Legend of the Gold of Babylon

Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon (Japanese: ルパン三世 バビロンの黄金伝説, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei: Babiron no Ōgon Densetsu) is a 1985 Japanese animated film co-directed by Seijun Suzuki and Shigetsugu Yoshida. It is the third feature film based on Monkey Punch's popular Lupin III manga.

Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon
Japanese DVD Cover
Directed bySeijun Suzuki
Shigetsugu Yoshida
Produced byTetsuo Katayama
Kazushichi Sano
Hidehiko Takei
Screenplay byYoshio Urasawa
Atsushi Yamatoya
Based onLupin III
by Monkey Punch
StarringYasuo Yamada
Kiyoshi Kobayashi
Eiko Masuyama
Makio Inoue
Gorō Naya
Music byYuji Ohno
CinematographyHajime Hasegawa
Edited byMasatoshi Tsurubuchi
Production
company
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • July 13, 1985 (1985-07-13)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

It was released on subtitled VHS and LaserDisc in North America by AnimEigo in 1994 under the "Rupan III" name, due to copyright concerns with Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin. In 2018, Discotek Media released it on DVD and Blu-ray under its original name with an English dub.

Synopsis

Arsène Lupin III searches for a gigantic hoard of hidden treasure originating in ancient Babylon, with the help of his usual team, a set of stone tablets, and a drunken old woman by the name of Rosetta. Complicating matters is Inspector Koichi Zenigata, who has been roped into judging the "Miss ICPO Beauty Contest" and must now drag a group of nominees around with him, all eager to prove themselves as agents.

Cast
Cast
Character Japanese English[1]
Arsène Lupin III Yasuo YamadaTony Oliver
Fujiko Mine Eiko MasuyamaMichelle Ruff
Daisuke Jigen Kiyoshi KobayashiRichard Epcar
Goemon Ishikawa XIII Makio InoueLex Lang
Inspector Kouichi Zenigata Gorou NayaDoug Erholtz
Rosetta Toki Shiozawa
Naoko Kawai (young)		Ellyn Stern
Lauren Landa (young)
Marciano Maki CarrouselChristopher Corey Smith
Kowalski Chikao OotsukaTaylor Henry
Willy ObonKeith Silverstein
Chin KobonTodd Haberkorn
Caramel Fumi HiranoLauren Landa
Qing Xiao Keiko HanCindy Robinson
Zakskaya Rihoko Yoshida Cindy Robinson
Saranda Keiko Toda Cindy Robinson
Lasagna Saeko ShimazuMichelle Ruff
Sam Kenichi OgataLex Lang
Interpol Commissioner Teiji OomiyaTaylor Henry
Tartini Yuuji FujishiroTodd Haberkorn

Production

This film is the only Lupin film where he wears the pink jacket from the third TV series. AnimEigo released the film with English subtitles and Japanese dialogue under the title "Rupan III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon" on VHS and LaserDisc in the North America in 1995.[2] In 2005, Discotek Media acquired it for a DVD release,[3] however, it was later cancelled due to North America's declining anime industry.[4] In August 2017, Discotek announced that they would release The Legend of the Gold of Babylon on DVD and Blu-ray.[5] It has a new English dub featuring the same cast from Pioneer Entertainment's dub of the second Lupin anime.[1] It was later announced that a Blu-ray would be released on November 27, 2018,[6] while the DVD version was released on December 18, 2018.

Reception

Mike Toole of Anime News Network stated that when he first watched The Legend of the Gold of Babylon in the 1990s, he hated it, having only known Lupin as the "smooth, gallant antihero" from The Castle of Cagliostro and The Plot of the Fuma Clan. Whereas Legend of the Gold of Babylon's version of Lupin is closer to Monkey Punch's original "rough, drunken, lecherous crook." However, a decade later, he stated that the film "goes down much smoother" having been acquainted with Suzuki's other work, the director being known for his bizarre and oddly-structured films.[2]

Paul Jensen, also of Anime News Network, felt that the film's troubled production shows in the final product. He believes that its convoluted plot is a result of all the staff changes, with the drama, comedy and action scenes competing for the audiences' attention rather than complementing each other. Jensen stated that the movie feels more like a "few unrelated stories edited together than a single, unified film."[7]

References
  1. "Discotek: Lupin III The Legend of the Gold of Babylon Release Will Have New English Dub". Anime News Network. May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  2. "The Lupin Tapes - The Mike Toole Show". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  3. "New Anime Distributor". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
  4. "Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon DVD on Hold". Anime News Network. November 21, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  5. "Discotek Licenses Cyborg 009 The Cyborg Soldier, Tomorrow's Joe, Project ARMS, NieA_7, Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon". Anime News Network. August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  6. "Discotek Licenses English-Dubbed Dinosaur King Anime". Anime News Network. September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  7. "Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon - Shelf Life". Anime News Network. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
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