After watching so much Lupin, it's really cool to see a Lupin series take place on the west coast. A lot of them take place in Europe or the east coast of the United States. Finally, here is something interesting that takes place in the San Francisco bay area. I guess the hint of the title with Alcatraz gives that away, but I still find it unique. Maybe there will be one in Seattle one day. One special thing is that I don't have anywhere else to put it: Hiroyuki Imaishi was involved with the animation on this one. So it already gives it some sort of special edge to this one which makes me feel a bit more excited.
This special starts off, as you would expect, in San Francisco Bay. A cruise ship that is illegally being used as a casino by Don Lukino Marcano is first visited by Zenigata and his partner Terry Crown. A place they both went to on a helicopter because Lupin and his gang is going to steal the money in it. Money that can fund a small country. So of course Lupin is there for the money and something else. While the others focus on the money, Lupin is stealing data for another crime. This entire event sets up the rest of the special.
This is such an interesting piece of a special. It has such an interesting chemistry for the Lupin gang because only Jigen has loyalty to Lupin as Lupin gets into more and more trouble. Fujiko is clearly about money like usual and strangely, Goemon is too. I also find it interesting that Zenigata has a partner. One that is such a chaotic, corrupted one to Zenigata's lawful goodness. So there is a lot of interesting character work going on before even getting to looking at the plot I like.
The plot itself is really digging into a high level of conspiracy. One simply placed around the year 1963 where Alcatraz was shut down and President Kennedy was assassinated. Same with the secret seven of a unified Mafia in San Francisco where all of them are working together. Especially with the not so secret identity of the leader of the Secret Seven as they try to put a person of their own into the White House.
As a whole, there are so many interesting things going on in this film. Especially the cable car chase this special does take place in San Francisco. Lupin is also arrested which gives him and Zenigata a moment to have a heart to heart. Lupin is also killed again until he isn't. There is also a secret city underneath Alcatraz which the Mafia wants to reopen which I find hilarious in a way only Lupin and his gang can pull off. There are some really cool and silly yet honest things that give the whole Lupin experience.
For the first digitally animated Lupin thing, this one looks pretty good. Especially with the very strong Imaishi energy in specific moments that carries a lot of it. But it also really gets the geography of San Francisco too on a higher level that makes it feel so genuine and beautiful. This one is just another good time just like most of them. Wonderful bits of a different conspiracy then it being the Nazis again because it's a real American one. Also, the very ending is pretty surprising too. Definitely check this one out.
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