Lupin The 3rd: Bye Bye Lady Liberty [Blu-ray]

This movie is very strange, but you would(and should) know that going in. Osamu Dezaki, who directed(and I believe wrote as well) was an auteur in the truest sense and his finished, non-American projects always sort of come out like experiencing a really lucid dream that seems real and your just one step away from waking up. "Acid trip" is a term that gets thrown out a lot but I feel like that's too strong and broad. I've become a big fan of his and watching his projects when sick or under the weather has a strange, almost soothing effect on me.When looking for more of his work after stumbling onto his Black Jack OVAs from the 90s,(on the Retro Crush app) and looked for more I couldn't believe he was trusted with Lupin the Third of all things! Not only that, he did three other movies and THIS one was the first of the yearly tv movies! My mind was blown!So the movie itself is great! I mean for a tv movie this is literally movie quality animation. Its Dezaki so there's little coherence plot wise, and lot of stylish animation. Lupn and co. have never looked cooler in my opinion with this Mad Magazine style character designs fit them to a T. Plus, I always give credit to any Lupin project that A.) doesn't stoop to doing weird stuff to Fujiko and B.) doesn't try to rein in Zenigata/Pops. The villians are actually kind of awesome as well, they gave me Cagliostro vibes despite this story mostly taking place in America . Looking at the cover, unless you had some insight, I don't think any of you would guess the crazy premise of this movie.I didn't mean to make this review an essay but in closing, I would really prepare myself before purchasing this movie. Osamu Dezaki's anime is not for the unprepared. Its like drinking vintage wine never having consumed alcohol. If you're a lapsed fan who hasn't watched Lupin the Third since the Adult Swim dub aired, this is NOT for you. If you've only watched the most recent series or that cgi movie, trust me, this is NOT for you. However, if you're a die hard or casual Lupin fan and you're open to weird, different, mature takes on these characters, and you liked or appreciated that weird Fujiko series, I think you'll like this movie and appreciate it for what it is: A master expressing himself using established and beloved characters using a 94 minute piece of art. Chef's kiss.

Released way back in 1989, “Bye Bye, Lady Liberty” was the very first Lupin the 3rd made for television movie. This is one of four Lupin movies released by Eastern Star since March 2014 but the only one with an English dubbing. My assumption is that Eastern Star does not do its own dubbing and “Bye Bye Lady Liberty” is the only one that just happened to have already been dubbed. As far as I know this is the first time the film has been released in the US and the dubbing was done for a UK/AUS release.If you’re excited to have dubbing don’t be. For one thing because of copyright issues Lupin is referred to as Wolf throughout the movie. Second, the voice acting is not very good. About the only one who did a decent job was the woman who voiced Fujiko. Goemon’s voice was the worst or as he’s referred to in this dubbing, Gomen. But if you find the dubbing unlistenable just use the original Japanese version with English subtitles. I’m not going to ding the movie for including a lousy dubbing since the original audio is available just as in the other Lupin movies.Despite being the iconic moment of the film the theft of the Statue of Liberty is somewhat silly. Lupin (Wolf) steals Lady Liberty in order to find the “Super Egg” (an enormous gem) that is hidden somewhere in or on the famous statue. Having the 151 foot tall statue in his possession gives Lupin the opportunity to search in relative leisure. Once the Super Egg is found the statue is basically gone from the plot. Things then get very complicated. The villains are a group of cultists led by a 120 year old occultist with true magic powers and deadly breath. Not only does the cadaverous villain want the Super Egg he also wants something called the Manipulative Virus which was created by the mother of a young genius who’s been hanging out with Jigen and Lupin while the mother has been travelling with Goemon who’s been acting as her protector.There are a lot of gears in the plot, perhaps too many. The film has its moments but I would not put it among my favorites in the Lupin series. The animation is inconsistent and I’m not a huge fan of stories that bring in actual magical powers since they seem inconsistent with the tone of Lupin series. I’ll give the movie four stars but suggest watching it with subtitles.

great film and a must see if your a fan.Here's a list of all the other film in the Series if you want to check them out.(the original title's of the film's)1. the castle of cagliostro2. missed by a dollar3. secret of mamo4. fujikos unlucky day5. dead or alive6. bye bye liberty crisis7. princess of the breeze8. sweet lost nights9. the fuma conspiracy10. napoleons dictionary11. the legend of the gold of babylon12. memory of the weather-p 3813. order to assasintate lupin14. the stolen lupin15. the last job16. zangetsu sword of fire17. lupin the 3rd vs detective conan (Part 1 "2011" and part 2 "2013")18. the seven days rhapsody19. Blood seal eternal mermaid20. another page21. the first contact22. lupin the 3rd kiri_no_elusive23. return the treasures24. alcatraz connection25. from Russia with love26. angel tactics27. hunt for harimos treasure28. secret of twilight gemini29. memories of the flaming tokyo30. farewell to nostradamus31. lupin the 3rd 2014 "live action film"32. return of pycal33. hemingway papers34. lupin the 3rd 1970's "live action film"35. red vs green

Rare 1996 Re-Released dvd with the rare uk English Dub, and Special Features.......