Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Lupin III: The Last Job Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-see action-packed Lupin the 3rd journey

Lupin the Third – The Last Job is the 21^st television special in the ongoing legacy of the beloved anime character (whose origins began with the original manga created by Monkey Punch). Produced by Toshio Nakatani (Death Note, Hunter x Hunter) and Yasumichi Ozaki (Devil Lady, Saint Tail), Lupin the Third – The Last Job is a sure-fire hit that will please fans of the franchise. Don't miss this great gem.

Danger looms before every corner for master-thief Lupin the 3^rd (Kanichi Kurita). After Lupin's latest quest to steal a highly coveted Buddha statue (believed to be key to great powers) is successful, Lupin's journey finds new peril as both friend and foe spring forth to take the statue and open up the legendary powers that reside within. As Lupin is chased by long-time frenemy Inspector Zenigata (Goro Naya), the chief detective gets a horrible wound after an attack from the vile Morgana.

Experiencing more trouble in his latest mission than he ever expected to find, Lupin must stop at nothing to find out the true powers of the statue and its unique attributes. A quest that brings together new and old allies, sidekick marksman Jigen (Kiyoshi Kobayashi), swordsman Goemon (Makio Inoue), and the beautiful (and smart) Fujiko Mine (Eiko Masuyama) are tossed in to a new adventure that is best described as one “for the books.”

Lupin the Third – The Last Job is a remarkably entertaining and engaging adventure. As a fan of the Miyazaki incarnation of the character the most, this television special feels right-at-home in the fun franchise and gives the character plenty of moments to shine. The entire team of behind-the-scenes artists involved in the production outdid themselves here. Lupin the Third – The Last Job is a truly fantastic adventure that is filled to the brim with enticing action sequences that will leave viewers on the edge of their seat.

The animation in the production is similarly top-notch and something to behold. Animation directors Kenji Hachizaki (Akira, Summer Wars) and Hiroaki Imaki (The Last: Naruto the Movie, Boruto: Naruto the Movie) deliver fantastic imagery throughout the entire production. Layout art and background artwork looks lush and detailed for a television production. Even though this is one of the Lupin television specials, the production design efforts are on par with theatrical productions and have more gravitas than one typically would find with an animated-for-television production. The animators clearly worked tirelessly to assemble the product and the end results can be seen in the exquisitely designed animation.

Non-stop fun. A classic Lupin adventure.

Featuring character designs by Satoshi Hirayama (God Mazinger, GoShogun), Lupin and his comrades appear just as well-detailed and impressive as in previous theatrical and television feature-films in the saga. The characters are vividly brought to life with the designs and the animators never seem to miss a beat. A fantastic design effort by Hirayama.

Edited by Yuriko Sano (Mermaid Forest, Requiem from the Darkness), Lupin the Third – The Last Job is a truly engaging and thrilling experience. The film never seems to miss a beat or have a lull in the editing. The cut is exquisite: the film has a fast-pace while never forgetting to sideline the characters and their respective journeys in the story. The action scenes are intense and engaging. The finale was expertly edited and viewers will be glued to the program. Sano is a gifted editor and the efforts here are certainly appreciable.

The original music score by Yuji Ohno (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Lupin The Third: The Series) is another blast. One of the best things about the Lupin franchise is the entertaining scores by Yuji Ohno. The composer is one of the best assests the anime production has to offer viewers: with clear call-backs to previous entries (and the iconic Lupin theme music left intact), the score gives enormous energy to each scene. When the action scenes get intense and involving, the music then brings viewers closer to the action. When the dramatic scenes arise, the viewers become even more connected to the drama at play. Ohno has done a stellar job with this fantastic and sweeping score.

Toshimichi Ohkawa (Lupin III: Sweet Lost Night, Lupin III: Green vs. Red) delivered an exceptional screenplay for the production. The filmmaking benefits greatly from the script. The story is simply entertaining, charming, and delightful. The characters are spot- on and the journey Lupin takes is a adventurous one that finds many amazing moments to charm and delight. Ohkawa brings plenty of action, comedy, and heart to the film with his top-notch screenplay. There is something remarkable about the storytelling skills of Ohkawa and he was the perfect fit for the production. An expertly crafted screenplay.

Lupin the Third – The Last Job features storyboards and direction by Tetsurô Amino (Macross 7, Urusei Yatsura). Lupin the Third – The Last Job is a total blast. While Lupin is always fun to experience, some of the productions are certainly better than others. Lupin the Third – The Last Job is one of the best television specials in the series. The action is consistently engaging. Viewers will find the film a thrill ride with plenty to offer. Amino managed to bring together a fantastic team to make the story and the film is a true lover letter to the iconic anime character. Hayao Miyazaki would be proud. Don't miss it.

Lupin III: The Last Job Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Lupin the Third – The Last Job is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. This is a visually stunning production and it has likely never looked better than it does on this well encoded release. This Lupin feature-film was produced as a television special (and was therefore not made with the theatrical experience in mind) but the filmmaking feels every bit as cinematic as a higher-budget production (even with the 4:3 scope ratio). Colors look downright robust and pleasing throughout the entire video encode. The encode is of such a high-quality that it makes it easy for one to sit back and enjoy in the visuals. The film has been wonderfully preserved by Discotek Media. Fans will be quite pleased.

Lupin III: The Last Job Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes an impressive sounding lossless uncompressed PCM 2.0 track. The track has been encoded in 16 bit depth in the original Japanese. No English dub has been provided for the release. The lossless audio sounds crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The dynamics of the track are impressive. There are no moments where the track is overly harsh or fatiguing. It sounds engaging and pristine throughout. The sound design is surprisingly good for a stereo mix. The action scenes are energetic and manage to carry enough gravitas to make the experience more enticing and ultimately enveloping. The experience is all the better because of the crisp lossless presentation. Despite not including 24 bit depth on the track, I found the experience to be quite satisfactory for this particular sound mix (and given the age of the elements).

The English subtitles are also excellent throughout the presentation and were free from any egregious spelling or grammatical errors. These well- translated subtitles make the experience all the more fun. Yet another exceptional effort by Discotek Media.

Lupin III: The Last Job Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes packaged with an attractive o-card slipcover. The art work has inner art print.

On disc extras include:

TV Commercials (HD, 1:03) showcasing advertisements for the television airing of Lupin the Third – The Last Job.

Lupin III: The Last Job Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lupin the Third – The Last Job is an enormously entertaining and engaging television-special (which is so expertly crafted that it deserves to be ranked alongside the theatrical-features in the pantheon of the character). The direction is intense and action-packed, the animation is breathtaking, and the music is engaging. This is a top-notch Lupin adventure. There is something special about the film and how the characters are woven in to the story. There are so many special and engaging action scenes. And even the comedy is kept intact. Lupin the Third – The Last Job features a superb video-audio presentation. Highly recommended.