Lupin: And there's no man who can beat Jigen on the draw.note
Jigen Daisuke with .357 Magnum. Died 1st of April 1975. Rest In Peace.
Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone* , released in June 2014, is the seventh animated theatrical film in the long-running Lupin III franchise. Produced at Telecom Animation Film – the same studio that animated The Castle of Cagliostro along with a few other Lupin projects – it is a Spiritual Sequel of sorts to the 2012 spin-off TV series The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. Like Fujiko, this series features character designs and animation direction by Takeshi Koike, but this time he also serves as Chief Director. It was written by Yuuya Takahashi.
Unusually for a Lupin film, it originally ran in Japanese cinemas in two parts of about 25 minutes each, making it the shortest film in the franchise (its followups are a few minutes longer). Lupin wears a Teal Jacket here – not quite Green, not quite Blue; Jigen also wears slightly more colorful clothing than usual.
Arsène Lupin III and Daisuke Jigen have teamed up to steal the Little Comet, a priceless gemstone, from East Doroa by disguising themselves as ambassadors. Relations between East and West Doroa have been tense, especially since the previous week's assassination of Queen Malta, the star singer from East Doroa who had hired Jigen to bodyguard her.
The caper goes wrong, and while the duo manages to escape with their prize, the police seem exceptionally good at chasing the two. What they didn't foresee was the involvement of an assassin who shoots them several times and as a result they barely escape with their lives.
The sniper, Yael Okuzaki, is known to make gravestones before his targets are killed, and there's not yet anyone who has survived being his target. Jigen decides to face his would-be killer, and with Lupin tagging along, goes to find Yael. Unfortunately, that results in the pair getting cornered by the sniper, who shoots Jigen in the head!
The decent performance of this film led to two sequels in the same continuity (using the same format): Goemon's Blood Spray in 2017 and Fujiko's Lie in 2019.
It was licensed by Discotek Media for North American release (as were its sequels when they came out). This release has the distinction of being Discotek's first self-produced English dub, courtesy of BangZoom. Discotek's policy up until this film had been to use preexisting dubs but not commission new ones. Since then, with an assist from TMS, they have made exceptions with Lupin in a few cases (mostly newer entries).
Tropes:
- Accidental Hero: At the beginning of Part 2, Fujiko saves Lupin from his beatdown by The Piano Man by ramming into him with her bike.
- Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: The graveyard scene where Lupin and Jigen talk.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Jigen and Lupin are drawn more realistic than they usually are and look more handsome because of it.
- A Day in the Limelight: Despite being here from the start, this is the first time Jigen has headlined a movie.
- Always Save the Girl: Once Fujiko is in trouble, Lupin of course makes it a priority to save her.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: And like to put thieves in oil then have them be chased by leather clad robots in glass boxes.
- Armor-Piercing Question:Lupin: No one's escaped his cross-hairs before, right?
Jigen: Urgh! - Art-Shifted Sequel: The shading style and thick outlines used in Fujiko Mine are entirely absent, and the art budget is clearly improved, although the designs are nearly identical due to Takeshi Koike being character designer and animation director for both.
- Assassin Outclassin': Naturally, we have Jigen out-doing Yael, but the how is quite interesting, as Jigen technically loses both Quick Draw contests. In their duels, Lupin takes his cue from Jigen and stays on the side to watch the two duke it out. Jigen wins by having a larger-caliber bullet and hitting Yael's firing arm hard enough to crack bone, ruining his ability to work as a marksman.
- "Ass" in Ambassador: The Marandan Ambassador is a textbook example.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Yael has a wardrobe of identical two-piece suits, and while on the job, carries a spare set in his briefcase. He takes looking good while working seriously.
- As per usual, Lupin and Jigen also count.
- Big Damn Heroes: Lupin saves Fujiko from the Gentlemen's Club Just in Time.
- Big Damn Movie: Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine is about building the characterization of Fujiko Mine. This is a sequel movie about Jigen Daisuke. The gang has to save Jigen from an international assassin who creates graves before killing the target.
- Blatant Lies: When Jigen calls Fujiko on her B.S.Jigen: What are you up to, Fujiko?
