Introduction:

To get right down to it, this latest installment in the famous Lupin III series has left me with mixed feelings. Characters such as Zenigata and Goemon recieve better potrayals than they did in the previous movies, but others such as Fujiko and Jigen seem to have lost something. What's more, the subtitles are mediocre at best, suffering from various mistranslations and typographical errors. What struck me as the most heinous mistake however, is that the writer either didn't research the Buddhist traditions very well, or the translator made an extremely grievous error. They describe Harimao as being devoted to Indra, who is one of the Vedic Gods from Hindu spirituality. However, this is where the mistake comes in. They describe Indra as being a Buddhist deity, although Indra has never had anything to do with the Buddhist teachings or worship whatsoever. I'm sure most people won't mind, but to me it's a glaring, unreasonable error that could have been avoided with a little extra research.

The Wild Ride, As Usual:

Rest assured however, it's not all bad. In fact, the movie is incredibly enjoyable and takes you for a wild ride through Alaska, London, Amsterdam, and Thailand, wherein the cast gets to make their usual showing of high-intensity antics, implausible acrobatics, and, on Lupin's part, classic lechery. Our guests along for the ride this time are Lord Archer, the model for the fictional character of James Bond, his daughter Diana, and their enemies, a Neo-Nazi group called the Neo-Himmel led by what appears to be a very tough, dominatrix of a... Man? Woman? Well, this is Lupin, so expect to be thrown a curve about at least one character's gender.

The wacky thief himself. Lupin's love of money gets him into lots of trouble.	Zenigata, the man whose life mission is to bring Lupin to justice.

Lupin, Lord Archer, and the Neo-Himmel, are all after three statues that serve as the keys to the treasure of Harimao, a Malaysian warlord who stole from various countries during World War II and acted as a sort of Eastern Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. He entrusted the secrets of the statues to four of his most trusted companions so that if they were ever in need, they could come back and claim the treasure. Suffice to say, greed splits people apart very easily, and thus Harimaro's treasure has been left alone, until now. Lupin wants the money for the usual reasons. Lord Archer needs it to help pay off an enormoous debt thanks to an accident in the Eurotunnel. And the Neo-Himmel want it for nothing short of restoring the so-called glory of the Nazi regime.

Along the way, Goemon is searching for enlightenment and works as a part-timer for Lupin (making a measly ¥950[yen] an hour), Zenigata is hot on the trail of Lupin (and constantly searching for hot water to cook his instant ramen), Fujiko is playing coy secretary to Lord Archer (and trying to keep out of HIS clutches), Jigen is playing faithful sidekick to his usual partner in crime (Lupin, duh), and Diana (the daughter of Lord Archer) is helping her father while trying to keep out of Lupin's clutches. Sound complicated? Well what did you expect from a Lupin flick?

A Little Too Wild Here:

My only gripe with this latest movie besides the translation and lack of research is the quality of animation. Unlike the previous movies, this installment doesn't seem to carry the same fluidity in character movement and often suffers from inconsistancy between character sizes. For instance, one of the Neo-Himmel officers is beating down on Lupin and although he's only about a foot and a half taller, he suddenly looks like he's twice his regular size! This could have been done for comedy's sake, but it ends up looking sloppy. The same problem occurs with Lord Archer, where his shoulders seem to grow abnormally whenever he's running. It's a minor complaint, but a valid one.

Epilogue:

In the end, The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure is a worthwhile viewing. All one should really go into this movie knowing is that it's enjoyable, and the fact that Monkey Punch or the translators apparently weren't doing their job when describing Indra as a Buddhist deity. It's not quite as good as the second movie, but it is worthwhile. Rent first, buy it if you like it, as always.

Distributor: Funimation
Creator: Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Released: 2000

Plot: B+
Character Design: A+
Animation Quality: A
Music: A-
Overall: A