Spoilers Thoughts on "Goodbye, Partner"?

[cotton]

I watched Goodbye, Partner for the first time about a week ago, and surprisingly, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I'm still working through my thoughts about it (I'll probably write them out in more detail later), but I wanted to ask if anyone had particularly strong feelings or opinions on it that they wanted to share.

 

[pago]

I thought it was a good special. I think it has a better pacing then Prison of the Past, but I think PotP is still good since it's funny and all of the cast get to interact together. But Goodbye, Partner has a lot of intersting character moments. I was thinking of mentioning the special in Jigen's Sexuality thread cause I thought the flashbacks with him and the women were really interesting. It def gives more credence to Jigen being gay because I saw the scene very much as Jigen subtlety being like "I'm sorry, I don't see you that way". But he is still willing to help her and in turn, help her daughter.
Pops working together with Lupin and Goemon is enjoyable as always. Fujiko only going through all of that just to get a watch and her appreciating it was a wonderful moment, I really like how it adds dimension to her femme fatale aspect of her personality. Jigen tricking Goemon in that one scene and Lupin just lying still in the desert for several scenes, really added some tension, even if you know it's not gonna last.
The story isn't what I would say the best, but I personally liked it much better how they used modern technology into the story in this special than in part 5, since the crystal and the advance AI adds more to the idea that this is fiction. With Part 5, the tech stuff was played so straight, I felt like it when unrealistic stuff popped up, it made it more glaring ("This is gonna get rid of misinformation" my ass)

 

[Tsushi]

I have SO MANY thoughts on Goodbye Partner.

First off, what I liked, I liked Lupin and Goemon’s interactions! They were so much fun in this movie. I liked Goemon being lured in by the thrill of cutting something weird and rare, always funny. Them switching in the ICPO was the best, Goemon biting someone was the pinnacle lol

I liked the betrayal scene, I really liked the idea of Jigen trying to give Lupin clues, but I feel like that would have been even BETTER if the bad guy had said to Jigen something like “I have your phone tapped and a wire on you. If you say anything about this to Lupin or anyone else, we’ll hurt the little girl.” Something that would warrent Jigen not just coming clean to Lupin right away. It would have been nice.

I liked the opening theme with the piano! Probably one of my favorite Lupin opening theme versions! I liked being able to think like, when he said he couldn’t give the woman from his past a child, I liked thinking, either that’s a nice nod to him being gay or trans or both. That’s nice!

I loved how awkwardly Jigen tried to put the kid at ease, and fumbled Lupin’s little Cagliostro flag trick. It was so sweet to see the way he felt relieved when Lupin showed up and started acting like the clown he is. There’s at least one shot where Lupin is making the little girl smile and Jigen is smiling too, just happy that his partner knows how to help someone he cares about like that. I liked jazz piano Fujiko.

I like that they let Jigen fire the world’s biggest gun. It’s what he deserves. And I also loved the way Jigen was being so dramatic at the end like “I understand if you both can’t forgive me” and Goemon and Lupin both basically blow him off and roll their eyes.

For the rest, I really didn’t like how much time they spent on the random AI vocaloid character, it felt like not nearly enough of the film gave attention to the huge opportunity of a one time premise of “the one time Jigen turns on Lupin” I feel like that concept has so much weight and they barely explored the emotions of either Lupin OR Jigen about that. I felt like Jigen was barely on screen for 15 minutes, and I was very frustrated by them wasting such a cool concept! I definitely want to write a Jigen vs Lupin fic at some point to show how I might tackle the idea of a Jigen betrayal.

The whole second half of the film was very weak in my opinion. I honestly felt very let down by this one. It’s in my lower tier of Lupin films just because of the amount of potential that it squandered

 

[cotton]

I’ve worked through some of my thoughts about this special (seeing other people’s thoughts helped a lot for this!).

Since everyone’s talked about jazz Fujiko, I’ll quote Marvin Davis and say that for me, this special is not about the notes it plays, but about the notes it doesn’t play. On the whole, I had a rough time enjoying this special, but it raises questions that I personally find super interesting, even if I’m not sure the special answers them (or if it was even interested in answering them).

Like, Tsushi, I also wish the special had devoted more time to interrogating its premise of “What if Jigen did end things with Lupin?” Especially because, in my reading of it how Jigen ends his relationship with the Woman From His Past (I think her name was…Camille? Edit: Her name was not Camille. It was Riley. In my defense, I'm not sure that her name is ever said aloud in this special.) is kind of the perfect counterpoint for his relationship with Lupin.

This is a bit contradictory, but I thought the scene of Jigen leaving Riley was both the most cliché and the most interesting scene in the entire special. It’s cliché in the sense that of course Jigen left the Woman From His Past, who then died somehow off-screen, leaving a daughter for Jigen to project his unresolved emotions onto. On the other hand, I thought the reasons Jigen gives for leaving Riley say some really compelling things about his character!

From my read of it, another man had proposed to Riley, and she wanted Jigen to oppose it because Jigen was the real person she wanted to build a life with. But Jigen would not or could not commit. Instead, he tells her that he can’t give her the life she wants (fair, although I want to put a pin in this). He also tells Riley that he’s happy for her and asks her to put on the ring this other man gave her (which is the most unintentionally cruel thing I’ve seen him say, and Jigen, I love you, but at this moment I was ready to throw down on behalf of Riley). Jigen leaves her with a promise that he’ll come to help her if she’s in trouble, but qualifies that by saying, “All I can do is shoot a gun.”

Jigen repeats that line (“All I can do is shoot a gun.”) about three times in this special, and to me, that’s enough to make it a Theme. And I’m fascinated by unresolved questions of how much Jigen means this and whether he truly believes it. I think that, to anyone who’s watched this show, this statement is demonstrably untrue. Yes, Jigen’s ability is a big part of him, but it’s not all of him. And I certainly don’t think Riley loved him because he could shoot a gun real good. And yet, this is what Jigen falls back on. He cannot give her the life she wants (or the life he assumes she wants), and this is the reason he gives. Does he mean it? Does he believe it? Does he really think he’ll make Riley’s life worse by being in it, or is he using this as an excuse to put distance between himself and a person he realizes he’s gotten too close to? Is the real person he’s protecting himself?

Riley calls him a coward in this scene, and I’m not totally sure I disagree.

So Jigen leaves Riley. It’s a partnership he ends (or that cannot happen). Riley asked him for commitment, and he refused. Maybe he refused because he didn’t love her back, at least not in that way. And I’m certainly not suggesting that he should have committed to a relationship he didn’t want. But what I can’t get over is the “You couldn’t really be happy with me, anyway,” implied in the way Jigen ends things. To me, it felt like it was something he said more for himself than for Riley, and that’s why she calls him a coward. Personally, I don’t think it’s fair of him to put that on her.

Perhaps Jigen sees his reasons for leaving as self-sacrificing to some extent (assuming he did see himself as being the problem in Riley’s life), but no matter how altruistic his intentions, he hurts Riley by leaving. And we don’t even know if her life is all that much happier for him not being in it. She has a daughter and teaches her piano, which was supposedly her dream, but was it fulfilling if she married a man who she maybe didn’t care about that much? Riley dies, so nobody gets closure to these questions.

This failed (or unrealized) partnership is juxtaposed with Jigen’s longstanding partnership with Lupin. Immediately, this raises some interesting questions that have kind of been touched on in other Lupin media, but that this special presents a real opportunity to dig into. Does Jigen still think that “all he can do is shoot a gun”? Is that what Lupin thinks about Jigen? Is that all Jigen brings to this partnership? Would Jigen break things off if he thought he was bringing too much trouble into Lupin’s life (more than even Lupin could handle), and that Lupin would be better off without him? If so, would he make that decision unilaterally, like he did with Riley?

For the most part, I don’t think this special answers those questions. Jigen’s motivation for betraying/leaving Lupin is almost entirely external. Unlike his leaving Riley, which he justified as being “for the best,” his “betrayal” of Lupin is a matter of coercion. And for Lupin’s part, he figures out that something’s up with Jigen almost immediately. So there isn’t as much room for questioning what the basis of their partnership was in the first place. I really wish this had been explored more. Like, maybe less time could have been spent on explaining quantum computers.

Then there’s Jigen’s relationship with Alisa, which serves as Jigen’s opportunity to do what he couldn’t for Riley. And even then, he spends most of this special being pretty distant from her. There are a few moments where he closes the gap (the flower trick, and, most importantly, showing up at her concert), but he never tells her about his connection to her mother. It still seems like he’s operating under the belief that he’ll make her life worse by being a part of it. He protects her, but is that all he can do for her? Is that all he can do for anyone?

I do think it’s significant that Jigen does go to Alisa’s concert at the end. Maybe it’s a tiny step forward, and it shows that Jigen might allow himself to get a bit closer to people in the future. But I’m not totally satisfied with this scene as an “answer” to all the other questions this special raises about Jigen. In the end, the status quo is restored with Lupin and Goemon, but he still leaves the concert without coming face to face with Alisa. He can gun down the man who wronged her, but he still can’t quite allow himself to get closer to her than that.

