Japanese Title:
Rupan Sansei: Roshia yori Ai wo Komete
Jacket Color:
Red
Release Date:
1992 July 24
Run Time:
90 minutes

Synopsis

A horde of lost Romanov gold has turned up in San Antonio's Bank of Liberty, and Lupin aims to add it to his collection. Aiding him in his larceny is Jigen, Fujiko, and Judy Scott, an expert on the Romanov family. Unfortunately for Lupin, the legendary mystic monk Rasputin is also seeking the gold and has managed to convince Goemon to do his bidding. Can Lupin outwit and outrun Rasputin, Rasputin's henchmen, Goemon, and the New York mafia to claim the gold?!

From Russia with Love DVD Cover

From Russian with Love had an interesting premise; Lupin is after the lost gold of the Romanov empire but must face the New York mafia and the psychotic mystic Rasputin. The execution of the premise was unfortunately very bland making this another mediocre entry. This was not due to pacing problems; the film flowed well and kept the characters moving. It simply lacked the blend of interesting villains, action, and comedy that makes for a good Lupin title.

The bulk of the special is spent simply finding and retrieving the gold; the mafia becomes involved when Lupin finally steals the gold. Rasputin spends the bulk of the special inserting his finger into Goemon's facial orifices. Even Zenigata's involvement is relegated to the periphery; he chases Lupin at the beginning of the special and has no influence on the plot in his brief appearance later. Lupin has no immediate rivals for the treasure making for a dull heist that involves a lot of shoveling.

Eventually, Rasputin simply snatches the gold away from Lupin via a large plane and takes to Siberia. One would expect a climatic battle through Rasputin's castle between Lupin, the mafia, and Rasputin. However, Rasputin eliminates the mafia shortly after they appear, and Lupin uses the same plane to take the gold back. The final showdown between Rasputin and Lupin is brief and anti-climatic. With no heat built up between the two, it was merely a device used to bring the story to its end.

The animation style also worked against this special; while it was on par with other titles from the early 1990s, it overused some elements, most notably stopping the action and turning it into a pastel image. It made the special feel it was produced on a very tight budget forcing the animators to cut corners.

This special did not do anything bad, but it certainly did not do much well either. It focused mostly on the heist but did little to make the heist interesting. The result is not the worst Lupin title produced, but it does not have the content to merit repeated viewings.

Arsene Lupin III:
Jigen Daisuke:
Goemon Ishikawa XIII:
Fujiko Mine:
Inspector Zenigata:

Cast data provided by Anime News Network. Check their official page for any additional data not supplied through their API.

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Screenplay:
Storyboard:
Music:
Original Concept:
Original creator:
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Staff data provided by Anime News Network. Check their official page for any additional data not supplied through their API.

Lupin III Roshia yori Ai wo Komete TV Special Original Soundtrack

  1. Theme from Lupin the Third '89
  2. M1
  3. M2
  4. M3
  5. M4
  6. M5
  7. M6
  8. M8
  9. M9
  10. M10
  11. M11
  12. M12
  13. M13
  14. M14
  15. M15
  16. M16
  17. M17
  18. M18
  19. M19
  20. M20
  21. M21
  22. M22
  23. M23#1
  24. M23#2
  25. M24
  26. M25
  27. M26
  28. M27
  29. M28
  30. M29
  31. M30
  32. M31
  33. M32
  34. M33
  35. M34
  36. M35
  37. M36
  38. M37
  39. M38
  40. M39
  41. M40
  42. M41
  43. M42
  1. M43
  2. M44
  3. M45
  4. M46
  5. M47
  6. M48
  7. M49
  8. M50
  9. M51
  10. M52
  11. M53
  12. M54
  13. M55
  14. M56
  15. M57
  16. M58
  17. M59
  18. M60
  19. M61
  20. M62
  21. M63
  22. M64
  23. M65
  24. M66
  25. M67
  26. M68
  27. M69
  28. M70
  29. M71
  30. M72
  31. M73
  32. M74
  33. M75
  34. M76
  35. M77
  36. Bridge A
  37. Bridge B
  38. Bridge C
  39. Bridge D
  40. Bridge E
  41. Bridge F
  42. Bridge G
  43. Golden Game
Lupin III Roshia yori Ai wo Komete TV Special Original Soundtrack CD cover
Company:
Vap
Catalog #:
VPCG-84712
Release Date:
2000 October 21
Price:
1800¥
# of Discs:
1
Artist(s):
Ohno Yuji (all tracks)