Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy

**Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy** (ルパン三世 念力珍作戦, *Rupan Sansei: Nenriki Chin Sakusen*) is a 1974 Japanese action comedy film based on the manga of the same name by Monkey Punch. It was directed by Takashi Tsuboshima.

## Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy

### Produced by

Yutaka Fujioka
Kameo Ōki

### Screenplay by

Hiroshi Nagano
Monkey Punch (original name: Kazuhiko Katō) (manga)

### Starring

Yūki Meguro
Eiko Ezaki
Maria Anzai
Shirō Itō
Kunie Tanaka
Rin'ichi Yamamoto
Minoru Uezu

### Distributed by

Toho
International Television Films

### Language

Japanese

In this film, the protagonist wears an unprecedented white jacket, later revised in the TV special, The Secret of Twilight Gemini, and has a black scarf around his neck and a tattoo on his chest, the symbol of the Lupin Empire. Goemon is absent because the gang's formation is still in its infancy and Zenigata has no hat.

It was the first live-action film adaptation of the manga, followed by *Lupin the 3rd* in 2014.

## Plot

Arsene Lupin III steals the couple's car from the parking lot and drives around Tokyo. He met Fujiko Mine, who was being escorted to prison after being accused of stealing things. So that night, Lupin helped her escape, but Fujiko ditched him and leave him after throwing a card that cuts the branches and landed on his head, knocking him unconscious. Lupin was arrested and interrogated by police inspector Heiji Zenigata VII but was released later after no evidence or witness during the jailbreak. Immediately after that, Lupin meets Daisuke Jigen, a professional marksman.

Jigen explained the story: Lupin was the grandson of Arsene Lupin, a gentleman thief who was active in France back in the 19th century and formed the Lupin Empire, which bundled criminal organizations around the world. However, the organization was destroyed by the Maccarone Family (Black Street Gang in English subtitles), a powerful international crime syndicate led by Big Boss. Lupin's father, Arsene Lupin II, and his Japanese mother escape Europe by plane and arrived in Japan, where baby Lupin III was put into an orphanage. Inspector Zenigata was told by the Tokyo Police Superintendent to be assigned to the Lupin Case with two detectives, Ooka (descendant of Ōoka Tadasuke) & Toyama (descendant of Tōyama Kagemoto). Their mission is to arrest Lupin for causing trouble around the city. Moments later, Zenigata and other officers come face to face with Lupin at the scrap yard, but Lupin and Jigen escape together, leaving Zenigata completely injured from the chase.

The Big Boss, who found out that Lupin is still alive from the massacre, sent killers and assassins to kill him from reviving his family's fortune. Meanwhile, Lupin reunited with Fujiko and decided to steal a jewel with a market value of 5.6 billion yen with 3D. Lupin succeeded in stealing it without difficulty, but after Fujiko's possession of the gemstone, Lupin and the gang are going to have to deal with Inspector Zenigata's police units and hitmen of the Maccarone. Lupin managed to survive four assassination attempts (one hitman at the train yard, two snipers from the place where he slept with a woman, and a six female vocal assassins at the bridge called the Dragon Sisters are being sexual harassment by Lupin at the bridge) and was very tired of being followed. So he decided to hand himself over to Zenigata for protection, leaving Jigen and Fujiko to do the work all by themselves.

Zenigata later got a call from the chief to deliver the mini-figure clay statue, that wills the alien power, to the research institute as an award for arresting Lupin. Around the same time, the Maccarone Family, who knew Lupin was locked up in jail, goes on with the plan to rob the shading clay figurines, which all the lovers of the world want. Jigen visited to see Lupin as a psychiatrist and tried convincing him to stop fooling around and just inherit his father's fortune. He refused as too much work, but Jigen informs him that Fujiko is on a solo heist to spy on the bosses at the harbor where the yacht was anchored for the meeting. Feeling bad about his behavior, Lupin gathered all the courage he needs, and together with the two sets out on a mission to save the world, including rescuing Fujiko and bringing the artifact back to the research center. Lupin and Jigen infiltrated the yacht, but only finds Fujiko's throwing card. Meanwhile, Zenigata and his police forces are delivering the stature across the mountain until they are stopped by a giant rock.

After pushing the rock, they were cornered by Maccarone's goons who ordered them to hand over the cargo, but Jigen managed to grab the statue using a magnet and fit it onto a helicopter. As the thugs shoot at him, Zenigata uses his chance by arresting the distracting mafia but got his feet shot by a German boss with an arm cast for a machine gun. At the mountain hut, Lupin drives his motorcycle and encountered more goons as Fujiko was being held, hostage. Suddenly the hut began to collapse, but Jigen saves them in time. Lupin then confessed to Fujiko his feelings for her and apologized for being so naughty.

Fujiko accept his apology and decided to form a team that will make them a fortune. After delivering the statue to the institute, Zenigata was about to be awarded the Presidential Award for his honorary duty, but the government decided to give the award to Lupin for his action of saving the item from the bad guys. Being jealous of not getting a prize, the chief gave a thank you lettered from the government to Zenigata and ordered him to deliver it to Lupin in person. At the dock, Lupin promised his father that he will take it very seriously and put him as the new head of the family, with Jigen and Fujiko as partners. Zenigata arrived to tell Lupin about the letter, but they ran off because they think he will catch them. The movie came to an end at a beginning of a running chase between comical thieves and a blubbering police inspector. Lupin makes a fourth wall break, addressing to the audience how difficult it was to be chased.

## Overview

It was the first film to be part of international broadcast work. Manga artist Fujio Akatsuka and former voice actress Chinatsu Nakayama are listed in the project, but it is said that they were no-touch just by borrowing the name. Takashi Tsuboshima was chosen as the director of the project after filming Crazy Cats films during the 1960s and early 1970s. Another film at the time of release was "Prophecies of Nostradamus", directed by Toshio Masuda.

