#lupin IIIrd: the gravestone of daisuke jigen

[aspiring-holistic-otaku]

Season 3 Ramble #8 - A is for Anime(solo reprise) ver.3

Hadn't been doing the run-up posting I usually do for my rambles due to work and such but here we are!

How this ramble is gonna go is I'm gonna list my top 3 movies watched this month then top 3 series for same, AAnd now that I actually have a semi decent number of anime under my belt I'm gonna do a quick top ten of both at the end.. after that if you wanna stick around, instead of the usual post ramble ramble, I'm gonna add a bit of the recording I did with the homies, as a sort of prelude and promise that we will have that conversation in future. I really think it's an important and potentially fruitful discussion to have.

But In any case getting into the episode now

TOP 3 MOVIES 

3) Belladonna Of Sadness (1973, 1hr33m, Mushi Production)

Crazy movie. I don't think I can accurately talk about it without it sounding too wHild… I'm still gonna, but I'm gonna open with what Google says about it.

A peasant woman is raped by the local lord on her wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil himself who appears as an erotic sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness and desire.

As I said.. wHild… and that's just the summary…the details of the actual movie are like…woah.. but in any case it was great, actually something that'd been on my watch list for a good long while so I'm glad I could actually finally watch it. 

Glazing over the plot which the summary does a pretty good job of covering anyways, the visuals were absolutely stunning. They're by Yoshitaka Amano, probably most famously known for his final fantasy illustrations. For the most part the visuals are done in what looks like watercolor paint, which is just wild in my mind,, like wHy?? He definitely pulled it off though which is even more crazy cause a good amount of it was done in an almost slideshow kinda way which I usually don't like but he still pulled it off…crazy…. Should be kinda obvious from the summary but moderate tw. Still definitely strongly recommend.

Small sidenote - in making this ramble I found out that belladonna of sadness is actually part of a trilogy called animerama,, so now I have 2 more old ass movies to look forward to. Hopefully they're just as good or even better…

2) Lupin IIIrd: The Gravestone of Daisuke Jigen (2014, 51m, Telecom Animation Film)

Ever since I watched my first lupin movie 3 years ago I've been locked in. In fact it was such a good watch that I've limited myself to one a year. Thankfully the trend of awesomeness has continued up to this point but enough premature glazing. 

This movie is basically centered on Jigen, as you can probably tell from the title. Just a point of clarity for those who don't know much of anything about lupin, Jigen is basically the gunslinger of Lupin’s crew. So as this is basically his movie, he's ofc facing off against a gunslinger. The title is so named because this guy, the gunslinger they find themselves up against, makes graves for his victims before killing them. Nobody's ever gotten away from him. In fact he's so good that he uses dice to decide how many bullets he'll use to take out his target. Ice cold mf.

Pretty good action from start to finish though I’m a tad disappointed there wasn't more gun-slinging, though from what I gather Jigen’s whole thing is speed, accuracy and efficiency,, so maybe a barrage of bullets wouldn't have made sense. In any case we get to see all of the crew besides goemon, dry cry as he's my personal fav but still solid. The art direction was great from all angles as I've come to expect. Not too much to say cast wise as on Lupin gang’s side there's a cumulative effect of greatness where every time you see them it's generally a continuation of past interactions, as in there's an obviously rich history there. That being said, the dynamic is still great and from what I've seen, you can pick up any of the movies and immediately love them. But anyways, on the other hand, the main villain/organization felt a bit hollow. Which is something I've come to kind of expect with movie exclusive antagonists in general. It's just a matter of time efficiency. I think when it comes to anime movies, you're generally not watching for the antagonist unless they have to do with the main storyline. Otherwise you're kinda watching to see how the protagonist will beat them in about an hour. Though I will say as far as visuals can speak, they definitely spoke volumes in that sense. Also, given the geopolitical climate we're in, I liked the villain/organization and how they were handled... trying not to spoil too much there but if you so much as peek between the lines you probably get it.. In any case definitely highly recommend.

Side note - every lupin movie I watch further solidifies my decision to get into the series… just watching the movies first for some reason…

1) Mind game (2004, 1hr44m, Studio 4°C)

Honestly,, I don't even want to speak on it for fear of sullying its greatness. It's one of those life changing before and after watches fr. This is something I'd been really wanting to watch since ver.1 when I started getting into Studio 4°C through their awesome anthologies genius party and genius party beyond.

I'm gonna default to the anilist description here which is kinda almost decent relative to the sheer phenomenal amazingness of this movie.. but I digress.. so according to anilist..

