Film reviewed: ------------------ Lupin III: Race for Napolean's Dictionary ************** Spoilers Follow *************** Rating System: 4 O's -- (4 Otaku) Kill your friends as you try to buy a copy of this film. 3 O's -- Merely wound your friends as you rush to rent this. 2 O's -- Walk, don't run. Not worth spending your own money on this. 1 O -- Not worth spending your friend's money on this. Avoid if at all possible. 0 O's -- Give this to your worst enemy's ex-spouse, in that enemy's name. Under no circumstances should you expose this film to any part of your own personal self. Lupin III: Race for Napolean's Dictionary (2.5 Otaku) For some time, there have been made-for-tv Lupin III movies released once a year, and RND came out in 1991. The animation and character artwork is a letdown. There is very little shading in the faces during most of the movie, and the result is something that looks more like an American cartoon. Most of the animation is either rough and jerky, or sloppy and jumpy. However, the background art, sound effects, and music are all OAV average. Some of the voices don't quite match the characters, and may be more of a mixing problem than a case of mis-casting or bad acting. Of course, the main reasons for watching a Lupin episode are for the action and story. The story is a bit uncontrolled and has several plot holes, but the action is worth the effort of renting this tape. The story starts out with an international group of leaders worrying over Lupin's promise to steal an antique car from a museum in the U.S. Zenigata is in charge of the security forces, who are too bored to care about the task he sets them to. When Lupin does appear (disguised as an new wave sculpture of a pile of shit,) the guards (being typical Americans,) fire their pistols insanely at their target. Lupin steals the car, and makes a spectacular getaway with the help of a remote-controlled helicopter. He meets up with Jigen, and they take a very slow trip to Spain. Outside the countryside cottage they use as a hideout, a suspicious-looking farmer spies on them. Inside, Lupin is working on the car, and tells Jigen that their next target is Napoleon's Dictionary, which is the first-place prize for the world classic car race running from Madrid to Paris. In the rest of the world, the CIA has assigned it's best agents to capturing Lupin. Zenigata flies to Madrid and is met by a local policewoman assigned to aiding him. At the cottage, the CIA encircles the place, and Jigen is to distract them until Lupin finishes his work. He does this in the nick of time, and he and Jigen outrace some rifle-fired grenades. Goemon is in a local theater, watching a samurai movie. Outside, he overhears Zenigata and the woman talking about Lupin's target. Lupin enters the race, and finds that Fujiko is also competing. Fujiko picks out a very handsome driver in another car to start flirting with. Turns out that he's one of the CIA agents. The action starts getting good from this point. Lupin gets caught several times, and relies on a small remote control unit attached to his tooth to help effect his rescue. (Note the preparations he'd installed in the old car, when he was in the cottage.) Ultimately, he gets the Dictionary, which had once been stolen by the woman who went on to become Arsene Lupin's (Lupin's grandfather's) wife. Arsene got the book, and it passed on down to Arsene's son, who lost it while gambling. Lupin III now wants the Dictionary because it contains a map to one of Arsene's great treasures (which is why nearly everyone else wants it, too.) Fujiko and Lupin link up, and the band of 4 reach an old castle indicated by the map. As the military forces of the U.S., France, and Spain descend on them, Goemon is given the task of fending off the combined armies while Fujiko, Lupin, and Jigen dig for the treasure in the basement of the castle. Unfortunately, what Arsene considered valuable, is not something that Fujiko and Lupin wanted to risk their lives for. Earlier, to escape from Zenigata, Lupin used disguises and voice modulators to change places with the Interpol officer. The resulting confusion placed Zenigata/Lupin in the hands of Goemon and Jigen, and Lupin/Zenigata in the presence of the girl he was trying to seduce and who he now discovers has been working with Zenigata to arrest Lupin. However, Lupin takes sympathy on the woman, who has partially fallen for both himself and Zenigata, and leaves her with a parting kiss. So, when the woman finally meets up with Zenigata, and discovers that the manly guy that she likes is really Lupin, she and Zenigata hijack an attack helicopter and start shooting down the military jets attacking the castle. As the end nears, Lupin sets a red flag out to attract the pilots' attention and giving them a target to launch missiles at. As the missiles get close enough, Goemon cuts them in half, lengthwise. This gives Lupin the opportunity to escape in a very unorthodox manner. Unfortunately, the ending is a major cliffhanger, as their escape route falls far short of land. In summary, this is one of the poorer-animated Lupin made-for-TV specials, rating way below Hemmingway's Diary, and Plot of the Fuma clan. The action is good, and there are lots of nice twists, and gadgets. However, the story is flawed, and the plot holes are big enough to build a Spanish castle inside of them. I did enjoy this film, but wish it had been a lot better. Recommendation: Overall, Race for Hemmingway's Diary is a disappointment, but it's still better than a number of other anime on the market. I don't suggest that you rush out to buy a copy, but if it's shown at your local club, by all means try to watch it.