Fujiko: How can you even suggest that? And here I was trying to go straight for once. - Bluff the Imposter: The Little Comet's guard, knowingly or not, does this Lupin (who's disguised as the Malandan Ambassador) by asking him for the password.
- Boom, Headshot!: This is how Malta and Jigen go out. The second was Faking the Dead, though.
- Bond Gun Barrel: We are treated to one in the ending theme.
- Boss in Mook Clothing: The unnamed pianist accompanying Rondo's owner only has a different-colored suit to distinguish himself from the owner's other henchmen, but he inexplicably proves to be a skilled fighter, delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown to Lupin before Fujiko rams him with her bike.
- Bound and Gagged: The fate of the Malandan Ambassador and his chauffeur after being Mugged for Disguise by Lupin & Jigen.
- Breaking Speech: After believing he killed Jigen, Okuzkai attempts one on Lupin.Okuzaki: How does it feel it watch your friend die before your very eyes? You only have yourself to blame for going through with such a reckless plan. Now do you realize how powerless you are?
- Breaking Old Trends: The first Lupin III related movie in 40 years to not feature Goemon.
- This is also the first Lupin III movie to not have Zenigata interact or have any screen time with Lupin.
- Brief Case Blaster: Okuzkai's suit case houses his Sniper Rifle.
- Brutal Honesty: Lupin tells Jigen he (Jigen) can't take on Okuzaki with his wound.
- Buddy Picture: An action-oriented variant. While the film is about Lupin & Jigen combating Okuzaki, it also the story of how they went from to partners to friends.
- The Bus Came Back: The first Lupin III movie to have an antagonist from a previous movie to make an appearance.
- Call-Back: Lupin and Jigen sharing a smoke in the car after finally becoming friends at the end of the film is probably one to Episode 0: First Contact, another prequel that explained how the two met.
- Call-Forward: The cameo appearance of HLW is intended as a reference to his future impact on Lupin in The Mystery of Mamo.
- Came from the Sky: The Little Comet's origins are that it fell from space and landed on Earth in The Middle Ages
- The Cameo: At the end of the second part of the movie, we have two cameos, one by the good Inspector Zenigata, and another by someone identified as HLW. Howard Locke Wood was one of the aliases that Mamo used.
- Goemon also makes a cameo in a photograph.
- The Caper: The film begins at one before Okuzaki makes his presence known.
- Car Fu: Both parties utilize expert mastery of the skill during the Chase Scene.
- Car Meets House: Okuzaki's Maserati Bora punching a hole through his safehouse is how his pursuit of Jigen and Lupin begins.
- Career-Ending Injury: Jigen ends Okuzaki's career as a hitman by breaking his firing arm with a large-caliber bullet.
- Cast of Snowflakes: The entire cast, but the highlight is during the crowd shot at the West Doroan concert hall.
- City Guards: The guards of East Doroa.
- Character Title: Jigen serves as the eponymous protagonist of the film.
- Cliffhanger: A classic one. Part 1 ends with Jigen's "death" and Fujiko about to be made into mincemeat by Okuzaki's robot.
- Coat Cape: This is how Jigen wears his jacket for a while after he's shot in the shoulder by Okuzaki.
- Combat Compliment:Jigen: You did me real good back there. Allow me to pay you back in full.
- Consummate Professional: Yael operates as a Professional Killer, with a strict code of honour that includes fulfilling only the contract given to him (no additional bodies), keeping his clients' secrets, and not asking any questions.
- Cold Sniper: Both Jigen and especially Okuzaki count.
- Cool Car: Yael's Maserati Bora, which comes equipped with a Gatling gun in the hood and bulletproof glass. The Alfa Romeo that Lupin and Jigen steal would also nominally count, though it gets shot up in the course of the show (but is still running in the end).
- Cool Shades: Okuzaki sports a very fashionable pair.
- Cruel Mercy: When Jigen wins his and Okuzaki's second Quick Draw, he chooses to not kill Okuzaki because "He's no gunman anymore."
