Rupan sansei (1978)

While attempting to win the affections of a beautiful rival, a master thief risks death to learn the secret intentions of a wealthy and seemingly immortal, but certainly ruthless, recluse.

Directors:

Sôji Yoshikawa, Yasuo Ôtsuka (as Yasuo Otsuka)

Writers:

Monkey Punch (comic), Atsushi Yamatoya (scripts)

Stars:

Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yasuo Yamada	...	Arsène Lupin III (voice)
Eiko Masuyama	...	Fujiko Mine (voice)
Kiyoshi Kobayashi	...	Daisuke Jigen (voice)
Makio Inoue	...	Goemon Ishikawa XIII (voice)
Gorô Naya	...	Inspector Heiji Zenigata VII (voice)
Tôru Ôhira	...	Stuckey (voice)
Kôsei Tomita	...	Commissioner (voice)
Hidekatsu Shibata	...	Special Agent Gordon (voice)
Shôzô Îzuka	...	Flinch (voice)
Ichirô Murakoshi	...	Scientist (voice)
Shunsuke Shima	...	Dietman (voice)
Yûji Mikimoto	...	Police Officer (voice) (as Masaru Miyashita)
Kô Nishimura	...	Mamo (voice)
Haruo Minami	...	Chief Police Officer of Egypt (Special Guest) (voice)
Fujio Akatsuka	...	President (Special Guest) (voice)

Storyline

In Transylvania, Lupin III, the notorious international thief, is hung and no one is more suprised to learn of that than Lupin III himself, who was alive and well and nowhere near that area at that time. The answer to that mystery, begins to surface when Lupin gets a seemingly ordinary pebble from an Egyptian pyramid for his would-be girlfriend, Fujiko, the mercenary thief, who is in the employ of a mysterious figure known only as Mamo. Intrigued by this bizarre request, Lupin decides to get involved and finds himself in an international chase that has a greater scope and danger than he has ever faced.

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | female nudity | faked death | based on manga | anime | 

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Taglines:

The executed Lupin still lives!

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Geneon Entertainment [United States]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

16 December 1978 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Lupin III

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 500,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TMS Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

18,000 reference photos were used for background and mechanical items.

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Goofs

When Lupin, Jigen and Goemon emerge from the sewers after the helicopter chase, a manhole cover partially overlaps Goemon's hand (due to improper positioning of animation cels).

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Quotes

Fujiko Mine: [gasps] Lupin?
Arsene Lupin III: Alas... only what's left of him.
Fujiko Mine: Hm. What exactly is that supposed to mean?
Arsene Lupin III: [walks to her with a rose] It means, my dear Fujiko, that you are a rose, and I have been pricked by the thorn of your indifference...
Fujiko Mine: "The thorn of my indifference?" Oh, brother...
Arsene Lupin III: [smells the rose] Fatally pricked, and now, almost completely wasted away, my darling.
Fujiko Mine: [chuckles] Fatally pricked, huh? You gotta love karma!
Arsene Lupin III: Yet, there is still one thing that could save me.
Fujiko Mine: What might that be?
Arsene Lupin III: If your petal-like...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

According to linear notes on Discotek Media's DVD release, Toho originally exported the film with a modified title sequence made up of spliced footage from the film, and credits for major production staff in English. However, no credits were provided for the film's original dub cast.

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Alternate Versions

The masters for this film provided by TMS for Pioneer Entertainment to release on US DVD in 2003 were edited to remove certain product logos, such as real-world cigarette brands. The earlier VHS release by Streamline Pictures in 1995 did not have such alterations.

• Among the deleted items for the Pioneer DVD release include a shot of Stuckey, the US government representative, reading a "Lupin" comic book, with an ad that shows Lupin with DC Comics characters Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batmanm and Robin. The ad itself was a real 1978 "Clark Bar" promotion ad that ran in DC and Marvel comics of the time, but the film's producers pasted Lupin onto it.

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Connections

Followed by Rupan sansei: Ikiteita majutsushi (2002)

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Soundtracks

Super Hero
(1978)
Music by Yûji Ôno
Lyrics by Yôko Narahashi
Performed by Tommy Snyder
Published by Teichiku Records
(Heard only in the first English dub)

User Reviews

Proper animation at its finest

The first film version of the long-running successful manga series 'Lupin III', 'The Mystery Of Mamo' is non-stop action, adventure, and humour, brought to life with some brilliant animation, an excellent script, and some very good voice acting.

Lupin is the greatest thief since his grandfather Arsene Lupin, but his lifestyle never affords him a moment's peace, especially with maniacally-determined Interpol Inspector Zenigata pursuing him anywhere and everywhere across the globe. Aided by his two friends, Jigen, who prefers a quiet life, sombre samurai warrior Goemon, and on-again-off again girlfriend and equally-skilled thief Fujiko, Lupin finds himself drawn into the world of Mamo, a mysterious billionaire, intent on achieving immortality. But is Mamo exactly what he appears? And how does the fabled Philosopher's Stone fit in?

Now *this* is what animation is *really* about. It's about as far removed from the billion dollar cgi rubbish one usually sees in cinemas as it's possible to be. Every frame in 'Mamo' exudes genuine artistry, whether it's a peaceful Parisian cafe scene, or frenetic car chase through a sewer - yes, a sewer. Every musical motif creates genuine atmosphere, and every line of dialogue is there because it should be - it's not just a collection of lame one-liners for a cynical audience. If you find yourself on the edge of your seat, it's not because you're trying to fend off sleep from Disney-drawn dreck, but because you really find yourself wanting to see what happens next.

There are imperfections within the story - certain plot points that are not entirely followed up, but nothing that ruins the central story. There is also a certain trade-off between characterisation and action, but Lupin III stories are not meant to be deeply introspective character pieces, just a lot of first class fun. They are also an ongoing series, so further revelations are to be had elsewhere.

Probably the most well-known Lupin outing is 'The Castle Of Cagliostro', in many ways a more straightforward adventure with a more traditional action film-type ending. I think they're both excellent, but they're different beasts in temperament. 'The Mystery Of Mamo' takes a left-turn into the surreal, but it's still a cracking film that shouldn't disappoint - and definitely accessible to a Lupin novice.