English Dub Review: Lupin the Third Part IV “The Fake Fantasista”

“If Italy is the land of love, then all the love is in my hands” – Lupin the Third

Marlow Brozzi is a soccer player with so much fame and skill that he is known as San Marino’s National Treasure. But he has a problem. He uses steroids and he is hooked on drugs.  Recardo Mondini, a seemingly harmless jeweler, has some pretty solid proof in the form of photographs and medical records that Brozzi is using steroids. Now, what good is this information to a jeweler? Turns out Mondini is not just a mere jeweler but is also a very well connected crime boss who has also purchased Inter Roma, the opposing team playing in the championship soccer game. Mondini is blackmailing Brozzi into sitting out of the championship match, effectively throwing the game. If Brozzi sits, San Marino won’t stand a chance and Mondini’s team will surely win the championship and be great for Mondini’s status and income. However, Brozzi is determined to not get rolled on by Mondini – soccer is the only thing he has in his life and he just can’t let it go that easily. Brozzi hires Lupin to steal the incriminating photos and medical records and Lupin accepts, even though the two appear to butt heads.

Lupin easily knocks out one of the security guards at Mondini’s mansion and disguises himself as the guard. After besting one of the other guards at a game of chess, Lupin steals the incriminating evidence and makes a daring escape through a window and into his car. Lupin meets up with Brozzi, who has spent all night practicing, to deliver the medical records and reveals that he knows Brozzi’s true secret. Brozzi is blind in his right eye, and the medicine that he was taking to slow the degeneration of his eyesight is what triggers the positive tests results on the doping screens. It all makes sense now. Earlier in the episode Lupin said “even the most insignificant information can turn into a treasure depending on how it’s handled and who’s handling it”. Of course, such a debilitating weakness would end a professional athlete’s career and as such, must be guarded like a treasure. In the next scene, Zenigata and the chief of the police received word that Mondini has disappeared and they are to back away from the case, as ordered by none other than MI6. The episode wraps up with Lupin watching the championship game and Brozzi not only scoring the game winning goal but obtaining a hat trick at the same time.

This episode started off kind of slow, but when the final credits rolled I found myself thoroughly enjoying this one. I liked the fact that Lupin had taken the contract under the condition of Brozzi scoring a hat trick because I believe, he sensed that Brozzi was a true sportsman. Brozzi’s caliber of character even got to Goemon, who referred to him as a samurai on more than one occasion, which is quite an honor. Even though he was being threatened by Mondini’s mafia, Brozzi was still determined to play. He was on his last legs and his body was falling apart, he couldn’t even see out of his right eye, and he knew that this game was his last hurrah. That takes heart. Brozzi had been picked up by the San Marino when he was a nobody, and he felt that he owed it, not only to himself but to the club to win the championship. In reality, he could barely even aim his kicks properly towards the goal, but he was able to “see the goal in his heart”. This is what gave him the drive, the extra push to score and win. He has the heart of a true champion and it was obvious to Lupin and to Goemon. This particular episode showed that while Lupin is a thief at heart, he does not lack compassion either. Ironically, in this episode, Lupin used his cunning and intellect to protect a national treasure instead of stealing it. Awesome.

This episode has plenty of interesting things to take note of, especially the multiple chess games that take place throughout the episode and the involvement of MI6. I really like the fact that Lupin doesn’t have to rely on non-stop action and there is much more thought put into each episode than one might expect.

SCORE
8/10