Review: Lupin III VS Cat's Eye
Welcome to our film review of Lupin III VS Cat’s Eye, a special cross-over event from TMS Entertainment and Amazon Prime Video.
Cat’s Eye is a manga series written by Tsukasa Hojo, and tells the tale of three sisters. Café owners by day, and glamorous criminals by night, Hitomi, Rui, and Ai, together form the band of thieves known as Cat’s Eye! Pursued by the ever incompetent Detective Toshio Utsumi, the trio pull off many an amazing heist, whilst always slinking through the clutches of the law.
Be aware that there are SPOILERS ahead.
Please only read on if you either have seen the film already, or do not mind learning about important character interactions and pivotal plot points in advance.
I’ll start off this review with saying; I have never seen Cat’s Eye. While I have been told many times over the years that it is similar to Lupin, and it would likely be my thing, I just have not found the time to import the Discotek Media release, sit down, and check it out in full. While I did read up on the characters, listened to the incredible opening theme, and flicked through the story synopsis of the original series, I did also check out Lupin III VS. Cat’s Eye with my partner. While she would not consider herself a fan of Lupin III (heck, she’s engaged to me, she is probably sick of it at this point…), my partner is familiar with the animated Cat’s Eye show, as it used to air on German television back in the 1990s and early 2000s.
As such, I have tried to write this review from my perspective, as a big Lupin fan, whilst taking on feedback and opinions from my significant other. In addition, I asked my partner to give it a score, and as such, have concluded with a rating from two standpoints – how Lupin III VS. Cat’s Eye fares to a fan of Lupin, and how it holds up in the eyes of a Cat’s Eye animated series veteran.
The story is a relatively simple affair. The Lupin gang cross-paths with the three sisters of Cat’s Eye during an art heist – in which the crew of each attempt to swipe the third painting as part of a collection by the sister’s father, Michael Heinz. Rivalries between the two are soon put behind them, with the introduction of a Big Bad and an even Bigger Bad, as the pair and their army attempt to retrieve the paintings by any means necessary. Eventually, the plot takes a turn as it is revealed that each painting houses a sacred stone. Despite Cat’s Eye simply wanting to retrieve the paintings to protect the legacy of their father, Lupin and his crew knew of the hidden treasure within. The Bigger Bad gets a hold of them, and reveals that each is used as part of a Nazi ritual, a plot device that heightens the stakes in what feels like a totally unnecessary third act twist. The Lupin crew throw their desire for the treasure aside in an attempt to protect the Cat’s, and take heavy damage in the process. It’s up to Cat’s Eye to protect their father’s legacy and save the day.
Much like with the VS. Detective Conan cross-over special and film, our beloved thieves take a back step into the “supporting characters” role here, giving the Cat’s Eye girls their time to shine. In this instance, I personally think that is okay. Cat’s Eye is a series that has had little time in the spotlight since its initial run in the 1980s, and fans of the show are likely over the moon to see their heroes return once again – and not only that, receive some continuation of the show’s final arc, and to catch a glimpse at both the girl’s mother and father. With that said, strictly from a Lupin III fan’s point of view; this special does nothing different to set it apart from the norm, and it becomes difficult to recommend unless you have an interest in the world of Cat’s Eye.
The undisputed highlight of the film, for me, was the interaction between Inspector Zenigata and Toshio Utsumi. For those unfamiliar, Utsumi is a police inspector and partner of Hitomi, one of the Cat’s. While he is always on their tail, he never quite manages to succeed in getting a hold of them, and revealing their identity – sound familiar? While Inspector Zenigata isn’t Lupin’s lover (editor’s note: that’s debatable…), the interaction between the two is quite similar to Utsumi and the Cat’s. This gives the staff behind Lupin III VS. Cat’s Eye an unmissable opportunity to pair the two up, and it is a joy to watch. Inspector Zenigata is on one in this film, and while at first-glance Utsumi is star-struck, he quickly realises that our ever-so-hard-working ICPO inspector is a bit of a psychopath. Unhinged and dedicated to his cause: justice, Inspector Zenigata takes Asumi – no, Atsuki – or was it, Usami(?), on a globe-trotting adventure to track down the thieves. Sadly, we never really see the parties interact with Lupin, Hitomi, and their gangs past the opening act – and instead, the pair work to bring down the Big and Bigger Bads. Still, it is fantastic to see them play off one another. He may not have been my favourite version of Zenigata, but in my eyes, ol’ Pops and his pal are the highlight of this film.
