Lupin the Third: Part 5

Episode 7

After a fun pink-jacket diversion last week, Lupin the Third: Part 5 is back to basics. Lupin has his blue jacket back, and the plot feels much closer to what we've come to expect from these more recent stories. There are still the little nods for super-fans, like "Gaston's" remark in his meeting about "back when [Lupin] was still green," which takes on a double meaning for those familiar with the franchise. (His jacket was green in Part I, the first Lupin TV series.) But it's time to get down to business, and start deciphering the dense mystery web Lupin and friends find themselves in this time.

It is indeed dense, at least compared to the "Episode I" plot. For all the weird questions about the villains' motivations, the "Lupin Game" story was relatively straightforward: Lupin has to try not to die and then outwit them at their own scheme. This time is different. It's only the first episode of this new arc, and it already feels like there are a million different mini-stories embedded within it. Everyone has their own secret motivations, and might not be telling the truth about them to us. They might not even be who we think they are in the first place.

I like the way that this episode establishes "mistaken identity" as a motif with our heroes, long before its ending twist involving another character. We see Lupin capture art collector Mr. B's retinas and fingerprints through disguising himself as Fujiko and setting up a sexy rendez-vous. You might wonder at first why Fujiko herself just doesn't go; this sort of thing is basically her MO when she's a Lupin ally. That's because it's an important thematic thread that carries through when Daisuke dresses as Lupin later, which is actually necessary. (Lupin needs to be in the thief's car already to get the black book back, so he needed someone else to play him at the party first.) So when we find out the man Lupin met with in the beginning isn't really the mysterious Gaston, it doesn't feel completely out of the blue. It's still a surprise, but one the episode has cleverly laid crumbs toward in the past twenty minutes.

Even the MacGuffin itself is a case of mistaken identity. When Lupin finds the painting in Mr. B's art collection, he and Jigen discuss it as a Picasso fake. A child painted it, and Gaston forged Picasso's signature on it as a joke. (It's a familiar jab at modern art from its detractors, albeit not typically applied to Picasso—more the abstract expressionists who came later.) Lupin quickly figures out that this tale smells fishy. For one, the painting is a much more convincing fake than a young child could make; it matches the original Picasso almost exactly. Gaston has a reputation for making authentic-looking replicas—again, the Napoleon Bible—and this clearly fits his reputation. His reasons for selling it off to Mr. B. look more and more suspicious. There's something more going on than just a prank about the naïveté of the art world.

Eventually we learn the truth: hidden in the painting was a book listing crimes supposedly covered up by the French police force. Gaston seemingly wanted it hidden in Mr. B.'s gallery because it was so hard to access; Mr. B. buys paintings and then locks them in there forever, and you need his retina scans and fingerprints to access it. Most people wouldn't be able to disguise themselves as Fujiko with gloves and special retina-reading glasses, so it's a very secure hiding place. It's obvious why something like that need to be hidden, but why does Gaston have it? What is the larger plot behind this? And what is Albert's involvement, other than just glowering from behind his desk? As many questions as it answered this week, there are still a lot left hanging. It's the beginning of a twisty, compelling new mystery.

This arc feels much more like what we saw in Part 4—and not just storywise, either. The darker, shaded aesthetic of Part 4, particularly in its final Da Vinci plot, is back. There's also the focus on romantic European backdrops, from the old buildings and cobblestone streets of Paris, to the countryside vista where Gaston made his home. It's the sort of scenery that's familiar if you've ever seen any globetrotting crime film that makes a stop in France, just like Part 4 played on media tropes about Italy. After feeling disappointed that the first arc didn't do as much with the series' French connection, I'm glad to see it leaning into it now. While the plot feels more like something I've seen before in other media, Lupin III taking it on promises a new spin on the premise. Lupin III has always felt like a mixture of a Saturday morning cartoon and a 1960s spy thriller, and even when it leans hard in one direction, it still keeps one foot in the other. This helps give the franchise its distinctive flair, and ensures its versions of old stories will still be fresh.

It's hard not to be excited for a story with as many tantalizing mysteries as this one. But even without that, this is a really cool-looking (and sounding, with more of that frantic jazzy soundtrack) episode. If Part 5 is Lupin III in dialogue with its past selves, this arc is with its recent past. The gorgeous French setting and constantly evolving storyline will ensure it still feels new and exciting.

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.