So I Finally Saw "Lupin The Third"

The Cast of Lupin The Third

 Man, I was really looking forward to this movie, but after watching it...I dunno. I mean, Oguri Shun and Company certainly look like the characters from the classic 80's and 90's animated series I used to rent, but it didn’t have the fun and sassiness that I remembered. Most of the shows that I remembered was full of zany double crossings and outrageous hijinx (mostly between Lupin and his sexy colleague Mine Fujiko), and while the movie does have its share of double crosses and larger than life action, it opted for a more realistic and gritty tone, which, when you have a samurai with a sword cutting through 3 foot solid steel doors and pinning moving trucks to asphalt, makes for a really unbalanced feel!
 I will admit that I haven't seen any of the more recent animated movies, so maybe this is how Lupin's character and  stories are portrayed nowadays, but it's so seriously done (albeit with the quirky attitudes added in) that I felt like I could be watching  any action hero's film, not necessarily Lupin the Third. Just my opinion, demo sa...

Meisa Kuroki as Fujiko Mine

Of course, the main reason I wanted to see the movie was for pretty Meisa Kuroki, and pretty she was indeed, although her portrayal of Mine Fujiko has to be the most un-fun take ever…who knew she could be so grumpy and morose! I mean, I knew she wasn’t going to be as hyper-sexualized as the animated versions (a guy can dream, but I like the think realistically, LOL) but I didn’t think she was going to be so subdued and bitter.

Oh well, visually she was as stunning as ever, so that’s a plus!

Speaking of a plus, one character that I DID really love was that crazy and over the top wacky evil assassin named Maria played with sheer delight by new actress Nakayama Yuka, WOW was she fun! 

Wow! Yuka Nakayama as Maria

With an almost cartoonish zest for guns and other weapons of mass destruction, THIS is what I came to see! They did have a bit of a sub-storyline between her and Fujiko Mine and their no-holds-barred smackdown was one of the best scenes!

So yeah, the movie definitely had that going for it, but in the end, I have to say that Lupin The Third was just an okay movie for me, very visually appealing, but ultimately not one I’ll be rewatching anytime soon.

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Legends Of Otomejuku

Watching recent Japanese dramas Sayonara Watashi and First Class, I have to say how much it marvels me that even 20 years after both Ribbon and CoCo have been disbanded, I can still see both Hiromi Nagasaku and Rieko Miura in dramas on a pretty regular basis!

 I remember the first time I ever saw Rieko on a show back in 1995 (Mokuyo no Kwaidan) and being THRILLED seeing her in something after CoCo, but I couldn’t have guessed that she’d still be doing it decades later! Rieko's roles fluctuate from the guest-star for one-episode types to full supporting cast members, but she sure has had a steady output of dramas over the years!

The first time I saw Hiromi in a drama was as the “unrequited love interest" for Etsushi Toyokawa in ‘Aoitori”, and I remember after spotting her, telling everyone, "Hey , I think that actress is the girl from ribbon! I was so fascinated that an idol from one of my beloved groups was acting in a real drama on KIKU TV! 

Little did I know she'd go on to not only her own starring dramas, but become a become a prominent MOVIE actress as well!