English Dub Review: Lupin The 3rd: Goodbye Partner

Overview:

Lupin the 3^rd: Goodbye Partner tells a story that revolves around what should be the pinnacle of suspense for these characters and the series: a falling out between Lupin and Jigen. This breakup may be the selling point and namesake behind Goodbye Partner, but it’s just one of many things that the Lupin crew is caught up within this 90-minute Special.

Lupin is staffed with a highly important mission that involves “borrowing” a very powerful diamond known as the Time Crystal that allows the user to basically take over all computers. If Lupin’s mission wasn’t important enough, he also must deal with the arrest of Zenigata and the betrayal of Jigen. As Lupin tries to piece together his fractured friendships, the scope of his mission wildly balloons to involve a kidnapped girl, artificial intelligence, and Frederic Chopin. It’s a bit of a messy journey that takes Lupin across the world and out of his comfort zone, but in the end, he still proves why he’s considered to be the world’s greatest thief.

 

Our Take:

Lupin the 3^rd is an iconic piece of anime history. It’s been a fundamental voice in the industry for decades. In doing so, the anime has learned what it does well and carefully refined this formula through dozens of TV specials, movies, and seasons of the television series. The problem with having so much time to perfect this formula is that inevitably boredom and the need for change pushes unnecessary revisions to what works. As a result, recent Lupin TV Specials and films have missed their mark or tried too hard to recapture the glory and nostalgia from previous efforts (Castle of Cagliostro was amazing, but it’s time to move on and create some new classics). This has left the Lupin series in flux and in the middle of some growing pains.

Goodbye Partner represents those growing pains, for both better and for worse. This Special is not a misfire on the same level as Princess of the Breeze or Missed by a Dollar, but it also holds onto a stale formula too rigidly, forgets what has made the past successes in the series so enjoyable, and overstuffs the Special with too many subplots. As a result, Goodbye Partner is a manipulative, confusing offering from the Lupin universe, but it still contains many satisfying moments and strong ways to honor both these characters and the series.

Goodbye Partner is a Lupin the 3^rd Special that tries to do a lot when a simpler story would do it so many favors here. There are so many subplots that course through this thing and any of them could easily fuel their own film (and they have in the past in various capacities). It’s a little unclear why Goodbye Partner is so schizophrenic and attempts to take on so much, but its overly busy nature is easily one of its biggest faults. Some of this material connects (all of the stuff with Jigen is gold and a consistent highlight in the film), but so much happens that none of these stories get a chance to properly develop. Similarly, this is a piece of work that is missing a unifying voice or central theme and that lack of focus is really felt. It deeply contributes to the aimless quality that Goodbye Partner often generates.

Furthermore, Goodbye Partner advertises itself as a story about the dissolution between Lupin and Jigen’s partnership, but that often feels like a fleeting concern. Right from the start, it’s obvious that Lupin and Jigen aren’t going to seriously end up as enemies, but devoting more time to their schism would have helped make it more believable. It’s always a little insulting when series resort to this ploy as a means to get attention. The series has done similar fake-outs in the past, but there’s definitely a layer of this Special’s suspense that doesn’t connect because it’s clear that Lupin and Jigen’s separation isn’t permanent.

For that matter, Goodbye Partner pulls the plug on this idea rather quickly. Not only is Lupin and Jigen’s confrontation restricted to only a few short scenes in what’s a long endeavor, but early it’s made clear that someone much more sinister is actually pulling the strings. As stated before, the Lupin the 3^rd series has an established formula, so it’s not anything new when it’s revealed that someone else is the real threat of this caper. That being said, this “twist” could have been handled in a more gradual way that builds tension through the experience.

Inventive heists can often be the highlight of Lupin the 3^rd and they were definitely the bread and butter of the anime series’ earlier seasons. Over half of Goodbye Partner is filled with Lupin’s exploits around the globe as he pulls off various heists to get to the coveted Time Crystal. In theory, this isn’t bad, but it just feels like Lupin is on autopilot. None of Lupin’s espionage efforts are particularly innovative. It’s appreciated to see Lupin cover such a wide variety of locations through this Special, and they all look beautiful, but these break-ins feel more like a way to fill the time than effectively progress the story. Incorporating Jigen into these heists or adding some extra element could have turned this into a more worthwhile use of time, but instead what’s present kind of just washes over you.

