Worm_Death's Blog

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

We're here; we're finally here—a literal end to an era. And I'm happy to say we went out on a bang!


I noticed more changes made here than in the Albatross. Jokes weren't changed much at all, which is the complete opposite of 145. Other dialogue was changed while the jokes were kept pretty much the same. I still really love the dub cast. They've seriously grown on me so much, so it's a real shame this is it. No more Streamline Pictures Lupin dub. I really do hope this cast will be able to do something with Lupin. I know I hear everyone say that if Green vs. Red ever got dubbed, they should get all the previous voice actors to voice the other Lupins, which would be awesome but probably way outside the budget these Lupin projects are getting. The Lupin-Wolf thing is as inconsistent as ever with this version. Just like the other times, if Lupin's name is on screen, they'll call him by the name. Weirdly enough, despite every time they say Lupin like "Loo-pin," they actually refer to him as "Lupan" in this single instance. That's it, though; it's a mixture of butchered Lupin or Wolf. I understand his name was changed to Wolf to avoid copyright, so how did they get away with saying Lupin at all?
As far as the dub cast, we have the same classics here, and they're great as always. Iona Morris voices Maki here, and while I liked her, she seemed a bit too old to play the character. Maki immediately struck me as a younger girl, so their voices seemed a little odd. I do appreciate Streamline for casting very strong-sounding women; they do not sound frilly, and I like that. Honestly, that's a major reason why I watch dubs in general. Anime that heavily contains high-pitched girls, I almost always watched dubbed just because their voices are always at least a little lower.
The questions I posed about the production of this dub, luckily, got answered thanks to the 50 Years of Animated Lupin the 3rd book and Discotek commentary from this final episode. Apparently, 145 and 155 were made for a VHS release. Under "Tales of the Wolf" and later to Lupin's Greatest Capers. These were released as a test to see how they would sell to an American audience. It did well enough, but when it came to licensing more episodes, TMS would only allow them to if they licensed the whole series, and with 155, it's understandable that wasn't going to happen. Luckily, they would have the chance again with the movies, but that was it for the TV world! I think it's really cool that Discotek even had the original VHS OP and ED. I was actually surprised that it was a lot more faithful than I thought. The only change from the 4th season OP is when the text Lupin shows up, it's covered with a picture of him. It looks horribly mixed with the rest of everything, but you do what you gotta do to not get copyright strikes. The ending, interestingly, is the 3rd season's ED, Love Squall. It has a bit of animation before freezing and then showing credits. I obviously think they did that to not have to worry about the Japanese text and easily add their own. And very interesting, the music is instrumental. I assume this made it easier for localization and that this is the only song they had permission to use or had access to the instrumental. It was a seriously awesome surprise to hear the instrumental to the original Love Squall!

I talked about the dub long enough; how's the sub? Of course, it's great, and it's probably still my preferred way to watch this episode. You just can't beat the OG's. The way Yasuo Yamada can subtly have a different tone to his voice as he voices the fake Lupin is so impressive to me. There's just something about it that's great. I definitely loved hearing fake Jigen and Goemon here, too. They're very expressive here, and hearing them like that is really weird. Especially fake Goemon was screaming after the real one appeared. I have only ever heard Makio Inoue voice very stoic characters that basically never raise their voices. So that was a treat. Sumi Shimamoto voices Maki! The same voice actress as Clarise and later Nausicaa!

Conclusion: Watch both! They're both so good and show the strengths of both casts. Maybe it's just biased, but I seriously love the Streamline voices. In its purest form, this episode should be watched subbed, but check out the dub too!


A robot's been going around stealing gems and expensive jewelry as a threat to the Defense Ministry. The girl piloting the robot, Maki is doing this under Lupin's orders. Once more word gets out, Zenigata is tasked to stop Lupin and save Maki. The robot comes back out, and the military is on it, shooting it down but destroying everything in the process. Zenigata tracks the robot to an abandoned building but gets tied up. When he wakes up, he blames Maki profusely for what's happened, but she explains to him that her father, the one who invented the robots, had the blueprints sold and was now trying to dispatch them as military weapons. Her only way of fighting back is to do as Lupin says. Lupin interrupts their conversation, and Zenigata figures out that he isn't Lupin's real self. They launch Maki off with the robot and set a bomb by Zenigata. Luckily, just in the nick of time, Zenigata frees himself from the ropes and barely makes it onto the robot. He rescues Maki, revealing it was the real Lupin all along. The three phonies celebrate the cash they received with their boss. Until a news report about them starts airing, thanks to Fujiko. They try to escape, but the real gang stops them. The robots have turned on them, and Maki destroys the device they use to control them. Maki is thanked for her courage by Zenigata while the rest of the gang drives off into the sunset.

I love this episode so much. It really is amazing. It's almost a shame this was only an episode. But I guess if I want more, I have Green vs Red. The action is thrilling, and the story has a lot of commentary! Of course, Miyazaki inserts his anti-war messages as always. Both sides are just idiots fighting over something stupid and, in the meantime, harming all the innocent civilians they're supposed to be protecting. But I also think this episode speaks deeply about the franchise and Miyazaki's perspective on it. He was so worn out of Lupin that he didn't want to do this, but as a last-ditch effort to get off Lupin for good, he created a beautiful farewell to the show. It seems Miyazaki definitely criticizes the unrelenting, scandalous side of Lupin and tries to hammer in its gratuity. I can't say I agree with him on this point. Miyazaki has never really written an anti-hero main character like this before. Perhaps the closest thing to that being Porco Rosso, but he was never a bad guy, seen more as bad guy in his own eyes than those around him. Despite that, the episode is still great. I love the sense of optomisim this episode has.


To add to what I was just saying above, Miyazaki seemed to almost make this a kind of commentary on Lupin's character. As we've seen, Miyazaki has his own canon for how Lupin matured and developed over the years. I don't want to use 1981 as any sort of reference since Cagliostro is supposed to take place in the late 60s, so there are definitely some weird continuity things there. But I guess, jacket color aside, Lupin acts about the same as he did in Cagliostro, so this could have taken place after Cagliostro. Either way, this is the heroic and kind-hearted Lupin Miyazaki has been trying to create. As much as I love Lupin's charm, it really isn't him. It's a shame how much influence that alone would have on his character going forward. Yes, Monkey Punch did make Lupin a bit much at some points, but I really like the idea of Lupin not being a good guy. He's not the real bad guy in most situations, but he's not exactly great. I think there's much commentary to be had on that point alone. Lupin being the stoic hero that only occasionally steals, takes that very interesting point away I feel. Again, though, in this episode, I still really loved him. He may not be my preferred Lupin, but he's still a well-written one.

Admittedly I was a bit disappointed. Only the real Zenigata showed up for the ending; Lupin did a great job pretending to be him, however! In any way that he could, at least Miyazaki wrote Zenigata well, and that's what matters. I absolutely love the little subtleties in the way Lupin comes out through the Zenigata farse. How he can't stop to comment about Maki looking cute or how he casually sits on the commissioner's desk. Just things like that add so much. It's something you only really notice in retrospect, and that's what makes it so great, too. I'll still count this as a Zenigata exposing evil government corporation, though, just like Caggy. That's why Miyazaki's Zenigata stays peaking!

It is really sad to see Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko get so pushed to the sides. They have their moments, but they don't do much. At least Fujiko sent the tapes to the police, but even then, that's not a whole lot. It would be cool to see their bond be stronger. But even just that last scene was amazing. I loved watching them all ride off into the sunset for yet another adventure to await them.
As a side note, according to the commentary track, apparently, the modern interpretation of April O'neill from TMNT was directly inspired by this episode's Fujiko. It's why she was switched from being a scientist to a news reporter and her whole yellow jumpsuit. I don't really care about TMNT literally at all, but it's great to hear Lupin is such a big influence on that!

Admittedly, Maki was really bland. She felt very similar to Clarise. She's nice but doesn't have much personality. She's clearly the prototype of Nausicaa. Of course, while not in the same situation, I don't think Miyazaki had quite a clear idea what he wanted her character to be like yet, so she was left to really serve the plot as it needed.


Thanks again to the commentary track! According to them the whole weird switching of art styles was due to Telecom Animation working on these episodes. They were using the designs made by Otsuka, rather than the ones made for part 2. That would explain a lot! I actually had no idea Telecom was already working on Lupin this far back. I think the first thing I was aware they worked on was Part 5, but no!



Ok but what is this tho? Lmao



Uh, nice shot Lupin, real classy



I think it's really funny how Otsuka is always just like "he's the villain, make his eyes sag!! MWUAHAHAH" With other villains TMS/Telecom have made and even Count Cagliostro, the bad guys all had very similar looks to this. It's an interesting thing they do.




The backgrounds in the episode are so beautiful. Clearly, a lot more budget was thrown into them, and man, did they take advantage of that because these look amazing!



This has to be a reference to part 1! He's driving up the stairs exactly how Lupin did in Lupin Caught in a Trap.



LOOK AT THIS AWESOME GHOST OF THE SHELL LOOKIN SCENE. Ugh, all these little details, I love it so much.



OH NAAAH THEY FRUITY AS HELL FOR THIS ONE
Firstly, how does Zenigata know about the birthmark
Why is he going "ooooh"
And Lupin is clasping his butt in that way; something insanely gay is about to commence.




HE'S LITERALLY GORGEOUS HERE HELP



Apparently this is how Miyazaki seemed to draw Cagliostro's manga Lupin. He is a bit funky and angular.



SDIUVHKSNKVULHIOKULISUHUISOPQ?????????????????????????PI9VISU9PV'0I[ZOPVIUHSNOP QUIHS???????????????????

I AIN'T GONNA LIE MY JAW LITERALLY DROPPED WHEN GOEMON PULLED UP
HE'S LITERALLY BEAUTIFUL AND HANDSOME AND AGPAOSVI[O[WJSOPZV9SQHNUPOU



This sky is pretty! I haven't had much time yet to talk about Maki and the robot. A clear prototype of both Nausicaa and the robots from Castle in the Sky. It's neat to see this as a true transitional period in Miyazaki's career. He's ready to move on and make his own stories, so it's just a very interesting thing to see at the very beginning of that.





Oh yeah, we vibing hard to this... This sunset is so pretty, and just having the guys watch it is so awesome. Seriously, seriously awesome. With the accompaniment of Superhero (Lupin's theme). It's such a great way to put a cap on part 2.



Diet Cagliostro ending! It plays out the same here. Clearly, Miyazaki wanted Lupin to end this way.

