Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

TheLittleSongbird Like most people, my first introduction to the character of Lupin was the most famous of his feature films, 1979's 'The Castle of Cagliostro'. That may not be the most faithful to the manga of Lupin's feature films but on its own it was nonetheless a great film on first viewing and still is a personal favourite animated film of mine on top of being my personal favourite Lupin film.The first Lupin film, this film 'The Secret of Mamo' (its UK title), is a very good feature film debut for the character. It may not be the best overall of the films, but it is the very definition of first class escapism and staying true to its roots. Meaning that it is in some way the most faithful to the manga, being surprisingly risqué, with the sexual elements actually being present and not toned down, and actually having the characters quarrelling. 'The Secret of Mamo' is the boldest, the most ambitious and quite possibly the darkest Lupin film, and on the most part is successful in execution.It is not faultless. 'The Secret of Mamo' is let down by the third act, which does feel muddled and convoluted, not everything feels resolved and tonally it did feel at odds with the rest of the film, close to feeling like a complete different film. Unlike the rest of the film it did descend into strangeness and the science fiction elements were nowhere near as well executed as the action and characterisation elements, they were on point, the sci-fi elements came over as clunky and confused.Occasionally, the animation is a little rough. The character designs, like the somewhat odd one for Lupin, lack finesse and it doesn't always flow as well as it could have done.However, most of the animation in 'The Secret of Mamo' is fine. It is quite creative in the action, the attention to detail is impressive and the colours are both atmospheric and ethereal. The music score is dynamic and groovy, fitting beautifully with the action and story atmosphere.When it comes to the writing, 'The Secret of Mamo' is largely successful. It provokes a lot of thought and the wry humour and slapstick are genuinely hilarious. Apart from misgivings with the final third, the story is bold but also doesn't forget to be fun and exciting, particularly in the action-oriented parts (the helicopter, police and lorry chase sequence is terrific and classic Lupin). It is Lupin at his most ambitious, though you are also mostly admiring the execution rather than finding it overly-ambitious. Admired 'The Secret of Mamo' too for its tackling of interesting, mature and difficult subjects with cloning, honour, love and personal identity and doing it in a way that's thought-provoking and entertaining, with only the cloning aspect failing somewhat.Characterisation is on point as is the character interaction, Lupin is not at his most likable, no, but he nonetheless a fun and commanding lead character that carries the film well. Mamo is a suitably intimidating villain and poses as a real danger. Particularly shining are the supporting characters, particularly sexy Fujiko and hilarious Zenigata, though Jigen and Goemen are very cool as well. The voice acting is very good, notably for Mamo.In summary, not perfect but worth the discovery. Lupin's feature film debut is a very good one. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Ian Gear (psychogoatee) The Secret of Mamo is a crazy, memorable, and pretty enjoyable Lupin movie.The first theatrical Lupin movie, this has some very solid animation for 1978, and some very interesting direction. Very colorful and lively. The soundtrack by Yuji Ohno is a blast too, and of course the original voice cast delivers.The story in this one is pretty crazy, and by the end it's pretty much pure nonsense. Lupin is up against a psychotic diminutive man with a god complex, and it leads to some very strange things. Including a cameo from Hitler, naturally.This movie has a fairly brisk pace for the most part, bad things just keep happening to the Lupin gang. One minute they're on the run from a freakishly large truck, the next they're being bombarded by bombs.Where this movie gets really weird is the characterization. Lupin is less cool and laid back in this one, in general he's pretty irritable and annoyed, even with his loyal gang. I have to admit, this makes Lupin less likable to me in this one.Fujiko has a pretty big part in this one, she's quite entertaining, although she does make some questionable decisions. Jigen makes out well in this, and Goemon is pretty cool like usual. Zenigata is great in this, tirelessly hunting Lupin down. But again, seeming a bit out of his usual anime character when he actually wants to kill Lupin.The movie in general is closer to the tone of the manga, with it's insanity and less likable characters.So, pretty much, this is a very memorable movie, it goes above and beyond into the realm of insanity, and it's quite entertaining. The classic dynamic that the characters usually have in the anime is somewhat skewed here though, and the story itself is not entirely satisfying.None the less, this is a wild ride that I recommend checking out.

Shawn Watson Oh, what a huge difference a director makes. Where Castle of Cagliostro had atmosphere, inventive visuals, coherence and plot Mystery of Mamo has blandness, cheap backgrounds, confusion and silliness. It IS good for a single viewing and features a couple of pretty good action scenes but, I'm afraid, beyond that it's just as forgettable as any other random Japanese cartoon.Lupin III has been cloned and killed and the ever highly-strung Inspector Zenigata rejoices but it turns out that some being from another dimension in the form of a dwarf freak and a huge disembodied brain is behind the whole charade and involves the real, living Lupin III in some cockamamie plot. Don't even think about trying to follow this tripe.There's no charm or appeal to Mystery of Mamo and while there's plenty of visual humor and the characters we love, they deserve a better film. Go watch Castle of Cagliostro instead.

emasterslake This is the first Lupin the 3rd Anime Movie. It was made 1 year before Castle of Cagliostro. The plot and character designs are similar to the way they look in the manga series.It has some funny moments to it. But wish it had some improvements to it in some parts.If Miyazaki did this movie then we would see a more enjoyable Anime.Comparing this to Castle of Cagliostro, it seems it was made 5 years before that movie.in other words it's worth viewing. Just a reminder the animation is nothing compared to the kind in Castle of Cagliostro.Not bad for being the first Lupin Anime film.I give it 7/10 for almost perfect.