Review: Part 6 “Episode 10 ~ Darwin's Bird”
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.
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 10 ~ Darwin’s Bird” of Lupin III: Part 6 is guest written by Mamoru Oshii, the director of several famous animated works such as Ghost in the Shell and Angel’s Egg.
Earlier this year, Oshii made his debut in the Lupin franchise with “Episode 4 ~ The Killers in the Diner” of Lupin III: Part 6. The previous episode drew inspiration from Ernest Hemingway’s “The Killers”, an American crime fiction short story from 1927. It acted an Ernest Hemingway fan fiction of sorts, set within the world of Lupin III, and I personally did not think it was very good.
A few weeks later, and Oshii has returned with a vastly different topic for us to sink our teeth into. Does it fare better than his first attempt with episode four? Let us find out…
The first half of this episode is vastly different to the latter half. It is slow, but has a touch of class about the way it tells the story.
Fujiko Mine is making the most of her time in London by doing a little sightseeing. The femme fatale is dressing rather smartly and is visiting the British natural history museum, a popular locale which is filled with dinosaur bones and fossils. It is not long before a museum attendant calls out to her that the establishment is about to close, and our heroine takes her leave. Upon exiting the museum, a car pulls up outside, and signals Fujiko to enter. Seated inside is a mysterious blonde man, who is smartly dressed and no doubt extremely wealthy. He accompanies a silent Fujiko back to his quarters, where both her and the mysterious benefactor have a long conversation regarding Charles Darwin, and the “origin of species”.
The situation is rather curious, and it is unclear what tone Oshii was hoping to achieve here. I assume, upon reflection, the meeting, and conversation’s intent is to be tense. It is, however, oddly comforting. While it does not make for great, action packed Lupin III viewing, it is interesting and more stand-out than last week’s episode. While the on-screen action is slow, the conversation moves at quite a pace – mostly thanks to the enthusiasm from Fujiko’s mysterious host. The soft piano playing in the background fits the conversation.
It does not take long before the man asks Fujiko to infiltrate the museum she was once visiting, and snag the archaeopteryx fossil stored there on he and his bosses’ behalf. As it is clear she has no choice in the matter, Fujiko meets with her cohorts ahead of the big heist. Jigen walks, quite fittingly stating that “he ain’t feeling this one”. Despite remaining sceptical of both the treasure and her employer’s intentions, Lupin never passes on a challenge, and is in. Surely he would never leave Fujiko hanging, regardless of the situation or spoils.
Despite the slow first half, the promise of a grand heist in the British natural history museum is exciting, and the build up to this kept me interested throughout. The dialogue in the woods between Fujiko, Lupin and Jigen was fantastic. I felt it felt as if I was granted a “backstage pass” into seeing how the trio plan for a heist, and Jigen’s pissy exit after stating he did not trust Fujiko’s employer was perfect.
It is worth noting that, as Oshii uses his time with Lupin III to deep dive into the topic of palaeontology, there is some haphazardness to how he handles the history. While I personally have little interest in Charles Darwin's theory and the discovery of the archaeopteryx fossil, I am led to believe there is some bending of the truth in the way Fujiko’s benefactor explains it. The mystery man mentions that the theory has been written mostly “on faith”, which many believe is false.
With that said, I feel I am not qualified enough to deep dive into the source material, and compare between the two. If it piques your interest, I suggest reading up online, as there are plenty of articles and essay’s on Darwin’s theory.
The second half of the episode jumps straight into the big heist.
While I believe this unintentional, Fujiko dons the disguise of what some will consider a poor caricature of a person of colour. The art here is questionable, and while only included in a throwaway scene, was no doubt ignorance or oversight by the staff on the episode. I was surprised and disappointed to see this. If staff are not sure how to draw people of colour, they should learn how to do so from persons of colour.
It turns out Lupin could not source any information on Fujiko’s host, and the mansion in which she sipped tea in alongside him appears vacant. Despite having a head filled with clouded thoughts, Fujiko forges on, and clambers through the ventilation system of the museum. Our thief hacks into the computer system, rather cleverly loops the CCTV cameras, and steps out into the eerie, dimly lit museum interior.
This is where things start to get weird.
In looping the CCTV cameras, everything else within the real world also appears to have become stuck in a short time loop. Security staff remain dormant, performing the same five or six sections over and over again. Thankfully, Fujiko is fine, and continues her infiltration mission.
The concept seen here is very Mamoru Oshii. Those familiar with his work already will no doubt come to expect concepts and scenes like this. While I was concerned about the famous director integrating such a bizarre idea into the Lupin III franchise initially, I am happy to report that Oshii comes out on top here.
Once in the storage room, there is a rather uncharacteristic appearance from Lupin himself. His arrival is unspectacular, and there is something rather off about his attendance, something that Fujiko herself questions too. The pair head to the location of the archaeopteryx fossil, with the intention of swiping the goods.
It turns out, the real fossil is over one-hundred feet tall, and as expected, Lupin isn’t the real Lupin. Instead, more likely, it is Fujiko’s mysterious benefactor in disguise (or a possessed spirit… who knows)?!
After a shocking look at the fossil, a time skip occurs, and Fujiko is back where she was at the start of the episode – viewing the exhibits found within the British natural history museum. Upon entering the car once again, it is revealed that her mysterious benefactor is Michael, the Prince of Light, a supposed Archangel and the twin brother of Lucifer.
As Michael sprouts wings and flies away into the sky (granted, off camera), Fujiko stands alone on the cold winters night, and stares up into the heavens.
There is a lot to unpack with this episode.
Those expecting a standard, fun Lupin III affair are likely to be left disappointed.
I, however, enjoyed the tonal shift, and despite a few pacing issues – thought the twisted tale fit rather well in a twenty-four-minute episode. Maybe my expectations of Part 6 have become so low, I am just happy they tried something different? Regardless, there are shades of Oshii’s cancelled Legend of the Gold of Babylon script in here, but in a package that comes across as a little more inoffensive. If anything, it has made me even more curious as to what that cancelled film would have ended up like – no doubt quite the curiosity. Still, with that said, it was the right decision to can it at the time.
This is the sort of storytelling I expect from the director of Ghost in the Shell and Angel’s Egg. While episode four of Part 6 was a great disappointment to me, I found Darwin’s Bird to be much the opposite. It is a stand-out for the right reasons, interesting, and one I plan to rewatch. If you are turned off by the bizarre works of Oshii’s past, or use of religious text in your fictional storytelling, you might want to avoid this one. If you are up for something weird and new, however, then this is a must-see.
