Jigen Daisuke Review: The dynamic character of Jigen Daisuke from the Lupin franchise finally got his own movie, and I am here to review it. The manga (次元大介) from which this character arises is Lupin III by Monkey Punch in 1967. This manga became so famous that it started more mangas, 7 animes, 11 anime movies, 5 OVAs, 2 live-action films, etc.
The director for Jigen Daisuke is Hajime Hashimoto, and the writer is Yoshimasa Akamatsu and Monkey Punch. In this movie, we also see some really talented actors like Tetsuji Tamayama, Mitsuko Kusabue, Kotoka Maki, Yôko Maki, etc. The runtime of this movie is 2 hours, and Amazon Prime is its production company.
– Jigen Daisuke Review Contains Spoilers –
Jigen Daisuke Review: Discussion
As someone who has not watched the many previous instalments of this legendary series, my review will be from the point of view of somebody who has watched it for the first time. The movie starts with Jigen Daisuke facing off with a man, most likely an enemy. Obviously, Jigen manages to shoot him because of his excellent marksmanship, but somehow his shot misses a bit.
That is when Jigen realises he must repair his gun, and he lands himself in the fictional town called Deigyo-gai, where illegal activities are the norm.
Here, he meets the famed Yaguchi Chiharu, who is an old woman with the ability to repair any gun. In this town, she has been hiding her past self and pretending to be a clockmaker. Jigen also gets himself into a mess with the gang leader Adel, who rules this town. Later, he becomes the caretaker for a little mute girl called Oto, who brings her own set of issues.
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As this movie is an adaptation of a manga/anime franchise, the situations and characters might come off as a bit unrealistic for the normal audience. But the tone of the film, or the mood it sets, keeps its viewers connected with whatever is happening on screen.
Hajime Hashimoto is serious and secretive in his appearance as Jigen. He pulls off the mysterious aura that comes with this famous character, Jigen Daisuke, who is known for his brooding nature. Also, he shows immense agility while doing action sequences and has a natural talent for handling guns.
The character of Yaguchi is also dynamic, as one would not think that a gun mechanic would be an eccentric but sweet old lady. Kotoka Maki as Oto is also very cute, and she could showcase the emotions of a depressed and lonely child who has not received any warmth while growing up. Yôko Maki is also great when portraying the evil gang leader Adel, who claims to be older than her appearance.
What I did not expect from this movie is to see a very heartwarming bond between Jigen and Oto. At first, Jigen was someone who did not like children, but he steadily warmed up to the little girl who lost her voice because of trauma. He sympathised with her and decided to save her from the clutches of Adel’s organisation.
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The movie also looked after their costumes pretty well, as the town of Deigyo-gai looks like a dystopian city where people wear colourful clothes and live dangerous lives. I also like the fact that they gave the villainess a proper backstory as to why she is doing what she is doing and justified her actions. But even though she herself is a tragic character, her actions definitely should be punished as it does happen towards the end.
Sadly, I am not accustomed to this franchise, hence, I do not particularly feel connected with the characters. But, the storyline is pretty simple, so even if someone is unaware of the world or the characters, they can still enjoy it.
Verdict
All in all, this was a nice and simple action film that anybody can watch. The fans will love this adaptation, but for non-fans, it might be a bit challenging to appreciate it to the fullest.
While watching the movie, you will definitely feel the anime flavour, as some of the fight sequences were really unrealistic and showy. Plus, the acting of some characters gets hammy at times, but other than that, it’s a satisfactory film.