Imaginary time capsule

Drawing will never be anything other than a sometimes hobby for me, so I know I'll never be churning out professional-looking things -- but even if I'm never 100% happy with anything I draw, I usually like some detail in it and feel proud about my improvement (I wish I could be as laissez-faire about my writing, but that's for another day).

Now I've reached this odd point where I'm fairly content with my art skills (I don't like using the word "art" for the things I do, "drawings" sound more appropriate to me), but I wish I was faster. I wish it didn't take me everything from six to ten hours to finish a simple drawing from sketch to render (and then, as I said, always with a lot of obvious flaws).

Anyway, this was a Tumblr prompt, so I tried to see how quickly I could do a drawing and still be fairly happy with it. I think it took me upwards to three hours or so.

( The prompt was to draw my favourite Lupin character )

Anyway it's a break away from the big beefy superheroes. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to draw tall, lean Lupin characters.

The Lupin III completist in me is once again sated. I've finally seen the ten-minute OVA Lupin Family All-Stars, and it was delightful! It's based on one of the original manga chapters (minus the usual nudity, sex and, uh, colourful language - but it retained the surreal humour), and the animation is absolutely top-notch, even if the art isn't. It made me smile, though I'm sad to see the old voice cast go.

Also, heads up: A new Lupin TV film premieres in Japan this Friday. Based on the press release and trailer it'll probably be a lacklustre affair. When even the animation in the trailer seems low-budget, it's time to lower your expectations. It makes sense though, I suppose TMS poured the money into this years' TV series and then spent a few nickles and dimes on the annual TV film. Ah well, I know many are looking forward to another by-the-numbers Lupin film after the rollercoaster that was the Fujiko spinoff, and it's about Marco Polo's Il Millione!

Anyway, tonight's Halloween. I plan to put on a movie (maybe Mask of Dimitrios or maybe the 1931 Dracula) and draw some more. Got some bonbons in case some errant children knock on my door. It'll be a comfortable evening.

Ah gosh, only one episode of the new Lupin TV series remaining. And I've been too busy to do the recap of the episodes I've been watching - but here's a quick run-through!

( Ep. 8 - 11. Some spoilers. )

Which brings us up to date - the penultimate episode!

The One With the Fun Fair


A casual reminder that, yes, the villains are owl men. And that Lupin wears fabulous beatle boots.

( Ep. 12: 'The Woman Called Mine Fujiko, part 1' )

So yeah, just one more episode to go - gosh, has it been thirteen weeks already? Sadly I'm not quite sure when I'll find the time to watch it, seeing as I'm pretty busy with moving this week... But man, it better be memorable, that's all I ask.

Well, "Cuban". Featuring Che Guevara Fidel Castro "Philadel Kest".


( Ep. 7: 'Music and Revolution' )

A.K.A THE ONE WHERE LUPIN AND JIGEN FINALLY MEET. WOOOO.


( Ep. 5: 'Bloody Triangle' )

Which got grating REALLY fast. But anyway: New Lupin III episode, introducing everybody's favourite descendant of that folk hero they boiled in oil.


( Ep. 3: 'The Lady and the Samurai' )

So okay, the first episode introduced Fujiko, Lupin and Zenigata, the second was a Jigen episode, the third one was a Goemon one. I have, officially, not a single clue what the next episode might be about, ooooh exciting!

I have finally FINALLY FINALLY figured out how to smoothly play 10bit HD on this dying computer (it involved a billion new codecs, a new player, a lot of scary reconfiguration, halting just about every non-essential process, setting the el-configuration to High Performance, and also physically balancing the computer between my knees so that it wouldn't get overheated quite so fast), which means there are a lot of episodes and movies I'm now actually able to watch!

So first thing, I rewatched the new Lupin episode. Obviously. Ohmansovisuallyalluringohmydearlord.

So although I know I spewed out a huge text post about my initial reaction, here's a more shallow one. With lots of images.

( cut for disjointed CAPS LOCK )

You probably haven't the slightest idea of what's coming, do you. Like a squishy little earthworm cheerfully crossing a busy footpath.

There's gonna be a new Lupin III TV series starting in April! The first one since 1985! There's gonna be a Lupin TV show in my lifetime!

So heads up; If it's absolutely awesome* that means I'll never stop squeeing about it, and if it's complete rubbish** I'll probably talk even more about it so I can pick it apart and use the pieces to mend my broken heart. Even if it is terrible in every way, I'll still watch all thirteen episodes the moment I can get my hands on them. Because at some point I became one of those fans, obviously; A forty year old franchise, and I'll be damned if I don't get to study ever little piece of it.

But you needn't worry, I'll use cuts. Because spoilers. And, uh, "sensuality" I guess.


*Takeshi Koike is in charge of character designs so there's every possibility it'll look stylish as hell.

**The series is going to be Fujiko-centric (the one whose main character trait is that she has enormous boobs, you remember) and the show is apparently going to be "sensual". Oy.

I've been listening to snippets from the soundtrack of the upcoming Lupin III TV special so now I'm getting all proper excited about it. There's big band swing and seventies' funk (Hammond organ! Wacka-wacka guitars!) so everything's as it should be.

So yeah, prepare for me unloading a massive amount of fan joy one of these days is what I'm saying. I'm sure it'll hardly be a cinematic masterpiece but it is the first Lupin special to air with me actually caring about it, so it'll be an event no matter how poor the actual product may be.

Following the production has been... interesting. First that business of TMS inexplicably advertising for a new Lupin TV series and then going "wait don't mind us, we meant TV special" (the jury's still out on whether a TV series is secretly in the works), then the talk of new Miyazaki-inspired designs -


- then there was The Great Pachinko Fan Fiasco (which I might have to lay out here one day, it's pretty funny in hindsight), not to mention the surprising decision to replace more than half of the regular voice cast (Zenigata, Fujiko and Goemon get new voices this year - I'm reeaally going to miss Goro Naya as Zenigata, he's had the part since 1971).

I guess that brings you up to speed, you're all prepared for (skipping past) me writing the world's nerdiest reaction post. It airs in Japan December 2nd, and then the wait begins for some kind soul to sub and upload it.

And I'm just saying, it's titled Blood Seal ~Eternal Mermaid~, and so far absolutely every Lupin episode and movie concerned with anything mermaid-related has taken place in Scandinavia (thank you H.C. Andersen!) so bets are on.

Crossposting because this has been the highlight of my week so far:

Yesterday as I was liveblogging Island of Assassins on Tumblr, I made an offhand comment in a tag about zombie Zenigata.

Before I'd even made it halfway through the movie, Fungii - fellow Lupin fan and artist extraordinarie, and wonderfully silly person - unveiled this:


Just in time for Halloween too!

(Fungii is of course also the creator of such wonderful images such as Luppire, lupinshiba and Lounge King. Lupin fans are wonderful people).

I keep grinning every time I see horrendous decomposing Zenigata up there. The fact that I'm a broken person has never been more obvious.