This review is spoiler free. 600https://i.ur.com/7CJ5cMK.png 600https://i.ur.com/0YTWryF.png The years following the completion of Lupin III: Part III were a curious time for the franchise. TV specials aired almost every year films were made and yet there was no new TV series being produced. I havent found a reason as to why I can guess but I cant say with certainty what was going on at TMS. The fact remains that fans were left to make due with various materials like the specials and while Im sure they enjoyed having that its clearly not the same as a new fullfledged TV show. But then something amazing happened over 25 years since the pink jacket series fans would at long last receive something new. A fresh modern take on Lupin III. That anime was 2012s The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. Its a story for another day but it did get more people discussing this franchise that was by many considered to be a product of the past. I dont know entirely if this led to the subject of todays review but nevertheless in 2014 it was announced that Lupin III: Part IV was in the works and the franchise officially felt like it had returned. Naturally the franchise was never truly gone but receiving one anime and then a few years later another new installment signified a trend. This was proof that TMS wasnt content with using the characters for just one shot stories anymore to the delight of countless fans. It aired in the spring of 2015 for 24 episodes under the supervision of its chief director the veteran animator Kazuhide Tomonaga with Yuichiro Yano as director. Tomonagas goal with the show was to blend the various interpretations of the franchise into one unified project. The hardboiled edge of the manga the charm of the Miyazaki episodes the humor of red jacket and anything else in between all combined to create Part IV. And so without any further ado lets begin our exploration of the blue jacket era. The anime begins at a beautiful wedding for the Italian socialite and entrepreneur Rebecca Rossellini to none other than Arsene Lupin III. What has possessed our favorite gentleman thief to tie the knot? Has he grown tired of a life of crime and wishes to settle down? Did Rebecca tame his wicked ways? Is he after her riches? The truth is actually far more interesting than any of that for they are using one another to obtain something they seek. The consequences to this sham marriage follow Lupin throughout the anime as it is legally binding in spite of the couples intentions and thus begins Lupins adventures throughout Italy. Something this anime does that shakes up our usual episodic formula is that there is a story connecting various threads together. We still get a similar structure that were used to its just now we have certain elements that build and develop into a cohesive narrative. In addition to what Rebecca brings to Lupins situation there is also a plot brewing with the British Intelligence agency MI6 and its agent Nix. When I first watched this anime I wasnt too keen on this decision but after revisiting the show I found that it worked far better than I remembered. Lupin has never been a plot heavy franchise though and it isnt about to start now as various episodes within the anime dont have much to do if at all with Rebecca or Nix. So you do need to be the sort that appreciates these one off episodes that exist to be entertaining above furthering the story. Ive always loved episodic anime I wouldnt be a Lupin fan if I didnt so while I liked seeing them change the format I am happy they retained their roots. 600https://i.ur.com/REvRtYP.png Rebeccas addition to the anime is an interesting one. At first she seems like a shallow flighty tabloid queen whos Scrooge McDuck levels of wealth can solve all of her problems. However upon getting to know her over the course of the anime the viewer discovers shes far more developed than expected. Her aim is to always live in the moment and seek exciting new endeavors and Lupin represents that. Rebeccas history ends up being a significant turning point where we not only start to understand her better but the story also starts to connect and head down an intriguing path. Rebecca is a character whos addition is vital to the overall structure of Part IV and her fun personality and how she plays off of Lupin always makes for a great scene. Now when it comes to this franchise there is something that does need to be understood and thats the importance of The Castle of Cagliostro. If you know anything about this movie then you know it was highly influential and remains a milestone in the world of anime especially towards the Lupin franchise. One of the biggest contributions it has given us is the concept of a lovely ingenue thats helped by Lupin while he steals her heart in the process. Many installments work this idea into the mix and Part IV is no exception. Some versions dont perform it as well as others but I think the attempt at it here was a success. It doesnt have the same deeper message about how some things in this world are too precious to have a price put on them like in Cagliostro but it makes sense for Rebecca to fall for Lupin even if its expected. Lupin symbolizes the spontaneity that she desires in life and her feelings develop in a way that feels very natural despite its unconventional beginnings. I know TMS employs this trope a lot but if they use it in a way that doesnt feel forced or inappropriate then I can still appreciate it. 600https://i.ur.com/g4TeWXs.png 