English Dub Review: Lupin the Third: Part V “A Crook’s Resolve”

Television Worthy of an Emmy Ami

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Some time has passed since Lupin’s alleged death. Everyone has moved on—to an extent. While the media and online communities scarcely remember his name, Fujiko—despite a breathtaking tropical backdrop—appears morose, while Jigen and Goemon continue to scheme without a sense of direction or leadership.

The person hit hardest by the loss is Inspector Zenigata. Keeping his promise to Lupin, he is taking care of Ami in his absence as he mopes around the house following an embarrassing demotion to narcotics. That’s right, Pops is a NARC! However, it looks like Ami is actually taking care of him, as she humors his “crazy” assumption that Lupin is alive. She even eats the food he prepares and pretends it tastes good.

When she finds the hackers responsible for the Lupin Game, she requests a private meeting, and the head black hatter, Pecca Boo, foolishly agrees. He leads her to an abandoned station that he’s already hacked and without even showing up, electrically ties her to a chair as the room slowly fills up with water. Amid this Saw-like torture trap, he promises to stop the water if she gives up all of Lupin’s secrets. She continues to taunt him even after she’s fully submerged for more than five minutes. Flabbergasted, Pecca Boo runs down to figure out how she’s still alive only to come face-to-face with Lupin III.

Ami used augmented reality (AR) filters to make it appear as if she was drowning after they drained the room; the same filters she used to stage Lupin’s death. As Goemon and Jigen round up Pecca Boo’s partners, Lupin and the hacker find themselves in a Mexican standoff until it’s interrupted by Zenigata. But wait, how did this super sleuth figure it out? Oh… because Ami told him. Although he claims to have known about Lupin’s fake-out the entire time. Faced with Lupin’s steady trigger figure, Pecca surrenders himself to the Inspector and agrees to testify against his cohorts. And since Zenigata was recently transferred to narcotics, Pecca—an admitted drug dealer—is his primary target. Therefore, Lupin and Ami escape.

And so, this story arc comes to a close with Lupin saying goodbye (hopefully not forever) to Fujiko over the phone. The gang goes back to their favorite hideout where Lupin and Jigen get to dress in their Grumpy Old Men disguises. And Ami decides to truly experience real life by attending a fancy boarding school. It’s implied that the school is close to Lupin, so maybe we haven’t seen the last of her.

Our Take

With only five episodes completed, this arc ended far sooner than I suspected. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because even though Ami will be missed, it won’t hurt to see the gang get tangled in new adventures. For weeks, Lupin didn’t steal anything because the pesky Lupin Game kept the master thief from doing what he does best. This mini-arc was massively entertaining, but at least it won’t even be in danger of getting stale.

It was interesting how the hackers went down so quickly after living above the law and out of sight for so long. This acted as a strong statement about how illegal activity on the internet only works if cyber-thieves have anonymity. Thank goodness Ami was able to dox those cocky SOBs and make them squirm a little before Zenigata slapped on their bracelets. Pecca Boo wasn’t as intimidating once we learned his name was actually Chuck Glay—not that Pecca Boo was very intimidating sounding, to begin with.

Despite what the opening and closing credits suggest, there wasn’t much Fujiko in this arc. While she played a vital role by working with the gang in secret and winning the Lupin Game, she only appeared on screen for a few minutes each episode. In a way, it goes to show how powerful a character she is. Fujiko had an entire five episodes worth of story that the audience never sees but can piece together through the little information that was given. Anyway, here’s hoping Fujiko has more to do in the next arc.

Finally, we must say a fond farewell to young Ami. She entered the story as an awkward Rapunzel with very little real-world experience but left as a strong-willed girl with tons of untapped potential. Lupin may put on airs and act like a “cool guy” without a care in the world, but deep down there is a degree of sadness to him. Ami was introduced as somebody with the potential to be just like Lupin, only tech-savvy and not as cheesy. Seeing her turn her back on that life and go against many of her instincts proved that anybody is capable of change—even Lupin himself.