So like…is this special a tragedy? It seems to suggest that Jigen has a habit of unilaterally removing himself from people’s lives for reasons he justifies to himself, while perhaps not fully appreciating the harm this causes to the people closest to him. It suggests that Jigen does not think very much of himself or his personal happiness (or if he even deserves it). For an even more extreme reading, perhaps his identity is so tied to his ability to shoot that he sees himself as more of a weapon/tool than a person capable of having relationships. And by the end of it, are Jigen’s views challenged or changed? I don’t know that they are! I kind of think they aren’t! And if they aren’t, isn’t that kind of sad?

Maybe the happy ending is that Lupin and Goemon are so quick to accept Jigen back. Yes, Jigen causes them some trouble and some pain, but it’s not more than they can handle, which is why this partnership is as enduring as it is. Jigen does the worst thing he can do, and there’s still a place for him here. But again, because the motivations for Jigen’s betrayal were so external, I felt like there was an opportunity for this scene to have more weight than it did.

All that to say, I do think the questions this special raises about Jigen’s character are interesting to think about, even if this wasn’t my favorite special overall. It has, intentionally or not (probably not), given me a lot to chew on, and I’ll probably incorporate my feelings about it into future fanfics.

Anyway, this post is a lot longer than it has any right to be, so I’ll have to save my thoughts about “Is Chopin’s AI little sister actually kind of a character foil for Jigen?” for another time.

 

[Jonnie]

I need to read everyone else's thoughts, but I love that this topic has come up! I have mixed feelings about this special because for everything it does right, it has two issues in the story that drags it down.

What I liked: the animation, the music (a given), and the direction. I'm not that familiar with the production pipeline in Japan, but whoever made some of the incredible shot choices in this special deserves recognition for it. I loved the action in this movie as well, and find myself wondering why we don't get anything of its calliber outside of the specials nowadays, save in rare instances... Lamentations aside, I really enjoyed looking at this movie.

What I didn't like: the story, but in execution and not in concept. Jigen's reason for betraying Lupin just has no gravity to it-- and that could have been interesting, perhaps, if their dynamic was shown to be fracturing before the betrayal occurs. I think there's a far more simplictic way to set up the split between them, hiwever. When @peggysthoughts and I watched this, they made the great suggestion of making the Lupin Girl Du Jour (I forget her name and have no urge to look it up, frankly; the pianist in question) Jigen's niece. That'd be an easy way to give the conflict some personal gravity, as well as loop back in the tidbit from the manga about Jigen having a sister.

With all that said, very excited to read what others think!

 

[cotton]

I need to read everyone else's thoughts, but I love that this topic has come up! I have mixed feelings about this special because for everything it does right, it has two issues in the story that drags it down.

What I liked: the animation, the music (a given), and the direction. I'm not that familiar with the production pipeline in Japan, but whoever made some of the incredible shot choices in this special deserves recognition for it. I loved the action in this movie as well, and find myself wondering why we don't get anything of its calliber outside of the specials nowadays, save in rare instances... Lamentations aside, I really enjoyed looking at this movie.

What I didn't like: the story, but in execution and not in concept. Jigen's reason for betraying Lupin just has no gravity to it-- and that could have been interesting, perhaps, if their dynamic was shown to be fracturing before the betrayal occurs. I think there's a far more simplictic way to set up the split between them, hiwever. When @peggysthoughts and I watched this, they made the great suggestion of making the Lupin Girl Du Jour (I forget her name and have no urge to look it up, frankly; the pianist in question) Jigen's niece. That'd be an easy way to give the conflict some personal gravity, as well as loop back in the tidbit from the manga about Jigen having a sister.

With all that said, very excited to read what others think!

Lupin monkeying his way through those sensor beams was such a delightful sequence! Although the cg piano playing was...well, it's a difficult thing to animate otherwise.

 

[cotton]

I was going to write a follow-up post about Jigen and the AI girl and how they could have had parallel character arcs. But then I thought about it too much and ended up rewriting the entire special in my head? So, here's a rough outline of that, I guess. I tried to preserve most of the plot elements in the special (including the AI/time crystal plot), but some things were left on the cutting room floor (sorry, Chopin stans).

