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Title: Lupin III: World's Most Wanted
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents are urged to keep this series away from kids, as this series more than deserves its OT rating, as there is a lot of R-rated material here. Jokes about violence, death, rape, and nudity are quite frequent in this series, and there is plenty of the above things practiced in this series with some foul language to top it all off. I think it's safe to assume that most women will not particularly care much for "Lupin III." Fans of "MAD Magazine"'s style of humor will find a lot to love here, as the humor is largely inspired by "MAD" comics and their warped sense of humor. |
When Tokyopop released Monkey Punch's classic manga "Lupin III," it was met with mixed reviews. Lupin III is a classic Japanese character that has been around for many, many years, and it would not be a stretch of the imagination to say that Lupin III is one of Japan's most recognized and loved characters of all time. Since the show has aired on TV, Americans have gotten a taste of what "Lupin III" is like... which is why the manga surprised many people. The "Lupin III" manga had a dark, twisted sense of humor, outdated artwork, and a lackluster story. It was in no way bad since "Lupin III" never was supposed to have a deep story or anything, but it was pretty apparent that certain parts of the manga had aged well and certain parts hadn't, with the artwork being the worst offender out of them all since the art was the first impression everyone had, and most people walked away from the manga with a bad first impression of the series. "Lupin III: World's Most Wanted" is the sequel to "Lupin III," but upon reading it you realize that not much has changed in Lupin's world. The VERY basic story is that after five years, Lupin organizes a get-together with his partners-in-crime because he has his eye on a cool treasure he wants to steal! This includes gun-toting Jigen, samurai expert Goemon, and double-crosser Fujiko.
Once the news is out that Lupin is gathering his gang back together for one more heist, Inspector Zenigata sets out once again to arrest Lupin and bring him to justice. After that, the story goes out the window. The best part about "Lupin III" is that the series follows a formula that always involves Lupin attempting to steal something, with several things (and people) getting in his way all the time. It's not very deep, but it works, and it has worked for years (kind of like Tom & Jerry). If Lupin III lasts another twenty years, then chances are the stories will not have changed one bit. That doesn't mean this sequel doesn't offer anything new or is any less fun, it just means that not a whole lot has changed. The biggest change in "World's Most Wanted" is the new character Melon Cop, who is the new detective that is supposed to help Inspector Zenigata hunt down and catch Lupin. Melon Cop is an interesting character because he has every skill that Lupin has and then some. He's a quick thinker, he makes plans as things go along, he's more observant than most people, and he has a cool trick he does with handcuffs. While Zenigata has only come so close to being able to truly match with Lupin, Melon Cop is definitely a cop version of Lupin, and that makes him quite a dangerous person to our favorite thief. Melon Cop adds a fresh twist to the series, and he certainly is a welcome addition to the cast. Still, there really is no one who can truly replace Zenigata, and I think the reason Zenigata never faded from the franchise while Melon Cop has come and gone is because it's more interesting to watch Lupin match wits with someone who is a unique individual instead of a clone.
Another improvement for this sequel is the art. To make this simple, the artwork has GREATLY improved since the last series! No longer is the artwork so outdated you can't tell characters apart from each other. The art is still Monkey Punch's sketchy-style art, but it definitely looks better than the previous series did. In fact, most people who were turned off from the first "Lupin III" manga because of the questionable artwork may want to give Lupin another chance with this series, as the artwork is no longer an obstacle anymore. I must stress, though, that some of the humor that involves rape is still here. For an explanation for what this humor is supposed to "spoof" (if you will), see my review for the first "Lupin III" series. It's unfortunate that these jokes are still here though, as most women will definitely be put off enough by this humor that they won't want to read the series. "Lupin III: World's Most Wanted" has enough changes to keep people interested in the series, yet the spirit and soul of the series is essentially the same. Fans of the first "Lupin III" manga will love reading new adventures of their favorite (so-called) gentleman thief, while newcomers may find more to like about this series. Overall, at least one volume of "Lupin III: World's Most Wanted" is worth checking out.
- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -