Mercedes Benz SSK, Fiat 500, and Lupin III

Lupin's vehicle of choice just so happens to be the world's rarest car.   

One of the most notable things about the anime and manga franchise, Lupin III, is the insane amount of detail put into drawing various cars, guns, motorcycles, and other mechanical contraptions, particularly in Lupin's earlier outings (i.e: The 1971 'Green Jacket' series, The Mystery of Mamo, The Castle of Cagliostro, certain episodes of the second series, and The Fuma Conspiracy). While Monkey Punch's original Mad Magazine influenced manga did contain some detailed images of machinery, the anime incarnations listed above really narrowed in on the technical side of drawing. This was heavily due to the involvement of Yasuo Otsuka. Otsuka is renowned throughout the animation community in Japan. Although he retired after directing the animation for The Fuma Conspiracy in 1987, Otsuka continues to influence generations of animators not only through his work, but also through a prestigious animation school, which was featured in the documentary Joy in Motion (2004). A humble man, Otsuka stated that directing was not his strong point, and he mentored both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahada.  

Monkey Punch's loose, zany, sketchy style.  

Highly technical production drawings for Cagliostro by Yasuo Otsuka.

Out of all the vehicles featured throughout Lupin's numerous incarnations, the titular character's two primary cars of choice are a yellow Mercedes Benz SSK and a 1957 Fiat 500. The Mercedes Benz SSK is a German racing automobile built between 1928 to 1932. 'SSK' stands for Super Short Kurz (Cut), as it had a shorter wheelbase than its precursor, the Mercedes Benz S. Able to produce 200-300 horsepower, the SSK was extremely fast for its time. It could reach speeds up to 120 mph, making it the ideal getaway car. Unfortunately, as with many early race-cars and motorcycles, the SSK was very hard to steer. Only about 40 were ever manufactured, most of which ended up being crashed and subsequently cannibalised for their parts. The car is thus very rare. Only five complete models are known to exist today. Indeed, one SSK sold for a record breaking 7.4 million in 2004!

A replica of an SSK that is similar to the one Lupin drives.

The fact that Lupin drives a Mercedes Benz SSK is one of the greatest in-jokes in animation. The vintage car is constantly wrecked, blown up, cut in half, or completely totaled during chase sequences. Perhaps Lupin III is thief not just for personal enjoyment, but also to pay for all the damage his SSK endures! (Or else Lupin has been buying out or stealing all of the other SSKs...)

Neither Inspector Zenigata or the audience saw this one coming.

Lupin's 1957 Fiat 500 is more reliable than his SSK, but not as quick. Lupin typically uses it to squeeze into smaller spaces or perform actions his heavier car cannot, such as driving up walls or jumping over gorges. Fiat 500s are popular little cars, being relatively inexpensive, having good steering, and having good mileage. Initially produced in Italy from 1957 to 1975, Fiat has recently released a new 500 model in 2007, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original city car's launch. Often seen as Europe's equivalent of the Volkswagen Beetle, the 500 has steadily become popular outside of Italy since its conception.

A sunny yellow Fiat 500.

Lupin first used a Fiat 500 in the iconic chase scene in The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), and ever since then the car has appeared from time to time in the thief's later adventures. Apparently, giving Lupin a 500 was influenced by the fact that Otsuka owned one himself (and perhaps as a nod to Lupin's large Italian fanbase). The scene from Cagliostro is commonly homaged and praised. So much so in fact, that there have even been special edition Lupin themed Fiat 500s sold in limited quantities! And sometimes, Lupin has even been used to sell cars with no relation to what he drives what so ever.

The most exciting car chase ever animated (and in any movie). 

Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro Trailers

In order to promote this film, here are some trailers. The Japanese one (with subtitles!) focuses on the suspense of the movie and then switches over to action scenes while introducing the cast. Like many Japanese trailers made at the time, it has lots of words flashing over the screen to explain the movie. The USA trailer is ok, but a bit low budget (read: cheesy). Anime fans will also cringe when the announcer mispronounces the word manga as 'main-gah'. The last trailer is Italian. For some reason, Italians love Lupin the Third. Seriously, Italy was the only country to get a dubbed version of the original series when it first came out.

*UPDATE: The Castle of Cagliostro is now on Hulu! Click here to watch!

Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (Review)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Company: TMS Entertainment
Year: 1979
Country: Japan

An excellent film debut for one of Japan's most acclaimed animators.

Lupin the Third is one of Japan's most recognizable anime characters, but perhaps none of his outings is as acclaimed as The Castle of Cagliostro. Lupin, a gentleman thief, and his friend, Daisuke Jigen, rob a casino only to discover the money they have is counterfeit. It turns out the fake cash are 'goat bills' which hail from the tiny European country of Cagliostro. Soon after they arrive, they rescue a young girl being pursued by a gang of thugs, commencing an exhilarating car chase (reputably hailed by Steven Speilberg as the greatest chase scene in any film ever.) Although the girl is captured, she leaves Lupin her ring. It is later discovered the she is actually Lady Clarisse, the princess of Cagliostro who is being forcibly married to the power hungry Count of Cagliostro. Lupin becomes determined to save her. Along the way Lupin reunites with his old teammates Goeman, a swordsman, and Fujiko Mime, Lupin's on-and-off lover. The INTERPOL and Tokyo police officer, Koichi Zenigata, also become involved as Lupin tries to uncover the dark secret that is hidden in the castle of Cagliostro.

At least counterfeit money makes good confetti. 

Although the plot may seem simple, it has many layers to it. Hayo Miyazaki and Isao Takahada both directed several of the episodes of the original Lupin the Third series from 1971. In the series, Lupin is far more immature and more of a playboy than he is in the movie. The Lupin in Cagliostro is more world weary and there are several slow moments in the film were he quietly contemplates over things. Clarisse offers him a chance to escape from his fast paced and dangerous lifestyle. But Lupin declines to go with her because thievery is the only lifestyle he knows. Aside from this serious note, however, Cagliostro is very much a Lupin the Third movie. It is very goofy and slapstick at times. There are many great sight gags and many fun scenes. It is easy to see why Steven Spielberg is a fan of this movie, at times it resembles Indian Jones crossed with James Bond.

Moments of quiet reflection...

....contrasted with daredevil defying stunts.

It is also interesting to compare Clarisse to Fujiko. Clarisse is very demure and polite. She is very kind and seemingly innocent about many things in the world. She is not as independent as Fujiko, but copes the best she can in her situation. Fujiko is the opposite of Clarisse. She is very assertive and loud spoken. She can be selfish. She often has Lupin wrapped around her little finger (although she does care for him). But like Lupin, Fujiko is portrayed differently here than she is in the series. She is still somewhat of a femme fatale, however she is more mature and even kind at times. (Fujiko also is portrayed with blonde hair here for some reason, and is far less voluptuous than she normally appears.)

Clarisse gently tending Lupin's wounds.

Fujiko about to break out of Clarisse's room.

The Castle of Cagliostro is a very entertaining film and quite possibly one of the best adventure films out there, animated or otherwise. There are many iconic scenes from this film (such as the clock tower fight which was referenced in Disney's The Great Mouse Detective and Batman: The Animated Series) and the film is not afraid to cover denser subjects as well (like Zenigata facing political repercussions when trying to let out the truth). The animation may be a bit dated in places and the soundtrack is distinctively '70s, but don't let that prevent you from seeing this funny and smart film.

Rating: 4.5/5*

 *About the Dub: Currently, the only dub available right now is by Manga Entertainment. It is pretty loyal to the original Japanese script, although it is a little heavy on the cussing (but not too bad, PG - PG-13 level). The voice acting itself is also fairly good, particularly David Hayter who portrays Lupin. Zenigata's voice actor is a bit weaker, but still manages to be amusing. Unfortunately, Clarisse got the short end of the stick. She isn't terrible, but sometimes comes off as very weak and whiny. This is very obvious when you compare her English voice actor, Bridget Hoffman, to her original one, Sumi Shimamto.