Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus Blu-ray Movie Review

Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is one of the most exciting and action-packed installments in the long running Lupin the Third action-anime franchise. Created by Monkey Punch, Lupin III is one of the best anime franchises in the history of the entire medium. Executive produced by Hidehiko Takei (Lupin III: Voyage to Danger, Lupin the 3rd: From Siberia with Love), Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is a must-see entry in the film series.

Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is the 5th theatrical feature released in the series and it was first distributed in Japan when it premiered in Japanese theaters in 1995. Produced by Hibiki Ito (Lupin III: Dragon of Doom, Lupin the 3rd: The Hemingway Papers), Kōji Takeuchi (Lupin the 3rd: Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid, Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy), Tadahito Matsumoto (Lupin III: Part III, Lupin III: Dead or Alive), and Toshio Nakatani (Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo, Lupin III: Island of Assassins). Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus features animation production by Telecom Animation Film (Lupin III: Part II, Lupin III: Elusiveness of the Fog) and Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Little Nemo - Adventures in Slumberland, Lupin III: Dead or Alive). Fans of the Lupin franchise and newcomers alike won’t want to miss this adventure.

Lupin III (Kanichi Kurita) and Jigen Daisuke (Kiyoshi Kobayashi) have found themselves involved in one of their biggest capers with the duo finding themselves in possession of a large and valuable jewel: a Rio diamond. The diamond shines and shimmers and bears enormous value as an item. There are others seeking possession of it. The diamond is hidden inside of an ordinary looking doll.

Despite the expertise Lupin possesses, Lupin somehow finds himself losing the doll (and diamond) to a little kid, Julia (Yumi Adachi). Now the diamond is in the hands of Julia and a terrorist organization is now determined to get the jewel at any cost – even if it means kidnapping Julia to get it. As it turns out, Julia is the daughter of billionaire Douglas (Osamu Saka). The stakes of the kidnapping are raised by the high wealth of her billionaire dad.

Meanwhile, Fujiko Mine (Eiko Masuyama) finds herself busy when she is given a lucrative 50 million offer for lost prophecies contained within a special vault belonging to Douglas. Yet things aren’t as successful for Fujiko or the rest of the gang as one might expect at first glance: Inspector Zenigata (Gorō Naya) remains hot on the trail of Lupin and an evil mercenary, Chris (Akio Ōtsuka), causes more chaos as part of the Nostradamus Sect. High-tech virtual reality gear even gets in the way. Can Lupin, Jigen, and the rest get back the jewel and stop the villains from succeeding in their plans?  

The cast of characters remain as one of the most enjoyable and engaging casts in the entire history of anime. This is one of the key reasons the Lupin franchise has been such a successful and long-running one for decades. Lupin remains one of the most entertaining and iconic protagonists in anime and he has such a wonderful group of rebellious allies that the entire group of characters brings something compelling and distinct to the production.

The character designs by Kenji Hachizaki are engaging and memorable. These designs remain true to the original designs and provide plenty of charm to the production. The characters still look like themselves and remain in the spirit of previous versions of the series and feature- films. Though some slight design tweaks sometimes occur between films the results are overwhelmingly positive and true to the original. This theatrical installment provides Lupin in his red jacket. There are sometimes different color variances for the jacket Lupin wears in the franchise and this feature-film installment focuses on the red jacket. A memorable aspect of the production.

The animation is incredible in the film. Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus features some of the best animation to be featured in the entire anime franchise. The art style used for the feature-film is compelling and engaging. There is plenty to champion here. The art direction by Tadashi Kudo (The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Blade of the Immortal) and animation direction by Kenji Hachizaki (Lupin III: the Last Job, Lupin III: Elusiveness of the Fog) impresses in spades.

The animation style is iconic and brings together memorable visuals that audiences have come to expect from the franchise. The animators certainly do their part bringing the animation to life while showcasing the storyboards of Kazuhide Tomonaga (Lupin the 3rd: Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid, Little Nemo - Adventures in Slumberland), Nobuo Tomizawa (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Little Nemo - Adventures in Slumberland), and Takeshi Shirato (Rainbow Samurai, Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection).

The score composed by Yuji Ohno (Lupin III: Dead or Alive, Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo) provides plenty of excitement. The jazz-infused score highlights the production in all the essential ways fans have come to expect. Composer Ohno is the long- standing composer behind the Lupin anime franchise. The composer adds so much charm and energy to the production. The music adds a lot of energy and builds on the fun characters while highlighting the action-packed scenarios explored in the feature-film. A great score by Ohno.

The cinematography by Hajime Hasegawa (Little Nemo - Adventures in Slumberland, Lupin III: Part II) is breathtaking. The visual element of Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is an essential part of the film. The cinematography imbues a sense of vibrancy with each frame of the animation looks absolutely impressive and with engaging colors. The art style is well highlighted by the cinematographer. A testament to the fine work of Hasegawa.

Written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara (Case Closed, Cat's Eye) and Toshiya Ito (Sherlock Hound), Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is one of the most exciting and action-packed entries in the film series. Exploring virtual reality elements alongside action-packed set-pieces, this installment has a great storyline and the script provides a lot of fun surprises. The character dynamics remain a huge part of the fun and the equation. The script by Kashiwabara handles the character interactions well while building a compelling entry with an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride.

Directed by Takeshi Shirato (Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage, Star Blazers: The Comet Empire), Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is a must-see entry in the film franchise. The film is a outstanding testament to the enduring legacy of the franchise and all of the potential it offers fans. Audiences seeking a thrill-ride with plenty of fun adventure won’t need to look elsewhere. The film showcases the great ensemble cast of characters and brings something to the table that established fans and newcomers alike won’t be able to resist. Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is amazing fun and a film with great old-school action-packed direction.

Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Released in high-definition for the first time in North America, Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus features stunning visuals with the altogether impressive release. The Blu-ray release provides an excellent presentation of the main feature.

The transfer is sharp and pleasing with a nicely filmic appearance throughout. The transfer on the release is free from egregious issues with print damage, debris, and dirt. Instead, the high-definition transfer is well-restored and outside of some occasional specks on the print this is a video presentation that is generally clean and in good shape overall. Fans will find the presentation enormously satisfying.

Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). Lossless audio encoding ensures a satisfying experience with good fidelity and detail. The original Japanese language audio sounds crisp and engaging on the release. The subtitles are excellent and were free from any noteworthy issues with spelling or grammar.

The original score is well preserved within the audio track. The audio fidelity and dynamics are engaging and the audio track sounds smooth and crisp. The original score is beautifully reproduced and the jazzy elements of the music provide a sense of organic life to the audio track. A great lossless sound mix and encoding by Discotek Media.

Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with an attractive looking and nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover features nice artwork for the main cover art. The inside cover art sleeve contains the same main illustration. The sleeve does include interior artwork as well. I prefer it when the sleeve art (featured underneath the slipcover) features different/unique artwork, the design is still a nice one and the slipcover adds an impressive aspect of collectability to the release. A nice design for the release by Discotek Media.

On disc supplements include:

Japanese Trailer (HD, 1:44)

Vintage English Credits (SD, 4:30)

Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus is an exciting and action-packed installment in the beloved anime franchise. The film has some of the best action in the film series and the animation in the film is as breathtaking as the best entries. The great cast of characters continue to impress and this is one essential reason behind the enduring legacy of the franchise.

The Blu-ray release features a great presentation with excellent video and lossless audio. The release comes with a nice o-card slipcover and the release looks great in hand and on the shelf. Fans of the Lupin anime franchise won't want to miss owning this must-see installment in the franchise. Highly recommended.