| @inim @whiteflame55 @filifjonkan @RandomFriday @Antalk @jdvz @JokerVentura @KainiusTheGreat @ruckes @kekekeKaj @OrlahEhontas @cipheron @botnetMAL Thread for Lupin 3rd: Part 5 starting Sunday 10th March.  |
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| Excited to see it, thanks for setting this up @23feanor |
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| Episode 1 We get a crash course on Lupin through his previous series with some choice entries. The OP is pretty awesome in the animation department, which features a number of really cool scenes, including some excellent perving on Fujiko from orbit. That being said, the music is only so-so, trying to evoke a bit of that French flair, but somewhat lacking in the bombast department. The animation of the series isn’t terribly distinct from Part IV, which is fine because the animation in that series was great. Lupin and Jigen receive some drugs in the mail, like you do, having purchased them online. They’re the mark this time, with the aim being to steal digital currency – quite a modern choice. They have to steal the key to this cloud vault (nicknamed the Marco Polo payment system) from a resident living far under the ocean. This stuff never comes easy, but it turns out they’re using the ocean waters to keep the servers cool – a nice way to use the setting purposefully. I do love the gadgets in these series, including a yellow-lensed monocle that allows them to get past early security. The two of them dive past lasers and birds to fall in between the blades of a turbine, Lupin barely managing to survive. The goal is to convince a hacker who lives here to work with them. Said hacker ends up being a girl named Ami. He pretends that he’s her father, but quickly fails. She pulls a gun out of her underwear, starts shooting, and then uses security to hunt him down. He tries to talk her down, telling her that he is a prophet before demonstrating that he took a bullet out of her gun and offering to steal something for her in return for her help. And what she wants is his help getting out of there. Just when things are looking grim with security, Goemon shows up to wipe them out. We shift to a yacht where a tech bro is being seduced by girls in a bikini. And we then shift to multiple other users who are all watching their online balances change rapidly. She’s working while they escape, and she works fast. Turns out, she initially chose to come to that place, but was then required to stay. Looks like they’ve created a number of enemies from this one, wouldn’t be surprised if some of them show up in future episodes. Ami seems like quite the airhead when it comes to anything other than hacking, as she even forgets to eat. Zenigata arrives because of course, nearly capturing the team, though their decoys allow them to slip away. They’re quickly tracked down again, this time by someone unknown (presumably one of the jilted parties from earlier using the police as an intermediary to exact some revenge), before evading their tail once again… or so it seems. There’s now a whole game set up that anyone who sees him has to take a picture of Lupin, which sets his number of pursuers very high indeed – not sure how they got the message out to so many people and have so much buy-in. In the mix is Fujiko as well. Should be quite the challenge to evade all these people. Risque ED with some nude shots of Fujiko and an "Adieu" scrawled on a pillow in lipstick. I’m fond of the song here, very lounge singer-esque, like what we saw with Part IV. |
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| Episode 1. I watched a few of the older Lupin films over xmas and they always deliver a fun watch, great antics, some fun chases, Fujiko usually getting topless, a lost treasure, international travel. Watching this first episode reminded me what an amazing job these modern remakes have done. They look so clean whilst still retaining the charm of the franchise and the characters. So we begin with Lupin going after crypto currency and people making money selling drugs online (my mates brother used to order heroin from Afghanistan on the dark web and get it delivered to his mums house, and it even had a return address to Helmand province on the back, i mean wtf, how did it ever get through customs) which is a nice modern update. Loved the breakfast dish Lupin and Jigen ordered at the cafe, looked scrumptious and I love the attention to detail the show puts into the cultural references, like French wine here but in the 2015 show we have Italian wine and food. They locate an underwater base where a girl Ami is in charge of security, not sure whether she's there voluntarily or a prisoner of circumstance, or just too lazy to leave, but Lupin gives her the chance to leave and takes her away. Lupin has Ami transfer the crypto currency to him, which throws a few peoples noses out of joint, including that bruh on a yacht with his bimbos who all lose their crypto balances. This starts a hunt for Lupin which ingeniously uses modern technology and social media in the form of a game 'hunt the international thief Lupin', which encourages players to snap a pic of Lupin if they spot him irl. Very clever. Wonder how Lupin will react to this development. Lupin is one of those franchises that the more I watch the more I enjoy it. And yeah good ED, although the song isn't quite as good as the previous one from Part 4. |
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| Yeah, this show is consistently a joy across parts and variations. Someday I’ll go back and watch some of the more classic seasons. Episode 2 Best boy Zenigata’s back on the Lupin chase with the rest. They make a getaway in a special kind of plane that doesn’t need a runway, but find themselves trapped by a lack of electricity until Goemon literally severs the building (dude’s badass) and they pipe electricity from their stolen car into the plane. A hotel room and some hotpot later, they’re safely ensconced. Turns out the internet is calling Jigen and Lupin a power couple. I’m sure some people ship that – not a bad pairing. So, how does Lupin deal with his newfound fame? Posting selfies actively taking pictures with others, of course! He’s on a fancy cruise to Bwanda, which is outside of Zenigata’s jurisdiction. He’s basically just trolling Zenigata at this point and I love it. He rightly thinks that when he’s giving away his own location, the game isn’t as interesting. Trouble is, there’s a person at the top of the rankings nicknamed “Drone Fighter,” a little drone piloted to keep track of him. Ami eventually decides she has had enough and walks away only to be accosted by some random guys on the street. Lupin easily dispatches them. Turns out she’s being tracked through an implant and mainly just doesn’t want to keep causing them trouble. Meanwhile, the game has changed. Hitmen are after them. There’s quite the assortment, too – looks like their enemies hired everyone from a place called Union (all known names to Jigen, Goemon and Lupin), and there’s a bet based on when and how their targets will die. This season’s moving very fast! |
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| Picking up my new car today. Been a while since my test and haven't driven since, plus still just getting over my cold. Got to drive my mum back to her house an hour away and then back so tad bit apprehensive. Episode 2. Zenigata is back on cue and with loads of help from the public and the spot Lupin game he's hot on his heels. Same great OST as part 4 with smooth jazz sound. Just love it, Goemon slits open the hangar roof and Lupin connects the electric car to the plane to use as a power source and the crew makes their getaway. Lupin and Jigen hey, that's a funny twist and nod to all the fujoshi's out there. Lupin realises it's pointless to try and hide so embraces his newfound fame and openly declares his location. Reversal from part 4 where he said he couldn't appear in Rebecca's film as he didn't want the whole world knowing his face as it would make his job as a master thief harder. Lupin and co travel to Bwanda where Zenigata doesn't have authority to arrest them (hasn't stopped him before) and Ami wanders off as she's had a tracker implanted. The underground organisation Marco Polo has put a hit out on Lupin, Ami and co and a bunch of colourful assassins enter the fray. Watching the ED makes me think how I'd love to see a really tasteful hentai involving Fujiko, something like Master Piece the Animation but done in an artistic manner, not just lewd fan service. |
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| I guess it’s true that there have been a couple of changes from previous iterations. At least with regards to Lupin revealing his face, whereas he wanted to stay out of the limelight with Rebecca, I can chalk that up to him already knowing the cat was out of the bag and just leaning into it. Zenigata not pursuing him to Bwanda is hard to explain, though. Maybe it’s uniquely dangerous for him to go there in pursuit of Lupin? And yeah, I think a tasteful hentai involving Fujiko would be great as long as they capture the character (and not just the body) well in the process. Closest we got was A Woman Called Fujiko Mine, but a man can dream, though. Episode 3 Lupin still seems crazy confident despite the odds, which is his MO. He heads to a giant warehouse with Ami, pursued all the way. It does get them out of the drone’s line of sight and Ami starts to download or upload something – love the little graphic at the bottom that shows her progress. Turns out it’s being used to control all the devices in the warehouse, which affords them a lot of options to deal with their pursuers before high-tailing it out of there in a partially-built car. Ami gets shot in the process. Jigen and Goemon also escape and reach them. Well, Zenigata isn’t letting it stop him any longer. He takes “a vacation” in the same way Inspector Lunge took a vacation for the entire latter half of Monster. It’ll be good to see him back in the mix. Turns out, Ami was abducted by a child pornography ring at 6 because we might as well go as dark as possible with her backstory. She began coding for her captors, which eventually led to her making the Marco Polo system. After regrouping, it’s time for Lupin and the gang to fight back. They call out all their pursuers to a desert terrain. Even Fujiko takes the bait. There’s even a ranking system in place for all the assassins. Their plan is to use the betting ring against the assassins, since some of the players want him to die on this specific day, and some just want him captured so he can die on a different day. He also turns them against one another, as bets are made on killing the assassins themselves by outing the betters (well… more like bluffing about who the betters are). Only the Rat Clan seems to have a handle on how to deal with him – even the dude with the invisible gun goes down easy. It’s cool to watch some of these fights, particularly to see how the dude with the fishing rod fights and then loses his hands to Goemon. Seriously, this series is starting out with some gruesome moments given all the deaths and maiming, though there’s a surprising lack of blood. While they wait, Lupin and Ami discuss women and she brings up Fujiko. Good that he’s not willing to sleep with a minor. Seems Lupin has had a falling out with Fujiko. Lupin faces down with the head of the Rat Clan (also top of the rankings), who is now after Lupin for revenge. We get a stand-off where Lupin uses a shoe gun to take out his opponent (love that spy tech), ending the fight in unfair fashion, only to have Fujiko parachute in. They talk about a wedding day from the past before she holds him at gunpoint. |
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| Episode 3. Noticed the cafe Zenigata was sitting in was called Daijoubu, same as the salon in Scissor Seven. As you said, another dark story line for one of the side characters. In part 4 there was a sex slave ring iirc. The murky world Lupin inhabits isn't a sanitised one, which I appreciate, he is a womanising thief after all. Apparently in the manga Lupin sleeps with just about every woman he teams up with, including Fujiko on multiple occasions, but the anime decided to keep the sex out of the show. As you say, lucky Lupin has some morals as Ami seems interested in some hanky panky (not sure exactly how old she is but she's under 18), although the way she says "I'm interested in having sex" in such an emotionless manner comes off as really creepy. Lupin plays the bounty hunters off against each other until they'll all taken out. And the Fujiko makes an appearance, after being mentioned by Ami only moments earlier. Is it me or have Fujiko's breasts gotten bigger sine part 4? We hear something about Lupin stealing Fujiko on her wedding day and sounds like she's out to claim the bounty on Lupin's life herself after a 4 year absence. Knowing Fujiko and Lupin there's some angle here, will have to wait until next ep to find out what happens next. |
