Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Lupin the Third: Part 5
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11586 |
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Could be. I didn't look it up. I thought there were two seasons prior to the Italian one, and that the Fujiko one was IV, so maybe I'm out of sync with the official numbering. 
Eh, we probably have differing ideas on what constitutes "cartoony." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8499 Location: Penguinopolis |
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Albert is a long way from Herr Maphrodite from Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure, and that's a definite good thing. He's not a gay villain, he's a villain who happens to be gay. He's certainly resourceful, clever, and a smugly wicked, and his gayness isn't treated as part of that or like some kind of exit from his evilness, something that could redeem him. It's just another aspect of his overall life. Who he comes home to at night has no bearing on his role as Lupin's nemesis.
Also, it's a joy seeing Goemon interact with modern technology and children at the same time. He's still SAMURAI FREUND. |
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anddo
 Posts: 670 |
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This season really augments the Cowboy Bebop similarities with Albert standing in as Lupin's Vicious. Lupin's fake "deaths" help support this scenario.
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Jayhosh
 Posts: 972 Location: Millmont, Pennsylvania |
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I wouldn’t really call it a “death fakeout” at the beginning of this episode and end of last. Albert very clearly states that he intentionally missed Lupin’s heart so that he could live to see his victory. Really the twist was that Lupin got such the outsmarting from such an intimidating adversary.
Animation was particularly great in this episode and the action is as intense as ever. Albert’s character seems really intriguing and I do like how subtle his sexuality is presented by anime standards, and his presence does make up for the lack of Ami this time around, who I really grew to like. The first arc was already feeling like a throwback to green jackets more serious tone, and this one only further pushes that feeling, of course not without losing the wonderful humor and bromance elements I love. Can’t wait to see how things shake out in the next episode or two. The lack of the Fiat, Fujiko, Ami and Zenigata this arc has been pretty painful though. |
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SailorTralfamadore
 Posts: 499 Location: Keep Austin Weeb |
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Eh, I'm not really seeing the similarities other than them being past allies. They re-unite way more easily in this episode than Spike and Vicious ever could (which is to say, they couldn't). Shinichirou Watanabe btw denies the whole "Lupin is a huge influence on Cowboy Bebop" thing, or at least he did in the interview for my book. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11586 |
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This review confused the hell out of me. Or maybe I was already confused, but I didn't think so until I read this.
As I understood it, Albert and José are on opposite sides. Albert is a federal (I think) cop (and the guy Lupin had tied up at the end (I think) is his boss). I got the impression that he felt that France was already his (as in the thing he was protecting), but he's suspecting that maybe his boss is letting the bombings happen because he's in Calvess' pocket, rather than just fearing the notebook being made public? Either way, I didn't think Albert had plans for a coup.
José has the notebook, and I'm pretty sure Calvess knows that, since they're clearly in cahoots.
A double-cross implies they're on the same side, and again, I don't think they are. And Revenant's group is Jose's group. He's the one who electrocuted her for failure. He's her boss, and Calvess is calling José's shots. Or at least that's what I thought. Have I gotten all this wrong? oO What I don't know is who those guys were that attacked their apartment. They seemed too lackey-like to be part of José's gang, so maybe Albert's boss sent them as part of his efforts to quash all knowledge of the book's existence? |
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VampireNaomi
 Posts: 146 |
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@Gina Szanboti
I agree, I felt that some of the details got mixed up in the review. But I guess it's understandable since there's a lot going on and many players in this scheme. I do wonder if we were ever supposed to think that Albert and Guillaume (the director of DGSE, who got tied up in the end of ep 9) were working together, either on any plot or just in general. Albert doesn't work for DGSE but DCPJ, as mentioned in the news clips that Fujiko was watching in episode 5. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11586 |
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Ah, thanks for sorting out the police. I assumed they were in the same agency since they were both at the big meeting where they decided to do nothing,
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penguintruth
Posts: 8499 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I'm more curious about Lupin's comment on him inheriting the title of Lupin III instead of, you know, being Arsene Lupin's grandson (though given what year it is now, that is incredibly unlikely). Every time Arsene Lupin is used in the older shows, he looks pretty much like Lupin III does, but with a monocle and hat. This episode presents us with a very Green vs Red view of Lupin III.