• Opening heist: Lupin has to rescue Jigen after he’s captured. It’s a close call (maybe Lupin suffers a really minor injury?), but they make it out. Jigen feels a bit useless, and his confidence is shaken. Maybe Lupin doesn’t need him?
• Background: As in the special, Jigen and Riley had a past (romantic on Riley's side, but, as in the special, let's keep it ambiguous as to how much Jigen returned her feelings). Riley was a pianist, and she had been working on a composition, which she wanted to be a duet. She really wanted Jigen to play it with her, but he declined.
  • Jigen leaves her for the same reasons as in the special.
  • Riley ends up marrying a scientist who creates an AI based on her personality and memories. In this rewrite, they don't have a child.
  • Roy Forest tracks down and murders Riley and her husband for the technology.
  • Jigen is unable to protect Riley like he promised.
• Plot set-up: Banks are getting hit by untraceable cyberattacks, and the only clue anyone has to go off of is a piano refrain. Jigen was investigating this when he was captured. He recognized the piano refrain as Riley’s composition and was able to tie these incidents back to Roy.
  • As in the special, the AI is incomplete and needs the time crystal. Roy wants Jigen to trick Lupin into stealing it. He makes this offer to Jigen after capturing him.
  • Jigen wants to see the AI completed for his own reasons (the AI is essentially the ghost of his former partner). He also wants to kill Roy when it’s done.
  • Jigen decides to "betray" Lupin and "join" Roy after Lupin rescues him. He figures Lupin will be fine without him. He doesn't want to hurt him, but he needs to gain Roy's trust. (And maybe if he hurts him badly enough, he won't come after him.)
• Theme: “All [Jigen] can do is shoot a gun.” And if he can’t do that (or can’t do that well enough), maybe he isn’t needed.
  • Roy is using Jigen as a tool, just like he’s using the Riley AI as a tool.
• As in the special, Jigen betrays Lupin, but he doesn’t intentionally leave Lupin clues about who’s pulling the strings. Lupin still connects it back to Roy, but he has fewer solid leads to work off.
  • A little more wallowing than in the special. More room for doubt. Lupin has to do some reflecting about the partnership and why Jigen would choose to do this.
• Roy uses the time crystal to complete the quantum computer/Riley AI, which he uses for crypto evil.
  • Can you believe that "convert the world's money into crypto" was really a plot point? Anyhow.
• Lupin confronts Jigen. Jigen tries to scare Lupin off to keep him from getting involved (Roy is his fight, and he’s already killed one of Jigen’s former partners). Lupin plays the partner card and calls his bluff, and Jigen ultimately accepts his help in taking down Roy.
  • Bonus points for Jigen pointing his gun at Lupin’s heart and Lupin walking right up to him until the gun is against his chest.
• Lupin and Jigen confront Roy. By this time, the AI is already doing its thing, and Roy has some contingency for Mutually Assured Destruction if he goes down. Roy points out that they don’t know the override password.
  • Jigen realizes he does know the override password. He shoots Roy.
  • Roy can have a body double, like in the special. Why not?
• The password is the duet Riley composed (the unplayed, second half of the piano refrain). Jigen had actually learned his part in secret, but he was never able to play it with Riley.
  • Lupin and Jigen play the duet, with Lupin playing Riley's part.
    • We could have had an Evangelion 3.33 piano duet scene. The table was set for it. I’m just saying.
  • Theme: Rebuttal to “All I can do is shoot a gun.”
  • The piece is named after whatever flower was featured in the special.
• The override awakens the Riley AI. She recognizes Jigen, since she has Riley’s memories. However, it becomes clear that she is not Riley. Riley is dead. The AI has not truly replaced her, nor does she want to.
  • The AI reverses Roy’s directives and takes him out. (Instead of Jigen having to do it. Maybe Jigen doesn't shoot his way out of his problems, just this once.)
  • Both Jigen and the AI stop being Roy’s tools and regain their autonomy at the same time.
  • The AI chooses a new name for herself. (Maybe it can be “Alisa!”)
• The quantum computer begins to malfunction. The hardware is imperfect, and the AI has overstretched herself. The whole thing’s gonna blow, and Jigen is again forced to say goodbye.
  • The AI shares some of Riley’s final memories/thoughts with Jigen. Maybe something like how she hoped he would find happiness someday, even if it couldn’t be with her.
  • Jigen gets closure!
  • And it turns out that “Goodbye, Partner” didn't just refer to Jigen’s “betrayal” of Lupin, but also to him being able to move on from this past relationship!
• Lupin and Jigen flee before the quantum computer explodes, seemingly taking the Alisa AI out with it.
  • As in the special, it’s implied that the AI was able to manufacture a cybernetic body and upload herself to it.
• Jigen reconciles with the gang!
• Final scene: Lupin goes with Jigen to place flowers on Riley’s grave—something he could never quite bring himself to do before. As Jigen leaves the graveyard, he passes a girl (maybe with Alisa’s character design!) who is also bringing flowers to Riley’s grave. There’s a moment of recognition, but they don’t say anything to each other.
  • Jigen gets back in the car with Lupin, and they exit stage left, pursued by Zenigata.

