Reviews: Lupin III-- Episodes 26 and 27(6/3 and 6/4)

[Matthew Williams]

This week:
Mon: #26: Shot Through the Heart
Tue: #27: Little Princess of Darkness

Only two, then we run the first two Lupin eps, then Kikaider premieres next week.

EDIT - "Corrected the episode dates. (not numbers)" -livingfruitvirus

EDIT 2 - "ksdmfosdkmfosdkfml;kasdm;lfkma;lsdkmflkmsdlf;m;alksdmf;lkma;ldfmkl;aksmdk;lfm;lasdkmfkl;smadfml;askdmfk;lamsdf;lkmsdL:kgndfjnvperuingipjnezapnfgpibajrtdbnpjrenzejmtgnanfengrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr O;LKNDFGOLKDFMNGDMNFKMG;!!!!!#!@#!@#$

I'M THE ****ING MOD!!! I'M ****ING NOT SUPPOSED TO ****ING MAKE MISTAKES!!!!" -livingfruitvirus

[EightOh]

Opening! Opening! Opening!

[sl4]

Original Op!

[Killtacular]

Oh yeah.....

[Majin_Megabyte]

Lupin theme song is airing right now!!!

[Cyporiean]

Interesting...

[The Drizzle]

Interesting. Why were there Pioneer credits at the beginning?

[TWinPA]

Almost aired twice

[Artemis]

Did they put in the DVD and press play or something? :D

[SNS]

That was cool :D

[Moof]

WHOA WHOA WHOA!! OP OP OP
........
Alright i'm not that excited, but heres hopeing for the other shows...

[The Drizzle]

Did they put in the DVD and press play or something? :D

That's what I thought when I saw the Pioneer logos.

[DianaGohan]

I wonder why they played the opening of Lupin The Third for this episode. Is it because it was on the tape and they forgot to take it out, or is it because they realize this may be the last time in a while they're showing New Lupin The 3rd Episodes (after these two anyway) and decided to something special for them.

[sl4]

I wonder why they played the opening of Lupin The Third for this episode. Is it because it was on the tape and they forgot to take it out, or is it because they realize this may be the last time in a while they're showing New Lupin The 3rd Episodes (after these two anyway) and decided to something special for them.

It was on a seperate tape, the rating didn't show up until after the opening finished.

[G1Ravage]

The opening played once...and then it looked like it was about to play again, and then it switched to the start of the episode. :knd1:

[G1Ravage]

It was on a seperate tape, the rating didn't show up until after the opening finished.


So they did this on purpose?

Interesting....and they had just aired an interstital talking about Adult Swim's short commercial time earlier tonight.

[The Landstander]

Hey, did anyone notice that they aired the original opening?

;)

Hehe, I think I'm so funny.

[Spike Mcdougal]

Original opening and finally a Jigen episode

[Spike Mcdougal]

Ah that coniving b**ch!!!!!

Into the drink with them

[Killtacular]

Looks like they figured that since the cards are going to be the same each week, it's safe to put the OPs on the ends of them.

If you remember my original theory, it revolved around the idea that they were making new card tapes every night.

I guess we'll find out if it's a fluke in four minutes.

[EightOh]

I felt bad for Jigen, once he realized he'd been played. At least it ended on a funny note.

The integration of the songs from Carmen was a nice touch.

I guess we'll find out if it's a fluke in four minutes.[/Whoa, I never thought about Inu-Yasha getting its OP back in its current state of reruns. If "Change the World" airs, I'll be ecstatic.

[okendri]

Glad they played the opening. For a minute I thought I was just seeing things.

[RedBoot]

The Jigen stuff was decent...wish it was a little better since he seems to rarely get the spotlight...

The opening and ending parts with Lupin and Zenigata's cuffs were great, though.

And did they just leave Fujiko there?

Here's to hoping we get to see the OPs nightly now...

[Iridium128]

I guess it was a fluke after all... :(

[Killtacular]

Yep. Flukeroo.

[EightOh]

Whoa, I never thought about Inu-Yasha getting its OP back in its current state of reruns. If "Change the World" airs, I'll be ecstatic.Nope.

Ah well. Seems like there's still a good chance Lupin's OP will air tomorrow night, though.

[DianaGohan]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like that was only for Lupin the Third. All the other shows aren't getting an opening, apparently. Sucks for them.