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| Wow, I did not notice that at all. Nice catch on the name of the cafe - wonder if that was a reference or just a coincidence. Either way, I love it. And yes, I think you're right about the boom in Fujiko's bust, though that has seemed malleable depending on the series. Episode 4 Just as Fujiko appears ready to fire on him, Zenigata drives in and gets in the way. Love the hairpiece bomb. Zenigata cannot arrest him here, but he's rescuing Lupin to take him across the border. Meanwhile, Jigen and Goemon confront Fujiko. The Bwandan military in a helicopter itself goes after Zenigata and Lupin. We get a pretty funny shot of a low tech-looking local goatherd taking a picture of them with a nice smartphone as they flee the wreckage of their car. Turns out, all that attention has also put a target on his head via his superiors. We spend a good deal of this episode pitting Zenigata's practical camping knowledge against Ami's tech, a race she spends most of the time easily winning, though a walk through the desert doesn't favor a lack of experience. Eventually, they encounter water in the desert, surviving the trek. Ami ships Zenigata and Lupin. Good taste. The two do have a complicated relationship. Even now, Zenigata may want him jailed, but his main goal is to keep Lupin safe from all these assassins. Attacked by another helicopter, this time one equipped with missiles, nearly ends them before an ingenious use of a net and windmill brings it down, leaving Ami laughing about her survival. She's been so dour, it's nice to see something gets a rise out of her, even if it's a near-death experience. They make it to the border only to encounter a sniper. Once again, Zenigata saves his life, lighting a fire and using the smoke to cover for him, but this appears ineffective. It's suddenly blown away, and a sniper bullet pierces his head, splattering the drone. So, my theory: Drone Fighter has been on their side the whole time, used to get very specific shots of him in order to paint a certain picture for just this moment. The guy shooting at him was Jigen (in the ghillie suit) and they set this up to fake his death to finally shake all these assassins off of him. I'm guessing that was the plan when Fujiko parachuted in initially, but that got foiled by Zenigata. |
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| Episode 5. Zenigata swoops in and saved Lupin from Fujiko, who according to Lupin is no longer his bosom buddy and off/on again lover, but now simply rivals. Sheepherder taking a pic in the middle of the random bush was whack, but all too true. Was watching some documentary the other week and there was this remote village with no water and mud huts, but everyone had a phone. Remember seeing the same thing on eps of the Grand Tour where they end in the middle of butt fuck nowhere and people still have phones. One question, how does Ami still have battery, maybe solar charging device or app? Watching Zenigata's reaction to being shipped with Lupin by Ami was funny. The guy does have an unhealthy obsession with Lupin. Also liked the low tech way they brought down the helicopter. So was Jigen drone sniper the whole time, or Jigen doing the sniping and Goemon flying the drone? Maybe Fujiko was doing the drone flying to begin with, or it was all set up by Ami, although she seemed upset when Lupin gets shot. As much as kids are great, I spent this whole episode with an audio issue. I thought it was the version I was streaming on the seas so tried a few sites. I still haven't shaken the cold so thought it was my ears. Turned out Aria had done 'something' to my headphones and I had to reset them (edit finally figured it out hours later, she'd turned off spatial sounds so everything sounded tinny and only the treble sounds were coming through). Kids and technology are the worst combination, Aria has done things to my laptop that I didn't even knew were possible, like a constantly rotating screen. On her tablet she already knows how to skip the OP of any shows she's watching. |
23feanorMar 14, 4:29 AM
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| Amazing what kids are capable of with technology these days. I guess that's what happens when you grow up with this stuff. Episode 5 So Lupin’s finally out of the news – no surprise, since he’s “dead.” Even his name seems to have vanished from pop culture, and Zenigata’s been reassigned to narcotics. He’s taking care of Ami, believing Lupin is still alive. Not sure what she thinks, though Goemon arrives with a note for her and Jigen appears on the scene elsewhere. Marco Polo also comes back online, with many of those jilted users regaining their lost winnings before Ami offers to help them with the program. They end up trapping her in a room filling with water, demanding a look into what Lupin was hiding. She refuses, instead telling them how she loved the experience with Lupin, apparently accepting that she will drown. Just as the water level goes over her head, all the users identities are doxed and their bounties are posted. All three are immediately targeted as Jigen and Goemon track two of them down and capture them. Ami, despite being underwater, seems entirely calm and able to talk, offering to get their names off the website. But, as one of them goes to release her, he finds himself face to face with a living Lupin. The trap was actually sprung, but they found a way to drain the room and put an AR filter over the camera, making it look like the room was still filled with water. Lupin survived because the drone – which, as we guessed, belonged to Lupin – was using a similar AR filter. And yeah, Zenigata did mess with their plans a bit, but they made it work. So now it’s a stand-off with Lupin, one that, of course, is immediately interrupted by Zenigata. Dude never gets fully shaken off his trail – I think he’d physically follow him to the grave and interrogate his corpse if Lupin actually died. Admittedly, he didn’t have the AR to conceal it, so he did know better. He arrives just in time to serve as a good threat for the crook, who is pushed to reveal his schemes of selling drugs online. Lupin and Ami run off while Zenigata’s busy interrogating him. Fujiko makes a mess of money as the person behind “Drone Fighter” and has a coy conversation with Lupin that makes it clear they’re not fully over. Lupin, Goemon and Jigen return to their previous life hiding out as old men with Ami at a boarding school, excited for a new adventure. She asks why Lupin keeps stealing despite being independently wealthy now, but already knows the answer: that he loves the thrill, as she did. Next up: Spain. |
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| I've had rather a nervous few days getting used to the new car. Best way to get used to it is to drive, so I've been taking Em into work in the mornings during rush hour and it's times like these I'm rather envious of your broad straight roads in the US. Southampton is an old medieval city, with a mix of big and very small narrow winding roads, and it takes a lot of concentration. Episode 5. Sound is back to normal today, hurrah. So Lupin's 5 minutes of fame have passed and he's been forgotten. I do appreciate how these later versions of Lupin have embraced modern tech and culture into the stories. Ami is staying with Zenigata and gets a message from Goemon then goes back onto the Marco Polo site, which is back up and running, in order to draw out the main operatives I'm guessing and offers to meet up irl, bit dangerous. Ami is lured into a trap, but turns the tables on main Marco Polo operatives, but not before she elaborates on what a thrilling experience it was going out into the real world with Lupin. Not the main 3 Marco Polo stake holders have been outed with bounties placed on their heads using their real names. Well played Ami. Love how Lupin calls the guy a 'bond villain wannabe'. So Lupin and co were behind the drone the whole time. A set up from the beginning. Zenigata appears with his customary bad timing and apprehends Gray and Ami and Lupin escape. Zenigata knew the whole time Lupin wasn't dead. So Fujiko was working with Lupin and the spat was a put on act. The whole relationship between the two of them is so engrossing. You really believe they both have feelings for each other, and trust each other, but each chose their own paths and opportunities, often involving other partners, like Rebecca last season, but that doesn't diminish the feelings they have for each other. That's a very hard balance to get right, especially over so many entries in a franchise, but these modern entries manage it with precision. Ami is off to boarding school and our first arc is complete. Love the Citreon 2CV Lupin is driving, very chic (I've got a Citreon) and authentic French, and the cheese fondue. I haven't had a cheese fondue in years, so tasty and easy, just melted cheese in a pot, dash of white wine and cut up baguette and sausages, plus veggies if you want to be healthy. Off to Spain next. The more Lupin I watch, the more it grows on me. |
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| Entirely agreed on the Fujiko x Lupin relationship. For a relationship that started with Lupin perving on her and them having some witty banter and one-upmanship, it's really come into its own over the years. They've both matured in their own ways, and it leads to conversations like the one they had over the phone in the previous episode, where so little is said but there's so much to read in the gestures and tones of the characters. It's become one of my favorite relationships, partially because it can't be reduced to just another romance. Episode 6 We meet a pair of young brothers who are clearly on hard times financially and apparently educationally. An exhausted Lupin runs by them with Zenigata in hot pursuit, and the boys the decide to use him to save their stuff. They invent a "safe" (it's more of a monstrosity than anything), which measures the brain power of someone trying to access it. They say they have 0 brain power to Lupin's 300 (I mean... they did make this thing, so they can't be that low), but they claim they will beat Lupin despite that, since the safe will only open for someone with 0 brain power, which the older brother at least does have. Back at their hideout, Lupin is cajoled into action by Jigen, Fujiko and Goemon after some verbal sparring and light extortion. He discovers a way to blank out his mind entirely, but doing so only gets his brain power down to 35. Zenigata’s still there to arrest him, as you’d expect, but a fake bomb offers a quick getaway. The older brother also seems to want to help him for some reason. He knows he can be dumb enough to do it. Returning empty-handed, they scheme how to bring down Lupin’s intelligence, first by having Fujiko turn him on (she rejects that idea), then by banging him on the head repeatedly (which they all take to with gusto). So begins a ridiculous series of measures taken that successfully reduce his intellect. Poor guy is absolutely bedraggled when they drag him to the safe, but he can only get down to a score of 1. Close, but no cigar. So, he tries a new approach: raising his intelligence by eating fish. Fujiko seems hyped, but it’s initially unclear how this will help. For some reason, going over 300 just resets it down to 0. The safe is opened, but Lupin gets nothing as Zenigata runs them off. The brothers are initially dispirited, but gain a lot of attention from the experience, marketing canned fish now. We end on a classic Lupin x Fujiko moment as he jumps out of his clothes at the promise of a naked Fujiko only to get hit with a 10-ton hammer. Girl’s strong. Their relationship is a series of extremes and that’s part of the beauty of it. |
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| Can't remember whether I've mentioned it before but have you seen Last Kingdom on Netflix, it started out on the BBC and moved over to Netflix a few years ago. We're finishing up the last season (5) and it's truly amazing. I know you liked Vinland Saga a lot and would rate Last Kingdom as highly as Vinland Saga. It's set in the same time period as Vinland Saga, well a century before so feels very similar and the writing is so good (novels were written by Bernard Cornwell who also wrote the Sharpe series set in Napoleonic times) as is the visuals which were so well brought to life by the production crews. Episode 6. This was a complete change of pace from the opening arc, didn't even feel like it was set in Spain, but just some city somewhere in Asia. This type of ep is also parts of it's strength, it turns the looney tunes level of wacky comedy up to eleven and comes up with a silly plot where a bank manager openly allows Lupin to come in and try and open the safe, on multiple occasions. The machine for the safe, with all its chugging and smoke plumes was like some invention from the world of Dr Seuss, and an aesthetic I love. We get an Kaori-esque 10 ton hammer smash from Fujiko at the end also, although I don't know whether City Hunter took the idea from Lupin or vice versa, although Looney Tunes probably did it before them both. |
