Lupin the Third: The Secret of Twilight Gemini - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

Jellodyne · 05-19-2002, 10:47 PM

It appears that this FUNimation release is not beeing distributed very well, as it took some looking to find it though it's been out a month or so. They have it over at DVD Empire. Figured I'd write up a quick review.

The Specs:
Running time: 90 minutes
Video: 1.33:1 (OAR, I believe)
Spoken Language: Japanese (DD 2.0), English (DD 2.0)
Subtites: Japanese, English
Format: DVD-5
Region: Multi-- 1, 2 and 4
Rating: Unrated, but contains some violence and nudity. An edited version is also available.

Lupin the Third has been the subject of 3 Japanese TV series, 8 theatrical movies and some 13 TV movies. The series was created by Monkey Punch, and you may know the series from the second theatrical movie The Castle Of Cagliostro, which was directed by the famous Hayao Miyazaki. Twilight Gemini is the 8th in the series of TV specials for Japanese TV, but the first in what looks to be the first in a series of FUNimation DVDs of the Lupin series.
Lupin is the great grandson of Arsène Lupin, the famous French gentleman-thief from the books of Maurice LeBlanc, which I have never read.

In any case, Arsène Lupin III is a suave, globe trotting super-thief who is always one or two steps ahead of the bumbling Inspector Zenigata. He is joined as usual, by his gruff sharpshooting sidekick Jigen, his stoic samarai friend Goemon, and the beautiful mercenary Fujiko. In this adventure, Lupin travels to Morocco to discover the secrets of the Twilight, an oddly shaped diamond given to him by a dying underworld boss, which is the key to a hidden treasure. Standing in his way is of course Zenigata, the Moroccan police force, an ancient clan war, a secret Klan-like society, and an army of ninja-assasins led by an androgenous whip wielding Japanese warrior. The movie is fast paced and constantly entertaining. Your basic rollicking adventure film.

Because it was created for TV, the video is somewhat less detailed than Castle of Cagliostro but still looks quite good. I'm adjusting to a new widescreen tv, so while I did notice some minor compression artifacts, I can't at this point say whether they were 'normal', but they didn't seem excessive, and most of the time it was prety clean. The dub is decently done (I didn't listen to the japanese track because the wife didn't want to read the movie). While you're not going to get an immersive experience from a 2.0 soundtrack, it had decent dynamic range, and was clear enough. I would say that both the audio and video were more than adequate, but not exceptional.

In conclusion, I say if you enjoyed Castle of Cagliostro you should enjoy this one, and I look forward to future releases in the series.

marty · 05-20-2002, 01:54 PM

Yeah the disk shipped late, and not to all retailers on time.
Next up is Lupin the 3rd: Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure on 9/24.

I liked Gemini, but not as much as Cagliostro. If anyone is a Cowboy Bebop fan and hasn't seen Lupin you have to go out and get one.

***Wirehed*** · 05-20-2002, 06:44 PM

Lupin rocks. Thanks for the review. I havne't been able to pick this release up locally yet, I'll probably have to order it.

Jellodyne · 05-20-2002, 09:12 PM

Quote:

I liked Gemini, but not as much as Cagliostro.

I'd agree with that. Cagliostro was done on a bigger budget and directed by Miyazaki. Don't fault the moon for not putting out as much light as the sun.

Quote:

If anyone is a Cowboy Bebop fan and hasn't seen Lupin you have to go out and get one.

Is there a connection between Lupin and Bebop, apart from both being really cool?

marty · 05-20-2002, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jellodyne
I'd agree with that. Cagliostro was done on a bigger budget and directed by Miyazaki. Don't fault the moon for not putting out as much light as the sun.

thats definitely true

Quote:

Is there a connection between Lupin and Bebop, apart from both being really cool?

nothing official that I know of, but watch an action sequence from Lupin and then one with Spike from Bebop. It's obvious that the guys involved with Bebop watched a lot of Lupin growing up.
Spike also walks and slouches exactly like Lupin. And if you stick a hat on Jet's head he looks like Jigen's lost cousin.
And of course they are both really cool.

05-19-2002, 10:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jellodyne Actor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minneapolis, MN, US	Lupin the Third: The Secret of Twilight Gemini It appears that this FUNimation release is not beeing distributed very well, as it took some looking to find it though it's been out a month or so. They have it over at DVD Empire. Figured I'd write up a quick review. The Specs: Running time: 90 minutes Video: 1.33:1 (OAR, I believe) Spoken Language: Japanese (DD 2.0), English (DD 2.0) Subtites: Japanese, English Format: DVD-5 Region: Multi-- 1, 2 and 4 Rating: Unrated, but contains some violence and nudity. An edited version is also available. Lupin the Third has been the subject of 3 Japanese TV series, 8 theatrical movies and some 13 TV movies. The series was created by Monkey Punch, and you may know the series from the second theatrical movie The Castle Of Cagliostro, which was directed by the famous Hayao Miyazaki. Twilight Gemini is the 8th in the series of TV specials for Japanese TV, but the first in what looks to be the first in a series of FUNimation DVDs of the Lupin series. Lupin is the great grandson of Arsène Lupin, the famous French gentleman-thief from the books of Maurice LeBlanc, which I have never read. In any case, Arsène Lupin III is a suave, globe trotting super-thief who is always one or two steps ahead of the bumbling Inspector Zenigata. He is joined as usual, by his gruff sharpshooting sidekick Jigen, his stoic samarai friend Goemon, and the beautiful mercenary Fujiko. In this adventure, Lupin travels to Morocco to discover the secrets of the Twilight, an oddly shaped diamond given to him by a dying underworld boss, which is the key to a hidden treasure. Standing in his way is of course Zenigata, the Moroccan police force, an ancient clan war, a secret Klan-like society, and an army of ninja-assasins led by an androgenous whip wielding Japanese warrior. The movie is fast paced and constantly entertaining. Your basic rollicking adventure film. Because it was created for TV, the video is somewhat less detailed than Castle of Cagliostro but still looks quite good. I'm adjusting to a new widescreen tv, so while I did notice some minor compression artifacts, I can't at this point say whether they were 'normal', but they didn't seem excessive, and most of the time it was prety clean. The dub is decently done (I didn't listen to the japanese track because the wife didn't want to read the movie). While you're not going to get an immersive experience from a 2.0 soundtrack, it had decent dynamic range, and was clear enough. I would say that both the audio and video were more than adequate, but not exceptional. In conclusion, I say if you enjoyed Castle of Cagliostro you should enjoy this one, and I look forward to future releases in the series. __________________ DO NOT SIT NEXT TO DENIS!

05-20-2002, 06:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
*Wirehed* Producer/Admin NSFW Off 'the list' Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Sacto, Ca --Near Galt, home of LeVar Burton	Lupin rocks. Thanks for the review. I havne't been able to pick this release up locally yet, I'll probably have to order it. __________________ The Order of the Zombie. The world's greatest zombie culture website. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagn'nagl dominos" In his house in R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits for the pizza delivery guy.

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05-20-2002, 01:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
marty Actor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Massachewsets	Yeah the disk shipped late, and not to all retailers on time. Next up is Lupin the 3rd: Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure on 9/24. I liked Gemini, but not as much as Cagliostro. If anyone is a Cowboy Bebop fan and hasn't seen Lupin you have to go out and get one.