- Pronouns
- He/Him
Chiming in here because my relationship with Part 6 has been somewhat of a roller coaster, but I believe I've finally made my peace with it. Ultimately, I'm left in sort of a middling area. It's my least favorite Lupin TV series without a doubt, personally. However, that doesn't remotely mean it's without merit. I'd still recommend it, at the end of the day! But if I had to single out my favorite and least favorite moments...
Favorite
Favorite
- Fujiko. As already mentioned above, I loved loved loved how much Fujiko got to shine in this whole series. From her going on treasure hunting adventure with Cherry and her granddaughter, to taking on an asshole cult leader with Amelia, to that devastating moment with her trying to bring Lupin out of his trance in the final arc. Fujiko walks away with some of my standout moments/episodes in Part 6 (including one I'll get to in a moment), and I'm immensely thankful for that.
- (Almost) All of the standalone episodes. I like/love almost every single one-off episode in this series. In fact, they're the single biggest saving grace of the series for me. My personal standouts are The Killers in the Diner, Darwin's Bird, and Win or Lose in 0.1 Seconds. Diner in particular was a shot in the arm for the series for me on rewatch. Something endlessly funny about the gang just recreating "The Killers" on a whim during their downtime, and Oshii a TV special-length exposition dump at the very end of the episode is a killer gag imo. Bird, apart from Episode 0, is by far my favorite episode of the series. Felt like it hearkened back to one of those wild one-offs from Part 2 or 3 that ventured into genre territory that Lupin doesn't often go for. There's an eeriness to it that just sucked me right in, and the second half still sends a chill down my spine when I watch it. More Lupin horror episodes, please! Win or Lose was simply a delightful caper, and probably one of the episodes I've revisited most. The gang bickering at each other while trying to time their break-in, Linfeng's obsession with Lupin, and that insanely catchy jingle just make for a great time all around.
- Episode 0. Not much more to say about this one that hasn't already been said. Such a genuinely sweet, emotional send-off for Kiyoshi Kobayashi. Tbh, I haven't revisited this one since his passing because I know it's gonna destroy me. His one-on-one conversations with each member of the gang have stuck with me since the initial watch. Further proof that Yūya Takahashi is one of my favorite, modern Lupin writers, and easily the best episode of the series imo.
- Both the main arcs. I've ragged on the Sherlock arc enough both on Sideburns & Cigarettes and online in general, so I'll keep it brief. That arc is the epitome of wasted potential imo. You pit Lupin against the world's greatest detective and the two barely interact, the conflict between them is resolved halfway through, and their entire arc is seemingly nothing but endless exposition. The pacing in general was just abysmal, for me. Every time it barely started to build momentum, we were whisked away to a handful of (usually wonderful) one-offs, and that served to kill my interest in whatever was going on. I'll stop myself here, but it is one of the biggest disappointments I've had with Lupin in quite some time. Which genuinely bums me out. The Tomoe arc, I do enjoy more, and I appreciate the one-offs actually weaving into its larger narrative. However, it all ends with a
, and that also bums me out. There's some amazing character work with the gang in there, though. So, again, I don't outright dislike it, but I do grow more cold on it as time goes by.variation on the WCFM ending but without any of the thematic depth, emotional payoff or any catharsis in general
- My Mother's Documents. One of the most reprehensible episodes of Lupin I've seen in a while imo. The fact that it occurs near the end of the Tomoe arc is another reason why I grow colder on that story the more I look back on it. In no way do I think darker subject matter shouldn't be explored in Lupin. Imo, TWCFM did that quite well for the most part, and with sensitivity. I can't say that about this episode in the slightest. The usage of
just felt exploitative and left a pit in my stomach since I've watched it. Especially because those elements are simply part of a one-off and never even addressed again. It simply served as a cheap way to make Tomoe more threatening, and it just did not work for me in any way.the sexual assault of a teenager and deeply uncomfortable surveillance footage of a high-school shooting
- The animation. I won't rag on this one too much as this was produced during the height of the pandemic. It's totally understandable why the visuals are lacking, but it also serves as an overall indication I get that...Part 6 just feels so rushed? It comes across like TMS was prioritizing the 50th anniversary October release date rather than the quality of the scripts and the visuals. Which, at the end of the day, is immensely disappointing for a 50th anniversary series. I'm grateful we got Lupin Zero shortly after, which to me actually felt like an anniversary celebration rather than sticking a green jacket on Lupin and calling it a day.
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