Review: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone
Takeshi Koike’s Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone is a slick, stylish interpretation of the Lupin franchise that fits nicely onto the end of the Fujiko Mine spin-off.
It is similar not only in terms of the character art, but also in tone, storytelling and direction.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
This film marks the first occasion Lupin dons a blue jacket, perhaps signifying a slight shift in tone from the previous TV specials and films.
While it does not compare to the tone and antics of the Part IV and Part 5 TV shows that followed, both of which feature Lupin wearing a similar blue jacket, at the time of release it certainly helped to differentiate it from previous works in the series.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
The film makes the most of its fifty minute slot and tells a well paced, interesting story.
Takeshi Koike and Yuuya Takahashi have done a fantastic job avoiding the usual Lupin trope of introducing a flurry of uninteresting, one-shot characters. Instead, the narrative focuses on Lupin, Jigen and Fujiko as they go up against the mysterious gunman, Jael Okuzaki - a worthy adversary for our partners in crime.
Okuzaki is a cool villain and one that fits comfortably alongside the other characters.
Often in the past, when Lupin TV specials have shone the spotlight towards individuals other than the main five, it has felt disappointing. That is certainly not the case here.
Everybody featured in the film gets just the right amount of screen time and I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Okuzaki setting up his gun. The attention to detail is great, and these scenes help to build up a good amount of tension before our villainous sniper gets to work.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
The presentation is solid, though there are still a couple of off-model shots here and there (although they are definitely few and far between). It’s nice to see the Fujiko Mine character art return and it’s obvious that production was much tighter here, in comparison to the animation of the 2012 released TV show.
The films car chase sequence looks particularly great, but I couldn’t help but notice that it mostly all featured inside of a tunnel with no other cars on the road.
This seems like an easy but smart route to take from an animation perspective, as drawing detailed backgrounds during fast moving scenes could end up being a lot of work for little return.
Yuji Ohno's absence is of no concern here (but don’t worry, we still adore you, Mr. Ohno)! James Shimoji has done an impeccable job of scoring the flick and his smooth, low-key tracks fit the tone perfectly.
I just could not imagine hearing Ohno’s trademark music because of the difference in tone, as with Fujiko Mine. As cheesy as the English lyrics are, Revolver Fires is a great ending theme and it helps play upon the episodic nature of the film.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
The lack of Goemon and Zenigata is a disappointment, but given the reduced running time, it’s something I can forgive.
There is one scene in the film that we have to talk about. This concerns a naked Fujiko, slipping around in a cage full of water / oil after being held captive by a gang of crooks.
To me, this scene feels like a desperate attempt at surrealism mixed with implied sexual tones, and it isn’t one I could appreciate. It left me feeling deeply uncomfortable and ever since its release, it has been enough to make me think twice every time I wanted to recommend the film.
Fujiko has been placed in far too many pathetic, lewd situations over the years - unfortunately this feels like one of the worst, and it has no place in an otherwise a fantastic movie.
A quick word on the English dub - as much as I love Tony Oliver, Richard Epcar, Michelle Ruff and companies performance as the characters in the usual dubs, the slight change in casting here is a welcome one.
Keith Silverstein plays a fantastic, darker version of Lupin III and Dan Woren fits right in as Jigen.
The shift in tone is enough to warrant a slightly different performance from each character, and to no detriment to the usual dubbing casts skills, the voices here sound far better suited to this particular interpretation.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone is not your usual Lupin film. It’s dark and different - just as was Fujiko Mine.
It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, and at times, it isn’t mine. Despite the uncomfortable scene with Fujiko, I would still suggest giving it a watch if you enjoyed the 2012 spin-off series, or if you are quite happy accepting a gorier, more adult Lupin.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
Tune in next week, on Friday the 15th of November to read our review of the second film in this trilogy - The Bloodspray of Ishikawa Goemon (now available right here).
If you would like to watch along with the site, all Lupin the IIIRD films are available in the U.S. by online streaming on Amazon Video. Both Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone and The Bloodspray of Ishikawa Goemon can be purchased on DVD / Blu-ray from Right Stuf Anime.
Please note that availability may vary depending on your country of residence.
