Lupin III: Part 5

I don't wanna give a simplified over-appraisal for Part 5 because it does have some flaws- no show is perfect. But what Part 5 does and how it does it is not just a treat for longtime Lupin fans but feels like a big thank you letter to everyone who's kept the franchise alive.

Part 5 tackles territory we've never seen in the series: a commentary on these characters, their exploits, and us as an audience. It doesn't go uncreatively meta like so much media now but it's plot proposes questions and answers for why we enjoy the franchise so much. It takes these characters ... to places we haven't seen before and it's all earned due to the events the story sets up.

So, in modern day times how does a thief operate? Cameras everywhere, mindless social media usage, the concept thieving as a dated story setting. Instead of just carrying things on as they've always been Part 5 addresses our technological society. The scenarios set up here can be fun and exciting, Lupin's gang proving how they can operate in our times.

Same question goes for the franchise too, right? Been running for almost 60 years, how are we still hooked on it? Especially with characters created back then, can they hold up now? The show tells us yes, and does it in the best way it possibly can: by showing us. Everyone contemplates their place with a camera in every pocket and online-fame but they come out realizing that yes, they can survive in this era.

Part 5 also directly addresses flaws that we've all had in mind throughout the series. Lupin relying on his partners too much? Goemon being left out of good plot development for the sake of deus-ex machina moments? Zenigata's true opinion of Lupin? Lupin's continued infatuation with Fujiko? Even Fujiko sticking by Lupin. Things we've all thought about yet the series had never addressed or fixed due to playing it safe. Part 5 is an examination of the franchise in general and with that comes some of the best moments for all these characters.

Animations spot on. Part 4 was really stylized and could be distracting but 5 keeps things at a consistent quality the entire way through. It feels like refined versions of everyone's Part 4 designs and they're given the time to shine.

Soundtrack is one of Ohno's best. His musics always great sure but when he gets experimental (The Last Job for example) it shows off his flexibility. Part 5 goes for a French inspired sound, giving us some of the best remixes of his past music. It stands out in a franchise that's known for it's music and it's really impressive how he can keep putting out such high quality work, especially at his age. Some of the tunes here hit hard.

The biggest issue I can say is that if you weren't a Lupin fan already it'll be harder to gel with what Part 5 does. One of the franchise's strengths is that you can jump in practically anywhere since its mostly all been self contained. Part 5, while being a self contained plot itself, is a plot that plays with the idea of already knowing these characters well. It's best moments are so impactful because of what they mean for the cast and franchise as a whole, and this is the one time I'd recommend someone watch more of the franchise before jumping in. If you've been watching the series since childhood Part 5 will tug at your strings in moments. That being said if you try other entries out, love the characters and style, then Part 5 is an easy sell. It's one of the best moments of the franchise, up there with Cagliostro, Part 2 and The First.

It should be noted that I'm going into this review as someone who binged Part IV and Part V one after the other and I feel like I'm nuts for liking this season less than Part IV. This isn't to say that Part V is bad, but I do feel like it's a lot easier for me to say that I enjoyed Part IV as opposed to Part V. I have a lot of conflicting feelings on Part V: what it does well, it does really well, but the rest is more of a mixed bag.

I'll start with what I liked.
While I felt like the ... art direction read as more generic as opposed to its predecessor, the backgrounds in particular were gorgeous and the animation was clean. The soundtrack was wonderful as always, though admittedly this season's version of the theme wasn't my favorite.

When it comes to the plot episodes focusing on the main cast, I felt like things were more or less handled very well (in particular, the final arc read as very solid as far as the main cast was concerned even though I do feel like they could have given Zenigata more of a chance to shine overall; but a lot of potential arcs that could have revolved around him were admittedly addressed in the prior season).

The Fujiko-Lupin dynamic was handled very interestingly, and was clearly a focal point of this season which didn't bother me. On the contrary, it was refreshing to see a season where their relationship wasn't glossed over or reduced to a simple "oh they're fwb but it's not our business."

...Unfortunately I dislike that Ami was the catalyst for this discussion.
I don't think that Ami, overall, is a bad character, although I did find her somewhat bland compared to last season's Rebecca. My issue with her primarily lies in her crush on Lupin. This isn't the first time that the franchise has introduced a young girl (a minor) who develops feelings for Lupin, and it's always handled with class. This season also has Lupin rejecting Ami's feelings (although as the season continues I almost wish they'd written him as firmer in his dismissiveness), but in general it grew increasingly uncomfortable if not annoying for her crush to be pushed front and center.

From a writing standpoint as well, it felt kind of skeevy given Ami's backstory. Like, I just sort of sat there like. Why would the writers feel like this was an appropriate means of handling this type of character.

...But,
anyway,

Enzo also was a bizarre case. I felt as though I didn't understand him as a character at all. While not outright malicious his characterization was very inconsistent and he almost reads like a completely different person in the final episode.

As far as other new additions, Albert was interesting, but I wish they'd done a little more with him (though I understand that a lot of what happened in Part V was likely a set up for a Part VI series). Yata was an interesting character who regrettably got very little screentime (a side effect of Zenigata feeling practically Benched after the first arc).

When it comes to its MANY homages, I felt that some worked better than others. They definitely weren't done in a way that felt overly invasive, but I did feel like the imposition that every iteration of Lupin III takes place within the same universe hindered the show somewhat. As a viewer, I'm willing to appreciate the reappearance of Castle Cagliostro as a small nod or easter egg, for example, but the way the writers impose the concept that all versions of Lupin are the same felt like it was crossing the line into bizarre.

Overall, the show wasn't bad.
I enjoyed the parts that appealed to me personally, and disliked the parts that didn't. I'd definitely recommend starting with Part IV before this one, as Blue Jacket seems to be weaving together a more cohesive universe than previously seen with Lupin, so while it's possible, it's difficult for me to recommend this season as a starting point.

While watching this, I couldn't shake the thought: "did the people behind Lupin III Part 5 secretly hate Lupin III?"

On the surface, probably not. There are a lot of blink-and-you'll-miss them references splashed liberally throughout. Clearly, they have seen this show, or at least looked up all the movies and picked some characters from each to revive.

But Part 5 is just such a fucking slog with no energy at all after the first arc. I watched the first 6 episodes weekly in 2018, and I thought they were a good time then. Ami was an excellent addition to the series. Everyone played an interesting role ... in that story. And episode 6 was a filler that I vaguely recall, so it couldn't have been all bad. Nonetheless, I found I didn't want to keep going then, so I put the series on hold.

Holy shit, did I make the right call. The second, third, and fourth arcs are all miserable experiences that don't amount to anything. They're slow. They're big mystery boxes. Worst of all, they sideline half the cast in each. Basically, they're horrible Lupin III movies that would have been stretched over WEEKS. For no reason!

The fun of Lupin III is in how radically different the show can be every time. It's fun. If it has something meaningful to say about the human condition, that is explored in the margins. I should be having fun when I'm watching it. I should not be fucking bored out of my mind, wondering why Fujiko just doesn't show up for 6 episodes in a row or what these new characters are supposed to add.

Maybe they didn't HATE Lupin III, but sure as hell they didn't UNDERSTAND Lupin III as a means for compelling TV. Because of this, their feeble attempts to be meta in the final arc could only fall flat.