Part 2

So, I want to talk about Lupin Part 2 as a whole now that we're wrapping everything up. It was certainly a mixed bag, I will say. I think I really appreciate going through this retrospective, though, because it's helped to really give me an opinion on it. On initial watch, it was a 6/10, but I wasn't very invested in the characters much yet. It went to a 10 once I watched the dub, but as I progressed through the rest of the series, I took a more critical approach to the series. Along the way, I also got more and more into the manga and saw everything from that perspective. So, Lupin III Part 2 is a solid 7/10 for me. There are some great peaks but some awful lows. Let's dissect it a bit now.


This is my favorite dub of Lupin that I've watched so far. Geneon took a lot of liberties with the script, but it ended up being great. I love the additional jokes, and the casting is perfect. Over this course of time, I even had the honor of meeting Michelle Ruff, Fujiko's voice actor, and she's such a great person! I seriously love the cast, with Jigen's voice actor, Richard Epcar, being my personal favorite. They're the reason I've watched this series so many times over. When it comes to watching the first 79 episodes, I will, of course, be watching the dub. And this isn't to say I don't absolutely love the sub because the cast is also just as perfect, but the extra humor appeals to me.

As I've mainly stated here and in 145, I really like the Streamline Pictures dub, and they've certainly grown on me. I will definitely be happy to rewatch these episodes with them. I think that's partially due to there being so few dubs with this cast. I crave more, so I savor every moment I can get with them.

And finally, a more in-depth discussion on the sub. There isn't much to say here that hasn't been discussed already, especially with Part 1. I love this cast; they are simply perfect. Of course, we do have some slightly new voices here. Fujiko is being voiced now by Eiko Masuyama, who I love. She has a cute yet seductive voice that was just great throughout every episode. I'm so glad she would go on to voice Fujiko until retirement. And also Makio Inoue as Goemon! It's really such a great casting. I love his voice, and it suits Goemon so well. But that goes for the whole cast; as for Yasuo, Koyoshi, and Goro, they've really sunk into their roles further, just great performances by everyone.


Staying true to Lupin's episodic nature, episodes seem to really vary in quality. I certainly don't think the story was a massive focus on the episodes, as episodes were usually always more character-driven. As I've stated many times, my favorite stories are the ones where the gang has some fun, elaborate plans and gets away with it. It was tiresome at times with how formulaic the show could get. There are only so many times I can be entertained by Lupin being an idiot and following Fujiko's orders just to betray him.
I think the really silly episodes were a pain. They had their moments, I suppose, but they were just so ridiculous at times. I tended to lean more towards the mellow dramatic episodes if we're going for character-driven plots. I liked that we got to look into each character a bit and give them their moments. Then there are episodes like The Anniversary of the Miami Bank Heist that are your standard heist story but are just so much fun to watch.


Lupin: This was definitely a troubling time for the characters' metamorphosis into what they would become later on in the franchise. The characters were much more akin to Monkey Punch's characters at the start. Lupin is loud, obnoxious, and extravagant. Cagliostro happens, and it all goes down the drain. Lupin saves the day, and he's the hero. I like it when he saves the day because he can benefit from it, not a righteous sense of duty. I think this was the series where we progressively lost that side of him. I think later series would take a step back on Miyazaki's approach and still try to incorporate that, but it's not the same as he once was. Maybe I love Part 1 Lupin too much, but that's just me.

Jigen: More time means more episodes dedicated to Jigen, which I really enjoyed. I didn't like that they were mainly romance plots, however. Then there are episodes like 99 The Scattered Magnum that do such a good job of giving Jigen an interesting background, full of real stakes. And then they make Jigen, a Hat, and a Pistol. The whiplash with his stories is crazy, but it's just nice to see Jigen get explored at all. I honestly think he's an underrated character. The people who like him like him, but I think he's often overlooked by others. Just generally seen as a cool dude. However, I think Jigen's backstory should have been explored more.

Goemon: Like Jigen, Goemon gets way more screen time, and I really enjoyed the stories centered around him. Geomon is also a mysterious character, and I think when his past gets explored, it's really interesting. This is when we start to see the very, very early stages of "Moemon," but that hasn't really come out yet. I can still describe a lot of Goemon's actions as autism at this point; there's no other hidden agenda. It is a shame that he often gets delegated to the guy who cuts things. There is a big gap between episodes where Goemon is ever more relevant than that. Heck, we get lucky if we can cough up more than one line out of him. Still, we got to explore his softer side, and at his core, he's a great man.

Fujiko: Honestly, in the latter part 1, Fujiko vs part 2, part 1 wins. The way Miyazaki writes women characters is almost impossible to beat. That's not to say part 2 definitely has some great moments. She's still as tough and sexy as ever. I do like the lean-in to her more seductive side; I know I've already mentioned it, but I really love femme fatale characters.

Zenigata: Sigh... Yeah, I think we're pretty clear on what I thought of Zenigata throughout most of part 2. There are some really awesome episodes like Zenigata Getcha Into My Life, but most of the time, he's shoehorned into the plot and made to look like an idiot. When I first heard Monkey Punch's dissatisfaction with how he was written, I was pretty confused because I loved Zeni, but then you see manga and Part 1 Zenigata and realize he is competent and smart. So seeing him be the butt of the joke so often is a letdown. Unfortunately, the only times we really see any of that are in the episodes Miyazaki directed. As I've stated many times, Miyazaki likes Zenigata and treats him with the respect he deserves. It's just a shame most of part 2 doesn't do that. I don't mind him being silly at times because, admittedly, manga Zenigata was a bit stiff. He is really serving the role as just an obstacle for Lupin rather than a more developed, fleshed-out character on his own.


