Lupin the 3rd: Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid [Blu-ray]

“Blood Seal – Eternal Mermaid” is the most current Lupin, made for TV movie, to be released in the United States having been broadcast in Japan in December 2011. That leaves six Lupin movies between this one and “Operation Return the Treasure” that are unreleased in Western markets and four more that follow . The previous Lupin movie published by Discotek, The Legend of the Gold of Babylon, was released in theaters in 1985 and as far as I’m concerned was pretty bad. I’m sure there is a method to Discotek’s madness but it feels like their releases are just a random scattershot. I do appreciate that Discotek is now releasing the movies on blu-ray with brand new dubbings but I wish they could have made this switch five years ago. But be that as it may, I am pleased that Discotek finally seems to have all their ducks in order.We open with Lupin being blackmailed into stealing the Mermaid’s Scale lest some criminals do harm to poor Fujiko, who is being held hostage. My immediate thought was, Fujiko is working with the crooks and OF COURSE I was correct. Fujiko has always had a tendency to play both sides but I don’t remember her ever being this bad over the course of a movie. When the Mermaid’s Scale is combined with a second gem called the Dragon’s Scale it unlocks the secret of immortality. The plot is nearly the same as just about every other Lupin but it’s in the details where this one shines.The best Lupin films are the one that focus on character building and this is one of the finest. Lupin has some moments of introspection where he ponders why he is a criminal and what is the purpose for announcing his crimes. He is thrust into watching over a 14-year old girl named Maki (she looks much younger) who wants to be an apprentice thief. Lupin tries to dissuade her by explaining how terrible it is to be a thief but this ends up pushing him into an existential crisis when he has difficulty answering why he’s a thief if it’s so awful. Meanwhile, Goemon is having his own crisis when he straight up loses a sword fight with the villain’s main henchmen and appears to inadvertently cause the death of an innocent woman. Goemon ends up taking some time off to get it together and returns at the perfect moment. My favorite Lupin movies are the ones that add new layers to the main characters even though there really is no actual continuity to the series and every movie is entirely self-contained. It’s not that the movies lack continuity it’s just that the characters never truly evolve.This is some of the best animation in a made for TV Lupin film. It’s still not cinematic quality but it’s quite good. I felt a strong Studio Ghibli vibe watching the film and discovered that the Chief Animation Director was Yoshiharu Sato, who not only worked for Studio Ghibli but also did a lot of work for Disney. Even the usage of a young girl as a side character is very Ghibli/Miyazaki. I particularly enjoyed the backgrounds which are in many cases excellent. I can’t say I was in love with the ending. It wasn’t bad but the final act takes up around a third of the film and felt like I was watching the ending of a Resident Evil game. Overall, I give this film very high marks on the Lupin scale and I’d put it in my top 5. Maybe someday I’ll rewatch all the Lupin films I own and do an actual ranking. This isn’t a five star movie but I’d say it’s a five star Lupin movie so I will grade it as such.

Came in good condition

8/10In this, thief Lupin III and his cohorts go in search of two jewels that are the key to a treasure that is not what it appears to be. Pretty much par the course for this guy. I thought this was one of the better Lupin specials/made-for-TV movies.Blood Seal does follow the general Lupin formula, but it brings a certain amount of creativity that makes it memorable in the vast crowd that of Lupin films that tend to blend together. One of my favorite Lupin movies has always been Mystery of Mamo, because it went with some far-out sci-fi concepts. This may be why I liked Blood Seal, too. The film goes with some weird stuff, though not quite as heavy as Mamo, you don't see in every Lupin film. (If you don't like when Lupin goes sci-fi, this probably won't be for you.)The film continues the tradition of frequently paring up Lupin with a new female character. Here its' a young orphan. She stands out a bit more than the rest. I'm not saying she's the most original character ever, but her backstory is more interesting than most.The villains in this are in the traditional Lupin mold and not that original or fleshed out, but they are appropriately vile. They offer some some nice fight scenes. The final battle is definitely a standout in the series.The animation is television quality, but seems to make the most of its budget and has a rather distinctive color scheme.Overall, I consider this one of my top ten Lupin films and recommend it for any fan.

It’s my first time seeing this and I have to agree with others when they say that this is one of the best Lupin specials. It has a complete story that doesn’t leave you confused at the end. The plot has purpose, the mythical fable of eternal youth that drives the movie is easy to understand and you can solve the mystery alongside Lupin and Co. I never thought I could figure out a plot twist before Lupin could. Usually it’s him monologuing to us, the audience, about how he comes to far-out conclusions and even THAT doesn’t make sense half the time. I think one of the movie’s strong points is that Lupin doesn’t have all the answers here; not about the treasure nor about himself or his grandfather, Lupin the First.Anyway, Maki and her ‘big sister’ were enjoyable one-off characters and the villain had a decent driving motivation. You get to see some of the most beautifully animated action sequences in the franchise. So, overall a really enjoyable experience.SOUNDTRACKOhno does it again with this soundtrack. The theme used here is the 2002 version of Theme from Lupin III ‘78. This and the special’s soundtrack can be found on Spotify, which is nice considering how difficult it is to find Lupin music sometimes.ENGLISH DUBBlood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid uses the Lupin the 3rd Part 4 cast (same as Babylon). Everyone sounds fantastic!EXTRASHas the Japanese and English trailers along with the International opening and closing (which is the text being in English instead of Japanese). The most notable special feature here is the roundtable interview with the Japanese voice actors. Those of Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata being new due to the retirement of the originals after the previous years’ special The Last Job. The Last Job is going to be released by Discotek in the near future, subbed only.To conclude here, you definitely won’t regret buying this one. If you were disappointed with Babylon, things are more believable this time around. Keep supporting these Lupin releases and maybe eventually we can get Part 3 out here!