 

[Hawkens]

Man this movie was very interesting. What's actually quite funny is that I saw it as one of the very first pieces of Lupin media I consumed and I was COMPLETELY BLINDSIDED by so many of the plot points. But I definitely have some strong opinions on it.

I do like all the clues and hints Jigen gives to Lupin about what's going on. I ALSO wish they had mentioned at some point that he was bugged either by being told, him destroying the bug later, or just showing one so the viewer gets it.

Though now having seen a massive chunk of Lupin content, not only is the concept of Jigen actually betraying Lupin nigh impossible to even entertain consideration, but his initial gun display was a MASSIVE HINT. (lol when I first watched I had NO idea how important his magnum was and did not understand this at all XD)

I love Jigen using what he's learned from Lupin to try to help the girl. We consistently get small snippets of how he behaves around others throughout all of the Lupin content. He often tries to help or care for the people stuck with them or in a tough situation, or he quietly stands by without judgement or condemnation. We know he's bad at feelings, so every time he tries is always special. This also would imply that Lupin has shown Jigen his flag/flower tricks personally. Since he wasn't present for the time in Cagliostro.

Jigen getting to fire the BFG was fantastic (he deserves all guns and all vehicles). I like that we also get another nod to how much he knows about military establishments, weapons tech, etc.

The part with Riley was interesting as well as frustrating. Time and time again, Jigen gets into these relationships with these women in his past. I imagine some of them are because he's quiet, mysterious, polite, kind, and looks like he could be "comeone they could fix/repair/get" as he never seems to be the type to particularly start anything himself. He too nice, and also seems to enjoy it enough to never refuse, despite his history, and it always comes back to bite him.

It's frustrating because he always makes the decision at some point that: he's just a dude with a gun and he can't give them what they want, or he's going to bring them disaster and danger, or he doesn't want to fight a friend or can't settle. It makes me wonder why he doesn't look at these people and immediately go: "I can't do this, it can't work." He's not entirely wrong. Trouble follows him and he enjoys the rush of battle and danger. So he's not entirely wrong, but it seems sometimes selfish and cruel that he lets it get that far, never tells them enough (mixture of his tendency to be quiet/secretive anyway, as well as not wanting to give ammunition for others to come after them), or just gives them the shitty: I can't do this. Bye. He could explain /some/ of it without putting them in explicit danger instead of just rebuking and leaving, or even just disappearing without a word. Ultimately, as cool and suave and good as he is, he definitely has a lot of emotional difficulty.

In some ways Jigen feels like he is perpetually torn between being a kind, romantic gentleman and a deadly, amazing, indominable gunman. He seems to want love and affection, but has NO idea how to combine that with who he is as a person.

Though that also makes me extra adore his partnership with Lupin. While I'd like to think of it as romantic, perhaps even the strongest connection in the polycule, his relationship with Lupin is very powerful regardless. Lupin shows him kindness, love (in his own way), affection, and also is strong, dangerous, capable, and just as wild. They can do anything together, from a romantic candlelit dinner, to a daring heist, to a firefight anywhere. Jigen may constantly worry about Lupin, but Lupin obviously is capable on his own. He's not afraid of danger and can handle most anything that comes his way, so he's not in danger of being around Jigen.

As for the rest of the movie, I felt like it wanted to do way too many things and picked a handful of plots: Jigen's betrayal, Jigen's past relationships, the kidnapping plot, the AI computer, the war plot...and then just didn't give enough time to any one of them. It ultimately leaves the entirety of the movie a bit disjointed and the ending a little bit sudden.

Though I have to say, I love Jigen finishing off the bad guy. Often Lupin ridicules them, humiliates them, they blow up, or are killed by their own foolishness. There was something grim, final, and delighfully lacking fanfare by Jigen just simply turning around and putting a bullet in the guy. No speech, no sass, no grandiose humiliation. It's a good reminder that, despite his goofiness and kindness, Jigen is still a very deadly and accomplished hitman. That man crossed the line, and Jigen made damn sure he wouldn't do that ever again.

Jigen seeing the concert at the end was sweet. I liked the flower symbology that the girl gave him as well. It would have been nice for him to at least talk to the girl again, and maybe he did after the concert (or Lupin was secretly there and shoved him back in to talk to her when it was over) I'd like to think that SOMETIMES, he's able to actually conquer his fear of feels, and tries a little harder.

Ultimately it was a decent movie, it had some really good scenes that I felt were sadly wasted on the disjointed plot. It's not my favourite, but I still enjoy watching it each time.