[Nin-Nin69]

Haha the Op finally played. :cool:

Also how many handcuffs does Zenigata carry around in his jacket? :confused:

[EightOh]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like that was only for Lupin the Third. All the other shows aren't getting an opening, apparently. Sucks for them.I don't see it as too big of a deal, though. Inu-Yasha's in reruns, Trigun's in reruns, and Bebop's OP is already airing.

[Amano Ginji]

I liked that episode. That ***** got what she deserved.

Oh, and how the **** did Goemon slice through that shooting star? :confused:

[Nobuyuki sama]

Oh, and how the **** did Goemon slice through that shooting star? :confused:
He's just that good... :p

[JTurner954]

Monday's episode: Great opening. If that doesn't convince people to buy the DVD's by now, nothing will. Good, typical Lupin episode. First Goemon goes solo and now Jigen; I wonder if a Zenigata one will be next.

And I love how they swerve with the disguises. I figured Fujiko was the dancer in disguise, and yet she turns out to be bad (classic). And of course, "Crapcrapcrapcrap".

Overall grade: A

And now a riddle: What do Zenigata and Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants have in common?

[EightOh]

Oh, and how the **** did Goemon slice through that shooting star? :confused:It's Lupin, dude. I don't think you're supposed to really think about the physics too much (see also: the gang outrunning the Landsharks). :p

[Amano Ginji]

I know...I just like applying logic to TV shows......I don't quite know why....

X_X

[DianaGohan]

The Jigen Romance Episode in the "Shot Through the Heart" the Lupin The Third Episode Review.

A pretty good episode to start of the week, that will only contain one other new episode. Lot's of action and comedey (The chase scenes, Lupin contioniously getting caught in those handcuffs of Zenigata, which led to a completley Merry Melodies ending ((Having the handcuff get off him and attach to a bull)), Goemon getting pissed at Lupin since he lied to him about going to a Japanese resturant, etc) and the drama between Jigen finally meeting a girl, only to turn out to be a fraud. That's just the way love goes ... a lot of the time. A

[Aurochs]

And did they just leave Fujiko there?

Wow, that's a good point.

That sure ruined the episode for me.

[JetMaster5]

Is it just me, or does this episode doesn't need Zenigata? I mean, without Zenigata, this episode might've been better. It felt like Monkey Punch (or whoever did Lu-pawn the Third) was running out of ideas to make each casting character interesting throughout each episode.

I dunno, Zenigata felt extremely annoying in this episode. Not as annoying as all the other episodes, but this one was exceptional.

Anyways, about the episode itself....

So Jigen gets to star in this episode. Nice. We never got to see what the old dog could do in his own episode, so this one was good.

I knew the girl Jigen fell for was setting him up.

I knew Jigen and Lupin didn't actually shoot each other and died. I mean, c'mon, how's the show gonna run if almost half it's main cast is dead?

Goemon and Fujiko didn't really do much. Ah well. Nice dialogue by Goemon, as well as his anger against Lupin.

I like this episode.

(Thank you WS for airing it's opening. The theme song was great.)

[RedBoot]

Is it just me, or does this episode doesn't need Zenigata? I mean, without Zenigata, this episode might've been better. It felt like Monkey Punch (or whoever did Lu-pawn the Third) was running out of ideas to make each casting character interesting throughout each episode.

Well, that is one problem this show seems to have...they feel like they must put each character in every episode no matter what...this episode could have been done without Fujiko, and Zenigata and Goemon could have been dropped as well (though it wouldn't have been as funny).

But, most of the time it turns out okay. And this episode was good overall.

[Mugen]

Interesting. Why were there Pioneer credits at the beginning?

Pioneer always puts that on all their anime shows.

[Shnay]

I knew Jigen and Lupin didn't actually shoot each other and died. I mean, c'mon, how's the show gonna run if almost half it's main cast is dead?

You'r not suppossed to think they shot each other. After they do their coin thing, it's obvious they recognize that they're not fighting someone in disguise. Then they each put in that special bullet. It's not suppossed to be a surprise when they both get up, you're suppossed to see it coming.

Anyway, I really liked this episode. Jigen is really cool, and well-developed here. I liked the scene in the beginning where Jigen and Lupin are watching the dancer. Jigen starts out playing Lupin's side-kick as he goes nuts over the girl, but then she throws the rose to him ("She must have bad aim.") and he enters the spotlight for the rest of the episode.