Audiences will begin to grasp what they are in for early on, as loser Nishi, too wimpy to try to save his childhood sweetheart from gangsters, is shot in the butt by a soccer-playing psychopath, projecting Nishi into the afterlife. In this limbo, God - shown as a series of rapidly changing characters - tells him to walk toward the light. But Nishi runs like hell in the other direction and returns to Earth a changed man, driven to live each moment to the fullest.

The last bit hints at the greatness of this film. Right there that small difference in speech speaks volumes in my personal world of language. It's not just a movie. It's film. 10/10. absolute cinema.

As I said I don't even want to talk about it too much because I don't think it possible to do it justice through mere words, but I'm gonna put a bit more glaze on it before I wrap up the movie list and move on to series. This movie beat out studio ghibli’s, Miyazaki directed, howl’s moving castle in the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival. Further, this was a debut work for the director Masaaki Yuasa, who would later go on to found science saru studio. I was so moved by this movie that I've decided I will watch everything masaaki yuasa has and will ever direct. 10/10. highly recommend. end of glaze.

hm: under the dog, Mezzo forte, blood: the last vampire, 4°c (sweat punch, short peace from last time)

Top 3 Series

3) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2023-2024, 28ep 24m, Madhouse) 

This is something I'd been seeing around for a bit but was intentionally ignoring because for some reason I got it in my head that it was based on this sad little one shot called The hero’s party on their way back home, and I was NOT watching an entire series based on that.

In any case, in talking with my bros recently they all insisted that it was the best anime released in the past year, one of them declaring it was in his top5 all time. So I pushed past my fears and binged it all in a day. V thankful for the bros.

The story here follows an elven mage called frieren and her life after defeating the Demon King and bringing peace to the world.

As you can tell from the summary it's largely a slice of life but it has its fair share of well placed scraps. It fills a certain fantasy gap where you get that day to day rose tinted indigenous peoples’ lifestyle feel, that I think most people would want if they actually lived in a fantasy setting,, not that constantly under threat from dragons and shit usually focused on. And as I said there are some well placed fights. The pacing also felt perfect. Like I almost felt bad binging it because I could tell that once a week watch would've been REALLY good… one of the few series I don't want to read the manga for, I'll definitely be watching weekly whenever season 2 drops..

Great cast though kinda small, pretty brilliant visuals and sound direction. Very very very solid all round, what I'd call supremely balanced tbh. One of the bros put it really well in that he said he has synesthesia so everything has colours for him, and the colours of every aspect of this show came together to paint the perfect picture. Now I don't have synesthesia myself but I could definitely feel, not just see, how well orchestrated it all was. definitely strongly recommend.

2) Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007, 27ep 24m, Gainax)

Yes. It's 2024 and I’m just watching gurren lagann and you'll hear why that is if you listen in to the post ramble ramble,, but suffice to say, you can never be late to true greatness and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is definitely in that category. 

Firstly I kinda watched it as a meme seeing as last ramble I focused on the supposed relationship between sacred geometry and JoJo's bizarre adventure… if that sounds crazy then you should listen to the ramble… not that it'll sound less crazy but..yh.. anyways I was vaguely aware that gurren lagann focused a bit on spirals so I tapped in for the meme. 

To summarize the lengthy anilist summary,, In a far away future, mankind lives underground in huge caves, unknowing of a world above with a sky and stars. yada yada yada blah blah blah Simon, Kamina, Yoko, and the small yet sturdy robot, Lagann, journey to the world above and find that the surface is a harsh battlefield, and it's up to them to fight back against the rampaging Beastmen. Pierce the heavens, Gurren Lagann!

Again I'm gonna fall back on the words of another of my bros from the session, I think he had it in his top 10 or 5,, but he said he considers gurren lagann to be a perfect starter anime in that it perfectly showcases almost everything the medium of anime has to offer. Action, comedy, philosophy, slice of life, amazing cast, brilliant visual direction, solid sound direction. etc. the term “starter anime” gets thrown around a fair bit and I usually think it's a rubbish term because of how insanely diverse the medium is and how specific different individuals tastes can be,, so like to say this or that anime is a good “starter anime" never made sense.. but when he said it, that was the very first time I actually thought it made sense..

Definitely super highly recommend, a recommendation to pierce the heavens if you will.

