Lupin The Third Blood Spray Of Goemon
Okay, let's talk Goemon Ishikawa XIII. The stoic samurai of Lupin the Third. We all love him, right? But... do we really love him?
I'm about to say something controversial. Prepare yourselves.
My Goemon Confession
I think Blood Spray of Goemon Ishikawa is... overrated. There, I said it! Feel free to throw your shuriken at the screen.
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I know, I know. It's got that gritty, stylish animation. It's dark and serious. Goemon gets a whole movie to himself!
But hear me out. Is "dark and serious" always a good thing for Lupin? Isn't the charm partly the goofy heists and the playful banter?
The Problem with "Serious" Goemon
In Blood Spray, Goemon is, understandably, brooding. He's facing a ridiculously powerful enemy. The feels are real, guys.
But the thing is... a brooding Goemon is kind of... boring? He's usually the comic relief deadpan, the guy who slices tanks in half with a perfectly straight face.
Taking away his stoic humor leaves... well, just a guy slicing things with a sword. Cool, but not peak Goemon, IMHO.
The plot is relatively simple, a lot of enemies, a tragic backstory, revenge. Kind of a standard samurai movie, isn't it?
And the villain? While visually striking, he doesn't quite reach the heights of some other Lupin baddies. Calamity is all brawn and no brain. Doesn't scream Lupin to me.
But The Animation!
Okay, I'll concede one point. The animation is gorgeous. The fight scenes are fluid and brutal. You really feel every slice of Zantetsuken.
The fight choreography and animation carries the whole movie, visually.
But pretty visuals don't automatically equal a great Lupin story, do they?
Goemon is Best in Small Doses
Maybe my issue is just that Goemon works best as part of the team. He's the spice that adds flavor, not the main course.
His dry wit and unwavering loyalty are best highlighted when contrasting with Lupin's antics, Jigen's cynicism, and Fujiko's... everything.
Putting him in the spotlight for an entire movie kind of dilutes his impact, somehow. He shines best when the team is fighting together.
Think of the classic episodes. Goemon is always the coolest, the most dependable, until something goes south. Then he's hilarious.
Don't Hate Me!
Look, I'm not saying Blood Spray of Goemon Ishikawa is a bad movie. It's perfectly watchable. And it's definitely stylish. But it's not the Goemon masterpiece some make it out to be.
It simply missed the mark. Give me a goofy heist with the whole gang any day.
Perhaps I'm just stuck on classic Lupin vibes. Give me some wacky shenanigans and over-the-top gadgets. That's the Lupin I love.
So, am I alone in this? Or are there others out there who secretly think Blood Spray is a little... meh?
Let me know in the comments! (But be nice, please. I'm just expressing my unpopular Lupin opinion.)
