Japan is the land of mangas and my go-to source for my manga crack fix on a regular basis when dramas aren’t enough to scratch the itch for a good story. Japan has also done a laudable service in transforming its mangas into live-action form whether in doramas or movies and I’m always ready to give them the benefit of the doubt when I hear an adaptation is forthcoming. Last Summer’s Rurouni Kenshin movie was a tour de force of awesome that was entertaining in its own right and captured the heart and soul of the manga with spot on casting. This Summer will come two more Kenshin movies, and on top of that I get to see Oguri Shun on the big screen as well headlining the live-action adaptation of the 1960’s shonen manga Lupin the Third. In addition to Shun playing the titular master thief Arsene Lupin III, he’s joined in this caper movie by his merry gang of sidekicks including Kuroki Meisa as Fujiko, Tamayama Tetsuji as Jigen, Ayano Go as Goemon, as well as Asano Tadanobu as Zenigata.

The first movie character stills are out and it looks fabulous! I didn’t doubt the tall and chameleon-like Oguri Shun could squeeze into Lupin’s tight pants and sports coat combo and he’s definitely a sight for sore eyes with the patented Lupin smirk. I find Kuroki Meisa pretty but utterly bland and if all she needs to do is pull off the femme fatale look then she can deliver at least that. The supporting cast consists of fantastic character actors so I’m not worried plus the chemistry between the gang appears to be all there in the too brief teaser trailer just released. What makes this movie totally watchable for those unfamiliar with the source manga comes from it being a thief caper movie and those are always fun to watch if executed smartly. This live-action movie will follow Lupin and his friends as they attempt to infiltrate a highly secured fortress-like safe called the Ark of Navarone in order to steal a priceless treasure called the Crimson Heart of Cleopatra. I love the fancy names and love even more how stylish this movie looks. Another one to mark down on my Summer movie calendar as the film opens August 30th.

Lupin the Third Teaser Trailer: