Synopsis: Inspector Zenigata is arrested! The ICPO believe old Pops has been secretly colluding with Lupin this whole time, abetting his crimes! But there’s no time for our bored bandit to sort that out, as he’s challenged to retrieve a special black diamond that can be used to complete a quantum computer. Somehow, a kidnapped girl named Alisa, the works of Frédéric Chopin, and the President of the United States is tangled up in this, but that’s not the only surprise! It seems that Lupin’s hetero life mate, Jigen, has betrayed him! Why, after all these years? Will this be a Revolutionary Etude or a Tristesse? Goodbye Partner hits all the right notes!
Comments:
It’s been a while since I’ve written a text review for a Lupin feature, and even longer since it was a television special. Actually, it’s been a while since there was a TV special. The previous one, Italian Game, was basically just a compilation of a few Lupin III Part IV episodes with some added bits. Like Gundam 08th MS Team‘s Miller’s Report, I suppose. The TV specials had once been a staple of Japanese television, one every year for decades until they slowed down. It was for the best, though, because they were getting really bad. Princess of the Breeze, from a few years ago, was a desperate attempt to recapture the magic of Castle of Cagliostro, that face planted.
But with Goodbye Partner, TMS may have let the TV specials join the Lupin III Renaissance, because it was startlingly good!
Maybe I’m just a sucker for Chopin. Especially Opus 10, Etude Number 3 (usually in E), or “Tristesse” (“Sadness”), a favorite of anime producers and music composers, apparently, because not only do we hear it a few times here, but you’ll also hear it in 2003’s Fullmetal Alchemist TV series, the third Tenchi Muyo! OVA, and the “Baby Blue” short from the anthology Genius Party. It’s also probably my favorite piece of music of all time. The TV special also features “Revolutionary Etude” (Op 10, No. 12). And Chopin’s music and way of piano-playing are a key to activating and accessing the quantum computer AI, Emilka (named after Chopin’s nickname for his younger sister). You incorporate my favorite classical composer into your anime, you have my attention.
I was concerned that the black gem would have been some kind of magical object that controls all computers… which isn’t too far from the truth, but it’s not a supernatural force, it’s techno-magic/bullshit. The AI that forms its own sentience apart from its controllers is well-tread ground, but I just can’t help it, Emilka is just too cute. I’m not sure how that supercomputer is “quantum”, though. It’s not breaking physics or anything, it’s hacking into bank accounts, building droids, and re-routing resources. But at least this is somewhat topical in today’s climate (especially given Roy’s insistence on “America First!”), given the questions about technological singularities and redistrubution of wealth. The TV special doesn’t explore those topics with any great detail, but they echo the zeitgeist in which it’s been created in as atmospheric background.
The special was advertised as depicting a big rift between Lupin and Jigen, but the Lupin vs Jigen element was over in a little less than an hour into the ninety minute run time. Apparently, Jigen had been in love with the mother of Alisa (the young piano phenom villain Roy kidnaps to access the AI), but felt he couldn’t give her the life she wanted, since, you know, he was a hired gun and thief. Eventually Alisa’s mother and father both died and Jigen has made it his duty to protect her, even if he has to go up against his buddies, Lupin and Goemon. This is a decent angle to the story, but I wouldn’t have named the whole special after this element, I would have leaned into the Chopin one.
There are a lot of great scenes in this feature. The opening chase sequence, with Lupin’s casual escape in the face of great danger, Lupin’s diving between laser trippers on his way to the diamond (only to hit an alarm tile immediately after), the bit with Lupin disguised as a Goemon lookalike while Goemon is disguised as a captured Lupin, subverting expectations, was funny, any time Alisa and/or Fujiko tickled the ivories, Lupin and Jigen finding and using the German railway gun, the AI singing… this Lupin adventure is packed full of memorable moments. It never has a shortage of eye-catching visuals and humorous situations.
Goodbye Partner is a rare solid Lupin TV special that I wouldn’t mind rewatching, or even owning. I hope Discotek picks this up and even dubs it. It gives me hope that the TV specials may just have some more life in them.
– Penguin Truth
(2019)
Lupin III
Otaku Evolution Episode 140 – Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon
In this second video in Otaku Evolution‘s first 80s Month, I examine a… complicated Lupin III feature, Legend of the Gold of Babylon. Complicated because, by most metrics, it’s really pretty terrible. But it’s terrible in an academic sense. You should see it at least once. And you should watch THIS at least three times. I could use the hits.
Otaku Evolution Episode 126 – Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy
So, yeah, Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy is a noteworthy feature. A single, long-formed OVA, basically a movie, it follows the Lupin gang’s scramble to get to a family’s hidden treasure before a group of ninjas do, all while Zenigata pursues them. Not very unlike your average Lupin feature in that regard, but very well constructed in terms of production values, settings, the chase scenes, and some of the action and comedy. I call it a spiritual successor to Castle of Cagliostro, because it shares a few of the same visual and emotional touchstones. Too bad the English dub is substandard, but I’ll get into that at the end of the year. Just enjoy a short rundown and some highlights that illustrate why I think so highly of this title.
Lupin III Part V Episode 24 Review
Episode 20, “Viva Lupin III”
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Shake Hands is in turmoil as governments of the world clamp down on PeopleLog to prevent leaks of classified information. This is the perfect time for Lupin, with allies past and present, to strike at their HQ once again. The plan is complicated by the US military doing some striking of their own, so our favorite felon has to be fleet to uncage Fujiko before everything collapses. Albert, meanwhile, has his own designs on PeopleLog’s resources, and Fujiko demands the answer to her important question. A mask flies off as the clock winds down for this fantastic Lupin series with one last hurrah!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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).