuttery. Unfortunately, that's also the
problem; due to its haphazard plot, The Secret
of Mamo loses its appeal fast.
Go
ahead and read that plot synopsis again. See
anything missing? Not many characters, are there?
Lupin's partners in crime, Jigen and Goemon,
are in the movie, and they follow Lupin through
his adventure, but they sometimes feel tacked
on—included for the sake of the fans, but
not really necessary to the plot. Sure, they
fight with Lupin occasionally, and they'll show
up if Lupin really needs his fat pulled from
the fire, but mostly they're here to make the
fans happy, and to point out what a jerk Lupin
is. (Lupin's selfish idiocy is strong here, making
audience sympathy somewhat difficult to come
by.) They never quite pull-off the easy camaraderie
of The Castle of Cagliostro, which is part of
the point—that way they could include the
inevitable fake-out break-up of Lupin's entourage
. Zenigata is even more superfluous, a moronic
bumbling policeman who infrequently appears to
chase Lupin but inevitably fails to advance the
plot in the least. Most galling is that the movie
just goes on too long, goading the audience with
several false climaxes until I was fairly barking
at the screen in an ineffective measure to speed
the credits to come along as quickly as possible.
Not
that the performances themselves are bad; the
Japanese side is mostly quite good, with all
the popular cast present and apparently enjoying
themselves. The late Yasuo Yamada's boisterous
Lupin is a treat, and Kiyoshi Kobayashi (who
continues working in the field, and recently
turned in a performance as L's assistant Watari
in Death Note) gives a great growly Jigen; Makio
Inoue also avails himself nicely as Goemon. If
there is any criticism of note with their performances,
it is that I would sometimes get confused as
to who was talking because their deep voices
are similar. The weakest performance here seems
to be Eiko Masuyama, whose rendition of Fujiko
came across to me as a stereotypical and artificial
seductress, resonating little of the character's
genuine strength—although it could be argued
that, if she is being stereotypical, it's likely
that Masuyama created the template in the first
place. Notably for daikaiju buffs, Inspector
Zenigata was voiced by Gorou Naya, who also appeared
as a councilman in Invasion
of Astro-Monster (1965) and provided the voice dubbing for Nick
Adams' character in the Japanese version of Frankenstein
vs. Baragon (1965).
The
Secret of Mamo is famous for its multiplicity
of dubs, including an international dub by Toho,
a dub in Great Britain, and two dubs in America.
I experienced part of the Pioneer's 2003 release,
and after watching the movie once with subtitles,
I went back and watched a large portion dubbed
as well, to get a good impression of all the
main characters. As is to be expected in many
anime dubs, some of the voices come off sounding
much more cartoony, most notably Jake Martin's
Inspector Zenigata, who sounds like he should
be herding cows instead of chasing crooks with
his surprisingly foul-mouthed, overdone English
incarnation. Puerto Rican voice actor Tony Oliver
provides the voice of Lupin and is quite good
at it, and Richard Epcar (who actually directed
this English version, and also dubbed Goemon
in The Castle of Cagliostro!) is an excellent
choice for Jigen, capturing his rough-edged charm
well. Michelle Ruff's turn as Fujiko is about
as successful as Eiko Masuyama's—which
is to say that, again, she just seems off her
game. Just as bad is Paul St. Peter as Mamo;
he affects a rather poor British accent for the
character. Arguably the worst is Lex Lang's Goemon,
whose restrained voice work sounds forced, although
much of that is probably due to the stilted writing.
Worthy of note is how much of the dialogue is
changed for the dub, made obvious when watching
the movie with both dub and subs on; many lines
are changed entirely, even to the extent that
they inserted some bizarre ribbing towards President
Bush when the Americans show up!
The
animation quality is, predictably, quite rough,
which will make it difficult to swallow for some
of those weaned on the smooth, computer-colorized
treats of today. The Secret of Mamo doesn't fair
well against Disney features of its own era,
either, which also isn't surprising. On occasion
the frames become comically anemic, most vividly
at a certain point when Lupin's pilfered automobile
goes freeze-frame jerking through the air. Character
designs are also rough at times, with strange
anatomical dimensions and sketchy line work.
Nevertheless, with an open mind, the film can
easily be enjoyed, and is an interesting example
of foreign animation from a previous decade.
As far as I am concerned, I wish there were more
old animated features given decent releases these
days; just because a movie doesn't have the flash
and dazzle of modern filmmaking techniques doesn't
mean it isn't worth watching.
The
soundtrack by Yuji Ono, who has scored almost
all of Lupin's cartoon outings, skillfully incorporates
Lupin the 3rd's popular theme into an appealing
soundscape of jazz, disco, and early electronica-pop
sounds that consistently encourage a light-hearted
feeling of adventure. While occasionally the
music may not perfectly mesh with the action,
and the style makes the film very dated, I found
the soundtrack to be mostly appealing, or at
the very least quite interesting.
Earlier
I mentioned Punch's tendency towards fan-service,
so I will issue a brief warning here. Yes, there
is nudity, including a lingering lascivious shower
sequence and several other cases, including a
peek inside Lupin's mind in which the audience
is subjected to an incongruous slide show of
snapshots of real women's breasts with their
heads and lower bodies discreetly cut off or
obscured. It's tasteless, but an accurate portrayal
of Lupin's character.
If
the original concept behind Lupin the 3rd is
a haphazard collage of ideas, then Lupin the
3rd: The Secret of Mamo is a logical extension
of the material; Uneven, overlong, but with flashes
of fun and inspiration. Unfortunately, I know
that the various parts can be combined into something
wonderful, and Lupin's first animated movie didn't
master that particular secret. |
(2.5/5)