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| I’ll have to check that out. Haven’t heard much about Last Kingdom, but the comparison to Vinland Saga has me intrigued. It might be a while, but I’ll let you know when I get to it – I do mean to slow down on anime sometime next year so I can do a bit of catching up on other TV series and manga. Episode 7 Yeah, the tonal shift was definitely jarring between the last two… and we’re starting with a funeral. Kidding aside, I think this series has always managed a strange balancing act between serious content and humor quite well. In any other series, I’d call this jarring, but this is Lupin and if you’re not on board for this, you haven’t been watching long. I love Looney Tunes meets Dr. Suess with some horny thrown in, it’s a nice way to take a break from the darker tone of the previous arc. But back to the dour. The funeral includes a young man in glasses who shows up several times during the episode, apparently manipulating Lupin as he works with clockwork of various sorts. He’s the director of some unknown intelligence agency. Lupin meets with an expert forger named Gaston who has gotten on in years, someone with whom he has a lot of prior history, to steal from a Mr. B, giving him Napoleon’s Bible, a forgery of a journal done by the man himself. Unclear why he wants it. Meanwhile, Mr. B is canoodling with Fujiko… who is actually Lupin in disguise, acquiring his fingerprints and retina scans surreptitiously before skedaddling to a hidden chamber with Jigen to use them. There, they find a “Picasso,” one drafted by Gaston’s granddaughter with a forged Picasso signature that made it seem authentic to authorities. Lupin suspects it is a real Picasso. It does seem odd that the design looks so much like other Picassos, and stranger still that authorities would accept it based on signature alone. They go to see a black market appraiser who tells them Gaston sold this work to Mr. B himself with the goal of having it hidden away forever… except Lupin just lifted it. Unclear what the endgame is here. We get some great music as a chase scene takes place, love to listen to those jazzy tunes. Lupin decides to short circuit this and calls their boss at the DGSE, offering a trade. Some light banter later, Lupin (actually Jigen in disguise) engineers a daring escape while the boss makes off with the painting… only to open up the picture and reveal something taped underneath. The real Lupin confronts him at gunpoint. Inside is a ledger containing details of various misdeeds and crimes covered up by French police. Now to find out how Gaston fits into all this. They track him down… right to his grave. He died a month ago, meaning whoever Lupin spoke to a few days back, it wasn’t him. They find a message on the book: Albert. |
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| Not sure if you've seen the Vikings tv series, but that is also a similar show but more action orientated and I'd score an 8/10. Last Kingdom and Vinland Saga are both solid 9/10 shows and there's plenty of characters as well written as Askeladd in Last Kingdom. Plus, it has a complete adaption with 5 seasons and a final film, starting off with Uhtred when he's young and ending many decades later. It is a time commitment as each season has between 8-10 eps with most eps being about 60 mins in length. Last Kingdom has the same mix of politics, military, history, daily life, personal drama and action you find in Vinland Saga (there's more light hearted moments in Last Kingdom with a core bunch of comrades fighting beside Uhtred, who are a lively bunch, whereas Vinland Saga is pretty bleak and harsh), and it's live action, splendidly realised on screen. Episode 7. On the tone of Lupin, I was thinking this same thing about City Hunter yday, a balance between humour, horny antics and serious content with looney tunes thrown into the mix in the form of Kaori's 100 ton hammer. Same with Gintama, but that has a much higher content of comedy. It's a mix that when done well ends up with some truly memorable franchises, that all seem to do well given the longevity of Lupin, City Hunter and Gintama. Ok, so looks like we're back, or still in France and Lupin has been asked to steal an item from Mr B for an old friend, Gaston, and given a replica bible from Napoleon for his troubles. Not sure how Lupin passes for a mostly undressed Fujiko. Lupin and Jigen infiltrate Mr B's hidden artwork inventory and collect a supposed fake Piccaso, drawn by Gaston's granddaughter with a forged signature laid on top by Gaston. The French intelligence, DGSE (didn't know their name before this), get involved and a man named Albert muses on what this means. As you pointed out, he was also at the funeral. Guessing he's another Lupin type, someone who steals and plans and tricks, sometimes simply for amusement and the thrill. The plot thickens and Lupin learns that Gaston asked his art dealer friend to purposefully sell the fake/maybe not fake Picasso to Mr B, essentially hiding the painting in his collection. Lupin tricks the head of the DGSE into revealing why they want the Picasso, a notebook hidden behind the painting with details of coverups kept secret by the French police and higher ups. Lupin decides to go back and meet up with Gaston to find out why he's involved with this notebook, and why he wanted it back. Only to discover Gaston was already dead, so guessing it was Albert in disguise that he met. But why did Albert give him the Napoleon bible? Questions and riddles. So it sounds like Lupin knows who Albert is! |
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| Definitely heard of Vikings, haven’t picked it up yet. I’m an easy mark for historical fiction series in any medium, so it’s been on my list. I don’t even mind longish episodes. On a somewhat related note, I've been enjoying Shogun. Beautifully shot and full of little touches I just love. Episode 8 A man claiming to be Gaston’s former friend shows up. This ends up being a legendary retired investigator with a photographic memory named Carmille. “Gaston” calls the bar in which they are talking, and Lupin surmises that this is likely Albert, which the show almost immediately confirms. So it’s become a race between French Intelligence under Albert and the DGSE to track down Lupin (or, in the former case, have Lupin come to him). And that race starts with a bang, literally (love the whistling music in this part). DGSE agents fire missiles and machine guns at them. I don’t really get why they’re willing to destroy the black notebook along with Lupin, but I guess they’re desperate. Goemon gets called into action as well in a goofy scene where he can’t figure out how to answer his newly acquired smartphone with wet hands after sitting under a waterfall. We get quite the cast of characters going after Lupin, Jigen and Carmille, including a Carmen Sandiego-looking blonde with a creepy mask who ends up in a mutually devastating shootout with Carmille that soon results in his death. Turns out, the black notebook is a replica made by Gaston with Carmille’s memory of the original with the aim of eventually making it public, but its existence became known and it was hunted down. Now Lupin wants to use it against Albert, who is apparently the last person Lupin ever wants to see. That’s saying quite a bit considering his track record. So Lupin and Jigen head into an obvious trap. Lupin disguises himself rather expertly as a young woman (he did do Fujiko pretty perfectly) to do some sleuthing, leaving Jigen behind. Goemon manages to show up despite his earlier phone snafu. Lupin finds his way to Albert, disguising himself as his assistant, and arranges a meeting with him. Albert tries to take the notebook by force, shockingly shooting Lupin in the gut rather quickly. Turns out, while acting as his assistant, Lupin swapped out his gun for one with blanks, but Albert turned the tables on him and swapped back. Albert takes the notebook from a now helpless Lupin whom Albert wishes to see his moment of triumph (very Bond villainesque). Even Lupin’s backup tactic, a bomb strapped to Albert’s car, fails as the other man threw it in the river. Albert really had his number in this exchange, real strong antagonist material. |
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| I finished the 2nd season of He-Man last night and have revised my opinion, it may be worth checking out. It's clearly written for the audience of kids who watched it when they were young and have now grown up, points like the smutty jokes made by Evil Lynn and He-Man and Teela finally getting it on, pure fan service for a generation that never thought they'd see such scenes from He-Man. Plus it's short (season one has 10 eps split into two parts and s2 has 5 eps x 25 mins) and impactful, no filler or bumph, and some cool action and transformation sequences. Also stellar dub cast. Seeing He-Man and Teela in the final transformation sequence with epic OST and end with a kiss was a damn cool moment. It even has references to the 1987 movie which I vividly remember watching at age 10 with a bag of saveloy & chips (like fish n chips, not crisps, which you call chips) in my lap. Episode 7. Another little thing I love about these modern Lupin is the attention to detail for the food, the little platters of food, we had saucisson slices in the ep yday (my all time favourite cured sausage, got some in the fridge) and today we have sliced ham and cheese, exactly the sort of thing we used to eat in France. Italy was the same in Part 4. Small details but combined with everything else they make a big difference. Lupin meets up with Gaston's drinking buddy, Camille (I thought this was a female name, I know a French girl called Camille, nice name) Bardot, who is a retired investigator with a photographic memory. Then fake Gaston (Albert) calls. The DGSE are on Lupin's tracks, led by a former cop who went undercover too long and turned rotten, Jose. Wonder who Albert is working for, or is he an independent actor like Lupin? Watching Goemon struggle unlocking a phone is funny. It's one of those moments that happens to us all, when you have slightly damp fingers and can't answer a call no matter how much you wipe your hands, bloody annoying. We then get a cool shootout with a guy in a mask (maybe a woman? have heard of Carmen Sandiago, maybe Jose?) accompanied by some wild jazz. Then we get the history of black notebook and how it was made by Gaston and Camille and why the head of the DGSE are after it. Lupin and Jigen head back to Paris to confront Albert and Jigen observes how Lupin seems off his game and hot headed, clearly Albert rattles him. Ok, so from some gossip it seems Albert is the young director of the French National Police or maybe the Gendarmerie (like your homeland security dept fused with FBI powers iirc), which means he's a bigwig and likely wants the notebook as leverage over his superiors just like the DGSE boss. We saw Albert in bed with a guy, Tikky, and Lupin remarks that Albert's taste in men has always been poor, so I wonder whether he came onto Lupin, or he and Lupin had some sort of indiscretion when they were younger and that's why Lupin is so rattled by him. Lupin actually disguises himself as the boyfriend, Tikky, and sets up a meeting with Albert, which goes all wrong as Albert second guesses all Lupin's moves before he even makes them and ends up shooting Lupin and retrieving the notebook. Appears we've been introduced to the antagonist for this series and he comes off as pretty devious, same as Lupin. |
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| Have to add that one in as well, then! I never got into He-Man, but I can definitely see the appeal. Doesn't help that it was a little before my time growing up. Episode 9 So one thing I didn't really think about from the last episode was that Lupin tried to kill Albert in absolutely brutal fashion. That car bomb would definitely have killed him. I can't recall Lupin ever getting that desperate. Anyway, Goemon and Jigen arrive to save him, Albert letting them go before he's assaulted by a young woman with short hair, a number of piercings (including huge spikes in her arms and legs), and some killer speed and pointy teeth (that can apparently bite through metal - who is she, Jaws?!) and fingernails. A brief scuffle results in her and a pair of compatriots (eyepatch and Jose) making off with the book. Albert escapes into the water. Seems there are a lot of power players in this mix - usually love when there are multiple parties involved. We shift to an entirely different scene: a bank heist, with Lupin making off with lots of cash. This is from his past, and it looks like Albert stole the cash first, replacing the bills with fakes. He goes to meet with a younger Gaston. We get a bit more of their history later, and it turns out Albert abandoned Lupin with grander aims of taking over France. More looks into their past show that Lupin was a lot more willing to put his life on the line for a good score than Albert was. We break off as Lupin wakes up with Jigen and Goemon. Love that when he apologizes to the two of them, they both say that it'll make them break out in hives given how absurd it is coming from Lupin. This series really sells how close these guys are. We get a bit of an odd moment later where Goemon correctly informs Lupin and Jigen that their quote is from Sun Tzu before acting embarrassed - I don't recall Goemon being reserved about this kind of stuff in the past, so I don't know where that reaction is coming from. We shift to a different team dynamic with the other group. No comraderie here - everyone is sitting separately and they barely interact. Turns out, Carmen Sandiego (nicknamed Revenant) barely survived being shot by Camille, and his/her reward for failure is to get a strong electric shock via the metal arm on Jose. Definitely not friends. They were hired by Guillaume, but now refuse to give him the book, working instead with a mysterious benefactor. This is Calvess, a man running on fear of terrorism to be elevated to president - sounds familiar. Meanwhile, Albert is the boss of his operation and is getting frustrated due to a lack of info. Doesn't help that there's a terrorist group to worry about, this being Cry for Truth, a group DGSE is supposed to be monitoring. Jose is actually performing these terrorist acts and blaming it on a bigger group to get his man elected. Some masked gunmen arrive and try to merc Lupin and gang before getting blown up. They are attacked by Jose's gang, barely fending them off. Albert suits up for vigilante action, ready to take the efforts to stop them into his own hands, only to see that Lupin beat him to the punch. Seems their interests do align for now, though, so Albert gets to interrogate Guillaume, which he takes to with gusto. |
whiteflame55Mar 18, 7:58 PM
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| Episode 9. Ditto, Lupin often has those guns that go pop with a flag coming out the end, using a car bomb was unusually brutal for him. So the book gets pinched by a new group working under Jose (the former uncover cop turned crook) which includes mask person. We hear from Lupin that Albert abandoned him, although it just seems like Albert wanted to do something different 'steal France' he says, which doesn't seem overly cruel. Guessing there's more. Funny to hear the same response from Jigen and Goemon when Lupin apologises 'you'll bring me out in hives'. Now Jose has the notebook he reveals to Guillaume that he has a new benefactor, none other than the right wing presidential candidate running on an anti immigration policy, different country same shit. They use the notebook as leverage to carry out a number of high profile attacks that the DGSE can't stop for fear the contents of the notebook will be revealed. Jose and his terrorist group, Cry for Truth, go after Lupin and co, which Lupin guesses they do to silence anyone who knows too much about the notebook. Albert decides to take matters into his own hands and interrogate Guillaume, only to discover Lupin has beat him to it. So for now there's a truce between them. |
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| Episode 10 Jose gets outed in the interrogation along with his location, so Lupin and Albert head out together. They banter quite a bit and we learn about some crazy bits of history they have together, including a jaguar man! They don’t have that closeness we saw between Lupin and Goemon/Jigen, but you can see some spark there, even if their styles clash. Watching. They get chased by DGSE goons and with some assistance from Goemon/Jigen, make it out just to face down Jose’s goons. There are little touches in this series that I really enjoy - they use the trope of a person sneezing when you talk about them to result in Jigen missing a crucial shot. This series is pretty brutal. Revenant just straight up kills one of their goons at point blank range, Goemon stabs a car and a fountain of blood spills out of the hole and later bisects the piercings girl. Another small touch I loved: you can see Goemon roll over something shining in the grass that disappears as he goes over it, so you can know that he picked up her serrated fingernails before he throws them into her eyes. Metal. Lupin tried to fight guns (Revenant’s guns also function as batons, which is a cool feature) with nunchucks and ends up fleeing, while Albert faces down eyepatch girl, Araignee. The former find their way into a medieval dungeon somehow and Revenant bites it in an Iron Maiden. Albert struggles, but manages to defeat Araignee with her own weapon (apropos since that’s what she was trying to do with his) before faking her voice to pretend he lost. Dude’s an auditory chameleon. Lupin reaches Jose first and a gunfight ensues before the latter rocket punches the former with an electrified hand. Albert arrives in time to shoot Jose, who blows himself up taking no one with him. Who is he, Chiaotzu? Lupin snatched the notebook, holding it over Albert. He shows concern for the latter’s injuries, and Albert responds with the whole “gives me hives” line. Another small touch. Albert ends up stealing back the notebook… except it’s a blank fake with Lupin’s name on it instead of Albert’s. Great ending touch for this short arc, with Lupin getting one up on him. |
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| Episode 10. Lupin and Albert extract Jose's location from Guillame and exit to retrieve the book. Jigen missing when he sneezed, because Lupin mentions him, was a good catch, and yeah nice little touch. So far it seems like Lupin and Albert simply have a professional rivalry and were solid working partners at one point, no reason for Lupin to be so rattled when hearing his name, or warranting the use of a car bomb against him. As you mentioned, couple of pretty brutal killings from Goemon in some suave style, stopping the car by driving his katana into the roof leading to a fountain of blood gushing up, and then using the shark ladies nails against her, slicing her open against a full moon for his final move. Lupin takes care of Revenant (still don't know whether this was a dude or lady) in a gothic horror torture dungeon and Albert the other one, leaving Jose and the notebook. Lupin gets saved by Albert and then saves Albert from Jose's exploding arm, taking the notebook in the process. Lupin pulls a final bait and switch and walks off with the notebook, which he places on Gaston's grave i think. I really liked the aesthetic in this ep with the gothic castle over full moon and gory vibes ending in early morning Paris bridge bathed in dawns blush. |
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| Episode 11 Seems it's New Years and our trio is getting ready to celebrate, reminiscing about the Pablo Collection. Everything feels like a much more classic Lupin adventure. They talk about a South American kingpin, so I'm guessing Pablo Escobar? Thought he was more Columbian, though they place their travels close to "Borazil" and "Baraguay," so they're not exactly going for a 1-to-1. Fujiko tagged along for this one. She uses her wiles to great effect and there's certainly plenty of lascivious behavior from Lupin. They handle an ambush well, and find their way to the Collection. Turns out, this is a set of classic cars kept in a cave, all somehow in pristine condition. One of those cars comes to life and someone starts driving it, somehow acting immune to Jigen's bullets and Goemon's blade. So it's time for Lupin to race it, of course! Lupin wins and it turns out he was racing against Pablo himself all along... Except this was all a spell... yeah, this series can be pretty weird with its occasional fantasy elements. Both cars are in terrible shape and the bones of Pablo sit in his driver's seat. Lupin only walks away with an ornament from one of the cars, which is the item that started this reminiscence in the first place. Still, Lupin and gang have a target on their backs since everyone else believes the Collection is valuable. Initially, they plan to escape in a small sub - Elon Musk would be proud - but instead decide to cut down the military to find disguise themselves and find a way out, each trying to prove their capabilities with their lives on the line. Of course, they beat the military, each congratulating the other on their ingenuity and skill (would've been great to see it, but it's still fun to have them banter about it), while Fujiko escapes in the barely functioning sub. And of course they're all arguments about it in the present. |
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| Episode 11. You're right, this almost feels like Lupin and co could be recounting the escapades from one of the older movies. Episodes like this and the one where Lupin had to get dumb to enter the safe showcase the versatility of the Lupin franchise, they always mix it up. Em watched that Narcos show on Netflix a few months back, Escobar was quite a man. There's a new show out about a Colombian woman with the actress from Modern Family called Griselda, which she watched a couple of weeks back as well. Too much drugs and violence for me. So Lupin and co enter the South American jungle to uncover Pablo's lost collection and get followed by his old gang. The collection turns out to be high end cars and Lupin races against Pablo only to discover it was his ghost and cars aren't in the good condition they appeared (I did wonder about leaving a bunch of cars in a tropical jungle climate). Including fantasy elements, like this ghost, or the leopard man from Lupins memory of his trip with Albert to Mexico, or Da Vinchi in Part 4, always spices the stories up. Lupin as a franchise embramces sci-fi and fantasy, another string to it's bow. On trying to exit the caves Lupin and co get pinned down by the army and Pablo's old gang, with each of Lupin, Jigen and Goemon thinking only they have the necessary skills to break the siege leaving Fujiko to escape via the sub. Lupin, Jigen and Goemon end up bonding during their shared escape and add another story to reminisce about. I do enjoy their banter. These sorts of eps don't provoke much discussion but are fun to watch. |
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| I do love that you can get such a strong appreciation for how the series has matured over time, but also that it has never lost sight of what made it distinct from its early days. Episode 12 Always fun watching Goemon travel in public and people just gawk at his samurai getup. The series never forgets that he's a bit of an outlier everywhere he goes, even among people dressed up in all manner of outlandish costumes. This time, he's on his own and he's seeking out a woman named Chloe with a necklace with a precious jewel inside as Lupin and Jigen look into other locations. He runs into a young boy in Naruto cosplay and, by total coincidence, runs into a woman named Chloe. I feel for the poor woman - she keeps getting accosted and having animals steal food she's selling. Goemon stays nearby at the boy's family's hotel (they're really bleeding him on the price) so he can keep an eye on Chloe. He sees two men trying to break in, apparently looking for the same item, and quickly dispatches them, but this is just one in a series of nights where he's up late watching over Chloe. Meanwhile, Lupin seems to be living it up at a dead end location with a busty girl who says the necklace is for her. Must be grating. Still, he does get some backup here from a security guard who dressed as grapes, so that's something, even if he's a bit of a parasite, he seems reliable at least. Then Lupin shows up taking his place. He drugs both Goemon (dick move) and Chloe to get the necklace. The former tries to stop him unsuccessfully, but he makes off with it anyway. Goemon enlists the real guard to help take him out, apparently not caring if he kills Lupin (it was a dick move, but that seems extreme). Lupin barely dodges missile fire in one of the most well timed car crashes I've ever seen - The Fast and the Furious should take notes. Turns out, the necklace is a fake and Lupin just wante4d to give Goemon time alone with Chloe, though her name is actually Ines, Chloe's daughter, acting as bait for her mother. Hilarious watching Goemon try to cut Lupin. The price-gouging landlord ends up overcharging Goemon for the room and he has to work in Ines's bistro to pay it off. The icing on the cake is that Jigen found the real Chloe and the real stone, which is getting sold for a small fortune. I do love the cards in the middle of this one. Beautiful depictions of Goemon with an oni mask while Lupin and Jigen are puppets in the background - so unserious compared with him. |
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| Episode 12. Goemon sure does stand out wherever he goes. When Lupin outlines the details of the plan to Goemon I like how his first response is "is this some plot to win the affections of a random woman", oh how well he knows Lupin. So now Lupin, Goemon and Jigen are off to 3 separate locations to find a missing Belgium lady with a rare jewel hidden in a necklace. Goemon finds Chloe quickly and settles in at an over priced B&B opposite her bistro to keep watch. he ends up getting drawn into posing for photos with attendees of the local con to bring custom to Chloe's bistro, giving him the perfect chance to stay close to her, and looks like she has the necklace. After a few foiled attempts by the gang to recover the necklace, Lupin appears and reveals that the lady Goemon thought was Chloe, was in fact her daughter, Ines. Jigen found the real Chole and necklace and Goemon is left with a large bill from the B&B and has to work in Ines's bistro to pay off the charge. Not the first time I've seen a story involving Goemon and a lady, there's a good film about his marriage to a lady in Japan and some hidden treasure. iirc Goemon didn't end up marrying her but said he had a journey to make with Lupin but would return to her one day. Those in-between cards for the break were a nice touch, yet another little addition that adds to this show. |