I actually have to disagree that the other characters being "thrown in" is a bad thing. This show isn't Bebop; there aren't entire episodes designated to drama. Lupin III is still a comedy, so when you have an episode starring Jigen (who ain't really a laugh-riot), you have to put in some other characters for comic relief. That's why we get Zenigata doing his usual schtick, Lupin acting goofy, and Goemon acting stubborn about his food and doing cool stuff like slicing up the stars. Fujiko was just a plot device. Not really a strong one, but oh well.

Has anyone else wondered why they got rid of the puns for the episode titles? I haven't read some of the past review threads, so this may have been brought up. Anyway, I really liked the old titles. They were kinda clever, and it made them a bit more unique. Sure, "Shot Through the Heart" is a cool title, but I would like to see the puns make a return.

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

On a random side note, I wonder if Goemon actually got any food. Poor samurai, can't even get a decent meal in this day and age. :D

[JeffTMBG]

Good episode. Low on the comedy but high on the story, with that little plothole about Fujiko unfortunetely marring it. If it weren't for the Zenigata segments, this would almost have seemed more like a late first series episode. Grade: B

As for the whole bit about throwing all the characters into each episode, that was one pitfall the first series avoided. There were several episodes that didn't feature Fujiko or Goemon, and Zenigata usually only showed up if he was part of the main story. Of course, by series 2, Zenigata became more of a comedic foil than a main adversary, so his brief appearances in these episodes do tend to work.

And I just knew when I saw the opening on my tape that the forum would be collectively wetting itself ;)

[Mugen]

Good episode. Low on the comedy but high on the story, with that little plothole about Fujiko unfortunetely marring it. If it weren't for the Zenigata segments, this would almost have seemed more like a late first series episode. Grade: B

As for the whole bit about throwing all the characters into each episode, that was one pitfall the first series avoided. There were several episodes that didn't feature Fujiko or Goemon, and Zenigata usually only showed up if he was part of the main story. Of course, by series 2, Zenigata became more of a comedic foil than a main adversary, so his brief appearances in these episodes do tend to work.

And I just knew when I saw the opening on my tape that the forum would be collectively wetting itself ;)


So, the first series of Lupin the 3rd was much more serious and Zenigata wasn't as comedic as he is in the 2nd series?

[Michael]

pretty kewl showing the opening :)

[Beat]

Opening- Good.
Episode- Funnier than Sealab (yet again). A solid B by Lupin standards.

[Mersault]

On the topic of all the characters appearing in the episode, if Zenigata hadn't shown up, wouldn't Lupin have tagged along with Jigen? Zenigata was there so Jigen could go off on his own while Lupin had to go through that HUGE keyring to get those finger cuffs off. The main villain of the episode (can't remember the name :() knew Lupin would allow the Fujiko bomb into the room, even though Goemon knew better, like he usually does.

Maybe future episodes won't have all the characters, but after tonight we have to wait to find out :mad:.

[Chuquita]

And now a riddle: What do Zenigata and Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants have in common?

They both "went to college". lol :D j/k

[Conekiller]

Yay the OP, too bad it was more thna likely a fluke.

I've been waiting for a Jigen-centric ep for a while now.

I was utterly convinced that the Dacning girl was Fujiko the whole time who was just playing this Mayer guy. Knowing that Jigen and Lupin wouldn't really shoot each other and have a backup plan for figuring out if it really is them or not (masters of disguises really need that) BUt it looks liie she was jusat left in the sub in her underwear for the rest of the ep, left to be forgotten.

Goemon is just so damn good, I want to crap my pants, shame he's not a ninja....

B- for the Fujiko plothole. Zenigata was funny tho, i wonder if he'll keep those new cuffs?

[Obi]

The one night I didn't tape Lupin AND THEY SHOW THE OPENING...ARGH!!!

[Bogey B]

grae episode tonight but I don`t think the "little princess of darkness" will be any good eh we will see :tom:



oh and mersault your qoute should say sir phobos (it`s a moon of mars)

[SirLemming]

Whoa. With the opening, this ran about 28 minutes total (with commercials). That's pretty unusual for Cartoon Network shows -- usually it's more like 26.

I really liked this episode. It had an unusual sort of elegance to it, almost like a mini-movie. I guess the opening actually helped to give that impression. Also, the music was very different than usual.
As funny as Lupin III can be, I'm finding that some of my favorite episodes are the ones that focus less on comedy and more on character/story/action. Of course, I can't dismiss comedy classics like "ZenigataCon" and "The Obligatory Blimp Episode" (forgot the other title).