The show certainly went through a lot of changes in the style of art. I really like the original one from the very early episodes. Takeo Kitahara is credited as the character designer but implies that changed at some point, and certainly, as the series progressed, that's very evident. I think aside from Telecom's animation style, the Otsuka-esque style, Kitahara's are my favorite. They best capture Monkey Punch's style, not really, but it's the closest we get. I like their bony structures and big eyes. I think the change that we see for the majority of the show until season 4 is fine. I think the character designs are generally solid. I think Goemon's hair is drawn really weirdly, a lot, it being very tall. Other than that, I especially like the designs for Jigen. This was the first time Jigen finally received his pointy nose and slicked-back hair, which the manga always had him in.
Season 4 was about the roughest the characters looked, in my opinion. I think Goemon's the only one they improved on because they fixed the way his hair looked. Other than that, they go for a pseudo-Miyazaki look, which looks gross. Their faces are fuller and softer and just look kind of weird. They do make a lot of cute faces, though, so I'll give them that.

As far as animation itself, it was pretty standard for the most part. This was in the 70s, they didn't have a lot to work with. It was clear what episodes they threw their budgets into. Some sakuga every once in a while. I think the backgrounds for the show were always consistently beautiful, though. I did take quite a few screenshots of the backgrounds, but really you could take any scene and be utterly impressed by the way it looks.


The rise of Yuji Ohno! While not his career debut, this was one of his first works, and he came out cooking. To this day, Part 2's soundtrack is my favorite of the whole franchise. The chill atmosphere so many of the songs have is a feeling I can't get anywhere else. A part of that is that this is from the 70s, the sounds of the 70s are unmatched in my opinion, I can't quite describe why I love it so much but I just do. Other tracks like Dangerous Zone are also great, and Ohno crafted a song for all moods. This is where the classics were established: Love Squall, Love Theme, and all the characters' themes. We also got a lot of classical. The series contained a TON of classical and I think it was utilized super well, it really helped to enhance scenes!


And with that, here's a wrap on part 2. A certainly long journey but a fun one. Part 2 may not be the best the impact it felt on the future of the franchise is great. It showed TV that Lupin could work, and would then go on to create so many more works. This was a defining series, so many staples were created from it. I hope you all enjoyed my rewatch of part 2 and join me for part 3!

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

Lupin plans to steal a massive gold fortune from the Leika Bank in the Great Hexagon. It'll be trickier to get to than Lupin thought since above each stack of gold bars has a trigger, so if any are removed and there is no longer pressure on the sensors, it goes off. When Lupin and Jigen go to investigate, the elevator goes back up, and they end up falling through the floor leading to the water under the Great Hexagon Island. While trying to find a way out, they find a massive sunken U-boat and decide to investigate. There, Lupin finds a room he believes used to house the Nazis' gold collection. They get in contact with Fujiko and rework the plan. Jigen and Goemon go under the ground into the sewage system again and line it with conveyor belts. Once they're done, Fujiko throws down bricks from the trucks and sends them to the top. The second Lupin knocks out a gold bar from the bottom, Jigen sends a brick in its place. Eventually, they get the entire fortune this way. The president of the bank tries to block all their exits, but thanks to Goemon, he destroys the turrets and makes a mad leap across the river. Safe with the money, they decide to turn it into a 100% gold bathroom.

Dang for real? This is the second to last episode?? I really thought we were clear of any more Nazi anything, but nah, it's there, Hitler and all. And it didn't even serve a point to the plot. You could have just had the owner of the bank be protective because it's a massive amount of gold, and they want to have preventative measures. The U-boat wasn't important; nothing Nazi was important. Is it that hard not to throw it into your plot?? So aside from that, this episode does have a lot of filler, yes, but the plot itself was fun. It's nice to just see them have their cake and eat it, too. It seems so rare that they just execute a plan without issues. Yes, the bank owner tried to stop them, but it didn't end up being much of an issue. Honestly, that whole escape scene was pretty fun; I liked them all splitting off in their trucks while moving all the buildings around and blowing up bridges. So, when I started this episode, I assumed it was just gonna be another "alright" episode, but progressively, it was fun just to see a successful plan.


Yay!! My boys finally did it!! Although it did bug me that they spent all that gold on a bathroom, like no wonder you guys are living out of your car, eating instant ramen 😭And for real?? Jigen, Lupin, you're idea was dentures. Oh, my lord, show these guys what investments mean.
They quite literally use Zenigata here, and like, for real? I guess they needed to explain the alarm system somehow. But just have one of the guys be disguised. Zenigata finally got to sleep, and Fujiko had to barge in and check it out. I found it weird that he just never comes back at all, though. He is simply a plot device in this episode.
And ok, Lupin I need to take you aside, this is the like the 3rd time you've dressed as Lupin, you good bro?


Oh, ok well, we're back to the regular art style for this one episode. My only assumption is that this episode was made before the art style switch and only got aired now.



This skull looks identical to the one from Cagliostro, mayhaps a reference?



SHEEESH LOOK AT HIM



Lil' Goemon got all wobbly on the conveyor belt and had to sit down 🥺

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

Lupin and the guys quickly get ahold of a massive sum of cash being transported to the Swiss bank. However, in order to transport it effectively, they want to steal a truck. A nun spots Lupin and Jigen removing all the bricks from the truck on her property, and they lie and say they've been contracted to help build a new church. Grateful, she tells them how they can help out. After that fiasco, the guys escape the small village but are stopped by a police checkpoint. Luckily, the nun comes back just when Zenigata is getting on Lupin's case. She vouches for them, and they escape together. The guys get to work building a whole new church overnight and leave to celebrate because they made the entire roof out of the bills disguised in paint. That celebration is cut short when a small rainstorm sweeps through the town, exposing all the money. Zenigata tries to confiscate it, but the townsfolk call it a blessing from God.

Honestly, this episode wasn't bad. Very silly, so I had fun with it. There were definitely some plot holes, however. The comedy, while pretty elementary, did make me laugh a couple of times. This had the chaotic energy of Let's Catch Lupin and Go to Europe at times. But the whole episode had a general part 1 vibe, which definitely made this a fun ride as those episodes really were. There were some weird things, though. For example, why did they build the church and split and pre-celebrate? Like, of course, I assume they were going to go back and get the money, right? But then the church has no roof, and they don't seem like they would do that, given how much charity they've already been willing to go through. I enjoyed the setting a lot. I want to assume it's partially influenced by the beautiful scenery leading up to the car scene in Cagliostro, but the Swiss Alps are just gorgeous regardless; it makes for nice eye candy throughout the episode.


I've come to the conclusion that the reason I seem to see so many Part 1 and Cagliostro nods and references is that this series is simply winding down. They wanted to go all out and have more fun with their final episodes, I suppose. Another nun plot is weird, though. Isn't this the fifth time in just part 2 that an episode has revolved around a nun? The character interactions were really good and organic, again akin to the way part 1 interactions were. I like that Jigen is a bit cheekier here than normal. Like Jigen making fun of Lupin looking like a monkey, so he just knees him in the balls like LMAOO, please!! It's not out of character and adds so much enrichment to their interactions. Despite my childish sense of humor, it does bother me that even with more inclusion, Zenigata is reduced to literally poop jokes; he can't catch a break. I understand he's almost always thrown into these situations, and nothing has to do with his incompetence, but let him see more intelligence! Zenigata is the only guy who's ever had a chance to catch Lupin. Let him be a tough dude!




Not just in writing but also in art. These teeth are SOOO part 1. They're mangled and nasty, just how I like them (no, please practice good dental hygiene)



As stupid as this is, Zenigata's expressions here are pretty priceless. This one especially. I'll give them this, they did a good job of what it truly feels to need to take a dump and then that relief afterwards. Christ, I can't believe I'm talking about this.



My god, he's literally gorgeous here



THEY REALLY DREW HIM LIKE A MONKEY HERE LMAOOO



I'm losing it; their expressions are so good. Jigen is trying to hide the pain of his balls getting caved in. I'm freaking out too, because Lupin literally looks like Mori Kogorou with that mustache, or I'm tripping, I usually watch both of these series very late at night, LMAO




They look so Caggy here. I mean Lupin's literally giving his little speech he gave to Clarise in her room. I really like how Jigen and Goemon look here though, this is a cool picture.



PART 1 EPISODE 23!!!! IT'S FORBAITUM THAT


A bit of classical?? I wasn't expecting it, but oddly enough fits the mad anguish Zenigata feels. It definitely keeps things exciting. Also, Lupin and Jigen were jamming; my Jigen likes classical music theory and has been reinforced! For those curious, the song is Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka, Op. by 214 by Johann Strauss!

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

A wealthy man dies and wants to give his entire gun collection to the world's greatest gunman, not the members of the company; angered, a man calls the assistance of Fats, the second-greatest sharpshooter. Meanwhile, Jigen is washing all his hats, but they're suddenly ruined. Leaving Jigen practically defenseless. He knows whoever targeted him is out for his life. It's revealed that Jigen uses the brim of his hat to aim, but he can't shoot a thing without it. Lupin tries to help, but he specifically needs that hat, and it's not an easy find. Jigen's forced into a stand-off against Fats but tries to outsmart him since he can't shoot him. It's a long chase, but he leads Fats to the snowy mountains, which trigger an avalanche. Jigen can still remain on top.

My opinion of this episode is an utter roller coaster. I didn't remember much from this episode when I initially watched it, but I internalized for like FOREVER that Jigen needed his hat to shoot until much later on when he's seen plenty of times, not doing that. Again, I liked to grasp onto any canon I could get my grubby little mitts on, and this was included. Because of that, I really liked this episode initially. And then, as time went on, I heard the opinions of others and also just realized for myself that both before and after this episode, that was never a factor. I realized it was a really stupid idea. So then I didn't like it. I was still looking forward to rewatching this episode, though. Though the premise might have been stupid, I thought as a stand-alone episode, I'd still enjoy it, but nah, it's still pretty lousy. Just kind of boring and only has a couple of fun moments. It would have been better if it wasn't such a defamation of Jigen's character.


So yeah, with that, I feel really bad for Jigen here. Like, I've always loved Jigen (clearly), and a major reason is that he's so freaking cool and hard-boiled. To see him need his hat to shoot just feels like an insult to what he's always worked towards being. According to this episode, he's the world's greatest sharpshooter, and yet he got there by just relying on his hat? Dawg, please, I can't with you 😭. For this being the last Jigen sentric episode of the series, this is insanely disappointing.




What is it with the callbacks? This is the exact same hair he had in the final episode of part 1. I guess they decided that since Jigen was going to be hatless for the whole episode, they needed to cover up his eyes somehow. When, like, no?? Slicked back hair Jigen is always superior, his eyes are not a mystery, I wanna see them. This weird freaking swoop bangs just looks weird. The only time I've been remotely cool with the bangs is in Cagliostro and Voyage into Danger; they're more realistic than this.



One of the only positives in this episode is Goemon having genuine fun. Look at him laughing at Lupin. I literally love this, please let Goemon have fun more often, I beg.



Arsene Jigen??!?



Lupin Zero reference?!?!?



Arrrr?!?!?



As stupid as a lot of this episode is, you knew I wasn't gonna ignore blushing Jigen; how could I? Honestly, this scene gets me. It's funny and cute. I want to see Jigen be more expressive!! Let him get flustered!! And for some reason, I immediately correlated this to the Peanuts Thanksgiving special when Snoopy hands out all the snack food, and Peppermint Patty calls him out, and Snoopy just tries to hide in his hat. For some reason, that scene has always made me laugh, and this scene totally reminds me of that.

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

What a cruel chance of fate. Just when I'm finally back on a role, and we're on the home stretch, I'm going on vacation for 3 days... Well, I'm planning to bring my DVD and Blu-ray player along, so it'll just be a matter of how busy I am. Fingers crossed, I can keep up this daily streak! If not, I still have the rest of Spring Break week :)


Lupin and Fujiko plan to steal an imported truck full of diamonds, all to give it to Fujiko and/or to fund their "love nest." Lupin labels the truck with a "ル." However, Zenigata finds it and plans a counterattack. Lupin and Fujiko wedge a small car under the trailer and tow it out of there. Zenigata and the police chase them to a dead end, so they must escape on foot. Fujiko is caught by Zenigata, but Lupin can't go back and save her. With the assistance of Jigen and Goemon, he's just able to make it out of there. The trailer is now being towed by the police car with Zenigata and Fujiko. He explains to her that Lupin will chase after them, and once he passes over a certain spot, he'll trigger an opening in the bridge, so Lupin will fall into a cage on a boat directly underneath. Lupin and the guys know something's off and decide to go off-road for a bit. It leads them to an old truck that Jigen takes. Goemon gets situated in a boat and goes towards the bridge while Jigen takes the other side of the highway, which hasn't been blocked by police. Lupin follows after Zenigata just as planned but jumps onto the police car. Using the hook from earlier, Lupin sends the whole trailer to the other side of the highway. Using the wrench Jigen threw down for Goemon, the railing gives way and lands right on the truck Jigen is driving. In a panic, Zenigata still triggers the trap door in the bridge, but Lupin's able to get himself and Fujiko out of there while Zenigata's the one being sent to the slammer.

This was a really fun episode. Like the car action is something right out of Cagliostro. I think this was great because they were able to take one of the oldest plots in the book: Lupin steals diamonds for Fujiko and really makes something fun out of it. I don't even know what specifically I can say this had that previous episodes didn't expect, maybe the characters. The scale of this was just so great with the whole highway thing. I do think it's kind of weird that Zenigata thought this was such a sure-fire win. We all know too well that a simple cage on a boat wouldn't restrain Lupin for even a second. You should know better, Zeni! I'm glad he didn't, though, because this episode rocked.


Yeah this was definitely peak of the episode. I'm so happy they were able to incorporate everyone here at some point. No one felt forced into the episode, and I'm always so grateful for that. At first, I thought Jigen and Goemon wouldn't be very relevant, but nope! They initially rescue Lupin and then take the truck and boat to finish off the final part of the heist. And Zenigata was also great here, finally an episode he's an active member in again; I really can't remember the last time that happened. I love how enthusiastic he is here. Honestly, the chemistry between Lupin and Zenigata in this whole episode is fun. They both look like they are so amped up to just rip each other's throats out, and they're both so cocky.


So before I get into it, I found it interesting that this was clearly based on Miyazaki's art style despite him not being involved with this episode at all. My assumption was this was the anniversary of something Lupin-related, but it seems September 8th (when this episode came out) was of no significance. I feel bad for Takeo Kitahara; his designs just got brushed under the rug because Miyazaki's have so much more influence.




Oooh the vibe is so real 🔥This is gonna be me tomorrow!! Except it'll be cold because it's March 😔



Is this a Strange Psycokinetic Connection reference?!?! This is a part of the reason why I thought there was some kind of celebration. This is the helicopter just skirting Lupin's hair, and the license plate on the car says "L-71," like for Lupin 1971. Suppose not, though.



Oh my lord, I don't know how to express why I love this so much



Back to art style things, everyone looks way more Ghibli, except for Goemon in my opinion. He looks a lot more like he's from part 1.





WHO LET THEM COOK?!?!? THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN! Seriously, it's akin to the car scene in Caggy. I couldn't find anything, but I almost assumed they got Kauzhide Tomonaga to do this based on how good it is. I love these little buggy cars; they make for such expressive actions.



Did Miyazaki steal this for My Neighbor Totoro? Seriously, they fall on these diamonds and laugh, almost identical to how Satsuki and Mae fall on the grass; interesting.


Dang, what an absolute shame "Roller Paradise" is such an obscure find. Again, I want to thank Discotek for even enlightening me on what the song was, but I could only find a few YouTube videos, and there was no Spotify for me. The song was made by Akira Kushida, who I just recently found out about. He did the intro song to Space Sheriff Sharivan, so it's super awesome to hear him here, too. I saw him perform live for the Kamen Rider x Super Sentai concert and MAAN he's cool. So, it's awesome I can form yet another connection to Lupin from something else.

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

After hearing the piano performance in The Hall of Music in the Czech Republic, Fujiko becomes enchanted. She wants the guys to steal the piano and bring it to Carnegie Hall. It's not going to be that easy, however. Jovichi's piano is worth millions and is heavily gaurded by a box surrounding it and death beams. Lupin and Jigen disguise themselves as maintenance workers and take the piano apart. They walk out undetected, hiding it in the amplifier panels, and leave a balloon piano in its place. The guys can pass inspection of all vehicles pretending to be a traveling zoo and get it to Carnegie Hall. But this was all a rouse, the police were involved the whole time, but Lupin just had to take one little screw out to shatter the entire thing. Fujiko and Lupin make a quick escape but come out empty-handed.

One of these episodes where they don't really know what to call it so they just say, "uuh the zoo thing was kinda wacky, wasn't it?" That was the daily filler of the episode. Again, I'm not complaining, but I did notice it's out-of-placeness. It was a fun scene, anyway. I thought this episode would go along the lines of episode 79 since it involved classical music so much, but nope, this was all about the heist. I'm a little confused, or maybe I just missed the line about why Fujiko wanted to move the piano. Like it's not like The Hall of Music was closed; she literally saw it in concert. So, what's so special about having it transported to Carnegie Hall? Harmless episode, but nothing great.


Seeing Lupin play as all the animals was fun. Again concerningly convincing at play a gorilla and lion. Gorilla is no surprise because of his monkey nature, but he's not beating the furry allegations still. I still remember when he dressed up as that tiger!! I'm still confused about the canon as far as Jigen's opinion on classical. Yes, it's a 2:1 ratio that he doesn't like classical, but I can still dream. We don't get many personal interests from these guys, so I'll take what I can get. Granted, he only said he doesn't like artists so maybe there's hope he still likes the music itself. I mean, c'mon, classical rocks.




Of all the disguises 💀
Okay, I know that people who run traveling zoos and shows are eccentric, but dang, bro, if that don't look insanely suspicious.


Of course, some new classical pieces! Before even starting the episode, I hoped there was gonna be some stuff from Carnival of Animals, and we got 3! Bit of Mozart at the beginning too, which he is always welcome, love him. We even got an old rokyoku song. The song plays on the radio while Jigen and Lupin play cards, and at the end, Lupin sings in the car with Fujkio. (Also, side note: get Fujiko out of here, saying Lupin can't sing, bro was fire, keep at it, king). The translated title, I believe, is just "Rokyoku Lullaby." I can't find much info on it, but I'd have to assume the song played in the show is around from the 50s-60s. I found the exact version used in the show on Spotify, and I really like it! I swear, I was an old, drunkered Japanese man from the 1950s in my previous life 😭I really don't know any 19-year-old Japanese girl from California bopping out this stuff like I'm at a club... Anyway, it was nice to hear a song like this, and great to here Jigen and Lupin listening to it, yeah definitely canonizing that they like listening to this stuff, because I can!!

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

The guys plan to steal the treasure from underneath Mecca. Princess Patra is on high defense, however. Once the guys sneak under Mecca, they realize that there's a massive oil well underneath and that it is pressurized, so they can't open any locks, and if Goemon attempted to cut it, it'd be a massive mess. While trying to think of ways to access the well, Lupin spills his wine on the table, giving him an idea. They had to the South Pole and access the oil wells down there and heat it up while drilling. With the increased heat and pressure, all the oil in Mecca travels to the South Pole. The guys finally open the vault just to uncover some random old things that become dust in the wind. Little do they realize it was a ploy from the South Pole Oil Company to send it all that way, and Princess Patra is rewarded handsomely. Or, well, Fujiko, as Lupin soon exposes her.

The only thing I remembered from this episode prior was the oil spill, so this felt all new to me. And while this episode isn't anything to write home about, it was still pretty enjoyable. While writing the summary for this episode, I noticed that the whole stint where Lupin gets captured by Princess Patra was basically filler. It didn't really serve much purpose. Arguably, it is how he got the microphone on her veil, but that could have been at literally any time. I won't complain, though; a show's gotta fill its run time somehow. I didn't quite understand how the oil traveled all that way. Like guys, Saudi Arabia is not a hop, skip, and jump to the South Pole. I get oil reserves are big, but that was just kinda confusing. Yeah, I know it's not healthy to question Lupin logic, but it sucks when it's a bit too outlandish to take you out of the experience.


Ok, I gotta give Fujiko credit, this has gotta be one her biggest schemes as far as scale and I appreciate it. She almost got away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling Lupin. I'm not gonna complain that Lupin took the money either, though; it was all his effort that got her that anyway. But this was a smart, elaborate scheme that I wanna give Fujiko credit for. Also, Jigen clutching up again. Guess the skills from last episode have bled into this one with his Lupin rescue mission.

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

The guys are planning to steal all the diamonds at an up and coming exhibit but it'll be a challenge. It's up in a high-rise with extremely thick glass walls and a large police force. With a bit of training, Jigen's ready for this challenge. Lupin sneaks in to place the dot for which Jigen needs to aim, and the challenge starts that night. Goemon runs and leads the guards away from the elevator's only entry and exit. Zenigata's not falling for the trick this time and stays put. Without noticing, Goemon pressed the up button to send the elevator to the top. And while Zenigata thinks it's still safe, Lupin is going to the top since he hid atop the elevator. By this point, Jigen's managed to break through the glass and now has a string connecting him to the interior. Lupin starts sending diamonds that way but not without finally alerting the attention of Zenigata. Lupin rushes back down the elevator, but halfway down, the elevator stops. When Zenigata calls to see what's happening, the city has regular blackouts until morning to reduce energy waste. Lupin's stuck up there until morning. However, Lupin talks with Goemon, who cuts a hole through the glass elevator shaft. Lupin tells him to cut the counterweight and as it comes falling he'll jump through the hole to safety. It's risky, but Lupin pulls it off, and they make off with the whole collection.

This was a pretty fun episode. It wasn't crazy or anything, but I thought there were a lot of good character moments. The elevator actually made for a pretty good obstable that lead to a very creative plan. Certainly wouldn't need to do all of this for a standard bank heist so it's nice that they got a bit more creative with the setting.


Is what I'm about to say one of the stupidest things uttered in the human language? Yes, but why were they so gay-coded here? I know this is like asking why people breath but man I was just really feeling it today. Lupin calling Jigen the best sniper in the world. I don't know why but Lupin prasing Jigen is so cute to me, like I love them. Also Jigen wants a French doll, with a little pink dress?? Omg Jigen, you are really such the little guy. And even that scene with Goemon. Goemon said he'd protect Lupin with his LIFE?? Okay, guys...and then they held hands 🥺... I also really liked seeing them split the diamonds among the three of them so evenly. Like, yeah, you guys are a team. It was just a really nice moment to see that. It really is fair.




Y'all this hand grab, ugh so sweet. Goemon is grabbing his hand with such a firm grip and it's such a tender moment to me.



HE IS SO HAPPY!!! LOOK AT LITTLE BRO!!! ☝️☝️☝️☝️!!!!!!!!!!

Fujiko meets up with a sculptor because he plans to make his final sculpture using her likeness from the world's biggest crystal. She asks for Lupin's assistance in stealing it because the sculptor was paid a hefty load for it. Fujiko stole that money but couldn't get the statue, she wants it back though because she hates the thought of it going on tour for so many men to ogle at her body. The sculpture's on its way to be featured at an exhibit. The train it's being transported on is heavily guarded, but this doesn't deter the guys. They figure out what car the statue is locked in and derail the train to extract the car without anyone knowing. So, while Zenigata thinks this has been a successful escorting job, the crystal statue has been smashed for good.

It's nice to see a good old-fashioned team up again, but that's about it. I feel like this episode really lacked any oomph. The derailing plan we've already seen before involved ice, no less, and there was nothing special to the statue. You'd think there be a bit more of a magical element to the statue, but nah, it's literally just a mermaid Fujiko that is purely a statue. The whole thing just felt like very, very, very, very, very tired story beats.


As I said, a classic team-up is always appreciated. It just sucks that there wasn't a lot of substance to keep this afloat because there was some good charisma today. And hey, as sleazy as Lupin can be, I do appreciate he and the other guys understood why Fujiko wanted to steal the statue.




Silly billy! Goemon was so proud of himself for this. Good job little bro

Anime Relations: Lupin III: Part II

After a failed bank robbery, Lupin finds out that every bank is running dry, thanks to Fujiko counting all her bets on one kid who's an excellent calculator. Lupin's mad because not only is he diminishing theft as an art form but just mere calculations, but also because Fujiko is head over heels for him. Lupin challenges Romonov to see who can get the most money. And it's impossible to verify the amount they both collected. Fujiko decides to give them another challenge to collect the biggest diamond within 24 hours. Meanwhile, Fujiko speaks with a CIA agent about Romonov. The KGB is after him for escaping the USSR and supporting America while also stealing the pills that are turning him into a genius. Romonov steals a diamond, followed by Lupin right after. Lupin intentionally chooses the smaller one since he's figured out the detrimental side effect of the pills, it makes the user age 10 years faster. The guys fight off the KGB and get the kid to safety.

Yeah, I found this episode pretty boring. It's some serious whiplash to go from 145 to 146. Animation and story quality just plumit. And that's not to say this episode is even bad, it's just really boring in comparison.


Romonov is ok, the technical types are definitely not my thing, I'm with Lupin on that one. Which I do appreciate that Lupin is such a stickler for appreciating the arts. Getting into a petty competition is certainly in character, I just wish that Romonov had more to offer. To me it almost seems like they thought "eeh let's just make diet Mamo," and went with that for Romonov's character. Yeah getting hunted down by the KGB certainly isn't a good thing, but I didn't really feel anything for his situation. It was a very passive viewing experience.




Heeey, a part 1 reference! Surprisingly, not many of those in part 2 that I've at least seen.





My goodness this little "Hi, Lupin!" "Hi, Fujiko" "Hi, Pops!" "Hi, Lupin!" It's so cute. It's these moments that keep me going.