Also if you are attending Derpycon in Morristown, NJ Vinnie will be presenting his Yoshiaki Kawajiri panel at 1AM in Panel 5.

Moving in 2014, I realize it’s been a while since we’ve talked about Gundam here (we previously covered Mobile Suit Gundam in 2012). I after we finishing Anime Secret Santa and Spar Blazers and Ultimate Spider vol 1-3, my next Being a Better Geek will be a Gundam series but I can’t decide which. I’ve narrowed it down to two.

• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
• Mobile Fighter G Gundam

Vote in the comments, just like last time.

So for 2013 I will be pick works that feature elements of space. While some of what I picked last year included space travel, this year I want to do a bit of a survey of space. To start this year off right I want to give you our readers and listeners a chance to choose what DM will be subjected to watching. To start off the first 3 choices are

• Star Blazers Season 1- The classic anime that started American anime fandom, and still holds a place the hearts of men.
• Cosmos: A Personal Voyage – The classic documentary series by Carl Sagan that inspired so many to go into science.
• Cowboy Bebop- Possibly the best anime from the 1990s or all time depending on who you talk to

Just leave a comment to vote, also please be honest, don’t vote more than once. You have until I finish reading It.

Vinnie’s Introduction

We’ve seen Golgo 13, we’ve seen Black Jack: The Movie, and now we finish off with probably the best of this series (not saying that any of the three should be missed). This film is possibly the most widely known Lupin III property in the United States (the only one that could beat it is Lupin III Series 2). This film was directed by the only anime director who could be considered a household name (even this is a stretch) Hayao Miyazaki, in fact this is his film directorial debut, having worked in television before this.

Lupin III is one of the most enduring anime franchises to exist with many different styles of character story ranging from family friendly (this being one of the best examples) to violent action with a good pile of sex thrown in (Lupin III: A Woman Called Fujiko Mine is an example, as are the first few episodes of Lupin III Series 1). Like Black Jack this was not first exposure to the Lupin III franchise (Lupin III Series 2 was, in case you were wondering), but this movie is a great introduction to the character and some of major tropes of Lupin III. All the core characters are there playing their usual roles. There is a decent amount of action but the film is without a doubt a film by Hayao Miyazaki. The visual elements are all his as is the story if only from his love of Mediterranean Europe. Also this is one of my favorite of his films, it doesn’t have an overbearing message like many of his others but it still has the fun spirit that make him so well known.

DM’s Take

OK so the wrap to Vincenzo’s BABG is the best of the lot.  Lupin the third is funny, adventurous, and entertaining as all hell.  The characters were fun and endearing, with even the bad guys being wonderful in a strongly clichéd way.  The voice acting was really quite good.  The voices seemed well paired to the characters, which my BABG journey has proven is not always the case (Vinnie note: DM watched the Manga Video dub, the one you get on either DVD).  Finally, the animation fit very well with the hijinks style of story that the movie told.

Even with the sense of there being a large Lupin the third back story, the movie was surprisingly easy to get into.  I highly recommend it to anyone who has not delved into this particular character and I will certainly be looking for more Lupin the Third!