Legend of the Gold of Babylon

Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon
Japanese DVD Cover
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Shigetsugu Yoshida
Produced by Tetsuo Katayama
Kazushichi Sano
Hidehiko Takei
Screenplay by Yoshio Urasawa
Atsushi Yamatoya
Based on Lupin III
by Monkey Punch
Starring Yasuo Yamada
Kiyoshi Kobayashi
Eiko Masuyama
Makio Inoue
Gorō Naya
Music by Yuji Ohno
Cinematography Hajime Hasegawa
Edited by Masatoshi Tsurubuchi
Production
company
Distributed by Toho
Release date
  • July 13, 1985 (1985-07-13)
Running time
 100 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese

Lupin III: The 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.

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 will release it on Blu-ray under its original name with a new 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

Character Japanese English[1]
Arsène Lupin IIIYasuo YamadaTony Oliver
Fujiko MineEiko MasuyamaMichelle Ruff
Daisuke JigenKiyoshi KobayashiRichard Epcar
Goemon Ishikawa XIIIMakio InoueLex Lang
Inspector Koichi ZenigataGorō NayaDoug Erholtz
RosettaToki Shiozawa
Naoko Kawai (young)		Ellyn Stern
MarcianoMaki Carrousel
KowalskiChikao Ōtsuka
WillyObon
ChenKobon
CaramelFumi Hirano
ChinjaoKeiko Han
ZakusukayaRihoko Yoshida
SarandaKeiko Toda
LasangaSaeko Shimazu
SamKenichi Ogata

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 they will release The Legend of the Gold of Babylon on DVD and Blu-ray.[5] It will have a new English dub featuring the same cast from Pioneer Entertainment's dub of the second Lupin anime.[1] It was later announced that only a Blu-ray will be released on November 27, 2018.[6]

Reception

Mike Toole of Anime News Network stated that when he first watched the film 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]

References

  1. 1 2 "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. 1 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.
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