- Darker and Edgier: Definitely compared to the previous theatrical film (2013's Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie), and even compared to Fujiko Mine. There is a LOT of blood spilled in this movie, mostly from Jigen. The climax is particularly graphic: Yael's bullet misses Jigen's nose but carves out a bit of his right cheek; meanwhile, Jigen's Magnum bullet hits Yael's left arm and literally blows a hole in it. We see the completely severed bone as well as the muscles and sinews around it.
- Demoted to Extra: Goemon, one of Lupin III's five main characters, only cameos in a photograph at the end. Inspector Zenigata fares only slightly better, showing up in The Stinger with one speaking line.
- Fujiko Mine was The Protagonist of Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, but here she is definitely a side character.
- Design Student's Orgasm: The opening sequences to both of the halves explode with intricate shapes and solid character profiles, with colour slowly added to the end, as an explosion of gradient rainbows for a background against a line-art black midground and line-art foreground.
- Destination Defenestration: Piano guy throws Lupin out of a window during his beatdown of him.
- Dice Roll Death: This his how Okuzkai decides how many bullets he'll use to kill his targets.
- Didn't See That Coming: Lupin, twice.
- Lupin didn't think opening the case housing the Little Comet would require a code.
- Lupin didn't think Okuzaki would win his Quick Draw duel with Jigen so quickly.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: This is how Jigen "goes out" after his Boom, Headshot! from Okuzaki.
- Due to the Dead: Lupin puts Jigen's fedora over his face after his "death".
- Downer Ending: Part 1 ends with Jigen's "death" and Fujiko about to be skewered by Okuzaki's robot.
- Dying Clue: Not on purpose, but Queen Malta got shot with the same custom round Jigen & Lupin did, leading Jigen to realize it was connected.
- Eating the Eye Candy: Lupin refers to the naked and oiled up Fujiko as "A hell of a view."
- Electronic Eye: The eyepatch Okuzaki wears conceals the wires he uses to connect up his right eye to the Closed Circuit Camera System that permeates the entire country. After Lupin figures it out, he copies the trick and messes Yael up in the second part.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Okuzaki is plenty quick on the draw himself, in part because of his extensive knowledge of firearms allowing him to optimize his guns for speed and accuracy. However, his true ace in the hole is his Electronic Eye, which gives him access to East Doroa's extensive surveillance system and removes all of his blind spots. Notably, even after his trick is discovered and disabled, he manages to fire off his shot at the same time as Jigen during their final duel and graze his cheek.
- Episode Title Card: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone Part 1/2.
- Extremely Short Intro Sequence: The Title Sequence is 40 seconds long.
- Eyepatch of Power: Yael is always seen wearing an eyepatch over his right eye. So does Lupin in the second half. Both are using the eyepatch to conceal a technology-based Magical Eye.
- Faking the Dead: Lupin explains to Yael in part 2 how Jigen survived the assassination that was shown at the end of part 1. The flashback shows that the video feed (altered by Lupin to make a half-second delay) led to Yael's bullet just missing Jigen by milimetres, thus giving Jigen the opportunity to simulate the headshot by using a small exploding blood device and to give the impression Yael fulfilled the contract.
- Fan Disservice: Fujiko, oddly enough. While Fujiko is striped naked, It is played for horror, when a robot tries to drill her to death, naked in front of a sadistic audience, but Lupin luckily saves the day and shuts down the robot.
- Fatal Flaw: Okuzaki's is Pride.Lupin: Basically, you believed you'd killed Jigen, falling right into our trap. Your confidence as an assassin proved your undoing.
- Fictional Country: Three. The Malanda Republic, East Doroa, and West Doroa.
- Flashback: A couple to a week before when Queen Malta was alive.
- Foreshadowing: Overlaps with Freeze-Frame Bonus. After sniping Lupin and Jigen, Okuzaki pulls out a wire from his eye patch. That wire is the entirety of The Reveal later on.
- Flower Motif: Parsley means revelry, gratification, victory and impending death.
- Food Porn: Okuzaki's steak dinner in the beginning of Part 2 looks incredible.
- Foreign Language Theme: Two for the original version. (technically none in the English dub)
- "My Dream" with vocals by Beverley Staunton.
