Lupin the 3rd: Part III 22
Lupin III Part 3 22
ルパン三世 – Part III Ep. 22

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis

Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko pull off a heist to steal a vault full of uncut diamonds. However, the diamonds spontaneously combust, forcing the gang to retreat. Automated gun defenses nearly kill them as the three guys leap out a window to the water below, leaving Fujiko behind. At their hideout, Lupin determines that the one diamond he managed to secure was fake. Further, he speculates that he was set up in order to cause the price of diamonds to rise.

Meanwhile, Zenigata pays the owner of the diamonds, Cecil Rose, a visit. He plants a bug in Cecil’s office. As he leaves, the real Zenigata shows up, exposing Lupin and forcing him to flee. Zenigata suspects Lupin bugged Cecil’s office and questions Lupin’s plan. Back at Lupin’s hideout, Fujiko returns. Lupin decides how he will get revenge on Cecil. Meanwhile, Cecil hires an assassin to kill Lupin for a cut of his upcoming diamond sale.

Lupin and gang intercept the truck carrying diamonds disguised as coal. However, it is a trap set by the assassin. Lupin’s gang appear to be destroyed, but in fact, barely escape. The assassin reports back to Cecil on his success. They greet a wealthy Arab, interested in buying the diamonds. After dousing the diamonds in gasoline, Lupin gets exposed as the Arab as Zenigata arrives.

The gang manage to get the crate attached to a helicopter as well as the Arab’s cash. Lupin is forced to ditch the cash to try to gain altitude. His lit cigarette falls into the crate, setting the diamonds on fire. By the time they land at an oasis, the diamonds are ash, save one which Fujiko takes for herself.

Thoughts/Review

I gotta say, I initially thought Lupin the 3rd: Part III 22 was full of excrement over the idea of burning diamonds. The writers of the episode even had Zenigata-Lupin question this. And since the episode provided an answer as to why diamonds would burn, I thought I’d look it up. Sure enough, diamonds burn at 1562°F (850°C). And gasoline can burn as hot as  1,950°C, which is 3,542°F. So it is possible to burn diamonds with gasoline, but I rather doubt it would go the way the episode makes it go.

That aside, this episode ended up being confusing, thanks to the poor subtitles. Leaving aside for a moment that whomever changed Zantetsuken to “your sword”, the English made it seem like Lupin and company were going after a single, million carat diamond. Diamond was always done in the singular. And yet the visuals clearly showed that Lupin and gang were after a ton of diamonds. That was frustrating to be sure.

Otherwise, this episode was just a dumb, revenge plot story. There’s a lot of motion and carrying on, but no substance. And at the end of the episode, Fujiko does what one expects in stealing the last diamond from Lupin. The only unexpected part is that she runs around with Lupin in pursuit in an almost flirtatious manner.

Finally, I found it funny that for the early part of the episode, it appears that Lupin is in his red jacket, not his pink one.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

In the end, Lupin the 3rd: Part III 22 is just a mindless episode where things happen. The crappy, official subtitles don’t help things either.