Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze Blu-ray Movie Review

Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is an exciting action-packed adventure epic. Based on the manga by Monkey Punch, Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is the 24^th Lupin television special. Produced by Atsushi Kirimoto (Real Girl, Flying Witch), Toshio Nakatani (Hunter × Hunter, Wonder Egg Priority), and Yosuke Tsuruki (Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, Yowamushi Pedal), Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze features a lead voice performance by Kanichi Kurita.

Lupin (Kanichi Kurita) is on another daring heist. The goal of the mission? To snatch some valuable treasures from the tiny floating island of Shahalta. The idiosyncratic island is a European land but one with no outside contact with any other governments or states.

The surprise? Lupin isn’t successful with his plunder. The air pirates already arrived and swept up the treasures before Lupin could. Unfortunately, Lupin finds himself with little more than an ordinary bag – one that upon opening contains the most unexpected “prize” of all – a baby.

Now Lupin is having to be a super sleuth and look after a little baby at the same time. The baby is named Rahm and Lupin must protect the child. At the same time, Lupin decides to not give up on his latest quest and he lures the air pirates towards him in an attempt to capture the bountiful treasures.

Lupin is determined to get the pieces necessary to open up the coveted treasure vault of Shahalta. The journey is far from over. Lupin and his friends must work together to resolve the mysteries of Shahalta.

The characters remain one of the most essential elements of the storytelling. Lupin is one of the greatest characters in anime history. The saga is all the more enjoyable with the fun ensemble.

The character designs by Takahiro Kagami (Psychic Squad, Jigoku Sensei Nube) are well-done and add a lot to the film. The designs impress with creative stylistic flourishes for the entire cast of characters. A wonderful sense of vibrancy to the design work. Kagami is a top-notch character designer and there certainly is plenty to love in the designs.

The animation is exceptional throughout the feature-film. The chief animation direction by Takahiro Kagami (Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy, Death Note) is beautiful and a sight to behold. The exquisite animation is something that helps the filmmaking to soar to greater heights. The film production features art direction by Yoshito Takamine (Fire Force, The Devil Is a Part- Timer!). Wonderfully vibrant animation provides a sense of wonder to the entire feature-film.

Edited by Keisuke Yanagi (Banished from the Hero's Party, Jujutsu Kaisen), Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is well-paced throughout. The filmmaking flows well and has a good sense of storytelling cohesion carried out through the editorial oversight. Yanagi handled the film well.

The cinematography by Shigemitsu Hamao (Pop Team Epic, Sakura Trick) is amongst the most impressive elements of the feature. Hamaois a talented cinematographer with a keen visual sensibility. The cinematography is wonderful and provides so much magic to the production. There is a lot to appreciate about the visuals in Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze.

Featuring a score composed by Yuji Ohno (Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo, Lupin III: Dead or Alive), Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is a wonderful score. The music is such a magical component of the film. There is so much energy and wonder to the score. Ohno is one of the best composers in anime. The efforts of Ohno help the filmmaking succeed in spades.

The storyboards by Takaomi Kanasaki (Is This a Zombie?, Valkyria Chronicles) are well-done. There is a sense of vision to the storyboards. The storyboards were brought to life with the animation and the magic of the filmmaking is all the more engaging as a result.

Written by Shigeru Morita (The Girl Who Leapt Through Space, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny), Touko Machida (The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist In Another World, Farming Life in Another World), and Katsurô Hidaka (Skip and Loafer, Akiba Maid War), Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is well- written throughout. Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is a well-paced and exciting adventure story. The script has good moments for Lupin and the other supporting cast members. The storyline succeeds in spades, too.

Directed by Takaomi Kanasaki (Kaleido Star, Tokyo Ravens), Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is a must-see action-adventure. Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is such a fantastic film and fans of Lupin will appreciate it as an essential adventure in the canon. Director Kanasaki is talented and has vision. The scope and scale of the film is enormous.

Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation is top-notch and there is plenty to appreciate. Outstanding animation clarity and detail is present on the release. The background animation and line artwork are well reproduced, too. The results are exceptional and certainly indicative of the good efforts made by distributor Discotek Media.

One of the key elements of physical media is the superior video encoding. Home media enthusiasts will appreciate the gains of the Blu-ray disc format. Blu-ray provides superior video quality compared to streaming services. Streaming services tend to provide lower video bit-rates and there is a bit more compression to the presentation quality. Streaming can also run into a number of issues with data speeds, data caps, number of connected users, weather issues, and other unforeseen problems.

Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release has excellent audio quality and the soundstage is impressive in spades. The release capably reproduces the sound direction by Yōji Shimizu (Lupin the 3rd: Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid, Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine). The soundtrack score is well highlighted on the release. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

One of the best qualities of the Blu-ray disc format is the lossless audio encoding. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding. For home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles alike, physical media offers a significant improvement over streaming video services. The bit- rates are higher and the encoding quality is more consistent.

Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover adds a nice touch of collectability to the packaging. Collectors of physical media will appreciate the slipcover and what it brings to the package. The release will look great both in hand and on a collector's shelf.

On disc supplements include:

TV Commercials (HD, 2:00)

Liner Notes includes 4 click-through slides of notes.

Unfortunately, the on disc supplements are not as in-depth as one would like to see. The release could have benefited from some audio commentaries, making-of featurettes, behind-the-scenes, cast/crew interviews, art galleries, photo galleries, and more. Alas, in the age of streaming, some fans won't consider picking up a disc if there aren't as many bonus features. For some anime fans and physical media collectors, that is the difference between a one-time stream or a purchase.

Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze is an engaging and exhilarating action-adventure anime classic. The television special is a must-see film for fans of the Lupin anime television series and film franchise. The storytelling is exciting and the filmmaking is adventurous. The animation is exquisite and there is so much to appreciate about the production. The Blu-ray release provides excellent high-definition video and lossless audio encoding. The first print run also includes a nice o-card slip. Highly recommended.