Lupin III: Sweet Lost Night Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Lupin III: Sweet Lost Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is the 20^th television special in the long-running and beloved Japanese anime feature film series. Broadcast on the Nippon Television Network, Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night features animation production by Tokyo Movie (Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo, Lupin III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini). Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night has been licensed for home media release by Discotek Media. Discotek Media provides newly translated English subtitles for the first time.

Created by Monkey Punch, Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night features feature production by Toshio Nakatani (Lupin III: Elusiveness of the Fog, Detective Conan: The Private Eyes' Requiem) and Yasumichi Ozaki (Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure, Lupin III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini). Featuring the voice-performances of Kanichi Kurita, Gorō Naya, Misato Tanaka, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue, and Bin Sasaki. Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is a great entry in the action-packed adventure film series.

Lupin III (Kanichi Kurita) goes toe-to-toe with Inspector Zenigata (Gorō Naya) once more. Lupin is once again on a special mission requiring both his thieving and sleuthing skills. The treasure that Lupin is after in this go-around is none other than a magic lamp. Supposedly, the lamp has a magic genie inside and the master of the lamp can get a special wish granted on their command. Getting a magic lamp with a genie who grants your desires sounds incredible to Lupin.

Fighting for the magic lamp, Lupin finds the lamp in his possession. Once in possession of the lamp, a gorgeous female genie appears before him. Lupin’s dreams are finally coming true! Yet the magic wish comes with a price much higher than Lupin expected – the genie zaps half of your lifetime away if you decide to make a wish. Bargain or misleading genie shenanigans? The journey isn’t over and Lupin soon finds himself in a whole new land and with his memories recently vanquished. What happened? Lupin is now struggling to figure out where he is and what’s going on.

Lupin seeks out Drew (Misato Tanaka) in an attempt to solve the mystery of his vanquished memories. Meanwhile, Fujiko Mine (Eiko Masuyama), Daisuke Jigen (Kiyoshi Kobayashi), and Goemon Ishikawa XIII (Makio Inoue) are back for the ride and the stakes are higher than ever as the entire gang joins Lupin in a battle against the nefarious Dr. Eichmann (Bin Sasaki), who wishes to rid the world of all war by erasing memories, even while creating war in the process.

The characters return for another fantastic adventure in Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night. What a wondrous cast it is. Lupin remains the ever-thrilling hero of the anime franchise. The supporting cast of characters are equally vital to the storytelling. The franchise just wouldn’t be the same without such an impressive roster. Fujiko is an outstanding femme-fatale and she is always one with some special cards up her sleeve. Jigen is an impeccable aid to Lupin on his journey – as is the sword-wielding Goemon. The characters make up the DNA of the film series. There is so much to enjoy about these heroes and their impressive skills on each mission. The task is set in Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night and the heroes won’t disappoint series fans.

The character designs by Satoshi Hirayama (Cat's Eye, Lupin III: Elusiveness of the Fog) are well-done and add a lot to the production, too. The designs are true to the original anime aesthetic and continue to showcase the cast of characters in a compelling way. The character designs demonstrate the sleek and sophisticated artistry of the original franchise designs while providing some fun for the Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night installment.

The animation is exceptional. Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is a beautiful looking feature-film in the franchise. Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night features art direction by Yukiko Iijima (Demon Fighter Kocho, Lupin III: the Last Job) and chief animation direction by Satoshi Hirayama (Cat's Eye, Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo). The animation is top-notch and the team of animators involved on the production are first-rate. The animators bring something special to the table and manage to provide a wondrous sense of adventure to the table. The background animation and layouts are stunning and bring out the best in the adventure franchise.

The cinematography by Tatsuo Noguchi (Lupin III: the Last Job, Lupin III vs. Detective Conan) is a superb highlight of the production, too. The cinematography helps to showcase the animation at its best. An outstanding cinematographic effort and one that helps to show the colorful and vibrant animation throughout. Noguchi does wonderful work here and the result is something special.

The score composed by Yuji Ohno (Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo, Lupin III: Dead or Alive) is a highlight of the feature-film. Ohno is one of the best composers in Japanese animation. Ohno is a masterful composer and someone with a complete knowledge and understanding of the Lupin anime feature-film franchise. The score for Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is outstanding and brings so much joy and energy to the action and spectacle. A job well done.

Written by Toshimichi Ōkawa (Lupin III: the Last Job, Case Closed), Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is terrific entertainment for fans of the franchise. The script is fun and brings excellent adventure to the table. The characters are intertwined in another first-rate journey and the script provides plenty of wonderful show-stopping moments for the entire cast of characters.

Directed by Tetsuro Amino (Macross 7, Urusei Yatsura), Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is a must-see for devotees. Amino also handled the storyboard duties. Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is action-packed and a thrill-ride. The pace and energy of the filmmaking pushes the filmmaking forward for audiences. Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is a great addition to the Lupin television specials. Outstanding.

Lupin III: Sweet Lost Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The high-definition presentation has been newly remastered for home media by Discotek Media. The release features an upscaled high-definition presentation.

The picture-quality isn't quite as crisp or engaging as a native high-definition presentation is but it does provide some wonderful attributes for showcasing the animation. The encoding quality is still arguably better than a standard-definition DVD and provides a more robust image for enthusiasts seeking the best possible presentation for the television special. Colors look reasonably good and engaging. An impressive effort by Discotek Media.

Lupin III: Sweet Lost Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release features newly translated English subtitles. Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is available with English subtitles in North America for the first time. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. The release does not include an English dubbed option. Nonetheless, the Japanese language audio is well preserved. Dialogue is crisp and clear throughout. The soundtrack is well preserved on the release. Discotek provides admirable encoding for the presentation.

Lupin III: Sweet Lost Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a nice-looking o-card slipcover. The slipcover artwork is fantastic. The design looks great in hand and will look wonderful on a shelf, too. Discotek Media provides excellent quality slipcovers. The slipcovers add an extra element of collectability for fans and enthusiasts.

On disc supplements include:

TV Commercials (HD, 1:23)

Liner Notes includes 6 click-through slides of notes on the special.

Although the supplemental package is a bit thin and could have been improved, it is nice to see that Discotek Media has continued to provide both quality o-card slipcovers and liner notes for Lupin fans, who have come to expect these with the Lupin releases.

Lupin III: Sweet Lost Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night brings action-packed adventure and wonder to the table. A must-see gem of an entry in the anime franchise, Lupin the Third – Sweet Lost Night is a ton of fun and has great animation, production values, and music. The Blu- ray release features a solid high-definition upscale alongside lossless audio encoding. The release also comes with a nice o-card slipcover. Fans of the franchise won't be able to resist. Highly recommended.