- The ending theme "Revolver Fires" with vocals by Gary Stockdale.
- Freud Was Right: The robot designed by Okuzaki that nearly takes out a naked Fujiko has kill-drills pop out of its crotch (which itself already had a chain hanging from it). Its operator goes quite berserk when Lupin destroys it.
- Friendship Denial: Jigen insists that Lupin and he are not friends, just business partners.
- Gadgeteer Genius: The true key behind Okuzaki's skill as a hitman. He hand-crafted his load-out specifically to ensure he could fire quickly and accurately from any distance. Additionally, as a side gig, he builds often depraved robots for wealthy clients. And then there's his eyepatch, which allows him to connect his retina to East Doroa's extensive surveillance system to eliminate his blind spots.
- Get It Over With: Okuzaki tells Jigen to just kill him after he's been outsmarted.
- A Glass of Chianti: Okuzaki enjoys red wine with his steak dinner at the beginning of Part 2.
- Gun Stripping: Inverted. Okuzaki does this a he gets ready.
- Hates Small Talk: Subtly. Okuzaki does not indulge the bartender's attempts at conversation while he is eating.
- He Knows Too Much: Easr Doroa was scared Jigen would unearth their role in the hit on Marta.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Lupin briefly removes his disguise as the Marandan Ambassador while in the car to remind the audience that it is him.
- The Hero Dies: Or at least the villian thinks he does.
- Heroic Rematch: Jigen challenges Okuzaki to another Quick Draw at the climax. He wins.
- Hyper-Awareness: Lupin knew Okuzaki left wild grown parsley on Jigen's grave. He also smelled anemones on them, which led him and Jigen to one of Okuzaki's hideouts.
- Ikea Weaponry: Okuzaki builds his Sniper Rifle right before he uses it.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: The guards of the Little Comet all graduated with top marks as during Jigen and Lupin's escape neither are even scratched by a single bullet.
- Impersonating an Officer: To sneak into East Doroa, Jigen and Lupin decide to this.
- Impossible Thief: Lupin steals the Calamity File while groping Fujiko.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: A given due to Jigen headlining the film.
- Insistent Terminology: Jigen insists that Lupin and he are not friends, just business partners.
- Instant Emergency Response: When Lupin and Jigen steal the Little Comet, the police are on them in seconds. Justified because East Doroa is fan of Sinister Surveillance.
- Instant Sedation: Once stabbed in the neck with a dart, the Marandan Ambassador is immediately knocked unconscious.
- Interquel: Takes place between Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine and the first TV series. Lupin and Jigen begin the movie as "business partners" like in the former, and Goemon isn't part of the team because they haven't (knowingly) met him yet (though he does appear in the Calamity File, implying that this is how Lupin becomes aware of him).
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: Lupin is very familiar with the Language of Flowers.
- Knee Capping: Jigen's second shot is into Okuzaki's knee. Okuzaki nearly does this to Lupin at the start.
- Knockout Ambush: Lupin and Jigen do this to a Malandan Ambassador and his chauffeur to get into East Doroa.
- Latex Perfection: A franchise staple.
- Limited Wardrobe: Parodied. In Okuzaki's base near the cemetery, he has a closet only full of white Prada jackets. He even keeps a spare in his Briefcase Blaster.
- Ironically, Jigen calls him out on this. While in the Koike trilogy he wears a wide variety of outfits, in the series he owns the most Limited Wardrobe.
- Lock-and-Load Montage: Okuzaki has a villainous version before he snipes Lupin and Jigen.
- Logical Weakness: Jigen's .357 Magnum is a rather large gun. Okuzkai gloats about this when he wins their first Quick Draw, but at their rematch, Jigen is able to use this to his advantage.
- Long Bus Trip: Mamo's first role in a Lupin III movie in 36 years.
- MacGuffin: Two. The Little Comet and later, the Calamity File.
- Malevolent Masked Men: The depraved owner of Rondo wears a gold mask over his face. His henchmen wear a silver variant.
- Magical Eye: Yael's success in East Doroa comes from his robotics skill. The eyepatch he wears conceals the wires he uses to connect up his right eye to the Closed Circuit Camera System that surveils the entire country. After Lupin figures it out, he copies the trick and messes Yael up in the second part.
