#68 – Rest in Peace, Monkey Punch – Reviewing Lupin the Third: Bye Bye Liberty

Direct link: https://thirdimpactanimepodcast.podbean.com/e/68-lupin-iii-bye-bye-lady-liberty-review-and-monkey-punch-tribute/

This week, Austin and Bill pay tribute to Kazuhiko Katō (a.k.a. Monkey Punch), the creator of Lupin the Third, who passed away of pneumonia on April 11th, 2019. To celebrate his life and work, we’re reviewing the first Lupin the Third TV special, 1989’s Bye Bye Lady Liberty!

Directed by the legendary Osamu Dezaki (The Rose of Versailles, Golgo 13: The Professional, Tomorrow’s Joe), BBLL kicked off a 24 year long tradition of annual Lupin the Third television specials. This special stands in stark contrast to the goofier 80s Lupin the Third Part 3 (a.k.a. the “Pink Jacket” series) that aired only a few years before, returning Lupin to a tone similar to films like The Mystery of Mamo and series’ like Part 1 and 2.

Correction: Austin stated that BBLL is turning 40 years old this year. He meant to say 30. He is bad at math.

Please enjoy the review! Have you seen this special? What do you think of it? How does it compare to other works by Dezaki? How do you like it compared to other Lupin series’, specials, or movies? Let us know in the comments!

Purchase it here: https://www.rightstufanime.com/Lupin-the-3rd-Bye-Bye-Lady-Liberty-Blu-ray

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