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cfalcon
Posts: 37 |
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I agree with Gina's interpretation of episode 9, with the exception of VampireNaomi's correction. I do appreciate Rose's episode reviews but think she lost track of these plot threads.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11586 |
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Also, at this stage of the game, I would not be the least bit surprised to find out that Revenant is actually Fujiko in disguise. To what end, I have no clue, it's just that she hasn't said a word, has that mane of hair, and she keeps popping up in unlikely places. If you tell me that would require her to be in two places at once or something, well, been there, done that, was proved wrong about it once already.
Btw, Chloe has the greatest character design I've seen in ages. |
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VampireNaomi
Posts: 146 |
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Until the series states otherwise, I'm going to assume that Lupin and Albert are related somehow and as such, decided to see which of them was worthier of being Lupin III. I have a feeling the series might leave that up to interpretation, though. I'm also fond of the idea that Albert got adopted into the family, but there's nothing to back it up.
I really hope Revenant isn't Fujiko. If I remember right, it was Revenant who killed Camille, so having her be responsible for that would make her more unsympathetic than I expect from the franchise. It's one thing to double cross Lupin, but have we ever seen her kill bystanders or good guys to get what she wants? But something has to be up with this character since she (or he, could be a man in disguise) has survived two encounters with the gang and was shown to be back again in episode 10's preview. If they're planning to do a reveal that Revenant is someone we know, is there anyone it could be except Fujiko, Albert's boyfriend, or Zenigata's new sidekick? |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11586 |
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Good point. But maybe Camille's shot (and falling down a cliff) actually killed Revenant, and Fujiko's taken their place? I'm not at all convinced it's her, I'm just saying it won't shock! me if it turns out that way. |
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WatcherZer
Posts: 302 |
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The title 'Lupin' may just be an allusion to the best thief in the world at the time since Albert was better than Lupin. Alternately the producers could be tying this in to the 40th anniversary film 'Green vs. Red' where it was explained there wasn't just one Lupin wearing a different colour suit but many different people who assumed the Lupin persona (kind of like Ace Rimmer in the Red Dwarf episode Stoke me a Clipper) and ended with a great madcap chase with hundreds of Lupins trying to kill each other. In that film the red jacket lupin joins the gang after the death of the green jacket, but the pink jacket lupin also appeared as well as the Lupins from three other films.
You could argue as Goemon and Fujiko have two completely different origin stories over the course of the series that could apply to them as well. Original Goemon origin was that he was Fujiko's fiancé (serious relationship not just one of her seductions) and Lupin was trying to steal his families sword making secrets, second origin was Goemon was a hitman sent to assassinate Lupin but ultimately joined him. Fujikos original origin was that there were many attractive women Lupin encountered who all happened to be called Fujiko (and they introduced themselves as strangers each time) but later was changed to her being one person in many different costumes. Then the Woman Called Fujiko introduced the concept of many women being brainwashed and surgically turned in to the same Fujiko persona. Jigen by contrast gets his origin story told a couple of times but its always the same, he was as an American hitman/bodyguard working for the mafia, fell in love with a mafia dons wife, they had an affair but the Don found out and she killed him but the rest of the mafia saw Jigen with a gun and thought he must have done it, Jigen runs away and joins a rival Chinese mafia. later fujiko hires Jigen to (unknowingly) steal the Dons Magnum in the possession of the wife, she commits suicide by pretending she's going to kill Jigen with it to avenge her husband and he takes the gun and vows never to kill again becoming a thief instead. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11586 |
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Wait, did she commit suicide-by-Jigen to avenge her husband, or did she pretend to avenge her husband by trying to kill Jigen? I guess the latter doesn't make sense since she killed him, but avenging him at all seems odd too. Maybe to atone would sit better with me?
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