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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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Otaku Evolution Episode 211 – Favorite Anime Directors

So I sort of gave up on doing specifically Christmas-themed videos, because I couldn’t really find much more Christmas-related anime to review. And it was getting old, anyway. So here’s the new tradition: anime lists! This time around, it’ll be on my favorite anime directors. There’s no particular order or hierarchy here, just seven directors I especially appreciate.

Merry Christmas!

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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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Otaku Evolution Episode 210 – Lupin III: Dead or Alive

As we come close to the end of the year, I want to touch upon the Lupin III franchise again, this time covering something actually good. The theatrical anime, Dead or Alive, is hardly the greatest Lupin adventure, but it’s certainly one of the better ones, especially compared to the last one I reviewed, Farewell to Nostradamus. Monkey Punch himself directed this one! Well, kind of. He mostly just worked on the opening sequence and probably consulted through the rest of it, leaving the bulk of the work to the Chief Director, Hiroyujki Yano, and the rest. But it certainly has that somewhat darker, sharper Monkey Punch Lupin touch to it. 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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Otaku Evolution Episode 209 – Samurai Champloo

Ah, Samurai Champloo, Shinchiro Watanabe’s OTHER mash up of a genre (this time, samurai period piece) and a music type (hiphop). It lives in the shadow of Cowboy Bebop, but what doesn’t? It’s still a pretty solid show with colorful characters and great action. It doesn’t need to surpass Bebop to be good.

Since nobody’s watching these videos, anyway, I figured I might as well really kick in my storyline ideas, especially since we’re nearing the end of the year, and next year I’m doing less of it (and fewer videos, period). Here we have my unfortunately poor handling of the Lithos situation. We haven’t really seen me in action except in flashbacks. And frankly, we still won’t, because the Lithos are so much stronger than I am. I think you’ll see that my showing up will not help the situation at all. read more

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