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| Episode 13 Ami seems to be getting on well at her boarding school. Girls seem kind, if a bit put off by her hacking prowess (I'd definitely be on board). Turns out not every girl's a square, though. One of them, Dolma, is quite the archer, taking a lower tech avenue to ward off crows. Another winner and very self-confident to boot. They almost immediately bond. Meanwhile, Lupin and gang are after a necklace. Turns out said necklace is in the hands of this very girl, a princess no less. Fujiko is independently after it as well, and so is a small militia group called the Whales of Liberation that has absolutely no chill, killing the gate guards immediately. Ami quickly loses access to her usual tools and Dolma comes to her rescue, but they both are quickly subdued and taken along with several other girls from rich families for a ransom video. So now it's a rescue and steal mission, and even Zenigata's got stake in the game. Lupin quickly discerns the situation. Gotta hand it to Dolma, girl does not lose her nerve even when she's nearly shot in the head, focused entirely on saving Ami, who mainly seems excited by the situation and even tries some flirting with a real dirtbag of a guy before Fujiko saves her ass and they make a deal to save Dolma and the others. Outside, Lupin and gang do some cleanup. Love seeing Fujiko work. Woman walks in half naked to "negotiate" claiming to be Dolma's bodyguard. This is based on the knowledge that they've likely planted a bomb somewhere (because these guys are fine with a pyrrhic victory), and the detonator needs to be found. Fujiko rather cleverly takes them all out using Ami to shut off the lights and applying a fluorescent stamp from her hand on each of the men in the room. Fujiko also just so happens to take a bullet to the front of her bra because why not just go basically topless for a bit? And then the plot thickens. Turns out another teacher is with the CIA and a helicopter arrives out of nowhere to take Dolma away to "save Padar," her home country. Not sure what this is about, but I guess we're going international. |
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| Not sure what changed but suddenly I can view the dubbed videos of Part 5 on HiDive. I checked before we started and they were region locked. Bit of a bonus. Episode 13. So we're back to Ami and her time at the boarding school. Seems Ami's tendency towards her tech and hacking puts off many of the girls at the boarding school but she bonds with another girl who stands out, Dolma. Lupin and co's next heist is a necklace owned by Dolma, who happens to be a princess. Funny seeing Jigen in a beany hat. And yeah Fujiko is also after the necklace. A terrorist organisation, Whales of Liberation, appears on scene at the boarding school and kidnap Ami and Dolma, presumably for ransom. Ami thrives in exciting experiences and finds a thrill in the situation they find themselves in. Ami tries some seduction on her guard, but misjudges her position and gets rescued by Fujiko, the master in the art of seducing men. Fujiko shows those skills by going to negotiate with the captors in nothing by her undies and a shirt, simple but effective. She also deduces that there's a bomb planted somewhere in the school. Fujiko frees the girls but Dolma is taken by a CIA agent, telling her she needs to go to Padar for some reason. Off we go on an exotic adventure. |
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| Episode 14 Damn, Fujiko really did kill all those terrorists. They did kill a lot of people themselves, but still, cold. Everyone seems quite a bit more murder-prone in this series, not that I'm complaining. Anyway, off to Padar (seems like their version of India, since they're easing samosas - love watching all the guys juggle a hot one) where there's basically a civil war going on. We move about two weeks into the future and everyone's here, even Albert. Quite the tech hub they've got here, apparently - uses a lot of biometrics and tracking info. Fujiko and Ami are working to get to Dolma through a contact within the country and Lupin and gang take a more direct route, 3D printing masks in record time to infiltrate. Meanwhile, the Buddhist temple is apparently a front for the forces behind a coup headed up by the High Priest of a local temple, supported by the CIA, which is simultaneously protecting Dolma from said coup, turning her into the Queen so that they can control the country's leadership. Doesn't sound too dissimilar from what the US has done in many countries, so I buy it. So now it becomes a race to obtain Dolma. The coup starts with an effort to cut off the palace using explosives. Ami and Fujiko's dynamic is interesting, as the former is sniping at the latter for unknown reasons - possibly jealousy? Zenigata arrives in time to throw a wrench into things... except of course, it's Lupin. He really goes hard threatening that guard at gunpoint, too. Ami runs into the CIA agent and finds herself entirely at his mercy before Lupin shows up to rescue her. Lupin chides him quite a bit, walking nonchalantly with a gun pointed at his head, before pulling a badass twisting move and utilizing some wire to great effect, taking him down. But, onto the biggest twist: Dolma arrives only to shoot Lupin with an arrow, her and Ami's expression one of disbelief and confusion. He collapses, telling Ami to run. |
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| Episode 14. Yeah this series does seem to have gone hard on the murder and brutality more so than part 4 and other movies in the franchise I've seen. So the CIA want Dolma to help the traditionalist movement, spearheaded by the high priest as they see the reform movement (led by her dad) as risky and could lead to upheaval. The new and old Padar city is pretty cool with driverless cars and robots preventing you from smoking. Padar seems like a mix of somewhere from Asia (Bhutan or Tibet maybe) and somewhere in the middle east like UAE/Dubai. Ami definitely has a bee in her bonnet where Fujiko is concerned, whether that has something to do with Fujiko's connection to Lupin (iirc she asked Lupin about Fujiko and their relationship a while back), or whether she simply feels threatened by the overtly sexual Fujiko using her womanly charms to get what she wants. So the traditionalists, backed by the high priest and the CIA want a coup to prevent the reformers from getting their way. Lupin says he's after Dolma as she's cute, but isn't she the same age as Ami and therefore a bit too young for him? Enter Lupin disguised as Zenigata. Ami makes it to the west tower where Dolma is being held to find she's been accosted by the CIA agent, saves her and they head onto find Dolma. Think Ami does have a small crush on Lupin as she blushes when he says he's come to rescue her. They find Dolma, who nonchalantly walks down the stairs, and then proceeds to shoot Lupin with an arrow, did she mistake him for someone else, is it a fake Dolma, has she been brainwashed or being blackmailed maybe? |
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| Episode 15 I guessed brainwashing, though it appears Dolma is knowingly onboard. Apparently, she was convinced by the undercover CIA agent to do it, turning the agent into her underling with the intention of minimizing bloodshed and wresting control when she is appointed Queen, even challenging America itself. Good to see the girl isn't just a pawn. Fujiko arrives and steals the necklace along with saving Lupin and Ami. Meanwhile, the coup continues as the King and his executives go into hiding. With the country going into martial law, things are getting more dangerous in a hurry. At least Goemon is avoiding "needless bloodshed" (hasn't stopped him much in the past, but I guess he's splitting hairs with that blade) by cutting up a goddamn RPG. It's painful to watch the arrow get removed from Lupin. Fujiko is no nonsense about it, but he's clearly in excruciating pain, even if, as she says, it didn't strike any of his organs. She does show a willingness to comfort him afterward, though, cuddling with him naked to warm him up. It's one of the few times I've seen her use nudity for a non-sexual purpose, and once again, really showcases how this relationship has matured over time, especially since he probably didn't even register this. On the other side, he has a romantic, swashbuckling dream (could be a memory) of stealing a ring from an airborne pirate zeppelin. Far less grounded (pun intended), but another way to showcase a bit of their adventurous flirting and how he sees her - notably with clothing on this time! Ami and Fujiko have a heart-to-heart where the former asks the latter why she broke it off with Lupin. I think we'll get our answer near the end of the season. Sounds like there is more going on on the King's side as well. He interacts with a shadowy figure, talking about a "PeopleLog" app, which is apparently supposed to "illuminate every dark corner of the world" and eliminate half the countries in the world. That can only be good. Now on the run, Ami ends up using a grenade for the first time to kill a bunch of army guys. Even the young ones are getting in on the killing, albeit in self-defense. After calling Ami a useful ally, she abandons her and Lupin in the forest. Ami thinks this is cold, but she then uses the opportunity to draw attention away from them. They barely avoid detection while Fujiko is under fire. She's only saved by a dive-bombing airship and Lupin in disguise, though his help doesn't accomplish much due to his injury. They have a brief stare-down where she asks what she is to him before the airship crashes down. |
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| Enjoyed your reviews on Frieren and Apothecary Diaries. Don't think I can ever remember having 2 such amazing seasonal shows releasing at the same time. Episode 15. Seems Dolma has thrown her lot in with the CIA hoping to turn the tide later on when she's queen and prevent unnecessary killings during the coup. Fujiko comes to the rescue for Ami and Lupin, taking the opportune moment to relieve Dolma of the necklace. Pretty caring of Fujiko treating Lupin, don't think I've seen that side of her or as you mention a time when she uses her body for non sexual reasons, this time simply to keep Lupin warm, reminds me of that moment when Casca kept Guts warm in Berserk (just checked and you haven't seen Berserk 97 yet, good watch, great fantasy aesthetic). Pirate thief Fujiko, like that. Can't remember seeing Lupin and Fujiko actually kiss before, although this is in a fever dream. They always get interrupted or Fujiko gets out of the way before they ever kiss iirc. And on that note, Ami asks why they split up and getting a pretty serious response from Fujiko. In all the Lupin I've seen (only part 4 and handful of movies) it's always hinted that Lupin and Fujiko have a romantic history, but we never get more than hints. I guess they were a proper couple, hinted at by their behaviour towards each other and some of the things they said to each other in part 4, but would be interesting to get some details (how long ago was it, how long were they together etc). Think the ED may be of Lupin and Fujiko together. Interesting to hear Goemon worry about Lupin and ask whether he really needed their aid. The answer, ofc he needs them, he couldn't do it all alone. The king, his brother (?) and a guy called Enzo discuss some plans for an app that has the potential to destroy half the world, sounds scary. Fujiko deposits Lupin and Ami, leading Ami to believe she's ditching them but it's quite obvious she's creating a diversion so they'll be safe. She even quips her motto 'I'm a woman who's only loyal to her desires'. Ami hacks an airship and her and Lupin get Fujikjo out of a tight spot, to her consternation as she asks Lupin 'what am I to you'? |
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| I'm with you. I can't remember a time where not only did we have two series of this caliber ongoing at the same time, but that they were both two-season runs. I'd be honestly shocked if these don't end up being my #1 and #2 for the year, though worthy contenders are coming. And yes, Berserk '97 is on my shortlist of series to get through soon, but thank you for the recommendation! Episode 16 I'd love to get more insight into Lupin and Fujiko's romantic history as well. This certainly seems like the season to do it. Jigen and Goemon spring into action as a military leader as Lupin and Ami infiltrate in disguise, with Ami doing quite a bit to help with the biometrics. Yeah, Ami definitely has a crush on Lupin, so her behavior towards Fujiko is likely driven by jealousy. Speaking of, Fujiko runs into Zenigata. Meanwhile, the Shake Hands corporation, with the support of the king, is working its dirty dealings during the civil war, led by the shadowy Enzo. He's got very Thanos-esque aspirations to just cut everything in half, all the good and bad. Dolma seems fine with either her or her father winning this war, seeing benefits to things going either direction. She is, however, not fine with the High Priest flouting tradition using a fake necklace and, if he has to, a fake princess. Lupin and Ami arrive to face them and, with Jigen and Goemon's sudden arrival (who trusted Lupin enough to know they could meet him here after he survived), quickly overwhelm their foes. The High Priest starts bargaining, offering him all the plunder of the kingdom, and Ami broadcasts it all for everyone in the country to see. This singlehandedly ends the civil war, leading all his allies to confront or abandon him. Dolma tries to take the role of a villain away from him, but her CIA agent refuses to let her, holding her hostage and, in short order, resulting in his death. He plays the villain dies to save the country, with Dolma following his lead by taking advantage of it to wrest control of Padar, even while she mourns his death. The girls share their crushes (Dolma with the fallen Mack, Ami with Lupin) before she outright confesses to Lupin. She promises to become a better woman than Fujiko (good luck!), saying she'll want an answer from him then. Elsewhere, Fujiko and Zenigata confront one another. We find out the former was barely saved by Lupin in a scene that goes from touching right back to their usual, with them making off with the necklace. Fujiko says she hates Lupin, but her tone suggests anything but as she rides off. |
