Review: Part 6 “Episode 14 ~ The Mirage Women”
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 14 ~ The Mirage Women” of Lupin III: Part 6 is a direct follow-up to episode thirteen. It continues to expand upon and flesh out the central plot line of the second act (or cour, if you are a fellow anime nerd). It focusses on the exploration of Lupin’s past, his mother figure and the band of red-headed thieves, named “Elvira”.
Let’s not beat around the bush. I found the quality of this episode to be excellent.
From the writing and the plot, to the music, the animation, and the voice acting. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. This is perhaps, speaking on a personal level, the first time I have felt this way with Part 6 thus far. While we do not gain much on wondering what could have been, I cannot help but imagine how different the story of “act one” may have panned out had it been like this since the start.
Still, it is pointless to ponder—it is what it is, and I am thankful that the show appears to have picked up steam come the second act. Let’s jump a little deeper, and understand exactly why I enjoyed this episode as much as I did.
Episode fourteen is split nicely into two halves. The first focuses on character development, and provides a nice respite from the action bookending episode thirteen.
We are treated to a lovely exchange between Lupin and Mattea, who is shown in hospital, recovering from wounds she picked up during the skirmish between Lupin and Mercedes. She receives an apology from Lupin, and responds to it by demonstrating that there is more to her than meets the eye. Mattea does not need an apology—as the young flower girl processes the event as a positive, understanding that she can learn from what happened. My concerns about her simply being used as a damsel in distress felt debunked by this, with even Lupin himself telling the gang back home that she’s strong-willed. I do hope we see her show up again, as she helps cast a pleasant ray of sunshine onto the otherwise action-heavy plot.
Speaking of the gang—while back at the hideout, there’s some nice banter between Lupin, Jigen and Goemon. The cooking gags continue, as our hero voices his distaste for Goemon’s inability to whip up anything other than soba noodles for dinner. Fujiko pops up unannounced again, a trait I never get tired of seeing, and has a valuable work-related tip for the boys. Before you know it, the bags are all packed, and the trio pile into the tiny yellow Fiat for a road trip.
As the gang head to Mexico in an attempt to catch the “Elvira” gang ahead of their next score, we dig a little deeper into Tomoe, and Lupin’s past. I adored these scenes. While they do not seem like much in the grand scheme of the episode, they show Lupin off his game. When driving, he hesitates when the lights go green. He is shown quiet, with a frown upon his face, deep in thought. In the most matter of fact way possible, as is his nature, Jigen butts in to ask Lupin just what the F is up.
While sat in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere, parked up on the roadside for the night, Jigen, Goemon and the viewer get a full answer to that question.
I felt that the answer was satisfying.
We learn that Tomoe, while not related by blood, is who Lupin would consider his mother. She spent time training potential successors to the original Arsène Lupin, which included our monkey faced thief (as well as many others). During his training, one night, Tomoe stole treasures from the mansion of the original Arsène Lupin, and was shot while making her exit. Presumed dead, Lupin III let his master leave without as much as a goodbye. What happened to her? Why did she steal from the mansion? Did Tomoe actually die, or was this all part of some kind of plan? Until coming face-to-face with Mercedes in episode thirteen, this appears to have been something Lupin III had given very little thought to, and now he wants answers.
Jigen makes a gag, likely at the audience, saying that he was hoping to learn about our heroes past, disappointed at the fact that Lupin is not aware of who his real birth mother is. While it made me chuckle, I absolutely prefer it this way. While it may not accurately reflect the original Arsène Lupin source material, I like the idea of potential candidates trained up to be his successor, in an attempt to maintain his legacy. This works well for Lupin III, and provides a nice, believable backstory for the character.
Besides, it does not really matter who his birth mother is. If Lupin considers Tomoe his mother, and she considered him a son, then that is his mother, as far as I am concerned.
The second half of the episode is far more action packed than the first, making for a delightful change of pace.