- Master of Unlocking: Fujiko has no problem breaking into the safe where the Calamity File.
- Military Salute: The soldiers of East Doroa give this to The Malandan Ambassador's car, unaware that Lupin and Jigen have hijacked it.
- Mineral MacGuffin: The Little Comet. Overlaps with Came from the Sky.
- Minimalist Cast: All the characters on the film's poster (and 1 or 2 others) are the only relevant characters to the film.
- Mr. Exposition: For once, Jigen fills Lupin in on the main antagonist instead of the other way around.
- Mugged for Disguise: Lupin and Jigen do this to an ambassador and his driver at the beginning, leaving them Bound and Gagged on the side of the road after stealing their uniforms.
- My Greatest Failure: Downplayed, but Jigen feels guilty for Malta's death.Lupin: What's wrong? You still hung up on that?
Jigen: It was my job to protect her. That's all. - Neck Lift: Or rather, Leg Lift. This is how the Rondo Owner suspends Fujiko in the air after she attacks him.
- Negated Moment of Awesome: When confronted by the Rondo Owner, Fujiko gracefully sits in the chair before instantly springing up and kicking at the man with a hidden blade on her foot, all in one smooth motion. However, he no-sells the kick with one hand and subdues her with a punch to the stomach.
- Newspaper Backstory: Both Malta's death and the East vs West treaty being broken are seen on Lupin's newspaper.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: One of the assassinated persons shown in the File that Fujiko stole is one Vdimiral Nilen.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: The Piano Man completely wails on Lupin when he is on the floor. Also he begins the beatdown by Kick Them While They Are Down.
- Not Big Enough for the Two of Us: Jigen tells Okuzaki before their first duel that the world doesn't need two top gunmen.
- Nothing Personal: Like any good Professional Killer, Okuzaki feels this way. Overlaps with Just Following Orders.Lupin: Then why are you after Jigen?
Okuzaki: Any motives are not my own. I just take out the targets I'm given. - Oddly Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: The first Lupin III anime to have "the third" titled as "the 111rd" instead of "Lupin III" or "Lupin the Third".
- Oh, Crap!: Two major ones.
- The first is when Okuzaki shoots Jigen's Magnum out of his hands. Lupin is extremely shocked before he takes his partner and bolts.
Lupin: Jigen lost?! - "Open!" Says Me: Jigen kicks two doors open while he and Lupin rummage through Okuazki's base.
- Only a Flesh Wound: Jigen is shot in the arm, Lupin in the leg and Okuzaki in the knee but all three shrug it off. Subverted in the finale where Jigen cracks the bone in Okuzaki's arm.
- Out-Gambitted: This is Okuzaki's fate. Lupin delayed the cameras he utilizes and faked Jigen's death.
- Posthumous Character: Jigen's employer Queen Marta is dead before the movie begins.
- Prematurely Marked Grave: The sniper who is after Jigen, Yael Okuzaki, is in the habit of making gravestones for his targets ahead of time – hence the title.
- Pretty Little Headshots: All of Yael's targets. Well, most of them.
- Previously on…: Lupin narrates one at the beginning of Part 2.
- Professional Killer: Yael Okuzaki is an assassin hired to kill Jigen in the first part of the movie. We gradually explore exactly why Jigen has been targeted, and how Lupin escapes.
- Quick Draw: Two quick draw contests take place, both between Jigen and Yael.
- In the first contest, Yael shoots first, and shoots Jigen's .357 out of his hand before he can get off a shot.
- In the second contest, Yael again shoots first, but this time Jigen planned for that. Jigen aimed to Shoot the Bullet and hit Yael in the arm. Since Jigen's bullets are a larger caliber, his bullet is less deflected and has enough power to crack Yael's bone in half, ruining his ability to work as The Gunslinger.
- Red Sky, Take Warning: When Okuzaki lays parsley on Jigen's grave in the beginning, the sky is a sinister crimson.
- Reluctant Fanservice Girl: Fujiko for once. She is embarrassed when Lupin sees her naked and covered in oil.