600https://i.ur.com/aQF4n8J.png When it comes to the main characters I really loved what we got though they could have dispersed the screen time a bit better. Lupin in this version is one of the more charming iterations of the character. I can see why Rebecca would fall for him and why he and Fujiko have a deeper relationship than they did in the past. The general banter between him and Jigen is always entertaining. The character interactions have always been a main draw and the screenwriter for this anime Yuuya Takahashi wove those in perfectly. Jigen is every bit the cool sarcastic gun slinger we know him to be but now he has an air of maturity that feels different from past versions. Maybe its because Kiyoshi Kobayashis voice is showing its age but I appreciate this feeling that he emits during this period in the franchise. Goemon is wonderful however compared to the other characters he feels underused. It took until episode 9 for him to be a main feature and that feels even worse knowing that Nix who well get to got his own episode before him. To make matters worse he was used so sparingly in the episodes prior to that one it really is a shame because Goemons regularly been my favorite character. His scenes are still strong and Im always going to cherish the time we have with him I just think he could have been put to more use than he was. Zenigata also felt like he could have had a bigger role than he got. I think the blue jacket interpretation of him is a terrific blend of comedic and crafty Zenigata and it just feels like a shame he didnt have more episodes based around him. Lastly we have Fujiko in one of her best versions. This is one of the anime where its implied she and Lupin have something more beneath the surface and I believe it. Theres always this are they or arent they approach to it but it works because that ambiguity leaves you wondering where everything is going. This Fujiko isnt defined by her double crossing like she was in many red jacket episodes instead she seems like an active member of the group. It isnt the first time thats happened and I like Fujiko playing games to get what she wants but I really enjoyed seeing her work with Lupin rather than against him. Visually this anime is as lovely as youd expect when the chief director is a legendary animator. Im happy we never had a show made during the 2000s because it meant we didnt have to endure seeing Lupin and the gang struggle with the shift to digital animation outside of the specials which were looking rough at that time. Lupin and Jigens designs feel like a nice upgrade to what Yasuo Otsuka did in the green jacket series. Zenigatas got a healthy mix between the cartoonish and more hardedged styles weve had throughout the years. Goemons Part IV design isnt my favorite that hes had its the shape of his hair that throws me off but the way this animation style moves leads to his action scenes looking amazing and I like the soft pink for his hakama. Fujiko meanwhile looks leaps and bounds better than she did in pink feeling reminiscent of Otsukas design while still being fresh for modern audiences. That hombre running through her hair was a nice touch that helps distinguish her from the way shes looked in other anime. And I love Rebeccas design too. At first her hair reminded me too much of Nia Teppelin from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann but when you see her paired next to the other characters and how it works within the color palette it suits her. And of coarse this anime is not without its fair share of amazing animation cuts. One in particular was by the famed animator Shinya Ohira who is best known for his work in anime like FLCL as well as various Ghibli and Masaaki Yuasa projects. Usually the animation has an almost sketchy quality where the lines arent all connected and it looks really interesting. Sometimes it switches into cleaner line work but I dont think it looks inconsistent. While the character animation isnt as exaggerated as it was during the 70s and 80s I still think this anime along with Part V makes the characters feel expressive. It is a different form of expression than what used to be done but I think theres a lot of personality within the animation. https://www..com/watch?v=Dab2sxO2c8 When it comes to sound there is no denying that this is a huge leap from what we started with in 1971. Sound design in anime has come so far from those days and we really shouldnt take that for granted. Yuji Ohno is back with his music and the way hes rearranged these pieces compliments the series beautifully. The versions of Zenigata March Samba Temperado and Super Hero that play in this series just lit me up when I heard them. The image of Zenigata hanging onto a helicopter and laughing while his leitmotif blasts away is one of my favorite scenes with that character. What I love about Zenigata March is depending on the arrangement the song can be comical or intense its a perfect embodiment of who Zenigata can be. The new tracks are no slouch either Im very drawn to the tracks Chase Chase Chase Fish and Hard Fried Chips and Dear Belladonna in particular. Even if youre someone who isnt interested in this franchise I would still recommend listening to the soundtrack the songs are that good. Our closing this time is a song called Chanto Iwanakya Aisanai sung by a prominent enka singer named Sayuri Ishikawa and her voice is incredible. Its very passionate and expressive and a nice contrast to the lighter singing styles we had heard in previous closings. 