There are some decent moments, but as briefly mentioned, I would have personally liked to have seen less focus on the villains (and yet another case of Oops All Nazis), and instead the rivalry between the Lupin and Cat’s Eye teams. While they are both ultimately working towards stealing the same treasure, we barely see any sort of face-off between the two. Would it not have perhaps been a little more fun and interesting if we’d seen both teams busting into the same museum – perhaps Fujiko disguising as a Cat, and Zenigata / Utsumi becoming caught between the feuds? Instead, their dispute resolves all too quickly, and much of the film is spent fighting against Dennis (that Big Bad, I mentioned) and his cronies.
Another thing I must point out is – this film includes a bit of gore. Lupin partially loses his vision half-way through the film, something that reminded me a tad of his injuries in The Castle of Cagliostro, and it is only with the help of the youngest Cat’s sister – Ai – that he is able to pull himself to safety. Having Lupin injured helps give the other characters in the film some space to step in, and also posed some new problems for our favourite thief – if his vision is only at around 50%, how is he going to shoot the baddies? I would have liked them to explore this topic a little more, but instead, it simply builds up to a neat scene at the end, where Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon, all confront Dennis in the catacombs. Despite being wounded, out of breath, and covered in blood, Lupin is able to scare Dennis into lowering his weapon, as he knows he doesn’t stand a chance. Could he have really taken out Lupin III? We think not! It felt like a bit of a cop out in an attempt to wrap up the film, but still, it’s a memorable scene that shows the Lupin gang in a new light – as the formidable thieves, and unmatched combatants, they really are.
While the writing is clearly the biggest talking point here, I have to touch on the animation. While it does not even come close to matching the quality seen in Lupin III: The First, the first feature-length 3D animated adventure in the series, Lupin III VS. Cat’s Eye holds up okay. It looks better in still images than it does in motion. The character design is on point, and it’s a delight to see a return of the pink jacket – a vastly underappreciated corner of this franchise. In motion, though, everything looks stilted and flat. Zenigata in particular has such a strong vocal performance – Lupin, Lupin, LUPIN! Get back here! — but the animation, just does not match this. The facial rigs are not expressive enough, and there’s a framey-ness to how everyone moves. There are a few nice, dynamic poses as the Cat’s fly through the air or Lupin speeds away on the boat, and the action scenes are better off for it, but in the more conversational, slower moments, things just look off. It’s a shame, that despite having the budget behind it to dub and subtitle the film into many different languages, the presentation is lacking.
Speaking of dubs – I checked out both the Japanese and English audio dubs, and they bode well. The Cat’s Eye cast, despite not taking on the roles now for nearly two decades, do a superb job – despite, of course, sounding a little older (you can’t stop time)! After the wonderful Lupin ZERO, it almost feels like returning home, hearing Kanichi Kurita back at the helm as Lupin, and he smashes it as always. Yuji Ohno’s music, while not featuring any new material, accompanies the action nicely – and hearing it blend into and out of Fox Capture Plan’s remastering of the Cat’s Eye music is a treat. It works well, and for me, was another highlight of this film.
Final thoughts
For me, Lupin III VS. Cat’s Eye was simply yet another middling television special, however, for my partner, the long-time Cat’s Eye anime fan, it was something more. Seeing the Cat’s back in action, and hearing the old voice cast reprise their roles, and the return of the original shows music, put a huge smile on her face. When the opening theme kicked up during the climax, she excitedly exclaimed, “Are they going to do it? Yes, that’s it, this is the opening!”
While as a Lupin film, it may not seem anything special, seeing her excitement made me understand how long it had been since Cat’s Eye had truly had anything new, and how nostalgic people may be for it. Despite the Lupin crew feeling as if they simply acted as a vessel to help tell a new story in the Cat’s Eye universe, I couldn’t help but feel happy for Cat’s Eye fans to have something new that they can treasure – and I only hope that there is more to come for them.
As a Lupin fan, this film is entirely missable, but as a Cat’s Eye fan, I hope you feast on the return of your beloved show, and that you enjoy the continuation of the original story!
Lee’s final score: 6/10
Patricia’s final score: 8/10
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