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Lupin III Part VI Episode 11 Review

Episode 11, “The Truth and the Raven”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: When a real estate developer is assassinated by the Raven organization, Sherlock Holmes gets a tip that he was last seen with Fujiko Mine, signalling that the Lupin gang are back in London. It seems that the murder victim was targeted by the same killer who took out Lord Faulkner and John Watson. Holmes puts out a bounty on the missing piece of the poster Lupin attempted to steal to keep him busy. All parties- Holmes, Lily Watson, Lupin, and Inspector Zenigata- converge on Faulkner’s Black Drawing Room to unveil the hidden treasure! read more

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Lupin III Part VI Episode 10 Review

Episode 10, “Darwin’s Bird”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: A mysterious client contracts Lupin and Fujiko to steal an Archaeopteryx fossil from the British Museum, but something about the job is strange. Is there a dark secret to this heist? Heaven knows it’s a devil of a challenge!

Comments:

What a bunch of Touched By an Angel, Young Earth Creationist, anti-science bullshit.

First of all, I’m not overly fond of supernatural elements in my Lupin III stories. So this episode has a strike against it for the angel bullshit. Even though Lupin III has what I would call an “exaggerated reality” where things like a swordsman that can cut through bullets and perfect masks can exist, I don’t want to see a lot of ghosts, magic, and things of that nature, because in most of the best Lupin features there’s a certain sense of basic groundedness. What are we to believe after this episode, that the one true God and Judeao-Christian scripture is the reality of the Lupin universe? As a skeptic of religious matters, I find it annoying. read more

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Lupin III Part VI Episode 09 Review

Episode 09, “The Jet-Black Diamond”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:

Comments: Lupin and Fujiko are both competing to get the valuable Jet-Black Diamond. The clues to its location are hidden in kokeshi dolls, one hidden in a cavern, another in the possession of an elderly woman whose granddaughter keeps her company. The action takes to Brazil, where Fujiko hones in on the treasure, but it seems like there’s more (and less) to it than she thought. What is the secret of the Jet-Black Diamond? It’s a hunt peppered with mystery! read more

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Lupin III Part VI Episode 08 Review

Episode 08, “Last Bullet”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Three years ago, Lupin and Jigen got mixed up in a mess involving Lily Watson and an assassin. With Sherlock Holmes temporarily infirm, Jigen is tasked to escort Lily Watson safely from her school to London. But a former rival, Brad Roark, interrupts, planning on taking Lily out for witnessing something she shouldn’t have. It’s a ride to remember as Jigen has to outrace and outgun his pursuers with a gun that’s about to give out. read more

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Lupin III Part VI Episode 07 Review

Episode 07, “An Untold Tale”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Lupin and Jigen are back in London, looking to piece together the mystery of the Raven group. But while spying on Sherlock Holmes, Lupin encounters Inspector Zenigata. The man from the ICPO wants to know what happened to Holmes’ partner, Watson, and what Lily witnessed. But suddenly the two are on the run from an assassin, ducking for cover in a cemetary. How can the duo take down this threat? It looks like Lupin and Pops are in grave danger! read more

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Some Thoughts on the Live-Action Cowboy Bebop

Our “heroes”.

 

Cowboy Bebop, the 26-episode Sunrise anime from 1998, directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, is, to me, peak fiction. You can talk about classic literature, independent theater, popular museum art, and the golden age of television or film as works of artistic brilliance, and you’d hear little argument from me, except perhaps some of the specific titles. But I think that, that specific Japanese cartoon is every bit as genius as any of the things in those categories. Maybe someday I’ll see that view as embarrassing, and some may see it as already disqualifying for my opinions, but it’s honestly where I stand. I think Cowboy Bebop is brilliant, it was shaped by brilliant minds and crafted with brilliant hands, and is the crown jewel of my anime fandom. I don’t see it as mere entertainment, I see it as genuine art. read more

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Lupin III Part VI Episode 06 Review

Episode 06, “The Imperial City Dreams of Thieves (Part 2)”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Lupin is still pursuing the mystery of the Mongolian clock as several parties converge to decipher its secrets and try to control its power. Ruriko and Sarantuya are kidnapped by the nefarious Daidoji and Goemon looks to get them back, but will Lupin get to them first and solve the riddle of the clock? And what is the nature of the Showa Era Japan that Lupin finds himself in? It’s a race against the clock as Lupin reveals not everything is as it seems! read more

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Lupin III Part VI Episode 05 Review

Episode 05, “The Imperial City Dreams of Thieves (Part 1)”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Lupin suddenly finds himself in early Showa Era Japan, where he is identified as the thief Golden Mask, and pursued by Inspector Namikoshi and famous detective Kogoro Akechi. He keeps spotting familiar faces, but they’re all different people in this time period. He is convinced that taking possession of an enormous clock from Chinas Yuan Dynasty, found by a woman named Ruriko, will assist him in finding answers to his situation. But he has to contend with rivals in stealing in addition to law enforcement. Can Lupin pull off the historical heist? Trouble strikes like clockwork in this mysterious adventure in the past! read more

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Lupin III Part VI Episode 04 Review

Episode 04, “The Killers in the Diner”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Two mysterious strangers walk into the White Elephant diner, a place that has become occupied by waiting hired guns. They come there as the others, looking for a man that everyone intends to kill. Which one of these scheming assassins will go home with the prize? It’s anything but a movable feast when these killers let loose!

Comments:

In 1927, Men Without Women, a book of short stories by the writer Ernest Hemingway, was published. It included stories like “Hills Like White Elephants”, “Ten Indians”, “An Alpine Idyll”, “Che Ti Dice La Patria?” and “Fifty Grand”. The subject matter of these stories varied. read more

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Lupin III Part VI Episode 03 Review

Episode 03, “Adventure Along the (Bogus) Transcontinental Railroad”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Lord Marquess, eccentric millionaire, posesses both a large play train that encircles his property of realistic world environments and the first ticket ever distributed in England. Disguised as the South Ahud Republic’s President Arackney, Lupin looks to fool the old train fan while Fujiko infiltrates his property. However, Marquess’ butler Morton has his own designs on the ticket and Zenigata’s interference even further complicates matters. Can Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon avoid being arrested and save Fujiko from a gruesome fate? All aboard this fun little caper that has more detectives than sense! read more

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