Oh, and my ONE biggest peeve with this... YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE OVER ANY PRODUCTION PLANT AND MAKE DRONES. DIFFERENT PLANTS HAVE WILDLY DIFFERENT RESOURCES SO THERE!

 

[cotton]

Man this movie was very interesting. What's actually quite funny is that I saw it as one of the very first pieces of Lupin media I consumed and I was COMPLETELY BLINDSIDED by so many of the plot points. But I definitely have some strong opinions on it.

I do like all the clues and hints Jigen gives to Lupin about what's going on. I ALSO wish they had mentioned at some point that he was bugged either by being told, him destroying the bug later, or just showing one so the viewer gets it.

Though now having seen a massive chunk of Lupin content, not only is the concept of Jigen actually betraying Lupin nigh impossible to even entertain consideration, but his initial gun display was a MASSIVE HINT. (lol when I first watched I had NO idea how important his magnum was and did not understand this at all XD)

I love Jigen using what he's learned from Lupin to try to help the girl. We consistently get small snippets of how he behaves around others throughout all of the Lupin content. He often tries to help or care for the people stuck with them or in a tough situation, or he quietly stands by without judgement or condemnation. We know he's bad at feelings, so every time he tries is always special. This also would imply that Lupin has shown Jigen his flag/flower tricks personally. Since he wasn't present for the time in Cagliostro.

Jigen getting to fire the BFG was fantastic (he deserves all guns and all vehicles). I like that we also get another nod to how much he knows about military establishments, weapons tech, etc.

The part with Riley was interesting as well as frustrating. Time and time again, Jigen gets into these relationships with these women in his past. I imagine some of them are because he's quiet, mysterious, polite, kind, and looks like he could be "comeone they could fix/repair/get" as he never seems to be the type to particularly start anything himself. He too nice, and also seems to enjoy it enough to never refuse, despite his history, and it always comes back to bite him.

It's frustrating because he always makes the decision at some point that: he's just a dude with a gun and he can't give them what they want, or he's going to bring them disaster and danger, or he doesn't want to fight a friend or can't settle. It makes me wonder why he doesn't look at these people and immediately go: "I can't do this, it can't work." He's not entirely wrong. Trouble follows him and he enjoys the rush of battle and danger. So he's not entirely wrong, but it seems sometimes selfish and cruel that he lets it get that far, never tells them enough (mixture of his tendency to be quiet/secretive anyway, as well as not wanting to give ammunition for others to come after them), or just gives them the shitty: I can't do this. Bye. He could explain /some/ of it without putting them in explicit danger instead of just rebuking and leaving, or even just disappearing without a word. Ultimately, as cool and suave and good as he is, he definitely has a lot of emotional difficulty.

In some ways Jigen feels like he is perpetually torn between being a kind, romantic gentleman and a deadly, amazing, indominable gunman. He seems to want love and affection, but has NO idea how to combine that with who he is as a person.

Though that also makes me extra adore his partnership with Lupin. While I'd like to think of it as romantic, perhaps even the strongest connection in the polycule, his relationship with Lupin is very powerful regardless. Lupin shows him kindness, love (in his own way), affection, and also is strong, dangerous, capable, and just as wild. They can do anything together, from a romantic candlelit dinner, to a daring heist, to a firefight anywhere. Jigen may constantly worry about Lupin, but Lupin obviously is capable on his own. He's not afraid of danger and can handle most anything that comes his way, so he's not in danger of being around Jigen.

As for the rest of the movie, I felt like it wanted to do way too many things and picked a handful of plots: Jigen's betrayal, Jigen's past relationships, the kidnapping plot, the AI computer, the war plot...and then just didn't give enough time to any one of them. It ultimately leaves the entirety of the movie a bit disjointed and the ending a little bit sudden.

Though I have to say, I love Jigen finishing off the bad guy. Often Lupin ridicules them, humiliates them, they blow up, or are killed by their own foolishness. There was something grim, final, and delighfully lacking fanfare by Jigen just simply turning around and putting a bullet in the guy. No speech, no sass, no grandiose humiliation. It's a good reminder that, despite his goofiness and kindness, Jigen is still a very deadly and accomplished hitman. That man crossed the line, and Jigen made damn sure he wouldn't do that ever again.

Jigen seeing the concert at the end was sweet. I liked the flower symbology that the girl gave him as well. It would have been nice for him to at least talk to the girl again, and maybe he did after the concert (or Lupin was secretly there and shoved him back in to talk to her when it was over) I'd like to think that SOMETIMES, he's able to actually conquer his fear of feels, and tries a little harder.

Ultimately it was a decent movie, it had some really good scenes that I felt were sadly wasted on the disjointed plot. It's not my favourite, but I still enjoy watching it each time.

