Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Lupin the Third: Part 5
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Jayhosh
 Posts: 972 Location: Millmont, Pennsylvania |
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In episode 11, the cars obviously deteriorated and Pablo turned into a skeleton because Lupin won the race and broke the curse by proving himself a superior competitor. Come on people, keep up. I liked that they didn’t bother trying to explain what was essentially just a typical Indiana Jones style curse. It took a shot at some of the goofier episodes of Part 2 and how the characters just went along with these over the top fantastical things like they were commonplace.
Episode 12 was good but I’m still confused as to why it was set in modern time yet still used the red jacket clothing. Whatever, now that the requisite part 2 homage(s) are done with I can finally anticipate that sweet hypothetical green jacket episode and the next awesome arc. So glad Ami’s making a return in next week’s episode! |
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Jayhosh
Posts: 972 Location: Millmont, Pennsylvania |
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No new episode this week Telecom has confirmed. :/ Welp, see y’all next week then.
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Jayhosh
Posts: 972 Location: Millmont, Pennsylvania |
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Oops, accidentally triple posted.
 Mods please help me out here
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thewrll
 Posts: 59 |
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That truly sucks. The one airing anime I watch regularly each week.
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Caramichael
Posts: 114 |
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I may be wrong but I don't think we'll have an answer to what the terrorist group were after, I think they were just a convenient throwaway to introduce the actors of this story. After all they say that they just gathered the daughters of the most influential persons and wanted to make hostage videos. They even wanted to kill Dolma when she rebelled so I don't think they'll tie into the main story, especially after they all got killed by the crew.
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VampireNaomi
 Posts: 146 |
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This was a great episode that finally gave us that focus on competent Fujiko that I've wanted to see for so long. Seeing Ami back was fun as well, and I hope we'll get to see more of her and Fujiko interacting in the next few eps. I'd love to see some bonding/learning moments between them since it's a total waste in my eyes if they stay on the kind of prickly terms that this episode established.
There was some stuff in the episode that I absolutely could have lived without, but I'm slowly coming to terms with that while Part V is in lots of ways better than Part IV, it also tends to get under my skin and bother me in ways that Part IV never did. |
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space.
 Posts: 44 |
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Glad to see Ami again, best girl of the season returns.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11419 |
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That was a pretty decent episode. I guess if you're going to have the inevitable Fujiko-service, it's nice that she at least had a plausible reason for it, i.e., more "See, I'm unarmed," and less "men are stupid." And she got to play with her chemistry set too.
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Generations
 Posts: 205 |
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There's a lot of little details in this episode that have been present throughout Part 5 that I just really love -- two in particular that I wanted to mention that I don't believe were discussed.
The first being the stark contrast between Ami and Fujiko's plans. Ami clearly tried to pull off the 'sexy distraction' plan that Fujiko has so often used before, but being the amateur didn't think beyond the first step and how it would play off if she somehow made it worse (which it did, until Fujiko came along and saved her). Compare that to Fujiko, who is an expert in the same field. She pulled off almost exactly the same strategy, but hers had contingencies and layers. The 'sexy distraction' wasn't the main plan, it was the distraction FOR the distraction. She already knew most of the terrorists probably wouldn't fall for such an obvious ploy (save for the younger one, who was clearly not as battle-hardened). The sexy part was used just enough for the terrorists to talk and be distracted, even for seconds for her to mark them for when the lights go out. Mind you, it also helps that she definitely has a body that could distract pretty much anyone that ever lived. That contrast between them and Fujiko criticizing Ami may also be the reason why Ami doesn't seem to particularly like Fujiko ever since she appeared (she even called Fujiko a 'hussy' in this ep). Attempting to 'kill' Lupin in the first ep and trading priceless jewelry for people's lives certainly didn't help Ami's impression.of her. Ami was probably expecting or maybe wanting her to be more like Lupin, which she certainly is not. Unlike Lupin. Fujiko is ever the professional, only in it if