Lupin the 3rd: Part III 46
Lupin III Part 3 46
ルパン三世 – Part III Ep. 46

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis

Zenigata discovers the bound and gagged pilots of a charter jet, carrying a priceless Hina-matsuri Doll set. Lupin and Jigen fly the jet away. When Lupin opens the chest, Zenigata is there with the dolls. Lupin knocks him out. Fujiko somehow got on board and promises Lupin a good time later. She then alerts (via radio) her elderly, male companion of Lupin’s plans. When they abandon the jet over Dump Island, a submarine emerges, taking Fujiko and the dolls.

Inside the sub, the elderly Barracuda shows Fujiko a receipt inside one of the dolls. It is proof of secret doings between Japan and the US. As such, Barracuda plans to extort gold from both governments. Meanwhile, Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon make it to shore with a large engine. They find the remains of a Zero fighter craft and a long dead pilot. As such, Lupin decides to rebuild the Zero using their new engine and resources on the island.

Meanwhile, Fujiko learns that Barracuda is a polygamist. As such, he wants her as his 48th wife. Fujiko declines, but the other 47 wives force her to walk down the isle. Back on the island, Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon escape on their make-shift Zero. When they see an oil tanker were none should be, Lupin bails and makes his way on board. He grabs Fujiko and eventually escapes. However, the Zero takes damage and explodes.

Thoughts/Review

Egad. As I write this review of Lupin the 3rd: Part III 46, I still don’t know what kind of utter nonsense I just watched. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but this episode was another one of those insanely dumb ones. Right out of the gate, Fujiko shows up “unexpectedly”, then immediately betrays Lupin. I’ve already said how BORING this is. It makes my eyes hurt.

After that, the episode becomes a series of plot contrivances. It is convenient for Lupin to give Fujiko a necklace that was also a camera and transmitter. Fujiko not suspecting anything was convenient. Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon “acquiring” a new engine that can fly a small plane was convenient. A crashed Zero on the island Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon were stranded on was convenient. And boy was it convenient that the patched up Zero could actually fly.

The one surprise in the episode was Fujiko’s relationship with Barracuda. Considering how Fujiko is portrayed, I expected her to act lovey-dovey with the old man. She was not. However, Barracuda then made me laugh by declaring Fujiko would be his 48th wife. Not only that, his harem was keen on having Fujiko join them. It was so absurd, I couldn’t help but laugh.

The final surprise, possibly done as a gag, was Lupin’s gang getting shot down. Their plane explodes, and they are falling to the ocean. But it leaves an unsatisfied feeling.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

In the end, Lupin the 3rd: Part III 46 has a lot of stupidity and a couple of surprises.

And on a personal level, I did get a chuckle out of the “stranded on an island and constructing stuff” moment since as I write, I’ve just started playing Project Castaway.