Oh, and my ONE biggest peeve with this... YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE OVER ANY PRODUCTION PLANT AND MAKE DRONES. DIFFERENT PLANTS HAVE WILDLY DIFFERENT RESOURCES SO THERE!

Oh my god, the experience of this special being one of the first Lupin things you watched!I had already seen a bit of Lupin by the time I got to it, and I still got sucker-punched by the plot escalation!

Your comments about how Jigen seems to have a pattern of being drawn to these relationships, only to cut them off reminds me of that part in TWCFM where a character points out the contradictions in his personality. He does have this kind, romantic side of him, but it doesn't mesh well with his profession, so he tries to hide it. Yet it seems like he still wants these connections that he knows (or thinks) he can't have.

I agree that this background adds a lot of depth to his partnership with Lupin! Like, Jigen's life before him seems like it was desperately lonely. And like you said, Jigen doesn't have to worry about Lupin being able to keep up with him (it's even usually the other way around).

Spoiler: (Lupin Zero spoilers to follow)

Which is why I love that Lupin Zero gave us an instance of Jigen pulling his "It's too dangerous for you if we're together, so I'm going to do you a favor and excuse myself from your life" thing to Lupin, and showed Lupin spending so much time and effort trying to prove himself to Jigen!

 

[Hawkens]

Oh my god, the experience of this special being one of the first Lupin things you watched!I had already seen a bit of Lupin by the time I got to it, and I still got sucker-punched by the plot escalation!

Your comments about how Jigen seems to have a pattern of being drawn to these relationships, only to cut them off reminds me of that part in TWCFM where a character points out the contradictions in his personality. He does have this kind, romantic side of him, but it doesn't mesh well with his profession, so he tries to hide it. Yet it seems like he still wants these connections that he knows (or thinks) he can't have.

I agree that this background adds a lot of depth to his partnership with Lupin! Like, Jigen's life before him seems like it was desperately lonely. And like you said, Jigen doesn't have to worry about Lupin being able to keep up with him (it's even usually the other way around).

Spoiler: (Lupin Zero spoilers to follow)

Which is why I love that Lupin Zero gave us an instance of Jigen pulling his "It's too dangerous for you if we're together, so I'm going to do you a favor and excuse myself from your life" thing to Lupin, and showed Lupin spending so much time and effort trying to prove himself to Jigen!

Yaaaas, especially with what we got in Zero. That part is an utter treat and just really sold how much these two are made for each other. Platonic or not, Lupin and Jigen are irreversibly tied together and through each other, give and take equally what they need, desire, and grow from it

 

[HixyStix]

Goodbye Partner seems to be a special that evokes the strongest opinions from people. I have previously talked to people and been in Discord servers where you could not even mention it without people coming out of the woodwork to assure you they don't like it, actually, and it's bad and there's nothing good about it.

I fall on the side of enjoying it, honestly. It's not perfect, but no media is. To me, though, it tells its story decently well and has some hooks that I'm particularly gullible for.

I know some of these have also been mentioned, but I wanted to give special shoutouts to moments and themes I loved, in no particular order:

- Jigen knowing he has to get a legitimate reaction from Lupin and Goemon, so he drops hints instead of saying "hey play along with me." Also Jigen showing off how dangerous he could be against his friends if he ever really did betray them (not that that would happen without some serious betrayals on their part first).​

​

- Jigen constantly claiming he's not good at anything but shooting a gun yet he knows exactly what hints to drop to get Lupin to figure out what's going on. These two are so drift compatible and I love it.​

​

- The music. I really love the music in this one. That classical piano opening is particularly lovely!​

​

- Jigen's relationships with Riley and Alisa. However you want to interpret their relationships, obviously Jigen and Riley were close enough for him to offer his protection and loyalty, albeit from a distance - a loyalty he transferred to Alisa after Riley died. And it shows how deeply Jigen values his promises, if he's willing to risk what he has with Lupin and Goemon to keep this promise. In some moments, he's willing to risk his life, too, though arguably he values that less than the gang.​

​

- The difference in the way Jigen acts around people in and out of the criminal life. We're shown his softer side throughout the series, but it's really showcased here and I like seeing it. The moment where he tries to do the Cagliostro magic trick with the flowers just to try and distract Alisa from the danger she's in always stands out to me. (Not to mention he used flowers he associated with Riley, not knowing they were special to Alisa too - the man remembered the exact flowers sixteen+ years later.)​

​

- Goemon imitating Lupin and acting completely feral is perfection.​

​

- Fujiko playing piano.​

​

- That opening heist and the Zenigata fake-out were masterfully done.​

​

- Jigen actually attending the piano competition.​

​

- Lupin understanding as soon as he figured out that Jigen had orchestrated everything and being willing to accept him back - and Goemon doing the same once Lupin accepted Jigen.​

​

Like I said, it's not perfect and the final third where things go crazy on the base/production facility is out there, but honestly is it any more unbelievable than

Spoiler: Spoilers for Blood Seal: Eternal Mermaid and Legend of the Gold of Babylon

the guy hulking out on immortal blood in Eternal Mermaid? Or the aliens in Babylon?

