Lupin the Third: Part 5

Episode 16

This episode of Lupin the Third: Part 5 is impressive for how much it accomplishes. It manages to tie off its current storyline while also weaving it into the larger fabric of its ongoing themes. The previous episode teased the idea that this series' biggest story may be about Lupin and Fujiko's relationship and the other characters' experiences with love. Episode 16 only makes me more curious to see where this theme will go.

I felt uneasy about this episode's most prominent romantic subplot at first, but the show's execution of that thread ultimately dispelled those worries. Ami definitely has a crush on Lupin, made all the more obvious by how she blushed at the idea of permanently joining his team. But the show frames this more as an important emotional development for Ami as a normal teen girl, complete with Lupin's awkward response to her overwhelmingly blunt confession. His response to Ami's request for an answer when she becomes "a more impressive woman than Fujiko Mine" technically leaves things open, but I think it's clear that Lupin's just trying to respect her feelings of one-sided longing given her tender position. It'll be more interesting to see how this revelation affects Ami emotionally than to humor the idea that they would ever end up together.

This is also intercut with two other love stories: Lupin and Fujiko's ongoing tiff and Dolma's crush on UGO. Given the little hints we'd gotten before about her feelings, Dolma's confession isn't that shocking. It does make UGO's sacrifice for her more powerful. Dolma recognizes that he died in an effort to become "the villain" the situation sorely needed, making it an act of love on some level. I thought it was interesting that even while redeeming UGO's character, this arc of Lupin III still kept its strong anti-imperialist, anti-American bent. It's a stronger geopolitical stance than you'd expect from most anime, especially a continuation of a popular franchise like this one. I suppose it can be justified by the broader idea that these villains weren't the ones primarily "at fault," and her message was mostly a smokescreen to allow the country to band together again. UGO and Dolma clearly had strong chemistry, since even after he dies, she figures out instantly what he intended to do.

Fujiko and Lupin's romance is clearly a sideplot this week, just there to tie up some loose ends. We learn that the explosion cut off Lupin's chance to confess who Fujiko "is to him," but he did almost kiss her—before absconding with the Bloody Teardrop. It's just enough to leave us (and Zenigata) hanging on for the next arc. There's just one more love story remaining this week: the Padar people's love for their country. Genuine love vs. a desire for power is what separates the heroes and villains this week, as the High Priest is exposed as an opportunist. It's easy for Dolma to go along with his plan, even if she disagrees with his beliefs, as long as she believes he's doing what's best for his country. When he exposes his traditionalism as fake, willing to use a fake necklace in her coronation despite it being the "symbol of the monarchy" and threatening Dolma's life, she learns the truth and realizes that she can't work with him after all. He doesn't care enough about Padar to stabilize it the way that she and UGO had hoped. So it's a good thing that Lupin and Ami swoop in to save the day, with Ami recording the High Priest's craven bargaining to expose him to the whole nation. This is contrasted with Dolma's father, the King, who uses his moment in the spotlight to encourage the people of Padar to unite together rather than promote his cause, showing real love for his country.

There are moments in this episode that hint at an ongoing story even beyond Lupin and Fujiko's relationship, since the involvement of the "Shake Hands" corporation isn't fully resolved. Even if the King genuinely cares for Padar and its well-being, his link to a group that believes in abolishing nation-states for some sort of technocratic utopia is troubling. (That said, it is exactly the kind of obnoxious worldview you'd expect from someone who thinks his social media app will save the world. Good job on that, Lupin III.) Albert wouldn't be lurking around the edges of this story if he weren't going to be important again. Through these various smaller plots, Lupin the Third: Part 5 has gathered the ingredients for a juicy larger story, all the while giving us fascinating new characters to care about while revealing new dimensions to old favorites.

Rating: A

Lupin the Third: Part 5 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rose is a Ph.D. student in musicology, who recently released a book about the music of Cowboy Bebop. You can also follow her on Twitter.