Bye-Bye Liberty Crisis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lupin III: Bye-Bye Liberty Crisis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| ルパン三世:バイバイ・リバティー・危機一発! (Lupin III: Bye Bye Liberty - The Crisis Bursts!) |
|
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Comedy |
| OVA: Bye-Bye Liberty Crisis | |
| Directed by | Osamu Dezakai |
| Studio | Tokyo Movie Shinsha |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Released | April 1989 |
| Runtime | |
Bye-Bye Liberty Crisis (also known as Bye-Bye Lady Liberty or Goodbye Lady Liberty) is the first in a series of feature-length television specials based on the Lupin III animated series. The Lupin III TV specials have since become an annual event on Japan's NTV network, with a new special made and broadcast each year[1].
[edit] Synopsis
The movie opens in Paris, where wanted criminal Arsène Lupin III breaks into the police headquarters to steal the computer records of his criminal activity by disguising himself as his arch-enemy, ICPO officer Inspector Zenigata. However, the real Zenigata catches him in the act and gives chase. After a dramatic pursuit above Paris, Lupin fleeing by jet pack with Zenigata giving chase in a helicopter, the master criminal escapes by throwing a hand-grenade into the helicopter, which explodes in a spectacular display of fireworks.
Some time later, Lupin has retired to a rundown apartment in New York City. Despite his success in stealing one copy of his criminal record, the same data is stored in other police computers around the world. This means any law enforcement agency is able to analyze and predict his every move, pre-empting any crime he might try to commit. Knowing he has at last met his match, Lupin announces he has retired from the criminal life and wants to settle down with his latest girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Lupin's colleague Jigen is preparing to pull off a job with an old friend of his, Rooster. Rooster stole a giant diamond called the “Super Egg” and hid it in the Statue of Liberty, and the time has come to retrieve it. Lupin, unable to resist the pull of his old criminal life (and worried about the huge debt his girlfriend has run up) decides to join them. However, the group come under attack by a group of mysterious assassins who are after Rooster. They try to escape, but Rooster is killed saving Jigen from one of the assassins' bullets, and as he is the only one who knows the exact location of the Super Egg, it seems the diamond is lost forever.
However, Lupin is never one to give up in the face of improbable odds. Knowing that he would never have time to search the Statue in situ, he and Jigen use a giant balloon to steal it and relocate it in the Grand Canyon! However, Lupin and Jigen have unwittingly picked up a stowaway — a young boy and computer genius named Micheal, who wants Lupin to help him steal the data that makes up an incredibly powerful computer virus capable of infiltrating any computer system and manipulating any data. Seeing the potential of this “Neovirus” to wipe out his criminal record, Lupin agrees to help as soon as they locate the Super Egg.
Meanwhile, Lupin's other colleague, Goemon Ishikawa XIII, has left on a spiritual training mission. On a train crossing Alaska, he meets a beautiful young woman, Isabelle, who is being pursued by the same group of assassins who killed Rooster. Goemon fights off the assassins, even slicing their helicopter in two with his sword, and decides to become Isabelle's bodyguard.
Fujiko Mine, meanwhile, is trying to infiltrate the ancient secret society and diamond smuggling group, the Three Masons (the same group from whom the Super Egg was originally stolen), by seducing its third-in-command, Jimmy. It transpires that Jimmy is behind the assassins who attacked Rooster and Isabelle, and that the Three Masons are seeking both the Super Egg and Isabelle. Lupin and his colleagues are led in a chase across America as they try to unlock the secret that connects the Super Egg with Isabelle, Micheal, the Neovirus and the Statue of Liberty.
[edit] Releases
Goodbye Lady Liberty has not yet been released in North America but has been released in English in the United Kingdom by Manga Entertainment UK. Released in 1996 on VHS, it was dubbed in English by Manga Entertainment (along with The Secret of Mamo) and did not feature anywhere the name "Lupin" but instead "Wolf" due to copyright issues. Manga Entertainment did not release this title on DVD even though they released the Castle of Cagliostro on DVD (which was lisenced at the same time in the UK). Around 2003-2004, Manga Entertainment UK lost the licence.