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| Same, no 1 and 2 AotY, looking at the line up I can't see another show this year taking either spot. Re Zero S3 could be really good but doubt it'll overtake Apothecary Diaries for no 2 spot. Episode 16. Lupin and Ami disguise themselves and make their way into Padar. The king makes an online address and calls for peace. Not sure how an app could destroy half the worlds countries. For a traditionalist the high priest sure seems happy to rely on high tech gadgets and forgeries much to Dolma's understandable annoyance. The high priest is exposed and Ugo (CIA agent) takes the blame for Dolma preventing her from sacrificing herself as well. So the civil war comes to an end and Dolma steels herself to be more ruthless and a 'she-devil' in order to keep the country in check and prevent further unrest. Then Ami confesses to Lupin and says she'll become a better woman than Fujiko, as you said, good luck to her, Fujiko is one hell of a woman, although she'd be deadly to fall in love with as you'd never know when she was going to disappear, even if you were a couple at one point. Given that this episode is about first loves, my guess is that Lupin told Fujiko she was his first love (or first and only love), something like that. Now what about that app? And what happened to the king? |
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| I've been loving The Dangers in My Heart S2, so it might make my top 5 as well. Delicious in Dungeon has been surprisingly really good as well. With Mushoku Tensei coming out with another cour, KonoSuba S3, Re:Zero S3, the new Spice and Wolf reboot and Dandadan all coming out this year, not to mention all the brand new stuff, there will likely be a lot of competition for the remaining spots. Episode 17 Complete change of scenery to a dark spooky castle on a stormy night. Lupin appears in a room with an old woman in a wheelchair known as Countess. He has tried to steal a massive emerald ring from her multiple times in the past, but now she's offering it as a reward should he finish a mission for her: discover who killed her husband among three likely culprits. It's Lupin the Investigator solving a murder mystery! The plan is to bluff about having found the DNA of the assailant through some complicated new method (doesn't exist) and use that to get the killer to out themselves. Of course, there's some risk that the Countess will become a target, but she seems prepared: locks on the balconies, a state of the art home monitoring system, and a metal detector at the door to prevent anyone bringing in guns. The three men who arrive are presented with the ring and the accusation becomes clear. Lupin doesn't seem to take it seriously while they're accusing one another, drawing cartoonish pictures of the men and yawning. Just as the Countess's scheme is about to go into action, the lights go out. A gunshot lights up her face, and a new wound adorns her chest. Turns out, she planned for this, locking down the castle. The case will open at dawn, so Lupin has until then to solve the mystery. We're in it now - this is exciting! (early theory: the maid did it, as she's the only one who would have had the kind of access needed to both have a gun to fire and be able to affect the electronics in the room without touching anything). The investigation is very well planned, with little changes in the room showing how the murder was executed, though a distinct lack of murder weapon is a problem. The maid relays her interactions with the three men before the murder, each of which is suspicious in distinct ways. Turns out, the bullet was shot from the Countess's gun. Whoever did it manipulated the footage from before the incident. Subtle thing about Lupin's reveals are particularly nice to me. I like that he writes something in his notebook while he's speaking and shows it to the maid, her gasp giving some idea of how important it is. He believes no one in the room could have done it. The other men eventually come around to my accusation, but it seems we're all wrong: she burnt her hands previously and can't hold much of anything with her bandaged hands. Little details add up: the closed windows, pollen on the floor, the facial recognition system not seeing a fourth person, one of the guests standing in front of a window, even his car having more difficulty getting up the drive. Turns out, he had someone in the trunk as his accomplice who is hiding nearby, gun in hand. That someone was his twin brother, a person who could not be distinguished by the facial recognition. The revenge plot is unveiled while the brother lies dead from Lupin's gun, having been shot by Lupin to prevent his own death. Case closed. Lupin grabs the ring in the morning and places it on the Countess's finger instead of taking it with him, hoping she'll take it to the afterlife with her. A sweet parting gesture that showed that, in the end, she meant more to him than the ring did. |
whiteflame55Mar 26, 4:54 PM
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| I forgot about Mushoku Tensei. Delicious in Dungeon has been surprisingly good, especially the last arc where they fought the dragon and revived the sister. And yes Konosuba S3, I scored S1 a 10/10 and S2 a 9/10, just so damn funny. After hearing so many people praise Dangers in my Heart I've added it to my list and will get around to it soon. Episode 17. Another one shot with Lupin acting as detective, love it. All the one shots we've seen so far have been really good, don't feel like filler but sprinkles on top of a gourmet cake. The leader in French security was murdered by the case went cold and his widow wants Lupin's help in uncovering the killer. I can see why you thought it was the maid, but turned out to be the old hidden twin reveal. Nice touch Lupin placing the ring on her finger. |
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| Considering how big of a step up part 2 of season was from part 1, I'm excited to see what Mushoku Tensei has in store for us. I've also been just very pleasantly surprised by Delicious in Dungeon - never knew how much I needed dungeon zoology (and they even made magic Winogradsky columns! Used to make those in my microbiology class in undergrad). I have a similar step down from S1 to S2 of KonoSuba, definitely among my favorite comedy series. The movie was great as well. Dangers in My Heart is definitely worth your time. Oh, and I didn't mention it last time, but I was tickled by the twin reveal. As a (fraternal) twin myself, I love that nonsense in my murder plots. Episode 18 Plumbing woes for the gang. This seems like a pretty silly episode from the outset, with the guys taking out various pent up frustrations on one another. This friendship is one of the main reasons I keep coming back to this series - it just seems so natural at this point. And then Fujiko walks down the hallway. She's clearly up to something, and it becomes clear after she hangs up on the plumber: she's hiding something in the toilet's cistern. Goemon confronts her about it and she literally bursts through the door naked and glistening with water to tell him she isn't hiding anything. Subtle. She has Lupin wrapped around her little finger, as Jigen says, and keeps everyone out of the bathroom. She hints at something Lupin doesn't remember, so there is something going on that's unclear. Zenigata shows up, smelling the miso soup Goemon is making. You get the impression that he knows it's Lupin at first and is just stringing him along, but he seems to be genuinely at ease. He eventually leaves, so I guess he didn't suspect after all. Eventually, we find out what Fujiko's been hiding after she ruins a toothbrush. She leaves it for Lupin to find, but dude just tosses it after sniffing it. Flashing back, we find out that Lupin was pretty drunk the previous day, and that only Fujiko remembered it's an important anniversary for them. So whatever he tossed (we never find out), it was a gift for him to remember that day. Maybe this is recollecting the first time they met. Maybe it's their aborted wedding day. Maybe it's the day he proposed. It doesn't really matter because this shows us a degree of caring that I have never seen from Fujiko. Girl's got some class, and Lupin doesn't even know. |
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| Episode 18. I've got a feeling there's a release order to this series as this ep happens when they first move into the new hideout (we've already seen it a few times) and then at the end of the first arc with Ami and Marco Polo they talk about moving onto a hidden treasure in Spain but never go there. Just checked wiki and this was the release order, so the story must jump about the timeline of them in France. When Fujiko appears half naked, was she asleep in Lupin's room, or was there a spare room in the hideout? Oh wait, Lupin was asleep on the sofa, so maybe he gave Fujiko his bed, but forgot she was there. Watching Lupin, Goemon and Jigen is so much fun, even when they're simply arguing about a bust toilet, who gets to use the downstairs toilet first and what to eat for lunch, plus using Goemon's favourite chopsticks to attempt to unblock the loo. This may be my favourite ep from this series so far. It's so simple but you get so much, bit of banter from the guys, a visit from Zenigata, and something I haven't seen before (or can't remember seeing anyway), Fujiko showing an active interest to her past connection with Lupin. It's always Lupin trying to sweet talk Fujiko, or pounce on/jump into bed with her, while she's always fending off his advances. The only time we see how much Fujiko cares are times when she jumps in at the last moment to save Lupin or those rare occasions when she reveals some of her feelings, ie when she had that talk with Rebecca in part 4 (the ep with wine that had love potion in it iirc). Seeing Fujiko turn up at Lupin's place ready to celebrate some shared occasion (their first job together, proposal, kiss/sex, who knows) and then be sentimental about the issue and rather peeved that Lupin forgot is new. I'm really appreciating all these new insights into Fujiko and Lupin. |
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| Rarely concern myself too much with watch order. It was more important in Part IV, where I think it genuinely enhanced some aspects of the show. Agreed that this was probably the best single episode of the series so far. Always great to hang with these characters, but what really elevated it was all the little insights into Fujiko and Lupin's relationship. For a series that wears a lot of its identity in its bombast, this was surprisingly subtle and very coy. Episode 19 We start on a chess game that's apparently somehow two contests in one before shooting back in time. A scene at a cafe turns devastating when a sniper shoots his waitress, a woman he was trying to seduce for some other reason. Apparently, this was the callout for the chess game, as a character named Zylberstein is calling Lupin out with chess moves literally printed on the side of bullet casings. Lupin receives multiple callouts. This apparently is not a first, nor is the aim of killing Lupin for this particular opponent. So, they arrive at the appointed day to play the game with two snipers in the wings - Jigen and a mysterious person named Mirage, who mainly gets developed through exposition. They have quite the long-range shoot out with bullets passing within inches of one another. She seems both more capable and better armed than Jigen throughout much of it, firing explosive rounds, using drones and avoiding his shots expertly. Jigen does know her, recalling that she quit when she was pregnant a while back, but held onto her rifle. It's only a little character development for Jigen, but it's nice to see a bit of his backstory, even if it lacks context. In a moment where Mirage believes she has him dead to rights, having collapsed some ruins on top of Jigen (he literally shot them away from himself, the mad lad), she attempts to kill Lupin... only to have a bullet fly out of the rubble, which disables her gun and redirects her shot into Zylberstein's leg. Despite the table being literally flipped, they still play the rest of the chess game out verbally before Lupin admits defeat and Zylberstein collapses. Mirage tries to take Lupin out using her rifle as a club, but loses that match and Jigen arrives. Turns out, this Mirage is not the one Jigen knew, but rather her daughter, trying to earn enough money to pay for her mother's treatment. Lupin offers her the winnings from the chess game and Jigen tries to talk her out of continuing as an assassin, telling her to "stop chasing a mirage" before walking off with her rifle. Nice choice of words. Once again, love the mid-episode cards. The stylized shots of Jigen and Lupin smoking on a car with a rifle leaning up against it are just great. It's a nice tense episode with some very interesting ideas, but probably the weakest of the series so far. It didn't have the pop and absurdity of its lighter episodes, nor did it invest me as much as some of its grittier episodes have. The shoot out was visually great, but I felt very little investment in Mirage given how little we knew of her, Zylberstein was just a narrative vehicle for this one (not really a character so much as a reason to have these characters meet), and we didn't get enough development out of Jigen or Lupin to make it a stand-out. |