600https://i.ur.com/BkTS7os.png And finally I can discuss Kanichi Kurita. In 1995 Lupins seiyuu Yasuo Yamada very sadly passed away and the role was given to Kurita who has maintained it since then. His voice is a very accurate impression of Yamadas which makes sense as he is an impressionist and comedian yet I still find theres a subtle tone in his voice that sets him apart. Its faint but I find his voice to be a touch lower. He is still able to project all of the charm and personality that the character is known for and while I am always going to be attached to Yamada there is no denying Kurita has done a fantastic job of keeping this character alive for almost 30 years now. In 2011 the voices for Zenigata Goemon and Fujiko were all changed out to new seiyuu and theyve been doing great too. Koichi Yamadera is a marvelous Zenigata I love how much depth he brings to his voice despite how he usually sounds. Listening to him I almost cant believe its the same man who brought Spike Spiegel to life. Daisuke Namikawa suits Goemon very well I appreciate him lowering his voice so he doesnt have the same tone that he brought to characters like Hisoka. I do prefer Inoues voice but our replacement still feels right for the character. And the lovely Miyuki Sawashiro as Fujiko when I reviewed red jacket I said Eiko Masuyama is the voice for her. However after revisiting this anime I have a tough time choosing between the two. Both have their own strengths Masuyamas voice was very airy while Sawashiros is more sultry. Regardless her work with Fujiko is some of the best Ive heard from her. Kiyoshi Kobayashi remains the only member of the classic cast and while his voice has changed a lot I still cant get enough of it. Theres a warmth and wisdom to how he sounds in recent years and it helps reframe Jigen in a new light. 600https://i.ur.com/mMAJpjF.png For how much praise I offer to Part IV it isnt without its flaws. The biggest ones that I had were Nix and the MI6 plot. The truth is that Nix isnt an interesting character. Hes an MI6 agent who is overly confident in his abilities and is thrown into an uncontrollable rage when his family is in danger. Thats really all he comes down to. Now granted the main characters can also be boiled down to key personality traits but those traits offer more potential. People have built so much off of the simple idea of the gentleman thief or the woman loyal to her own desires Nix meanwhile isnt as malleable. I was so apathetic towards him and considering how important he is and that this is only 24 episodes were working with it felt like he took up too much space. The MI6 plot just felt too dull despite the strange direction it led the show to. I wont reveal too much but the episodes that were centered on them just werent engaging enough. I dont have a problem with inserting Lupin into a James Bond style story but you have to still make it enticing. Considering how great they did with Rebeccas character and her side of the narrative it feels like this is holding us back a bit. And again knowing characters Im attached to like Goemon and Zenigata werent explored as much as they could have been only makes me more disappointed with the time spent here. Ironically the anime does reach a place where it feels like Nix became obsolete and that his role had run out of purpose yet hes still around. Once we reached the climax and I saw that we were still being subjected to him I just asked myself why are they still hanging onto this guy and ultimately he didnt add much to the ending. If the anime were longer and we had more time spent away from this sub plot maybe it wouldnt feel as bad as it does but at 24 episodes this is one of the shortest Lupin anime. The anime didnt have enough time to recover from its missteps so it does drag an otherwise very strong anime down. 600https://i.ur.com/JZkKib9.png Part IV is an anime that I do think succeeded at what it aimed to be. I can see the trace elements of the various anime that came before it and I do think they work together cohesively. Some have complained that they want the franchise to be all funny again but I think choosing to weave in these different elements makes sense in establishing the identity of a new page in Lupins history. It wasnt perfect but I am still happy with the end result. Every now and then I think back on something Hayao Miyazaki once said about how Lupin felt like he was swallowed by the times but here we are moving into the franchises fifth decade. The secret to Lupins longevity is how moldable these characters are theyve adapted to modern times in ways that few old school anime can. And nowhere along the way has the essence of Lupin felt sacrificed for the sake of playing catchup. Its become clear to me that TMS cares a lot about the fact that they have this franchise to play around with. Yes they sometimes lean into ideas and tropes theyve used in the past but they do treat Lupin with the respect the franchise deserves. As far as whether or not I think this is a good starting point for a new fan Id say it is. As a culmination of past Lupin styles it offers a taste of what it has been while making it recognizable and distinct in the era where countless anime are at our fingertips. If you want to try Lupin out and are resistant to older animation this is for you. And even if you are open to anime across various decades I would still argue this as one of the most accessible installments available.