1) Akiba Maid War (2022, 12ep 24m, P.A Works)

Gotta say it was a tough call between this and gurren lagann but it won out for 3 reasons. #1 it's shorter, and that's not a lazy pov, I just personally tend to give more ratings to shorter series in general because I think being able to do something amazing in a short amount of time deserves more props than doing so in a longer span of time. personally.. #2 it was FUNNY. AS. FUCK. I'm coming to realize that when it comes to anime specifically, comedy may be my favourite genre. I can't quite put my finger on why but I think it has to do with how far animation as a medium can push physical humor.. idk.. lastly… idek why I felt the need to justify all this…it's my list… but lastly,, and most importantly. maids. enough said..

The story here follows the dealings of different maid cafes in the town of Akihabara. I say dealings because in this show the maids basically act like Yakuza, having turf wars, extortion rackets and drug trades(just a point of clarity for those who've never heard the term, you've probably guessed but Yakuza are basically Japanese gangsters). In any case this is all under the table as they pay off the police and act the usual cutesy part in front of civilians. That may be a bit of a spoiler but a gif of it was going around a lot last year i think,, with this one maid gunning down a bunch of other maids and it was made to look like an idol rave with the glow sticks and everything + the “twist" if you can even call it that happens in episode 1 so it's not like some major turning point spoilers + "wars” is literally in the title, so with all due respect, you can bite me.. 

In any case, as I said this shit was funny ASF, mainly because of the opposing imagery of maids and yakuza they somehow pulled off perfectly.. like I can't begin to explain how crazy it is to see maids cussing each other out with the most obscene language, fighting it out in the craziest brawls, then turning around and going “welcome home master”. 

Fairly small but very strong cast, all funny in their own unique ways from the hardened criminal type to the frightened newbie. the visuals were great, sounds direction solid, I really really loved the op and ed, cause they just perfectly matched the shows energy. Kinda episodic for the most part but that fit the crazy, “you'll never guess what happens next” energy… Just great overall like wow.. a bit surprised I haven't seen it around more but I realize comedies don't tend to get that much ratings on release, if they do get attention it's further down the line as a “hidden jewel".

But in any case yes. 10/10. definitely highly recommend. please go watch this. have a good laugh, give thanks for life and go see the beauty of the world.

hm: Flying Trapeze, Goodbye Mr. despair (from s2)

Top 10 Movies (no order)

A Silent Voice, Memories (anthology directed by katsuhiro otomo), One Piece Movie 6: Flower Island, Tokyo Godfathers, Mind Game, Ocean Waves, Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, Sword Of The Stranger, the Lupin movies (just watch all of them lol), Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms

hm: Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, Animatrix, GITS Innocence, Wolf Children, Princess Mononoke

Top 10 Series (no order)

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Akiba Maid Wars, Nichijou, Hyouka, Mononoke, Sonny Boy, Tatami Galaxy(all spinoffs, movies, everything.), Steins;Gate, Dorohedoro, Angel Beats, Durarara!!(all seasons)

hm: Baccano!, Pluto, FLCL up to Progressive, Cowboy Bebop, chainsaw man

[loupsdrawlupin]

Pietà

[uyallstars]

[thelavendercatalogue]

Been thinking about Jigmalta again. . . . been thinking about what Jigen does AFTER gravestone

The idea of Jigen not being completely satisfied with a “job well done” after taking out Yael and the East Doroa government.

Once he finds out/realized her manager was in on it it was one last loose end to tie up

The idea of Jigen tracking down Malta’s manager when he learns he too had a hand in her death which is why he had kicked him out of the concert

Jigen was never one for revenge, it drives men mad. But of course Jigen is already mad about all this. He took care of Yael, and the real cause and culprit of Malta's death, being her own country, was finally brought to the public

but that doesn't mean he's done yet.

Not quiet yet anyways

probably corners the guy in his swaggy hotel

Many people in Malta’s circle of acquaintances were also accused of potentially selling her out to the government with many remaining under scrutiny even long after the fact,

maybe it doesn't surprise him when the manager squeals so easily like the spineless fool he was

maybe he pisses Jigen off stating the bitch got what was coming to her anyways. thinking she could possibly promote peace between two countries that have been fighting for so long already.

Or About how she was willing to throw away her career for such a miserable cause about how he made her the star she was and without him she'd still be singing in slums in that wartorn hellhole she came from

Maybe the last comment pisses Jigen off so badly that he actually contemplates killing the bastard then and there

but he cant yet. he cant do that just yet

instead he forces the man to write down everything, absolutely everything he had to do with her death

when he's finally finished. . .well

no one knows what happened afterward.

