English Dub Review: Lupin the Third: Part V “His Name is Albert”

 

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Fresh off his latest caper (and an embarrassingly terrible one-off), Lupin meets up with his old friend, and master forger, Gaston. Receiving money up front, Lupin agrees to steal a particular painting from prolific art collector, Mr. B, in three days or fewer. To sweeten the pot, Gaston gives his old friend Napoleon’s bible (which may or may not be a forgery) asking Lupin to read a passage for him once he’s dead. Crazy foreshadowing, right?

Not long after, Fujiko and Mr. B are in bed, but just as the eccentric collector is about to score, she excuses herself to the washroom. We soon find out it isn’t Fujiko at all, but rather Lupin in disguise, there to nab the collector’s retina scan and fingerprints. After abandoning the dope, Lupin and Jigen break into Mr. B’s enormous tunnel of art he’s lost interest in. They steal a small painting signed by Picasso, which they believe is a forgery drawn by Gaston’s grandson.

Aghion, one of Lupin’s contacts, admits that Gaston gave him the painting to sell to Mr. B. Things don’t add up, why does a painting supposedly drawn by Gaston’s young grandson look like an authentic Picasso, and why did he have Lupin steal back a painting he legitimately sold two years earlier?

The robbery piques the interests of an intelligence agency called the DGSE (Directorate-General for External Security) who report to the titular Albert. After staking out Aghion’s shop, a few agents pursue Lupin and Jigen who knock them out and use one of their phones to contact their immediate boss. This man, who isn’t Albert, agrees to meet Lupin in a public place as long as he brings the painting.

The meeting is setup, of course, and Lupin saw it coming. After getting the drop on the DGSE chief, he learns the painting had a black notebook concealed within. This notebook is bad news and contains pertinent information on many governments and police cover-ups throughout France. Such a valuable commodity seems a little above Gaston’s pay-grade, so Lupin seeks out his suddenly shady acquaintance. However, when the master thief tries to touch base, he discovers Gaston has been dead for over a month and the whole caper was a setup concocted by Albert who shares a mysterious history with Lupin.

 

Our Take

And we’re back, ladies and gentlemen. After a week of cartoony silliness, Part V has returned to its pre-established intricate storytelling. The exposition was laid down nicely and the viewer was treated to an exciting heist without having much information. Lupin works best when the audience is able to piece together the mystery alongside the gang.

It was enjoyable to see Lupin interact with people other than his usual group of irregulars. Having his chat with a forger and then an underground art dealer gave the episode a real Lovejoy vibe and expanded upon this already vibrant universe.

At times I forget that this show is more ridiculous than the Mission Impossible franchise when it comes to masks—and apparently entire body stockings. I know Lupin is a relatively svelte guy, but would a randy millionaire really confuse his body with Fujiko’s even for a second? Since we’re meeting all of Lupin’s friends in this arc, I think we really need to meet his plastics guy because that bloke must be working triple-overtime to create replicas of that caliber.

I’m not sure what to make of Albert yet. On the surface, he seems like another fancy, behind-the-scenes general, not unlike the black hatters from this season’s first arc. However, I think there’ll be a bit more depth to this gentlemen considering his established link to our hero. What went on between these two to create such animosity? Why is he the last person Lupin ever wants to deal with? Lupin loves the thrill of the chase, so how can one semi-fancy turn his stomach to such an extent? Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for a few more definitive answers.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Ami will be joining us for the rest of the season, and I’m already experiencing withdrawal. She was like a perfect shooting star that burned bright for a short, yet amazing period. Alas, we must forever be content with that. However, as far as Zenigata, the real Fujiko, and Goemon go, there’s no question that we’ll be seeing them in the coming weeks. And once again, I can’t wait.