she gets something out of it. She's not like Lupin who's in the profession for the thrill, happy even when he comes out empty-handed. Fujiko is in it for the destination as much as Lupin is in it for the journey. Ami's definitely not going to get that from her, and therefore would probably choose not to deal with her when given the option. The second detail is that Fujiko seems to have done a killshot on all of the terrorists except for the young one who was actually distracted by her sexy ploy. That can't have been a coincidence, since she marked all of them quite clearly and hit the rest of them in vital spots with deadly accuracy. I'm not sure if Fujiko let him live BECAUSE he was young or because he was the only one to be distracted or because they needed someone to interrogate, but only the next episode can tell. I can't say she did it out of the goodness in her heart, because 'altruistic' is definitely not an adjective I would ever use to describe Fujiko. |
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Neko-sensei
Posts: 285 |
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Episode 14 was a real barn burner, but I definitely don't think the politics, of all things, are what make it interesting. The politics merely serve to gloss a classic throwback Castle of Cagliostro-style narrative, featuring
—A journey to a romanticized fictional nation with dangerous politics! —A princess locked in a high tower, and a dangerous rooftop climb to reach her! —Lupin disguised as Zenigata being given a tour of a palace's security features by a large, overly-serious guard! —Lupin and Fujiko infiltrating the same place with different aims! —And more! But despite the familiarity of the proceedings, there were some truly wonderful moments in here. I loved the revelation that it was the Unfortunate Walking Uniform's birthday, and that the big serious guard was a family man at heart. Most importantly, this episode is really crucial for Ami (who is mentioned exactly once in the review  ), and she's the element I think we should be talking about. Her realization that Dolma served her the stew as an expression of their friendship is simultaneously adorable and heartbreaking, and provides the narrative with a massive injection of investment as we watch Ami work with the detested adults, force herself to overcome her fear of heights, and venture very much off her electronic "safety grid" in her naive yet purehearted effort to save her best friend. I've rarely rooted for an anime character so hard. At the same time, the episode also continues the development of her dependent crush on Lupin, and that's rather disturbing: obviously she hates Fujiko for being Lupin's ex; in the final confrontation she turns into a puddle of tsundere goo when Lupin finally appears; and her takeaway from whole experience seems to be, to my horror, not, "you should challenge yourself to do new things in the name of friendship" but rather, "you should give up on accomplishing stuff and let Lupin save you, little girl." The closing minutes of the episode at least appear to undercut all the fantastic character development of the first 18. Hopefully I'm wrong about this and the next episode will be able to turn it around, but the blushing boobfall in the preview does not give me great hope...
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VampireNaomi
Posts: 146 |
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Episode 14 had a lot of exciting bits and fun details, so many in fact that I wish the writing for Fujiko and Ami was just slightly different so that I could love it completely. There's nothing outrageously offensive, but I'm not a fan of the way "men are dumb and women are their worst enemy" has been a running theme in the background ever since Fujiko first showed up in episode 3. It's what Lupin explicitly said to Ami and what Fujiko seems to actively rely on any time she needs something. It's almost like the characters are telling Ami that she's a kid now, but when she's older then it's okay to use her body to trick other people into doing what she wants.
Yeah, this was not a development I enjoyed, not because I think it has any chance of going anywhere but because I think it's a waste of time. I'd much rather focus more on Ami's friendship with Dolma and the way she's learning to live a much more fulfilling life than before. This crush wastes the potential she could have with both Lupin and Fujiko as mentor figures/friends, and I can only hope they deal with it quickly and in a way that isn't too awkward. Since the preview seems to show us Ami helping/getting close to Lupin while he's delirious, that'd be a good place for him to mutter Fujiko's name and burst Ami's bubble. In fact, I've been rooting for Lupin and Fujiko to rekindle things since the first arc because it's pretty apparent Fujiko won't be a regular cast member otherwise. I don't want her to be a guest star but part of the gang. I miss the way Lupin, Jigen, Fujiko and Goemon used to hang out and work as a team in earlier TV series. The further Part 5 goes, the more I like that Pink Jacket episode. |
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Watanabefan
 Posts: 152 |
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It was a minor touch, but I really enjoyed the Mission Impossible 3 homage where they showed exactly HOW Lupin and his pals get those life-like and undetectable masks.
