Lupin the Third Part 5 – 01
Lupin III Part 5 01
ルパン三世 PART5 episode 01

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Some unknown people examine a file on Lupin III and his connections and exploits over the years. In France, Lupin is ready for his next target, the wealth generated by the Dark Web website Marco Polo, where one can buy illegal drugs or anything else illegal they might desire. They infiltrate the Twin Tower facility, where one tower is above the water and the other is below. They are looking for the person who who has the digital key to unlock the digital safe.

Lupin and Jigen make it to the lower level, where Lupin–in disguise–sees a young, petite woman. He declares himself to be her father, but she slowly rejects this, then pulls a Baby Browning from her panties and opens fire. Using an implant, she alerts security to the intruders. Lupin emerges after her fifth shot and proves he’s an excellent thief by producing her sixth bullet. The girl, Ami, agrees to help Lupin if he steals her away from this place. Lupin readily agrees.

Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, and Ami are on the road to freedom as Ami transfers all of the Marco Polo money to Lupin. The site’s owners are not amused and immediately begin to take steps to nail Lupin. Meanwhile, Lupin and company are at a hideout, but it is quickly discovered by Zenigata and a large police force. Lupin and company manage to get away, but are soon found by another police force. Here too, they manage to elude pursuit, but at the cost of Lupin’s Fiat.

Arriving at an airport, Lupin confirms they have no trackers on them, so it is a mystery how they are being found so quickly. Luin scores them tickets to Dusseldorf, but the group notices that everyone is taking pictures of them with cameras on their phones or tablets. A boy gets a selfie with Lupin and when asked, he tells them about the new Lupin game out there. Lupin realizes that the creators of this game have turned everyone into a cop with the purposes of nailing him.

Thoughts/Review:

As always, I’m way behind on stuff I’m really keen on watching, and the latest Lupin III title is no exception. However, I just watched Lupin the Third Part 5 – 01 and I have to say that I like how things get started here.

A Nod to the Past

One of the things I loved from the start of Lupin the Third Part 5 – 01 is that the series made an immediate nod to the Lupin the Third Part 4 series by showing us all the main characters from that. I’ll be honest, I hope that Rebecca comes back for an episode or two. That would really rock.

Thankfully, the production team didn’t stop with the previous TV series. We got to see small clips from other Lupin III TV series, specials, and movies. The one most notable for me was the clip from Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro.

The Dark Web and Mobile Technology

It is pretty clear that the Marco Polo underground website is a nod to the former Dark Website known as The Silk Road. I find it interesting that Lupin would decide to target something like this. Obviously it is lucrative, but as we find out, dangerous. Granted, Lupin loves him some danger, but in this case, it cost him his Fiat.

The other interesting element was the introduction of mobile gaming to make ordinary folks the eyes and ears of those looking for Lupin. I rather enjoy these modern elements being added in.

TV Series > Movies/Specials

I’m really glad that the Lupin III franchise has moved back to the TV series format. With a movie, TV special, or even an OVA, there is a limited amount of time in which to set up a tale, work on the characters, and bring everything to a satisfactory conclusion. Obviously, it can be done, as brilliantly witnessed with the Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro movie.

To me, Lupin III works best in the TV format, especially the modern serial format that is used. Lupin III‘s first three TV series were episodic, which meant an episode might be good or might be bad. But with the serial format, writers have the time to properly build a story, work on characters, and take care of the little details. Considering how Lupin the Third Part 4 went, I have high hopes that Lupin the Third Part 5 continues that trend. So far, that does seem to be the case.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Time to wrap up my review of Lupin the Third Part 5 – 01.

• Fujiko only gets a brief cameo in this episode. I’m curious to see how she gets involved in things. I can see her bailing Lupin out…for a price.
• Zenigata got a better cameo. It is nice to see him again and obviously, we’ll see more. I’m kinda hoping that we see Zenigata and Lupin teaming up.
• Ami may be the new girl for the series, but I kinda hope we don’t have a Lupin x Ami romance. I’m much rather Rebecca come back at times to do the whole love triangle thing with Fujiko and Lupin.
• Oh, and Engrish for the win! It is “peapole,” not “people.” 😉

In the end, Lupin the Third Part 5 – 01 is a nice start of the latest Lupin III series. I’m looking forward to watching more.