Lupin III: Part 5

I liked this season quite a bit. I think it was a little more consistently solid than Part IV by having a plot that felt like it very naturally built on itself over the course of the season, though it notably lacked the stylized animation that made that series pop as well as the layered plots. Its best episodes didn't quite rise to the level of the best that series had to offer, either. What this series did have was some solid emotional investment. In particular, how this series portrayed the dynamic between Fujiko and Lupin was absolutely excellent, and making that the core of ... the season makes it easy to love. I have issues with how Goemon behaved later in this season (his readiness to attack his friend just felt like it was there to create end-of-season tension and came at the cost of some character assassination), but I do think this season is still nearly as good as the one prior, mainly through just how good its little nuances were and how well it balanced its tones

It should be noted that I'm going into this review as someone who binged Part IV and Part V one after the other and I feel like I'm nuts for liking this season less than Part IV. This isn't to say that Part V is bad, but I do feel like it's a lot easier for me to say that I enjoyed Part IV as opposed to Part V. I have a lot of conflicting feelings on Part V: what it does well, it does really well, but the rest is more of a mixed bag.

I'll start with what I liked.
While I felt like the ... art direction read as more generic as opposed to its predecessor, the backgrounds in particular were gorgeous and the animation was clean. The soundtrack was wonderful as always, though admittedly this season's version of the theme wasn't my favorite.

When it comes to the plot episodes focusing on the main cast, I felt like things were more or less handled very well (in particular, the final arc read as very solid as far as the main cast was concerned even though I do feel like they could have given Zenigata more of a chance to shine overall; but a lot of potential arcs that could have revolved around him were admittedly addressed in the prior season).

The Fujiko-Lupin dynamic was handled very interestingly, and was clearly a focal point of this season which didn't bother me. On the contrary, it was refreshing to see a season where their relationship wasn't glossed over or reduced to a simple "oh they're fwb but it's not our business."

...Unfortunately I dislike that Ami was the catalyst for this discussion.
I don't think that Ami, overall, is a bad character, although I did find her somewhat bland compared to last season's Rebecca. My issue with her primarily lies in her crush on Lupin. This isn't the first time that the franchise has introduced a young girl (a minor) who develops feelings for Lupin, and it's always handled with class. This season also has Lupin rejecting Ami's feelings (although as the season continues I almost wish they'd written him as firmer in his dismissiveness), but in general it grew increasingly uncomfortable if not annoying for her crush to be pushed front and center.

From a writing standpoint as well, it felt kind of skeevy given Ami's backstory. Like, I just sort of sat there like. Why would the writers feel like this was an appropriate means of handling this type of character.

...But,
anyway,

Enzo also was a bizarre case. I felt as though I didn't understand him as a character at all. While not outright malicious his characterization was very inconsistent and he almost reads like a completely different person in the final episode.

As far as other new additions, Albert was interesting, but I wish they'd done a little more with him (though I understand that a lot of what happened in Part V was likely a set up for a Part VI series). Yata was an interesting character who regrettably got very little screentime (a side effect of Zenigata feeling practically Benched after the first arc).

When it comes to its MANY homages, I felt that some worked better than others. They definitely weren't done in a way that felt overly invasive, but I did feel like the imposition that every iteration of Lupin III takes place within the same universe hindered the show somewhat. As a viewer, I'm willing to appreciate the reappearance of Castle Cagliostro as a small nod or easter egg, for example, but the way the writers impose the concept that all versions of Lupin are the same felt like it was crossing the line into bizarre.

Overall, the show wasn't bad.
I enjoyed the parts that appealed to me personally, and disliked the parts that didn't. I'd definitely recommend starting with Part IV before this one, as Blue Jacket seems to be weaving together a more cohesive universe than previously seen with Lupin, so while it's possible, it's difficult for me to recommend this season as a starting point.

While watching this, I couldn't shake the thought: "did the people behind Lupin III Part 5 secretly hate Lupin III?"

On the surface, probably not. There are a lot of blink-and-you'll-miss them references splashed liberally throughout. Clearly, they have seen this show, or at least looked up all the movies and picked some characters from each to revive.

But Part 5 is just such a fucking slog with no energy at all after the first arc. I watched the first 6 episodes weekly in 2018, and I thought they were a good time then. Ami was an excellent addition to the series. Everyone played an interesting role ... in that story. And episode 6 was a filler that I vaguely recall, so it couldn't have been all bad. Nonetheless, I found I didn't want to keep going then, so I put the series on hold.

Holy shit, did I make the right call. The second, third, and fourth arcs are all miserable experiences that don't amount to anything. They're slow. They're big mystery boxes. Worst of all, they sideline half the cast in each. Basically, they're horrible Lupin III movies that would have been stretched over WEEKS. For no reason!

The fun of Lupin III is in how radically different the show can be every time. It's fun. If it has something meaningful to say about the human condition, that is explored in the margins. I should be having fun when I'm watching it. I should not be fucking bored out of my mind, wondering why Fujiko just doesn't show up for 6 episodes in a row or what these new characters are supposed to add.

Maybe they didn't HATE Lupin III, but sure as hell they didn't UNDERSTAND Lupin III as a means for compelling TV. Because of this, their feeble attempts to be meta in the final arc could only fall flat.