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| Episode 19. Bit extreme calling out Lupin by shooting random civilians, well not completely random in the case of the waitress he's hitting on. I like the setting for the chess match, looks like the caves in Cappadocia, Turkey. Some of the sniping action does look good with the coloured swirls trailing the bullet trajectory. A bit of backstory for Jigen, not sure if they're hinting that he had an attachment to Mirage or not, that hug when they parted seemed to have more meaning than just bye, but former lovers (didn't the professor say she had a lover in the French military) or just appreciation for a fellow professional, not clear. Out of all Lupin's crew I think Jigen is the one least explored, at least from the movies I've seen. By Lupin standards this wasn't the best one shot, but it certainly wasn't bad either. |
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| Yeah, if this is the bottom of the barrel episode for the season, then the standard is still very high. Episode 20 A group of thieves engineer a daring, if somewhat jerry-rigged theft and get away in their cardboard-covered car. But... what's this? Zenigata is among them!? Turns out, he's been out of the picture for Lupin and gang (going to start calling them LGJ from now on) for a while now. They chalk this up to him having given up on catching them. Anyway, they're out to steal from the Russian mafia because why not? Turns out, the other thieves essentially do their plan, but quicker, stealing the loot. Lupin spots Zenigata in the scuffle. Zenigata also spots him, but appears unconcerned, continuing with the heist. This happens multiple times, each one leaving LGJ on the backfoot, though eventually they get Zenigata's crew arrested aside from the man himself. Turns out, Zenigata's searching for something to find out who he is. He's going by Monety, having apparently lost his memory of both himself and Lupin. He still hates thieves (even though he clearly is one), but his memory is gone due to a car accident involving the other two guys. Even though he can't remember it, his history with Lupin clearly makes him a very effective thief (he even uses a calling card), and his thieving makes him feel like he's getting closer to knowing who he is. And while Lupin's frustrated, he does seem genuinely like he wants to help Zenigata. Their big heist goes into motion with the two racing to get a pair of gems before taking off on hang gliders with support from Jigen and Goemon. A convenient set of handcuffs and a fall later and Zenigata returns to his senses and Lupin makes off with the loot. Love to see the slide show of Lupin victories from the past. Lupin ends up taking credit for the victories of Monety and no one who he stole from recognizes him when he returns to being Zenigata. Fun episode. Nice to see how much Zenigata has internalized Lupin's tactics and how dedicated Lupin is to having him as a foil. Again, love those mid-episode cards. The layout is particularly impressive this time around. |
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| Episode 20. Another one shot but this time set in Russia. I love how the eps and series (and movies) in general jumps about the globe giving us so many colourful and detailed location settings. This one is about Zenigata who has lost his memory after being hit by a car. As you say interesting seeing how much of Lupin's tactics and nous Zenigata has picked up over the years enabling him to become a thief on par with Lupin himself. Looks like the final arc is going back to Ami and that Enzo chap who created the app that will destroy half the countries in the world in Thanos style. Yep some more nice advert break cards. I also like the end of episode card with Lupin and Jigen resting against the car with a spooky castle in the distance. We're getting near the end and looking at the last series mentioned in the Interest Thread I'd be up for moving onto Kobato next if you're ok with that? It's one of the last series created by Clamp I've been wanting to check out and produced by Madhouse, who always deliver when it comes to animation and sound in my experience. |
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| Yeah, I think we've put off watching Kobato for long enough. I'm good with starting it next. I'll make the thread for that one this weekend. Episode 21 Makes sense that the final arc would be dedicated to Ami and Enzo, given how much build up this season has given them. Enzo passes himself off as a bit of a tech mogul launching PeopleLog, a service that is meant to identify people with a lot of details, even tracking them and providing a likelihood of whether a given "fact" about them is true. How this is going to devastate the world is yet unknown, but Zenigata seems particularly opposed to it and Lupin and Fujiko aren't far behind. Lupin seems to be able to fool this tech with his eyepiece that he used early on in the series, but it's still upsetting carefully laid plans. It kind of feels like we've come back around to the beginning of the series - even Jigen points it out when he returns to celebrity status after being identified in the background of a personal picture and the app even correctly determines his escape route. LGJ continue to engineer daring escapes, and PeopleLog continues to stay ahead of them, resulting in a great deal of trouble. It's actually more dangerous than the game at the start of the series because it can predict so much of what they're going to do. It doesn't help that all the characters he's beaten from this season and elsewhere (I didn't comb through, but I assume some of these are from other seasons of the show) have a bone to pick with him. So it's time for them to go into hiding, vanishing behind masks and out into the wilderness. But even this is a failure, as even in disguise, the app recognizes Lupin and Jigen, rather ingeniously using evidence of past disguises to see through this one. He's forced to go on the run again, apparently taking the owner of his living quarters hostage to look more the villain and show that she's not a part of this. Even Goemon gets found hiding out far away from civilization. Ami comes back into the picture after she sees things are falling apart for Lupin, and even Lupin admits to wanting help from her. Meanwhile, everyone's becoming reliant on PeopleLog, particularly in Padar. And yes, Albert is frustrated by it too. No character or setting is being left behind in this arc. Now, where this gets interesting is in seeing Lupin and Zenigata angling to work together. Fujiko has been captured, and is being held in manacles (and only manacles, hot damn) in a large bird cage by Enzo. Time for a big rescue operation! |
whiteflame55Mar 30, 9:10 AM
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| Episode 21. PeopleLog sounds scary and god forbids comes true one day, although verifying all the info and compiling it onto one database would be very hard. Enzo wants his app to sniff out and capture Lupin as proof of just how amazing it is. This all leads to LGJ being cornered wherever they show up so they all go their separate ways. Lupin speaks to Ami and concedes he could do with her help. The scene with Fujiko in the birdcage reminded me of SAO S2 where the villain captures Asuna and puts her in a birdcage, although not naked with only shackles on, kinky. Looks like Zenigata and Lupin (plus Albert I'm guessing) will work together to overcome the issues causing by PeopleLog. Enzo believes that thieves like Lupin & co will be eradicated by his app. |
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| Yeah, I had the same thought about the birdcage and Asuna. I wasn't the biggest fan of the choice to turn her into a damsel in distress. The beauty of Fujiko being in this situation is not just that she's naked (though that's certainly a plus), but that she's clearly rather confident and, most importantly, has no trouble looking out for herself, especially when the chips are down. So, unlike Asuna, I can almost guarantee that Fujiko won't be stripped of her autonomy by being caged (I think of characters like Faye Valentine or Natasha Romanoff). Excited to see what she does. Episode 22 Goemon is acquiring a new sword and hiding out where he can. We find out that part of the reason he's stuck with Lupin is that he genuinely sees him as the strongest fighter in the world. That's some compliment coming from him. It's nice to get a little more table-setting for their relationship. He also really didn't like that PeopleLog labeled him as Lupin's underling, so we get a pretty funny scene of Lupin having to show him that even that website could not verify it was accurate, calling it a "steaming pile of bullcrap." Seriously, this trio sports what might be my favorite tripartite relationship in anime. Just a great group that gets more depth every season, always fed to us in small doses. It's particularly interesting to see Enzo test that relationship with scenes from other seasons as backdrop (joined with so many scenes playing in Goemon's head), saying that he's just an item in Lupin's collection and pushing him into combat with Lupin to prove himself. I'd be surprised if that was all it took - honestly, PeopleLog just seems wrong on both counts. Ami and LGJ are hiding out together later, but are quickly detected. They are focused on fighting back with Ami wielding Underworld to engage in a DDoS attack (its a distributed denial-of-service attack, essentially meant to flood the server with internet traffic to disrupt service - big problem and commonly used today), but Enzo seems prepared to keep their servers up despite the traffic. At least it creates a distraction, offering an opportunity to break in. And their time frame to rescue Fujiko is short, since Zenigata's scheduled to arrest her. Zenigata's assistant does ask the obvious question of why he would alert Lupin about Fujiko, and he claims this is just to capture Lupin, but it does seem more complicated than that. Fujiko, now clothed, is inquiring about Enzo. His assistant claims Enzo's motives are pure, aimed at avoiding tragedies like what happened to his wife and daughter. Probably not that simple, especially since it has such broad effects that it's gotten people like Albert involved. Lupin and Ami arrive to spring Fujiko, and they have a little back-and-forth with some discussion of whether Lupin has a death wish, given his desire to put himself in danger stealing things he doesn't really want. So, what does Fujiko want? She wants him to steal her, a fitting decision. Lupin and Goemon do end up coming to blows. It seems absurd on its face for them to do it here, but they say time and place don't matter for some reason. Feels like they matter. Same when Jigen hears from Enzo - they all seem strangely willing to question their relationships in this moment. Ami understands it about as well as I do, but Fujiko seems to understand, saying that she needs to be ready to accept the outcome no matter how this fight goes. In the end, Goemon ends up cutitng him down in a moment where he perceives him fighting himself, likely trying to cut away his own weakness, but immediately regrets it and bandages Lupin. Ami entreats on Enzo to save Lupin. She can't accept it like Fujiko can, and calls out to... her father!? That's not a terribly surprising revelation given the little hints the series has been giving us, but it's an interesting wrinkle for the last two episodes to tackle. |
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| All I remember is that Asuna was in a cage and the villain was threatening to rape her but never did. I do like SAO and have watched up the most recent season of Alicization (which I really liked) but the story writing isn't the best, nor are the characters. Will probably check out the new movies (aria of a starless night and something) at some point. I remember thinking the last movie, Ordinal Scale, was very good (just checked and I gave it a generous 9/10 but that was back in 2019 was in was getting back into anime). It's Aria's 2nd bday today so we went out to see family yday and have been out to a kids soft-play venue this morning. Very tiring running around a jungle gym after a toddler, lol. Episode 22. So Enzo has a bit of a tragic backstory with his ex wife getting custody of their daughter who was then kidnapped and assumed dead or trafficked leading the wife to commit suicide. Enzo hopes opening up the world and people through the app will prevent future occurrences like this from happening, or make it easier to track down people/follow their movements. I've heard of Ddos attacks, they've been targeted at a bunch of large companies for various reasons over the years. Not sure about Goemon getting rattled and riled up with Lupin, wondering whether he's just someone added to his collection like the items he steals. Goemon never seemed to be the type to let other peoples' opinions get under his skin. Turns out Ami is Enzo's missing daughter, didn't see that coming, even though we'd just been told his daughter was possible trafficked. I really admire all the end cards, this one of a Paris night time skyline with Jigen and Lupin in the foreground smoking whilst leaning against the car. |