During the audition for the character, anime producer Yutaka Fujioka and filmmaker Kameo Ôki choose four cast members. Yūki Meguro as Arsène Lupin III, Kunie Tanaka as Daisuke Jigen, Eiko Ezaki as Fujiko Mine and Shiro Ito as Koichi Zenigata . Goemon Ishikawa XIII was not in this film since Sonny Chiba still had to do some karate films at Toei Company and Jiro Dan was offered the role in Ultraman Jack as Hideki Go at Tsuburaya Productions. In addition, the role corresponding to the original, Goemon Ishikawa does not appear in this film until the 2014 film. Meguro, who played the role of Lupin, had an interview on a TV program, said "As a result of discussions with the director, it was decided that it would be impossible to make it exactly like the original, so I decided to make it as I like without being aware of the original. "I personally like the role & I would love to play it if I want to visualize it again."

It faithfully visualizes the "wet sex spot expression that involves the ♂ (male symbol) mark and the ♀ (female symbol) mark" that frequently appears in the original work. This film was censored since Nikkatsu's Roman Porno and Toei's Pinky Violence, making Toho the only film company to only feature its first sex film. The title "Strange Psychokinetic Strategy", which has nothing to do with the content, was given by the staff in response to the supernatural power boom that was popular at the time, with the instruction from Toho to "make it a title with some timeliness." Lupin's main weapon in this film was the Walther PPK (gold model with silencer), instead of the original Walther P38.

It faithfully visualizes the "wet sex spot expression that involves the ♂ (male symbol) mark and the ♀ (female symbol) mark" that frequently appears in the original work. This film was censored since Nikkatsu's *Roman Porno* and Toei's *Pinky Violence*, making Toho the only film company to only featuring it's first sex film. The title "Strange Psychokinetic Strategy", which has nothing to do with the content, was given by the staff in response to the supernatural power boom that was popular at the time, with the instruction from Toho to "make it a title with some timeliness." Lupin's main weapon in this film was the Walther PPK (gold model with silencer), instead of the original Walther P38.

It was a work that was rarely difficult to watch because it was broadcast on TV on holiday afternoons and on local stations, but in 1993, this film was recorded in the LD-BOX "Lupin III Theater BOX" along with the animated version of the theater work for the first time. The DVD was released on May 28, 2004. The live-action Lupin III movie starring Shun Oguri is not a remake of this movie, but a much better quality film with Mission Impossible action version.

## Cast

* Yūki Meguro as Arsène Lupin III
* Eiko Ezaki as Fujiko Mine
* Kunie Tanaka as Daisuke Jigen
* Shirō Itō as Koichi Zenigata
* Maria Anzai as The Girl at the Wharf
* Kiyoshi Maekawa as Marutakadai
* Hsiao Hui-mei as The Woman in Orange Dress
* Emi Xiao as Young wife
* "The Poppies" as The Dragon Sisters
* Akira Hitomi as Detective Ōoka
* Takashi Ebata as Detective Toyama
* Rinichi Yamamoto as Genkurobei
* Arihiro Fujimura as The Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police
* E.H. Erick as Sir Mokkinbat
* Hideyo Amamoto as Assassin at Orphanage
* Rena Natsuki as Yamako Asama
* Sachio Sakai as Chobi beard museum guard
* Fujio Tokita as The Vagrant
* Akira Ōizumi as Ichiro Rokunawa, an Assassin
* Toki Shiozawa as Police woman
* Katsumi Ishiyama as Detective
* Junichi Tanaka as Minoru Oguchi
* Minoru Uezu as Gosaku Inakadashi
* Shôzô Fukuyama as Hisakuro Oshita
* Sanji Kojima as Gay Driver
* Katsuo Unno as Patrolman
* Kyûji Aozora as The Policeman at the Police box
* Kôji Aozora as The Motorcycle Policeman
* Tôru Ôhira as The Big Boss (voice)

※ Uncredited performers

* Masakazu Arai as young Lupin III
* Hiroshi Ayukawa as Police Escort
* Kazuhiro Fukuzaki as Assassin Kuriko Nidoro
* Baku Hatakeyama as Museum Guard
* Mamoru Hirata as Capsule Engineer
* Shôichi Hirose as Museum Guard
* Shunsuke Kariya as Assassin
* Setsuko Kawaguchi as Orphanage Nun
* Yôsuke Naka as Assassin Doukasen
* Isao Sakuma as Marathon Announcer
* Kazuo Suzuki as Assassin Ippatsu Hitchu
* Enver Altenbay as The Big Boss (seen on TV while petting his cat)
* Torauemon Utazawa as Gishi (under his uncredited name of Mamoru Hirata)
* Katsumi Ishiyama as Physiognomy detective

## Staff

* Original Story: Monkey Punch (writer)
* Planners: Fujio Akatsuka, Chinatsu Nakayama
* Producers: Yutaka Fujioka, Kameo Ôki
* Director: Takashi Tsuboshima
* Screenwriter: Monkey Punch (manga), Hiroshi Nagano (screenplay)
* Music Composer: Masaru Satô
* Cinematographer: Kôji Ichihara
* Film Editor: Sachiko Yamaji
* Production Designer: Kazuo Takenaka
* Sound Recordist: Akira Nishio
* Fight Choreographer: Kanzô Uni
* Lighting Technician: Shoshichi Kojima
* Distribution: Toho Co., Ltd.
* Recording: Tokyo Eiga Co., Ltd.
* Boarding: Tokyo Laboratory