TMS

All is not right in Penguinopolis.

I have my reservations (Lupin is an adult series, they're not going to try to appeal to young kids, are they?), and I wish it was a new Takeshi Koike project (still waiting for that fourth movie), but I guess I'll check it out. I bet it'll be better than Part 6.

Island of Assassins is one of my favorite Lupin III features. It's often said to be the best, and I certainly agree it's one of them, but I found a few things to criticize, nevertheless. It seems like I've made a habit of reviewing two Lupin features per year, and I guess I'll keep to that into next year, too, unless I either don't have the space to do more than one, or I find more than two I want to review. There are plenty of others to review, after all, and more are being dubbed as we speak, it seems. But after reviewing a movie I thought was pretty bad earlier this year, I thought I'd do one that's really good now.

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.

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!

Episode 23, "Just Then, An Old Buddy Said Something"

*****SPOILERS*****

Episode 21, "An Outdated Master Thief"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.

Fuck TMS. Seriously. They've flagged this a several times already and I've had to re-edit and upload to see if I can beat the algorithm. They're being more draconian than with Lupin videos. They're just REVIEW VIDEOS! If this keeps up, I'll have to move the video to Dailymotion or Bitchute or whatever. Otherwise the review will be about four minutes long and just have static screencaps, making it all the more the glorified slideshows my videos usually are.

Anyway, Case Closed (Detective Conan): Captured in Her Eyes is pretty standard Conan fare, not being especially stand out, but being pretty decent. It still has a number of flaws, though, and I'm more than willing and able to nitpick this thing for chuckles.

One (Penguin) Truth Prevails!

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!

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!