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| I've had a hard time appreciating SAO, honestly. It's not that I've got a problem with the story on its face and I don't even hate on Kirito that badly, but it's put me off with its writing and, in particular, the ways it handles its female characters. The arc this takes place in - the Fairy Dance Arc - is particularly heinous in that regard. You're not wrong to remember the threats of rape and, in one particularly gratuitous scene, getting rather close to engaging in tentacle rape for fanservice. Ew. Honestly, I should give Ordinal Scale a chance one of these days, and eventually finish Alicization (I've heard the War of Underworld arc is actually pretty good), but it's hard to get back into it. I wasn't particularly fond of the first arc in Alicization, which doesn't help. Happy birthday to Aria! Sounds like she had a great day. Hope you get some rest now that that's over. Episode 23 Yeah, this portion of the plot where Goemon gets this rattled did feel like a bit of character assassination. I believe that his pride would be hurt by it. I don't believe that he'd come to blows with Lupin in the middle of a mission, or actively try to hurt him badly, over it. They do mention in the episode that something similar happened before, probably referencing a previous season that I don't know, but this still felt wrong. I hope this ends up largely being staged. Enzo seems to barely recognize Ami as important, and this is where he goes full villain. His initial motivation may have included her, but he hardly cares now (he's seriously just a dick to her), not even interested in the fate of his wife. He's more focused on "saving the world" and bringing the "age of heroes" to an end. Strange that he recognizes Lupin as a hero. PeopleLog does an effective job bringing in other crooks while Lupin is in processing and care for his wound, with his capture being attributed to the app over Zenigata. What's more grating for him is not that he doesn't get credit, but that he still feels like Lupin hasn't truly been beaten, that he still needs to "arrest Lupin's heart." Goemon submits to incarceration, claiming he is now the strongest in the world with Lupin defeated. Fujiko was released for... reasons... before submitting to going back in the cage for Lupin to recapture her. She still believes Lupin will rise again. Jigen barely stays ahead of police, only managing with help from Albert. Jigen arrives on the scene in front of a tremendous police force only to end up in a shootout it looked like he had no chance of winning, destroying a beautiful classic car in the process. He does pull out some powerful ordinance, so we get to watch him be a badass for a while with multiple kinds of weapons before getting Lupin and Jigen out, only to suggest that Lupin retires, viewing the technology as having outpaced them. We get this over an instrumental playing a sad version of his theme. Lupin views it in exactly the opposite way: when the chips are down, that's when things are at their most exciting. Even if he fails, he wants to go down swinging, or at least keep going until the audience (he's probably talking in-universe, but he could just as well be talking about us) switch him off. On brand for him and pretty meta to boot. Goemon agrees, picking up his sword as they go on the run and evade PeopleLog for over a month. He does eventually come back onto the scene, though... by releasing sensitive info about various world leaders that cause riots. Topical, and validated by PeopleLog, which leads many of these companies to push for shutting down PoepleLog. To his credit, Enzo refuses to take down his posts, but can't do anything about Lupin, who remains in hiding, now fully recovered. And... what's this? Rebecca is coming back into the picture!? Yes, I already knew she was in one episode after that was spoiled in our previous watch, but I'm still excited. She's a great character. |
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| Episode 23. I'm also not a fan of this direction they've taken with Goemon and Lupin. Goemon just doesn't seem like the kinda person who would take out his close friend and ally to prove he's the strongest, he knows he's damn strong and could likely best Lupin in a fight. Don't think I've seen Goemon laugh out loud before like he did in the truck. Enzo outs himself as a complete dick by ignoring Ami, his missing daughter, even telling her not to bother him unless she has a bullet point presentation. Jigen comes to the rescue in dramatic fashion and then suggests Lupin retires but Lupin wants to remain the MC of his own life, yeah nice double meaning when he talks about the audience watching his actions. Fujiko is waiting back in the birdcage, in what looks like a wedding dress, as she believes Lupin will come save her and wants a bit of romance in her life. LGJ disappear from the PeopleLog radar for a month and then start shit posting national secrets to put ShakeHandz in a tight spot. |
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| Episode 24 We come to the finale. As usual, it was a pleasure watching with you, and particularly watching Lupin as it’s always a good time. Albert and other government representatives confront Enzo over Lupin’s posts, which are having dramatic effects worldwide. With PeopleLog validating his every post, Lupin’s become an absolute menace, but this is (at least in some fashion) what Enzo wanted and he seems satisfied. What infuriates him is that PeopleLog cannot predict Lupin himself. Dude’s just a boss. It’s driving Enzo crazy, even while he defends his system. Rebecca appears, with pizza. Good to see her again, just as jealous as ever. They’re out at sea, and Lupin fishes up something big. Meanwhile, Ami and Fujiko have a heart-to/heart. Interestingly, Fujiko recalls that scene from Lupin’s dream with them falling from a zeppelin. Thought that was pure fantasy for him, but I guess it actually happened. We finally find out what broke Lupin and Fujiko up: nothing. A simple, happy life together just isn’t in the cards for these two - they crave excitement and will settle for nothing less. The cat and mouse game is what they want at their cores, even while they clearly love one another. A simple yet effective explanation that fits these characters to a T. So, of course, the next step is for the US military to bombard Shake Hands corporation from battleships off the coast. Crazy escalation to calling them terrorists, especially as they miss a bunch of times and hit nearby buildings - this should be an act of war. Apparently, this was all part of Albert’s plan. And now Lupin’s on his way as well. Apparently, he fished up a golden submarine and beaches it before driving his car with Jigen and Goemon out towards Shake Hands. This was apparently sourced from a character named Diana (dunno why Rebecca couldn’t have owned it), who is sourced herself from the movie Pursue Harimao's Treasure!! She’s apparently very rich. I guess the goal is just to bring back old characters for short cameos from previous Lupin entries. They make their fiery way to the building, broadcasting their exploits, Goemon and Jigen making short work of an entire military force, like you do. Nice to see some previous characters from the season show up again. Also, funny touch to have a fight break out at a bar called “Cats and Dogs.” Despite the building practically coming down around them, Lupin climbs the elevator to reach Fujiko. Enzo is confronted by Ami with a gun, saying he can’t shoot her. Lupin knows he won’t shoot Lupin - he needs to know how Lupin evaded PeopleLog. Lupin himself is more interested in Fujiko (of course). She is dismissive of him, wanting an answer to what she is to him. He initially has no answer… then he removes a mask and something becomes clear (apparently it was just a mask of his face with his normal face under it), though it’s unclear what. Fujiko unlocks her own cage, walking out to him. They share a romantic kiss. The building starts coming down, and Lupin, Ami and Fujiko ride cardboard sleds with Enzo down the sides in a pretty impressive display of the absurdity that makes this series work so well. On the way down, Enzo connects with his daughter, because it might as well be now. I think finding out she was behind Underworld formed a point of connection. Everyone survives somehow and Zenigata tracks them down, chasing them with handcuffs in hand. Ami leaves with her father, recognizing that she can’t have Lupin right now, with Enzo recognizing Lupin as the hero he most definitely is. Turns out Zenigata himself ensured their safety in the end. We also get a glimpse back through Lupin’s various locations and how he’s influenced so many people. In the end, we never find out how he fooled PeopleLog. Maybe that’s part of the point: to maintain the mystery. I liked this season quite a bit. I think it was a little more consistently solid than Part IV by having a plot that felt like it very naturally built on itself over the course of the season, though it notably lacked the stylized animation that made that series pop as well as the layered plots. Its best episodes didn't quite rise to the level of the best that series had to offer, either. What this series did have was some solid emotional investment. We often mentioned how this series portrayed the dynamic between Fujiko and Lupin, and making that the core of the season makes it easy to love. I still have a problem with how Goemon behaved later in this season, but I do think this season is still nearly as good as the one prior, mainly through just how good its little nuances were and how well it balanced its tones. 8.2/10. |
whiteflame55Apr 2, 8:59 PM
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| Episode 24. I do get where Enzo is coming from when he retorts to the assembled govt officials, including Albert, saying "if you didn't do shady things and cover them up, then Lupin wouldn't have anything to post about and be able to cause all this chaos". Rebecca makes her return, with pizza in hand. Turns out Lupin has been using his large store of rogues and sympathetic allies to stay ahead, or out of sight, from Shake Handz. Which includes Rebecca's fishing trawler, which she apparently uses to evade all the attention she receives from being famous, yeah I can't envisage that, Rebecca on an old dirty, smelly fishing boat. Fujiko is still in the cage in a wedding dress. Didn't see a toilet in there, guess they let her out to attend a call of nature. I wouldn't have guessed Lupin's vision of Fujiko in a pirate suit with them both falling from an airship was real, and apparently when Lupin proposed (wonder if maybe the memento from clogged toilet ep was maybe an eyepatch or some pirate related paraphernalia). Fujiko explains to Ami that she and Lupin lived together as a couple but it got boring (wasn't this why Lupin said he couldn't be with Rebecca, maybe he realised living with Fujiko that he can't be tied down, and neither can Fujiko or Rebecca). I agree, it's a simple explanation for why they broke up (also used as why Lupin x Rebecca wouldn't work) but completely in character, Lupin and Fujiko both live to enjoy thrills in life, whether that be a heist or the cat and mouse game of romance. Once they settled down the spark was gone. Lupin's answer to Fujiko as to what he means to her (lover, friend, support, safe harbour...) is answered in typical Lupin fashion, he rips off a Lupin mask, even though he is Lupin, revealing something, what I have no idea, his true face (that doesn't make much sense though). Looking online apparently his reveal was his 'true face' and the person we know as Lupin 3rd is a mask, which he's been wearing for the last 4 decades. Tellingly Fujiko says she doesn't believe men and woman can be 'just friends', which says a lot about her and why she's been pressing Lupin for an answer to her question, what is she to Lupin. The rest of the episode was over the top Lupin action at it's best, reminds me of the movies. One little thing that annoyed me in the final scene when LGJ and Fujiko are running away, they have Fujiko running in that dumb way with her arms lifted at 45 degree angles making her look like a toddler who doesn't know how to run, commonly used for girls/women running in anime. But we know Fujiko is an accomplished woman who performs some acrobatic feats, so why have her running like an idiot in the final scene. Apart from that small point, solid conclusion. Also enjoyed this season a lot. I thought the main narrative story (Ami-Padar-Enzo) wasn't as good as the Da Vinci story in Part 4, but the banter between LGJ was really good, as was the interactions and insight we got into Fujiko and Lupin's relationship. The one shots were also very good (Lupin having to get dumb to open the safe, mystery at the spooky castle, Pablo's car collection in the jungle, toilet being clogged by a memento of Fujiko and Lupin's past), except maybe the sniper episode, but even that wasn't bad, just not as good as the others. I thought the final few eps with Enzo were perhaps the weakest part of the show (how was the app meant to destroy half the world, did we ever find out?), with Goemon striking down Lupin a bit off kilter, but we got more Lupin-Fujiko moments which kind of offset that. I've given this season an 8.3/10, the more anime I watch the more I wish that they all looked as good as modern Lupin series. We've mentioned the break/end cards but the level of detail, the shot composition and locations are excellent (ie bridge over a river at dawn in Paris, run down Russian town, Cappadocian caves, south American jungle) and the colours so soft and yet distinct. I think we should add Part 6 for a future watch, although reading the reviews it wasn't as good as this part 4 or 5 apparently. And as always thanks for your contribution @whiteflame55. Onto a series I've been interested in for a while, Clamp works can have some truly brilliant writing (Card Captor Sakura and xxxHolic the main ones), but it's small nuggets of wisdom that they drop into their writing I have come to genuinely admire. |
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