Her manager is later found dead in what appeared to be an apparent suicide. In a letter left behind, he implicates his hand in Malta’s death and was believed by official's to have killed himself either in guilt or as a way to not risk jail time.

But we all know what happened, we all know the only man trained so excellent that he could easily have made it look like a suicide

in the end does it matter

it's over now Maybe before he leaves, Jigen notices the radio is on

Their still playing Malta's songs on the radio as a memorial to her and for a moment a flash of anger rolls over him at the mere thought that even after having her killed the bastard still had the gall to listen to her songs as if he didn't help in her assassination.

But then once he listens. . .everything is suddenly calm and serene and for a moment Jigen is happy once again.

Maybe he takes a moment to listen, to reminisce. Maybe when it's time for him to go he raises his hand to turn the radio off before he leaves. Maybe he stops himself before he can. Maybe instead before he leaves he looks at the radio one last time with that old familiar soft sad look in his eye's as he adjusts his hat on his head.

"It's over now songbird, so you just keep on singing. . .there's no one left to stop you"

[princessbutler1316]

Jigen:

And cars too:

[bestoflupiniiipoll]

Best of Lupin III Poll

[bassboosted-moon-chao]

SUCKS TO FUCKING BE ME I GUESS

CANT EVEN GET TO WATCH GAY PEOPLE GET KILLED. MAN.

Another free movie from TMS youtube channel, this time its Takeshi Koikes

~Lupin The IIIRD: Jigens Tombstone~

(Avaliable until Nov 2nd; SUB)

Synopsis:

Lupin and jigen are after a gem called "little comet" in East doroa, a nation known for its low crime rates but rumors have it that its at the brink of war after the nation's queen was assassinated.

jigen is now the target of the same assasin when he finds the killers calling card, a tombstone with his name on it, ready to be filled.

(Viewer discretion is advised: nudity, blood, and mild gore)

[lupincentral]

Have you heard the news?

Lupin III is diving into the world of live action once again, with Jigen Daisuke ‐ a spin-off film releasing “worldwide” on October 13th, 2023, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video!

Tetsuji Tamayama, who previously portrayed the character in the 2014 released feature film, will be returning to the role of Jigen.

Yoshimasa Akamatsu (BD ~Akechi Tantei Jimusho, Corpse Party: Book of Shadows) has produced the script for the film, and Hajime Hashimoto (The Detective Is in the Bar franchise, AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo, Shimauma, Signal) is directing.

In preparation for his reprising of the role, Tamayama states in an interview with Natalie that he has watched the Lupin the IIIRD spin-off film Jigen’s Gravestone, and hopes to bring this cooler, more mature version of the character to television screens come October.

Details on the plot are currently scarce - however, the Natalie article mentions that it involves Jigen searching Japan for the world’s greatest gunsmith, after his trusty combat magnum is in need of some TLC (and said gunsmith just happens to run a rather curious watch shop)…

More details on the film are to be revealed closer to its release date. For now, you can check out the films first trailer embedded below, and its announcement over at website Natalie.

After Lupin ZERO wrapping up at the end of last year, and VS. Cat’s Eye releasing in January, a live action Jigen spin-off is not where I expected TMS to go next with the Lupin franchise. It is, however, in my opinion, a welcome diversion from the norm.

I would be lying if I did not first meet the announcement with some scepticism, though, mostly due to the series’ less than stellar track record of live action adaptations (the amazing 2017 Inspector Zenigata spin-off drama aside). Taking a moment to think back, I quickly realised that while the live action film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura did not win the hearts of fans back in 2014, it did do one thing right - the casting.

Shun Oguri as Lupin III and Tadanobu Asano as Inspector Zenigata were big gets for the film, and both appeared to take their appearance throughout it seriously. Meisa Kuroki played a gorgeous, cunning Fujiko, with Go Ayano trying his best to bring the stoic samurai Goemon to life. It was Tetsuji Tamayama, however, that best looked the part. Fans on social media were swooning over his Jigen as soon as the character portraits were revealed, with some saying he was made for the role.

Despite issues with pacing and its overall narrative, all of the main cast members represented their anime / manga counterparts well, and if there is one positive to take away from that film, it would be their performances.

This gives me hope for Jigen Daisuke - with fresh writing staff and a keen new director to the franchise on board, with an actor we already know can do the character justice, both Amazon and TMS may be on to something special, here. Now slightly older and more experienced, I have full confidence Tamayama will exceed that of his already good performance as Jigen from 2014.

