Happy New Year, welcome to 2025!
It’s 2025, baby!
It has been a while since I have done one of these, and I fancied putting one together this year because - why not?
2024 has been a bit of a ride outside of the fandom, to say the least. There is no doubt a fair few of you reading this thinking it has been the most challenging, frustrating years in some time now. I want to say up front - you are valued, loved, and appreciated, even in those moments where you may find yourself stuck in a hole, with seemingly no way out. As usual, writing for this website, and linking up with old friends over on Bluesky has helped keep me feeling positive in 2024. I highly value investing yourself in something you love - and the Lupin franchise is perfect for that, as there is so much of it out there. It’s much better for the old mental health than endlessly doom scrolling the news, and has helped me dearly over the years.
While things have been relatively quiet on the Lupin front for the majority of 2024, we at least had the recent announcement of Lupin the IIIRD: The Movie, which is due to drop later this year. The film is a strange one, as we still know little about it - other than what we can see from the short teaser trailer, and that it was originally created to be a Zenigata centred flick.
Still, I am stoked this is finally happening. I’ve been interested in the work of Takeshi Koike since he became the character designer and animation director of The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (which is a series almost as old as this website, can you believe it)? I enjoyed each of the Lupin the IIIRD spin-off films thus far, and the contrast they brought to the series, against the likes of Part 4 and Part 5, which were airing in-between.
They are not perfect films - by any means. Jigen’s Gravestone in particular has a couple of what I would consider problematic elements, but overall, the trio work well alongside one another and compliment the Fujiko Mine TV series nicely. My personal favourite is Goemon’s Bloodspray, mostly for its pulpy action, and letting Inspector Zenigata get some cool moments in the spotlight. I feel this film can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of whether or not you’ve seen the preceeding work in the Lupin the IIIRD spin-off franchise. Just, of course, be mindful that it has a fair bit of blood and gore throughout.
This year has also been a milestone one for 1979s The Castle of Cagliostro, which celebrated its forty-fifth anniversary with cinema screenings around the globe - and for the first time in IMAX at select locations in Japan. I was able to attend a regular 4K screening myself, as part of the Scotland Loves Anime season in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was pleasantly surprised to see how full the screening was - especially considering Caliostro’s only slot was at 6pm on a weeknight. It was great to see the ever-energetic crowd of Scotland Loves Anime laughing and cheering at points during the film, and of course, it looked and sounded stellar in a cinema setting - an absolute treat for a long-time Lupin fan like myself!
I was also able to watch the film with a friend of mine - who hadn’t seen it prior, nor knew of any other works in the franchise. As the last unwatched Hayao Miyazaki film on his list, he gave it a go and came away having loved it. I considered that a win! Even nearly fifty years on, it is amazing how this film has stood the test of time, and I feel like in 2024, it is being enjoyed by more people than ever before. If you ever get a chance to watch it in a cinema, do not pass up on it!
There have been a few other Lupin happenings during 2024, such as the continuation of the U.S. television specials on YouTube and a localised version of the (incredible) Japanese kabuki show - but I wanted to end on what I would consider a more important note - the passing of Eiko Masuyama. I still think about this a lot. As the last member of the original voice cast to go, I feel like her passing hit particularly hard. For the longest time, Masuyama was Fujiko Mine. Her last time spent playing the character was in 2012’s Lupin Family Line-Up OVA, and I am happy she seemed to have a peaceful retirement. At the same time though, it’s difficult to say goodbye to such a talented actress, and pillar of the franchise.
If you haven’t listened to it yet, I would recommend checking out Sideburns and Cigarettes special episode remembering Eiko Masuyama. The episode contains a little over an hour of Drew, Emma, Chris, and Natalie, waxing lyrical about the late actress, and it serves as a nice way of saying goodbye.
As hard a pill it is to swallow, I don’t want to end this post on too much of a sombre note. I’m sure many people will enjoy Eiko Masuyama’s work for years to come - whether they are yet to discover it, or already familiar with it, and rewatching older content. May she rest in peace!
I am excited to see how things go for the Lupin franchise this year.
We already have something to look forward to with the Lupin the IIIRD movie, and I’m sure we’ll also get a few other announcements before the end of the year. Even though news can feel like a trickle at times, we can take solace in knowing that Lupin is here to stay. We’ll always see new takes on the characters we know and love, with that next new series or film always around the corner. Personally, I’d love to see a continuation of LUPIN ZERO, but perhaps we’d be better off leaving that series where it ended. They say you can’t have too much of a good thing, after all.
Take care and again, happy new year!
— Lee (Site Administrator)
Featured articles from 2024
Reviews
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Review: Jigen Daisuke (2023) - 6k views
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2025 wish list
The Fuma Conspiracy Blu-ray release: I am once again asking for a HD re-release of this film. Listen - I don't think this can happen, even with the best will in the world. As far as I know, Discotek don't have access to the master footage, and said footage may not even exist anymore. With that said, it is top of my list of "wants", and likely will be for many years to come. If it ain’t coming in 2025, expect to see this request again in 2026!
Lupin the IIIRD: The Movie to be an entirely new film: I have a sneaky suspicion, if the teaser trailer is anything to go by, that this upcoming release might include recut footage from the previous Lupin the IIIRD films. While this wouldn’t be a travesty and certainly could work, as it would still be married with new footage ala The Italian Game, personally, I’d rather see a feature length version of something completely new. We already know there will be focus on Inspector Zenigata, but perhaps it could also use the additional time to tie up the series into a fitting end. We’ll find out as more details on the film are revealed in the coming months.
Lupin ZERO Part 2: Another re-entry to the list from last year - and again, I am torn wanting this, because ZERO was so perfect... maybe it is best just to leave it as it is. With that said, ANY Studio Telecom output for Lupin is much appreciated, and it feels like the staff behind ZERO nailed it. It would be a shame not to see them return for something else. Maybe we see something different; a Lupin II spin-off, perhaps? I'd be down!
Something NEW: The Lupin series continues to surprise me, and we have seen some wildly different takes over the years. I am up for any new direction the franchise wishes to take and hope we can see something like this in 2025!