Inspector Zenigata, “Yata” and Ari all headed to Mexico too, thanks to pop’s “big ICPO brain” thinking of—wherever Elvira go, Lupin is sure to follow. Although brief, I very much appreciated all screen time from the three officers. Again, as in episode thirteen, their dynamic just works. Zenigata takes control of things, “Yata” is his capable right-hand man, and Ari is excited to learn the ropes. They are a joy to watch whenever on-screen, but I desperately want more from them. A Zenigata one-shot episode would be very welcome, at this point, and I would love to see a new story featuring all three of them.
We soon see an exciting display of skill from Mercedes and her gang, as they bust through the walls of their latest heist location using armoured tanks. This made for perhaps one of the most memorable scenes in the show thus far. The music here is incredible, adding an exciting, jazzy flair to an already intense action sequence. “Elvira” are clearly not messing about, as they methodically blast through the police, all guns blazing, and quickly snag the treasures thanks to their clever planning and impressive numbers. We see Zenigata and his team working as a unit, caught in the crossfire, with Jigen firing at tracking device onto one of the red-headed criminals getaway vehicles on its way back.
Look—I am a sucker for when the gang work together with Zenigata. We have seen it many times before, but it always gets me.
Fujiko pops out of the smoke, and hands a Lupin branded phone to Ari and her compadres. Zenigata knows exactly what is happening, and follows the signal along with Lupin and pals back to “Elvira”’s hideout. It’s a great scene, topped off with one of my favourite series tropes seen throughout the show’s fifty year run, and I love it.
At the hideout, Lupin confronts Mercedes and her gang face-to-face.
There is some excellent Lupin style bait and switching here, with both Lupin and the “Elvira” gang attempting to trump one another. Disguises are in play, traps get sprung, and we even see a call-back to episode thirteen with the tiny, insect shaped drones appearing for a moment.
Ultimately, Lupin gets the upper hand, and questions Mercedes while she is at gunpoint. There is a noticeable change of tone in Kanichi Kurita, the voice actor of Lupin III, during this scene. Lupin isn’t messing. He wants to know how Mercedes knows Tomoe, and who donated the treasures to auction. Unfortunately, it appears Mercedes only knows half the tale, but confirms that she was also trained by Tomoe, and that Lupin’s mother figure did not die on the mansion grounds all of those years ago.
“Bang”.
While he does not pull the trigger, Lupin mutters the word above, and tells Mercedes that she is to ride “home” that night with Inspector Zenigata and his co-workers. Despite feeling frustrated and confused about what happened to Tomoe, and how Mercedes became involved, Lupin is still Lupin. He won’t shoot somebody like her at point-blank range, and works with the officials when it suits him.
A superb, albeit familiar end to the episode.
As mentioned in my last review, this is not for everyone.
Some viewers are likely to feel disappointed the story of Part 6 has started to tread familiar ground, in terms of the characters and storytelling. The advantage to having fifty years of content is that there is such a wide breadth of stories and styles to jump into. The second act of Part 6 does not appear to be the weird, abstract take that some may have been looking for, despite the first act treading that line on occasion.
Personally speaking, though, and likely for the majority of viewers, this was a fun watch. It felt like the Lupin I fell in love with, while adding a new, captivating mystery into the mix. There are no strange jump cuts, no unusual editing, and every character felt present and accounted for. We get a nice mix of action and story scenes, with a flow that feels right. Story exposition is not waiting around every corner, and when it does occur, it makes for some memorable moments between the characters.
I am a fan, and I hope we see this style continue into the guest-written episode coming next week.
There is not much more to say about episode fourteen, only that it is perhaps my favourite from Part 6 thus far (sitting right next to Darwin’s Bird).
It presents us with the perfect mix of action and storytelling, right off the back of an exciting Lupin style heist, as seen in episode thirteen. While not for everyone, this is the sort of Lupin I personally enjoy, and I feel that the Part 6 series needed it, to some extent. I do hope the story perhaps gets a little more out-there and interesting in future episodes, but I am also excited for more guest-written one-shot stories, particularly involving either Goemon or Inspector Zenigata.
Now, when is that second Yuji Ohno album, releasing again? I need that “Elvira” shoot out track!