Lupin’s hunt remains Goodbye Partner’s central focus, but it’s Jigen’s story that’s the most elegant material in the special. It deals with Jigen’s promise to protect the young Alisa, which is what launches this whole “betrayal” into motion. The Special is especially coy over whether Alisa is Jigen’s offspring, but regardless of this connection, their scenes together are still incredibly sweet. There’s just not enough of it included here. Goemon’s content is entertaining, but he mostly feels like an extension of Lupin as he harbors a grudge against Jigen. It’s nice that Fujiko is included in this at all, but there’s really no point in her mission. It’s a waste of time and doesn’t amount to anything of note. She deserves better.

Yuji Ohno returns to do Goodbye Partner’s score and his work has that usual peppy Lupin flair. However, this Special also contains heavy incorporation of Chopin music, particularly his song “Tristesse,” which is almost overbearing in its use. The classical music angle feels well within Lupin’s wheelhouse as well as how they play around with past historical figures in unexpected ways. It makes for a welcome, unique element that ties together the Special, but it doesn’t exactly feel justified. It’s an element that comes out of nowhere, even if it does entertaining things with both the character and its motif. Also, the less said about the cringe-worthy CG that is used every time the piano is played, the better.

It’s also very jarring when Goodbye Partner ostensibly wraps up its many loose ends with a half-hour still remaining. This could be an interesting way to poke fun at the Special’s structure or subvert the story in some way. Instead, Goodbye Partner just gets super complicated and verbose for its final stretch. This conclusion decides to introduce a whole new tech-centric subplot that seizes control of the narrative. Lupin the 3^rd has progressively allowed science fiction and technology to enter its stories, but this is just tonally off from the rest of Goodbye Partner. It’s a confusing decision that ends the Special on more of a disjointed whimper than a confident triumph. It’s another example of story material that deserves to be the focus of its own film and not just the clunky eleventh-hour twist in something else.

Along similar lines, the Lupin the 3^rd series has always been rather tongue-in-cheek with how their universe overlaps with the real world. Subtlety isn’t always Lupin’s strength, but Goodbye Partner doesn’t even try to hide their real-life comparisons. There are awkward inclusions like a whistleblower character named Edward Znowden, heavy criticism of America’s aggression and violence, and a “Make America Great Again” ideology that gets thrown in. These touches honestly kind of pull you out of Goodbye Partner. They’re in line with the sense of sardonic humor that Lupin the 3^rd has shown in the past, but they just feel too blatant and gratuitous here.

There’s nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to Lupin the 3^rd’s dub and in the end, it’s just nice that Goodbye Partner gets one at all since the frequency rate with the series’ TV Specials has been so hit or miss in that department. It’s exciting that Lupin dubs are becoming more normalized since there’s so much content out there. Tony Oliver, Richard Epcar, and Lex Lang are all so comfortable in these roles by now. Some of the most satisfying moments are when Lupin, Zenigata, and Goemon are all working together and butting heads. Each character gets their solo centerpiece here, but the chemistry present in these group scenes really sells the idea that this gang of misfits is a family.

Lupin the 3^rd: Goodbye Partner, unfortunately, feels like a waste of potential and a different story than it presents itself as, and not for the better. Goodbye Partner follows all of the beats of typical Lupin territory, but it’s that rigidity to form and an entirely unremarkable villain that holds this one back. Goodbye Partner successfully carries the fun, affable vibe that the series is known for and it contains plenty of enjoyable moments (most of which involve Jigen and Alisa). The chase that kicks off the Special is legitimately great and there’s a fun gag that includes Lupin and Goemon disguised as each other. This also includes the best allusion to Castle of Cagliostro that’s ever been made. It’s a better TV Special than other recent efforts, which is a step in the right direction, but it’s still not enough to rejuvenate these Specials. Lupin the 3^rd: Goodbye Partner isn’t going to become anyone’s favorite entry in the series, but it’s still a pleasant way to pass some time with some entertaining characters.