Going off the rails in the final act is kind of a time-honored Lupin III tradition.

Anyhow, there's probably more I'm missing, but I wanted to put in my unapologetically-positive two cents

 

[Hawkens]

Goodbye Partner seems to be a special that evokes the strongest opinions from people. I have previously talked to people and been in Discord servers where you could not even mention it without people coming out of the woodwork to assure you they don't like it, actually, and it's bad and there's nothing good about it.

I fall on the side of enjoying it, honestly. It's not perfect, but no media is. To me, though, it tells its story decently well and has some hooks that I'm particularly gullible for.

I know some of these have also been mentioned, but I wanted to give special shoutouts to moments and themes I loved, in no particular order:

- Jigen knowing he has to get a legitimate reaction from Lupin and Goemon, so he drops hints instead of saying "hey play along with me." Also Jigen showing off how dangerous he could be against his friends if he ever really did betray them (not that that would happen without some serious betrayals on their part first).​

- Jigen constantly claiming he's not good at anything but shooting a gun yet he knows exactly what hints to drop to get Lupin to figure out what's going on. These two are so drift compatible and I love it.​

​

- The music. I really love the music in this one. That classical piano opening is particularly lovely!​

​

- Jigen's relationships with Riley and Alisa. However you want to interpret their relationships, obviously Jigen and Riley were close enough for him to offer his protection and loyalty, albeit from a distance - a loyalty he transferred to Alisa after Riley died. And it shows how deeply Jigen values his promises, if he's willing to risk what he has with Lupin and Goemon to keep this promise. In some moments, he's willing to risk his life, too, though arguably he values that less than the gang.​

​

- The difference in the way Jigen acts around people in and out of the criminal life. We're shown his softer side throughout the series, but it's really showcased here and I like seeing it. The moment where he tries to do the Cagliostro magic trick with the flowers just to try and distract Alisa from the danger she's in always stands out to me. (Not to mention he used flowers he associated with Riley, not knowing they were special to Alisa too - the man remembered the exact flowers sixteen+ years later.)​

​

- Goemon imitating Lupin and acting completely feral is perfection.​

​

- Fujiko playing piano.​

​

- That opening heist and the Zenigata fake-out were masterfully done.​

​

- Jigen actually attending the piano competition.​

​

- Lupin understanding as soon as he figured out that Jigen had orchestrated everything and being willing to accept him back - and Goemon doing the same once Lupin accepted Jigen.​

​

Like I said, it's not perfect and the final third where things go crazy on the base/production facility is out there, but honestly is it any more unbelievable than

Spoiler: Spoilers for Blood Seal: Eternal Mermaid and Legend of the Gold of Babylon

the guy hulking out on immortal blood in Eternal Mermaid? Or the aliens in Babylon?

Going off the rails in the final act is kind of a time-honored Lupin III tradition.

Anyhow, there's probably more I'm missing, but I wanted to put in my unapologetically-positive two cents

I agree on all of these things.
We really did get a LOT of excellent Jigen stuff, which I can NEVER complain about ;3

Also Drift Compatible hells yes! Pacific Rim AU, Lupin style? (I started one once!)

 

[Tsushi]

Like I said, it's not perfect and the final third where things go crazy on the base/production facility is out there, but honestly is it any more unbelievable than

Spoiler: Spoilers for Blood Seal: Eternal Mermaid and Legend of the Gold of Babylon

the guy hulking out on immortal blood in Eternal Mermaid? Or the aliens in Babylon?

Going off the rails in the final act is kind of a time-honored Lupin III tradition.

I mean I would rather more Lupin DID get more crazy in the third act! I certainly am a defender of Loch Ness Monster, Clone of DaVinci, Aliens, and Vampires Lupin content, but the end conflict in this movie is more just dull and not well balanced with themes, it doesn't let Jigen shine in any particularly significant way, and it's what I would call "fast forward material" ie very much something I would skip on a rewatch because in has no content I want to see. That, to me, makes in a very bad last action scene.

I loved Goemon and Lupin's action scenes! It's just a real bummer that that last one is so talky and oh no the military and a tech bro and an AI I guess? It didn't grab me lol