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Wyvern
 Posts: 1569 |
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Yeah, that part was a bit confusing. Historically, when the US has helped staged foreign coups, it always does so to install a more capitalistic government. In this case, the high priest is vocally anti-capitalist, so it seems odd that the US would be backing him. There's a couple of explanations, but both depend on what happens in the rest of this arc. One is that it has something to do with the SakeHanz Corporation which seems to essentially own the modern part of the city. The US could be opposing them specifically. Has it been established if SakeHanz is an American company? If not, that could explain it. The second possibility is that the CIA doesn't care if the High Priest hates capitalism or not, because he won't be in charge for long. They might be using him to eliminate the king, then planning to get rid of him and put Dolma on the throne as their puppet, betting that a teenage girl would be easier to manipulate than a popular religious leader (plus, both reformists and traditionalists seem to like her, so putting her in charge could prevent additional conflict.) This could be hinted at by McGuire telling her that "you'll soon be a queen" and generally trying to win her over. It's also possible that they're literally mind controlling her given that it doesn't look like she wanted to shoot Lupin with that arrow. Anyway, we'll find out soon enough. But more importantly, what was going on with that pirate ship scene in the preview? |
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Generations
Posts: 205 |
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Lupin sure got shot up a lot in this Part, huh? I can see why the series doesn't do more multi-parters, I'm seriously tempted to invest in a time machine so I can see the next episode right away.
Allow me to give my own interpretation of it: I don't really mind Ami's crush on Lupin. Like you stated, that in itself is a kind of Lupin staple, and Lupin's been as much of a thief of hearts as he is a thief of treasure. I think Fujiko's criticism of Ami followed through more what she was saying last episode: that because Fujiko is a professional, so her using her feminine wiles is a part of her skillset as much as Lupin uses his on other (older) women. And that also yes, she's both too young and inexperienced to be using it to her advantage, much like she tried to last episode and failed. There ARE consequences to these actions, after all, even for someone like Fujiko and Lupin. I don't think her takeaway from the experience is that 'she should just wait to be saved by Lupin' nor is it what Lupin or Fujiko wanted her to take from it, rather that she should play to her strengths. Sure she tried to save her friend, but it was by dressing in a catsuit and sneaking in and threatening with a gun -- two skills she clearly has none of. Of course she'd get caught if even a single guard was there to guard her. It could have cost her her life, and there's no way her new friend would have wanted that. Instead, she could have been playing to her strengths, which is hacking. Lupin has a team for a reason: no single member has all the strengths for a job, so what Lupin lacks his team carries the weight. Lupin isn't going to go sniping from a mile away or blowing up tanks in a single attack -- those are Jigen and Goemon's roles respectively. Instead of copying or wanting to try BEING Fujiko, she could do what she's always done, which is being HERSELF. That's what got her to befriend Dolma after all. Yes, the place had no cameras or whatever, but remember: the CIA and other members were also in the building. They were bound to have some hackable tech on them. It would have at least given her a leg up on their location. Using her own skillset is what got her out of sticky situations in the first arc and saved Lupin's butt a number of times, it's what'll save her and them again here too. |
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Sahmbahdeh
Posts: 712 |
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I'm very curious to see what they'll do with the CIA plot, because as someone said already, it makes no sense at all from what we've been given. The US has always supported capitalist regimes and anything that gives the US access to external markets, so the CIA backing an explicitly anti-capitalist regime change makes zero sense. The idea someone brought up about them potentially being against Shake-Hanz because it's a non-American company also doesn't hold water, considering that the US does business with non-American companies all the time, because obviously they do.
I really hope this plot isn't just an excuse to throw in some timely American criticism for its own sake without doing any proper research on it or bothering for it to make sense, so we'll see how this pans out next week. |
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