Review: Part 6 “Episode 1 ~ Enter Sherlock Holmes”
Welcome to our episode review of Lupin III: Part 6!
Our review is from the perspective of a “hardcore” Lupin III fan, who has seen every episode, film, and special the series has had to offer since its animated inception in 1969. The author's perspective on modern anime however, is lacking. When it comes to anime, we exclusively watch Lupin III, so cannot compare it to other shows on the market. Instead, we can only compare it with Lupin media of the past.
We will be watching the Japanese language dubbed version made available via the HIDIVE streaming platform.
Be aware that there are SPOILERS ahead.
Please only read on if you either have seen the episode already, or do not mind learning about important character interactions and pivotal plot points in advance.
“Episode 1 ~ Enter Sherlock Holmes” of Lupin III: Part 6 is the explosive opening episode we have all been waiting for — but does it live up to expectations?
Gone are the sunny skies of France as featured in Episode 0, and in their place, come the busy streets of London. The city certainly looks the part, with familiar scenery and building work that is reminiscent of the famous English capital. The locations featuring throughout appear to bounce between traditional, older style streets and more modern, shopping areas — an accurate staple of London itself.
At times, the backgrounds of London appear to be digitized photos, layered accordingly and painted over with a filter like technique. This gives them a textured look, and it is an idea that has become commonplace in modern-day animation. There are still scenes that feature gorgeous, painted backgrounds — such as one in particular that takes place atop a grassy hill, but the edited photo look, thankfully, never feels like a significant drop in quality.
The first episode of Part 6 storms in with a heavy-handed use of CG.
Except for the scooter used throughout the chase sequence in act three, almost every vehicle features in 3DCG form at least once during the episode. This is especially noticeable with the iconic yellow Fiat 500, which sees around half of its screen time in poorly rendered 3D form. Long-time fans of the series will no doubt find this a difficult watch. The animation looks aged almost immediately as a result, and despite both making sparing use of 3DCG visuals, it feels a far cry away from the quality seen in Part 4 and Part 5.
The drawn animation work however, is superb. New cast members, such as Holmes, Lily, Lestrade and MI-6, fit right into the style of the show, looking and acting the part. A good use of line pressure outlines the cast, and they all look fantastic in motion.
The story opens with the return of Albert d'Andrésy, Part 5 antagonist come protagonist, and newest series mainstay. His latest scheme is ruined by the hands of Sherlock Holmes, a once great detective now assisting the police with minor league crimes for extra cash.
Things quickly escalate, as Albert attempts an escape, only to get shot in the process — eventually leading him to consider ending his life while injured and backed into a corner. Thankfully, Lupin and his companions appear just in the nick of time, and save Albert quickly enough for him to disappear off-screen in a helicopter within two minutes, never to be seen again.
Holmes is next to get a proper introduction, as be collects his adopted daughter Lily from school. It's immediately apparent that the people of London appreciate Holmes for the detective he once was, and that they care for both he and Lily. The pair head home, and focus shifts to a rather exciting action sequence involving Fujiko and Inspector Zenigata.
Any scene that includes the femme fatale kicking ass and tricking her opponents is peak Lupin, and Episode 1 does not disappoint in this area. Add to this the polarizing concerns for personal safety between the brash Inspector Zenigata and his cautious assistant Goro “Yata” Yatagarasu, a superb relationship that shines here during the chase segment with our heroine.
From here, the premise of the episode goes awry. The third and final act features an almost never-ending vehicle chase between Lupin, Fujiko, Zenigata and “Yata”, with both Holmes and Lily running around the city on foot. There's a feeling of carelessness from the characters, with gunfire, crashes, and explosions happening all across the streets of London.
A final exchange between Lupin, Holmes, and Lily happens as the thief flies through the air on his scooter. A rather sinister picture is painted by this exchange — as Lily screams in terror at the sight of Lupin. While speculation, this is perhaps due to the thought that she is staring face to face with the man that is said to have killed Dr. Watson, a potential candidate as her father.
The episode then cuts to the rather charming ending theme, Milk Tea, in a jarring tone shift we couldn't have ever seen coming.
While the tone was all over the place, the story of Episode 1 remains entertaining throughout, and it provides decent set up for future episodes.
One scene in particular sticks in our minds — during the time spent within Scotland Yard in the second act. The appearance of the villainous, hooded figure in an interrogation room felt a rather haunting moment, with an excellent performance by the voice actor that is sure to leave a chilling impression on the viewer. His victim goes out with a bang, in one of those rare series moments where a cast member meets a grisly demise — a shocking moment providing a sudden sense of urgency to the situation.
Lupin himself seems to have changed also. His personality has been scaled back in Episode 1, with him coming across more serious, and perhaps more sinister, than usual.
When compared to everything else in the franchise, the closest parallel we can draw to this is the opening episodes of the original Part 1 television series. The tone of these initial Maasaki Ōsumi directed episodes was darker, drawing inspiration from the original manga series by Monkey Punch. It seems fitting that the current Lupin team may in turn draw some inspiration from those original episodes, with the initial broadcast celebrating its 50th anniversary next week, on the 24th of October.
As always, Yuji Ohno's musical score is on point. While it lacks any familiar tunes such as Samba Temperado or Super Hero, it brings a fitting selection of new backing tracks to the mix, and we're looking forward to hearing more as the series progresses.
The opening and ending animations are a lot of fun, with the credit song Milk Tea in particular becoming a rather addictive earworm. The style of both fit the show, despite the aforementioned tone shift when going between the final scene and the credits.
Despite falling slightly short of expectations, the positives do outweigh the negatives.
The first episode of Part 6 helps set the stage for future narrative, and we are excited to see our hero's relationship with Sherlock Holmes and Lily explored in greater detail. Will we perhaps see a darker side to our favourite thief? If we do, we can only hope the writing staff go all-in on the idea, and do not pull any punches. We can only wait and see!