[Vekou]

Wow... looks like they ran it straight from the DVD. Pioneer logo, original opening, everything. That opening is awesome. Last nights episode was great, and was I the only one who was reminded of the Cowboy Bebop episodes "Ballad of Fallen Angels" and "Waltz for Venus"? Even though the plots were nothing alike, I can definitely see character resemblences as well as similar scenes.

[DianaGohan]

Of course, I can't dismiss comedy classics like "ZenigataCon" and "The Obligatory Blimp Episode" (forgot the other title).

The other title is "Case of the Rising Dirigible" and yeah that's a good one. You know, did anyone else think that this episode had crisper animation then the others. It just seemed to be cleaner then usual.

[SpaceCowboy]

For the "Little Princess of Darkness" episode, the series gets a new opening sequence. Too bad it probably won't appear on AS. It's 10x better than the first opening.

This second opening is very visually appealing (strange color scheme)and is set to the same music as the first one was, only with Japanese singing added.

[sl4]

LUPIN OP...again!

[DianaGohan]

Hey, looks like last night wasn't the fluke we all thought it be. Looks like tey're serious about the opener for Lupin the Third being shown.

[Spike Mcdougal]

Opening again!!


Blast you superloud4!!!!!!

[Nabuca]

Um, am I hallucinating again? They showed the opening....lets enjoy it while it lasts.

[Vekou]

Second verse, same as the first!

Dun dun dun dun, dun dun dun...

[sl4]

Opening again!!


Blast you superloud4!!!!!!

Yes, darn me to heck, realm of insufficient light!

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

Okay, I spent most of the episode wishing Alice would get chucked off a bridge (even if that ain't Lupin's style), but I admit, the ending was cute.

[DianaGohan]

Alice Through The Lupin Episode Review of "Little Princess of Darkness".

Who would think that one of Lupin's greatest challenges would trying to be outsmarting an 8 year old girl? Well, not many, if they know the show that is. I liked the personality of Alice, being so clever and smug and yet at the same time acting like any other 8 year old girl. The reactions with Her and the Lupin gang were pretty intresting. The best parts included, the beginning in the museum, Alice geting rid of Fuijko so she would be the only female in the group, Lupin and Jigen trying to get away but failing, and the dream sequence at the end. I would give this an A-.

[Artemis]

Alice is going to grow up to be a psycho girl, I just know it.

[JTurner954]

Tuesday's episode: While seeing the opening again was nice, the episode was not. It started out well, but then "Deniece The Menace" shows up. I figured she may get funnier (Fujiko as "the mother" was funny in that direction) but all Alice did do was annoy me, especially when she whined. We have this story about a stamp robbery, leading into a "it's mine" argument, and then leads to a psychidelic amusement park sequence (The only part I liked was Zenigata as a Indian;the Alice in Wonderland part was just dumb). The conclusion: Ok, you can have it. "Your friend, Lupin the Third". I like random humor and all, but this was just stupid.

Wow, she made me appreciate Edward from Cowboy Bebop a lot more and may win the title for "most annoying anime female". This is the worst episode of Lupin the Third I've seen thus far. Not a good way to end the latest run.

Overall grade: C+ (The plus on the few funny moments I enjoyed)

P.S.: The answer to my riddle (thanks Chuquita for noticing; your answer was good too) is "Ow".

[Aurochs]

That was a cute episode. It didn't have as many laughs as others, but still funny enough to make me appriciate it. For a second, I was wondering if Lupin had dropped acid when the carnival sequence began.

That episode should have been named "Go Ask Alice". Actually, that's more Cowboy Bebop's style. If Lupin III was going for the "Alice" motiff, it would have been something like "Through the Looking Stamp" or something vapid like that. (Vapid in a good way, that is)

[Dogasu]

Happy about the OP, and I really hope it's here to stay. I guess we'll find out tomorrow, when the reruns start, but for now I'll just be hopeful that they're here to stay.

Other than that, I found this to be merely an OK episode. The little girl had her moments, but most of the time she reminded me of the brat in the "Die! Nostradamus!" movie, which is NOT a good thing. I really hope CN can get some new episodes soon, because I'm gonna miss my Lupin fix after this week.

[SpaceCowboy]

I agree, Alice was pretty annoying. The amusement park sequence was funny.

CN played the wrong opening, though. The new one should play when a new batch of episodes premire, hopefully.

[Killtacular]

Like how 0083's second OP aired? And Tenchi's?

[Master Moron]

I think Matt Wilson's right, I can't think of a single show on Cartoon Network that aired it's second opening.

