What is it?
The 2018 Japanese anime (animated) television show Lupin The Third Part 5.
The 2018 original video animation (OVA)/memorial episode Is Lupin Still Burning? In Hell.
What is it about?
This is how Wikipedia describes this anime (animated) television show:
The series is set in modern-day France and follows the thief Arsène Lupin III.
In the first story arc of the series, he infiltrates a data center to steal digital currency from “Marco Polo”, a site on the dark web, which sells illegal items such as drugs and weapons.[3]
The rest of the regular ensemble cast of Lupin the Third characters, the marksman Daisuke Jigen, the swordsman Goemon Ishikawa XIII, the con artist Fujiko Mine and Inspector Koichi Zenigata, are joined by the new character Ami Enan, a teenage hacker.
In the second arc, Lupin gains possession of a black notebook containing extremely sensitive information about high-level political figures, which makes him a target for the ruthless director of the DGES as well as for Albert d’Andrésy, a fiendishly cunning criminal and ex-partner of Lupin hiding under the façade of an honest government official.
In the third story arc, Lupin intends to steal the Bloody Teardrop, a national treasure of the south-east Asian kingdom of Padar, which is currently worn by its royal princess Dolma, who has befriended Ami.
When a revolution threatens Dolma’s life, Ami reunites with Lupin to rescue her.
The fourth and final story arc sees a last reunion between Lupin and Ami against the Shake Hands Corporation, a shady IT conglomerate whose aim is world domination via an exclusive monopoly for cyber-trafficking and internet use, and which has been pulling the strings behind the scenes of some of Lupin’s exploits in the series.
Recurring sub-themes in the series include the use of contemporary high technology (particularly the internet, facial recognition programs and surveillance drones), and the question of trust between Lupin and the rest of his gang.
Here is how Wikipedia describes this memorial episode:
A memorial episode titled Is Lupin Still Burning? (ルパンは今も燃えているか? Lupin wa Ima mo Moeteiruka?) was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the manga.
It was directed by Jun Kawagoe, with Monkey Punch as general director and character designs by Hisao Horikoshi and Satoshi Hirayama.
Its title is a reference to the debut episode of the first anime and as such will follow its story, but will feature other enemies such as Kyosuke Mamo, Sandayu Momochi, Pycal, and Stoneman.
It was included in the first DVD/Blu-ray set of the Part 5 anime on July 25, 2018.[51]
An English dub will air on Toonami on December 14, 2019.[52]
My Thoughts
My brother GC and I gave up on this show after only a few episodes, it just seemed pointless, and it is basically just the same old pattern of the previous season.
Even the characters themselves could not give a reason for doing what they do; it is just an endless pointless cycle.
The animation is better, it is a shame that it was wasted on this though, and the technology in the show is more modern and futuristic; but I just did not feel like wasting my time on this one.
We almost gave up on the previous season as well, it did just enough to barely keep us watching it because that was our first time watching anything in the Lupin The Third franchise, but since this season did not change much and it could not give a reason for its existence; and so we had no reason to keep watching it, especially with how bad the current Toonami lineup is.
The beginning and ending credits are better than the show itself, and so that is another good thing that I can say about it.
Surprisingly Toonami announced they were going to show an OVA for this show, and so I decided to somewhat watch it; but it was so pointless and silly as well that I only barely payed attention to it as I did other things.
Fujiko Mine was just a literal prop in this to be sexualized and it was not subtle at all, and it was done in an annoying and outdated way that did not really seem like satire/whatever; at least let her do something, they did not even try.
I am glad this was short because it was a waste of time, even more so than this season, what a sad way to commemorate this franchise’s 50th birthday.
Please let someone else take over this franchise and save it, or just end it.
The end,
- John Jr