I’m looking forward to finding out how this comes together. Keep an eye out for a full review of the film come October, which I will aim to post up on lupincentral.com a few days after its release.

[new-lupin-iii-confessions]

Breaking News I'm alive but in breaking-er news apparently there's a live action Jigen movie in the works?

Tetsuji Tamayama, the actor who played Jigen in the 2014 live action movie reprises his role.

It's premiering on Amazon Prime and the summary provided by the article is as follows:

Jigen senses something is off about his trusty Combat Magnum. So, he visits Japan for the first time in years to search for the world's greatest gunsmith (who happens to run a watch shop).

Sounds interesting. What really interests me though is that Tamayama commented that he watched Lupin the IIIrd: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone, and said it had an "edgier, more adult atmosphere than the previous anime projects." And that he "looked forward to incorporating this coolness in the new film."

I have never watched any of the live action stuff and have yet to get to the Lupin the IIIrd series but of course since it's Lupin content I'm interested. The teaser looks cool too, you can check it out here: https://youtu.be/oOIGXVSUyvc

[darkartist98]

Sometimes it can be a handful..

[evor20]

[stillsmybeatingheart]

[sunkentreasurecove]

[blueberry-puffin]

-- Guess this is our only way out.

-- After you, then.

Lupin III: Jigen’s Gravestone | dr. Takeshi Koike

[thelavendercatalogue]

Personal Gravestone HC But I personally believe Malta's Manager Ya know this fucker

Had something to do with her death.

Lemme explain. We all know that by technicality sakes, that Malta's death probably wouldn't have happened if her manager hadn't been such a dick to Jigen. Had Jigen been allowed to stay close there is an extreme chance that Malta would've survived the assassination attempt at her concert

But something about what The Manager said struck me as strange

While he's telling Jigen to take a hike, he questioned the fact of Jigen being her bodyguard, as if he didn't know, he even talked about Jigen as if he didn't even know who he was. But here's the thing, he's her MANAGER how did you NOT know the tall guy waltzing around with her was a BODYGUARD who she PAID FOR

So here's my little HC

Despite how he reacted towards Jigen, I honestly think the manager actually knew who Jigen was.

He knew he was Malta's Bodyguard. You don't see a guy waltzing around with the biggest star to date, and not think one of two things but don't question either until it's too late.

Like how do you not know

for example look at this photo

I know Yael AND the East Doroa Government had camera's all over the place and that's how they probably got the photo, BUT THAT ALSO MEANS JIGEN AND MALTA WERE WALKING IN PUBLIC TOGETHER. PEOPLE SAW THEM TOGETHER

the manager didn't?

Even STILL EVEN IF the manager did not know who Jigen was, which i think is complete bullshit, his behavior doesn't settle right with me, especially considering the whole fact that even WITH her trying to promote peace, even MALTA would have to have known the danger she was in, why else would she have hired a body guard in the first place?

And if she's on this BIG cross country tour, visiting "hostile countries" at war with her own home, her manager had GOT to have known that Jigen was her bodyguard and the reasons as to WHY she would have hired him in the first place. Even if her manager didn't like the fact of Jigen being there, for the sake of the woman MAKING HIM MONEY, during one of the BIGGEST events on her peace tour especially in a country that was considered enemies with her HOME country, you'd think he'd want her safe regardless. There was NO REASON why he would suddenly kick Jigen out.

Like deep down WOULD Jigen have been able to do something about it maybe I think yes.

The only reason he didn't notice where Yael was because he was above him in the booth Jigen had to look up to notice him

but HAD Jigen been ON THAT STAGE with her singing

HE DEFINITELY would have noticed before ANYONE that someone was up there.

Jigen is well trained to notice those little things, he would not have let that slip.

Her Manager was totally in on her hit I REFUSE to believe he had no part in her hit, it was too much of a coincidence for her manager to shoo Jigen away when he did. And what makes this all the more sad is remember what Malta said to Jigen in both dub and sub

"My enemy is not only this nation. It’s not as if this country is the only enemy"

She knew. . . even in the beginning she knew. And it makes it all the more sad even knowing that East Doroa, her own home was involved with her murder. And was willing to let West Doroa take the fall for it in order to push for the wars continuance.

But the government being on the hit is one thing her own manager selling her out? Somehow it puts a whole new perspective and makes her tragic death that more twisted. . .

No wonder Jigen wanted to settle the score

[princessbutler1316]

Adding some more because YES

Do I also have a collection of the two smiling at each other?

YES