Review: Goemon's Blood Spray
Takeshi Koike’s The Bloodspray of Ishikawa Goemon is the second entry in the darker, gritter trilogy of Lupin the IIIRD spin-off films.
It is similar in overall theme to the film that came before it, Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone. This time, the tale features a samurai and a deadly assassin, known as The Ghost of Bermuda. The assassin possess a relentless, almost super human strength, and both him and the samurai result in going toe to toe with one another in a plot filled with honour and revenge.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
The samurai is, of course, Ishikawa Goemon XIII. Our samurai friend has become entangled in a Yakuza family feud and is given three days to avenge the death of a fallen mob boss - one who’s life he had sworn to protect. If he is not to succeed in his task, he is to pay with his life.
Our honourable samurai starts this film acting a bit more gung-ho than usual. He is younger and cockier, perhaps a bit too confident of his abilities as a fighter. This tale is less of a battle between two rivals, instead becoming more of a focus of Goemon finding himself - discovering his limits and developing his combat techniques.
The Ghost of Bermuda, real name Hawk, is a formidable foe. He not only takes the life of a mob boss and brings Goemon down a peg or two by besting him in battle - he’s also out to kill Lupin III, Jigen Daisuke and Fujiko Mine.
It is unclear who makes the hit, as the film does not feel the need to explain this. We can only assume this is a past rival, someone hoping to get back at the thieves.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
Inspector Zenigata also receives a much larger role in this film. Koike plenty makes up for his absence in Jigen’s Gravestone, as old pops is by far one of the strongest characters in Goemon’s Bloodspray.
The Lupin the IIIRD spin-off series has a much more serious take on Inspector Zenigata’s character. He is a surprisingly cool and competent police officer here, quite a contrast to some of his usual bumbling depictions.
It is entertaining to see him playing it cool while still feeling like the Inspector we know and love. There is a good balance here, with him still ultimately chasing after Lupin and directly acting against the chiefs orders for what he believes is for the greater good of the people. You cannot help but root for him; an Inspector Zenigata spin-off film in this style would be very welcome.
While there are thankfully no lewd scenes concerning Fujiko Mine this time around, Goemon’s Bloodspray is perhaps the most bloodthirsty Lupin film to date.
As its title suggests, the action is not for the faint of heart - cartilage rips as skin is chopped off on-screen, all close up in high detail and slow motion.
It is rather unusual to see such violence in a Lupin animation, as the series often plays things family friendly. This is however, a very different take on the series, and it still fits the tone of the film without overstepping the mark.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
The episodic type structure of Jigen’s Gravestone returns here. Once again, the film is incredibly tight-knit, with its two acts fitting perfectly into a 55 minute timeslot.
There’s plenty of action with a good balance between this and character building.
Goemon finding his divine eye in the second act is rather silly, however serves as a good explanation as to how Hawk has been able to stand against him during the first act. If you consider it more of a metaphor for the characters realising their limits and abilities, this makes a little more sense than considering that they are able to predict each others attacks, essentially seeing into the future.
In terms of its looks and animation, the visuals have definitely stepped up here when compared to Jigen’s Gravestone.
There are some fantastic looking scenes, with an exciting (outdoor) car chase that looks great. The sparing use of 3DCG backgrounds is barely noticeable, and the action scenes are a spectacle to remember.
Its endlessly entertaining to see Lupin and company animated in Koike’s style.
Even the character art during the title and credit sequences cannot help but catch your eye - they all look far more mature and darker, which is ironic considering if you are to consider the official timeline, the characters are much younger in this film.
Some of the early shots of the Yakuza family in particular feel very Koike - with a sort of fish eye lens camera look about it that feels very reminiscent of Redline.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
The only animation criticism to give would be that on occasion, Hawk looks a bit ridiculous.
This is mostly due to his absurd size. Jumping up and down from roof tops, spinning through the air in bike crashes - while he may be unphased due to his strength, he cannot help but look quite silly in the process.
James Shimoji once again nails the score.
The theme song, SATORI, is slightly less cheesy than Jigen’s Gravestone’s Revolver Fires, but not quite as catchy as a result. The ambient backing music is smooth and cool with a traditional Japanese twist, sounding great even in some of the more heated moments.
Characters and above image owned by TMS and NTV.
The Japanese voice talent put on a great show at voicing the slightly darker toned versions of the Lupin crew, and no-one feels out of place.
Daisuke Namikawa has fitted very comfortably into the role of Ishikawa Goemon, while Kiyoshi Kobayashi once again shines as Daisuke Jigen.
Unfortunately, as the U.K. streaming release of the film does not contain the English dub, we were not able to review the English dubbing cast. From my understanding, this mostly retains the dubbing crew from Jigen’s Gravestone, with Keith Silverstein playing the role of Lupin III.
It is hard to rank Goemon’s Bloodspray against Jigen’s Gravestone, as both films compliment one another well.
The second entry into the trilogy is a good a watch as its predecessor and if you are checking out the Lupin the IIIRD spin-offs, it is easy to recommend.
The visuals are gorgeous, the characters are compelling and the action is exciting. Hawk’s fate at the end is incredibly cool and there is very little, if anything, to dislike about it. Prepare yourself for some gore and be sure to give it a watch!
Tune in next week, on Friday the 22nd of November to read our review of the third film in this trilogy - Fujiko Mine’s Lie. If you missed our review of Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone, be sure to give it a read 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.
