Ironically, the last instalment I've watched in the Fujiko Mine series is Jigen's movie, this is ironic because I watched Goemon's as soon as I finished Part 1, and Goemon's is the final film. Who needs to consistency anyway? Considering Goemon Ishikawa's Spray of Blood is one of my favourite movies, my hopes were high for Jigen's Gravestone, and all I knew going in was the premise.
It appears that Takeshi Koike only directs anime that absolute ooze style, from Redline to his stylish character designs in Fujiko Mine, and now his perfect imitation of the feel of Yamamoto's Lupin III - Jigen's Grave Stone felt like yet another piece of endless sakuga in how stunningly it was animated. The character designs remain the same as they did in the Fujiko series, and the smooth Jazzy OST yet again assisted in creating the Noir setting. As is trademark with Lupin III we got a brilliant looking car chase along with the rest of the fantastic animation. Yet again the franchise succeeds in being more visually impressive than it ever really needed to be, and it makes for an exceptional experience for the eyes.
The plot of the show is rather simple. A Price is put on Jigen's head, resulting in him and Lupin exploring why he is being hunted, and coming face to face with a highly skilled assassin. Most of the sniper, and general gun wielding action is intense and well 'shot' (huehue) making for a genuinely believable sense of danger for Lupin and Jigen. I did have major issues with the role of Fujiko in the movie however. While it isn't uncommon for the Lupin gang to randomly turn up in affairs of one another, it felt somewhat unnatural considering the serious tone of the film. She ultimately provided the answers that Lupin was looking for, and while this didn't remove the deductive aspect it still felt contrived to a certain extent. The conclusion was fantastic, with a tense face off and outwitting attempt by Lupin, making for an overall solid narrative if somewhat rough around the edges.
The awkward presence of Fujiko unfortunately dragged the film down, and while it is still fantastic, it's hard to call it masterful due to the impact that her Deus ex Machina had on the political intrigue the movie had created in what appeared to be a pseudo-1970s Germany. Lupin III: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone made for some awesome gunslinging action with interesting political manipulation appearing in the background, unfortunately the reliance on a Deus ex Machina prevented the movie from being anything truly special.