- Scope Snipe: Okuzaki is able to shoot before his targets run into his scope.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Once Jigen loses the Quick Draw duel, Lupin grabs his Magnum, puts his fedora on his head and makes both of them run for it.
- The '70s: The film takes place right in the middle of it.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Both Jigen and Okuzaki have a for fondness for designer clothing. In particular, they both wear Prada. Unlike Okuzaki, Jigen claims to also wears Givenchy and Fendi.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: This film has almost zero comedy and its sequels have even less. In the Lupin franchise, only the early episodes of "Green Jacket" come anywhere close to being this serious.
- Shoot the Bullet: Jigen's expert marksmanship allows him to use one bullet to deflect his opponent's, and hit a second target afterwards.
- Short Film: At 51 minutes counting double opening & ending, this is the shortest theatrical Lupin III anime film.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Lupin's immediate response to Okuzaki's Breaking Speech.Lupin: You've shown me that you know your way around a gun. But if you ask me, you're nothing but a gun yourself. Without someone to hire you and pull your trigger, you're just a worthless tool that lacks a will of its own.
- Spy Catsuit: Fujiko changes into one after the glass box she was confined in is destroyed.
- Sniper Rifle; Both Jigen and Okuzaki ultilize one during the film.
- Soft Glass: Downplayed, because the guards do fill it with holes before but Lupin and Jigen jump through a window without a scratch.
- Staged Shooting: This is how Lupin makes Okuzaki think he killed Jigen.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Jigen is sitting in the ambassador's car. Guards rush up to the car and look inside. It's empty and Jigen is behind a wall.
- Stealth Prequel: To The Mystery of Mamo.
- The Stinger: After the credits, Inspector Zenigata and some of his men see Lupin, Jigen and Fujiko's gravestones. When asked by them what this means, Zenigata simply replies they have a lot of work to do.
- Suddenly Obvious Fakery: The Big Bad of the film successfully manages to assassinate his mark, Jigen, with a well-placed sniper shot to the head at the end of Part 1. In Part 2, however, the bullet is revealed in a flashback to have barely missed Jigen's head, giving him the opportunity to fake his death by detonating a small device filled with blood placed on his forehead. Here, he lifts up his hat up to reveal the device, but prior to the reveal he does no such thing, at least from the assassin's point of view.
- The Summation: Lupin gives one to Okuzaki during Part 2.Lupin: It wasn't easy to get you to lower your guard.
Okuzaki: You planned this?
Lupin: You were the key to solving it all, Yael Okuzaki. When you first sniped us, I sensed something was off. How could you shoot Jigen with such impeccable timing when he just raced out from behind those buildings? But that wasn't the only thing. How did the city's police manage to anticipate out escape routes? What's the secret to this city maintaining the lowest crime rate in the world? Then I finally realized… it's the surveillance system. You're not blind in your right eye. To the contrary, it sees all too well. - Super Window Jump: This is how Lupin and Jigen escape with the Little Comet after being busted.
- Team Switzerland: The Malandan Republic is a neutral country. This is later subverted when it's revealed that they are supplying East Doroa with weapons.
- Title Sequence: A rather gorgeous one opens the film.
- This Cannot Be!: Okuzaki says "Impossible!" after an alive Jigen shoots him.
- This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Both times Okuzaki and Jigen face on, Lupin takes a seat and watches.
- Underestimating Badassery: Fujiko went into Rondo thinking that its owner was just another mark she could steal from. The owner not only immediately catches her in the act but blocks her sneak attack and knocks her out to be turned into entertainment for Rondo's clients.
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: This is how Fujiko stores both the Little Comet and the Calamity File.
- Villainous Breakdown: The Piano Man loses it when Lupin breaks into the Gentlemen's Club to save Fujiko.
- Weaponized Car: Yael has a Gatling gun prepared in the hood of his Maserati Bora.
- We Have to Get the Bullet Out!: Jigen and Lupin get the bullet out off-screen.
- Why Won't You Die?: Okuzaki's reaction to Jigen's reappearance.
- Zillion-Dollar Bill: This is how much the Little Comet is worth.