[Lupin the Wolf]

I think Matt Wilson's right, I can't think of a single show on Cartoon Network that aired it's second opening.

Not that I really want this to be the case, but...

IF Cartoon Network does decide to acquire the second season (roughly eps. 28-53, or maybe eps 3, 28-52?), I don't imagine them airing an entire Second OP. The Second OP is a vocal version of the opening theme they're currently playing, and it's really kinda...strange to hear for the first few times. You get used to it, though. Heck, I have the first verse memorized. However, I don't picture CN sticking it in and running the risk of weirding people out right when Lupin starts.

Though I wish they would. :)

[Conekiller]

A fun ep last night, but nowhere near as good as any of last week's.

I wasn't as annoyed by Alice as others (but I LIKE Edward also) but I could see her annoyance thru the other characters. I was WAITING for her to call Fujiko "ma'am" just to see the reaction.

the whole sequence at the end confused me, was al that really happening only viewed thru theAlic'es imagination or was she dreaming the whole time. either way, InjunPops was hilarious, especially covering up his bits 'n pieces.

"Hey get your hands off my nipple!" awesome

B-

the next ep looks good, too bad we have to waitr a while for it, may just check the DVD for it when if comes out

[Morac]

the whole sequence at the end confused me, was al that really happening only viewed thru theAlic'es imagination or was she dreaming the whole time. That whole seen reminded me of running through Disney Land/World on acid. Um, not that I've actually done that. :)

[JeffTMBG]

So, the first series of Lupin the 3rd was much more serious and Zenigata wasn't as comedic as he is in the 2nd series?
Yep. It was more true to the manga, with several of the stories coming straight from it.

The Alice episode was... cute to say the least. With over 200 episodes, there was no doubt that Lupin would end up babysitting at some point in the series. As a single episode character, I didn't mind Alice too much since she provided a new idea for a story. That Disney World scene was pretty surreal, though. Gotta dig Zenigata as an indian. Grade: B.

[Beat]

Well, this is yet another reason why an anime from the 70's can be funnier than Sealab and Oblongs. A-

As for the first series, it's all stuff from the (Very adult) manga.

The second opening is werid. Too weird.

[SpaceCowboy]

It was pretty funny that the letter Alice recieved at the end was addressed to New York, NY. Now what area of Manhattan looks like that? I agree, this show is pretty illogical in many aspects.

And as for the second opening, it would play only if CN made a long and consistant practice of showing the openings. If they don't run into any more time conflicts, they may start keeping the openings attached to the episodes themselves again. However I'm not betting on it now.

[Beat]

While nothing would make me happier than ditching the Wonder Twins and Not for Air segments for the original openings, the chances of it happening are slim to none.

[Mugen]

Not that I really want this to be the case, but...

IF Cartoon Network does decide to acquire the second season (roughly eps. 28-53, or maybe eps 3, 28-52?), I don't imagine them airing an entire Second OP. The Second OP is a vocal version of the opening theme they're currently playing, and it's really kinda...strange to hear for the first few times. You get used to it, though. Heck, I have the first verse memorized. However, I don't picture CN sticking it in and running the risk of weirding people out right when Lupin starts.

Though I wish they would. :)


Nice to see you back. Please update your website.

[Stev13_VJED]

Allright a new opening rather than the AS intro . I know this one was the original , but still I'm waiitng on the dvds from Netflix so this is a treat . Shot thorugh the heart was exellent with some sweet music and always welcome Lupin humour (I wanna have your child ) Jigen says (What was that ?) Now Little princess of darkness was a tad but more dull more a babysitting romp with little else . All in all though another round of Lupin-goodness that makes a fan like me happy !

[SirLemming]

Wow. I really can't believe they showed the intro again. It's making the show run so much longer than it's supposed to! Aren't there commercials to consider?

Well heck, I guess they know what's best. I'm happy.



This episode was similar in spirit to the previous episode. I wonder why exactly they're going in this direction (well not "going", I mean, they did this series decades ago). These past 2 episodes are definitely distinctly different from the rest of the series so far. It's also noticeable in the music.
I liked this episode well enough, but I do hope they return to the wackier, funnier, style in general. I don't want them to get away from that entirely.

As for the girl being annoying... wasn't that the whole point?

[Beat]

It was pretty funny that the letter Alice recieved at the end was addressed to New York, NY. Now what area of Manhattan looks like that? I agree, this show is pretty illogical in many aspects.




Actually, it's almost exactly like some of the wealthy districts in the city.