Reviews

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Lupin III Part V Episode 23 Review

Episode 23, “Just Then, An Old Buddy Said Something”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Injured, Lupin is taken into custody by the ICPO, along with a regretful Goemon. Ami tries to reach out to her father, only to find that he’s more interested in PeopleLog than in her. While transferring Lupin to ICPO HQ in Lyon, the convoy carrying Lupin is stopped by Jigen, who uses an arsenal of weapons to free his colleagues. With Lupin rescued, Jigen advises Lupin to retire, as their business has gotten too risky. Lupin has different plans, though, exploiting PeopleLog to release classified information and causing a stir among world governments who look to regulate the platform. Can Lupin turn PeopleLog against Enzo? It’s an episode you’ll want to leak to the public! read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 22 Review

Episode 22, “Answer Me, Zantetsuken”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Fujiko is a prisoner of Enzo, the head of the Shake Hands group responsible for PeopleLog and Lupin’s current professional woes. Our sideburned swindler storms the headquarters with Jigen, Goemon, and Ami, to save Fujiko and take apart the pernicious program. However, incensed about being referred to as merely “Lupin’s underling”, and egged on by Enzo, Goemon makes a startling decision that halts the entire operation. How will Lupin answer Goemon’s wavering blade? No matter how you slice it, the ending of this entry is unforgettable! read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 21 Review

Episode 21, “An Outdated Master Thief”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Enzo, the president of Shake Hands, unveils his new app, PeopleLog, which compiles information about any person within moments, and supposedly blocks inaccurate information. While attempting to steal a statue, Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon are repelled by a public incident involving the app. While discussing the new phenomenon, the three are identified by a restaurant patron, and have difficulty escaping from the law and crowds. Beset on all sides by the police and old enemies looking to settle grudges, they decide to contact Ami for her expertise. Inspector Zenigata passes along to Lupin that Fujiko has been captured by Enzo, who sees the Lupin crew as outdated. read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 20 Review

Episode 20, “Zenigata, Gentleman Thief”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon return to small town in Russia where they’d previously pulled a heist, with the intention of grabbing more loot. However, every attempt they make is interrupted by three other thieves, and one is Inspector Zenigata! Apparently Pops, suffering amnesia, is going under the name Monety, and pulling capers to get closer to his lost memories. Is Lupin more concerned with returning his enemy to his normal state or rather outraged by the new competition? It’s a trip down memory lane in this competition to be the superior stealer! read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 19 Review

Episode 19, “A 7.62 mm Mirage”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  A wealthy man named Zylberstein challenges Lupin to a chess match by having people around him shot by a sniper. Lupin reluctantly accepts the bet of a million euros for the winner of the game, but is meanwhile targeted by the old man’s sniper, Mirage. Jigen, an old acquaintance of Mirage acts as a counter-sniper, and the ordeal becomes two simultaneous battles of skill. Can Jigen bring himself to kill this former comrade? It’s checkmate in this intense double attack! read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 18 Review

Episode 18, “Fujiko’s Souvenir”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  When Lupin’s toilet breaks, the gang are forced to quarrel over who uses Jigen’s, all the while trying to figure out why Fujiko is around, and warding off a clueless Inspector Zenigata. Will our favorite cast of thieves be able to keep hideout secret from the law? Will the men figure out what Fujiko’s hiding? It’s a domestic Lupin episode!

Comments:

I’m not really sure how to review this episode. Did you read my synopsis? That’s basically it, folks. Lupin’s toilet breaks because Fujiko leaves something in the tank (fortunately, not steaming upper decker). The gang argue over who gets to use the other one (does Goemon not have his own room?). Then Zenigata drops in when he smells Goemon’s cooking and is craving Japanese food. Then Fujiko retrieves the object she was hiding and we discover why she did it (kind of). read more

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ThunderCats 2011 Episodes 23 – 26 [FINAL]– Purr-emature Purr-manent Demise

I gotta end this watchthrough with a rotten pun. Sorry.

So after skipping a week so I could watch some OG Dragonball (a decision I do NOT regret), it’s time to cover these final few episodes. Long story short, they’re good but so good it really hurts when one realizes that after the final scene, it is all we’ve got. Short story long? Well… let’s see what interested me about this.

Coming out of Episode 22 I expected the following episode (“Recipe for Disaster”) to reunite the bunch for the next Stone. Instead we get another filler episode involving a disturbingly large, if sweet caterpillar, her snake oil salesman master (a species from the original series), and of course Lion-O’s attempt to woo Pumyra. The last one makes for amusing moments, given how Lion-O is socially awkward in being sweet to her, which not only involves her face getting an allergic reaction to a flower to Tygra drinking a love potion from aforementioned snake oil salesman meant for her. The last part makes this episode worthwhile, since Matt Mercer really nails how out of it the usually snarky and sometimes super serial Tygra is when under the spell of a potion that makes him all touchy feely. Plus he calls Panthro a ‘silly goose’. read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 17 Review

Episode 17, “Introducing Detective Jim Barnett III”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Lupin is summoned to the home of Count Phillipe de Maunbassant’s widow, Isabelle, to solve the mystery of his murder. His reward for playing detective will be the jewel he’d previously attempted to steal from the couple. The suspects include a famous sommelier, the count’s nephew, and a business rival. However, Lupin must contend with a second murder, and the house is sealed until morning. Can famous detective “Jim Barnett” root out the killer and retrieve his prize? It’s a whodunit where the criminal ISN’T Lupin! read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 16 Review

Episode 16, “Let’s Talk About First Loves”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Martial law descends on Padar, where the High Priest plans to marry Princess Dolma to become the legitimate ruler, but is fought by the king’s loyalists. While the king, with the help of Shake Hands, rallies support, a disguised Lupin and Ami catch up to the underhanded usurper. Will they be able to stop the wedding? And what last move does the CIA have in this? It’s more palace politics in Padar in this story’s conclusion! read more

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ThunderCats 2011 Episodes 19 – 22 – Those Pre-Finale Dog Days

With Lion-O once again righting his course, it would appear this series is prepping for its finale with this small set of episodes. At my initial viewing, I thought it would be a ‘one-and-done’ at their latest locale: a desert dog town. Instead, it unfurls into a semi-lengthy mini-arc of lore and loss. The latter part is not just any loss, but multiple losses of life, plot devices, and even personal effects. Who knew?

The big draw of all this however is the introduction to a new ThunderCat to the mix: Pumyra. With the exception of Bengali (who probably would’ve been in the second season), all the primary ThunderCats from the original show are accounted for in the first season. Pumyra from the original show is kindof an inoffensive, and eventually nonexistent entity. Juxtaposed with the warrior Cheetara, she was more the nice nurturer. However in 2011, it appears the roles are reversed. Cheetara’s role as a cleric, never mind her encouragement of Lion-O in the first half, makes her the nurturer in this iteration. Pumyra? All warrior, what with her introduction of her being badass in a gladiator’s arena. read more

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