Review: Part 6 “Episode 21 ~ Welcome to the Island of Bubbles”
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 21 ~ Welcome to the Island of Bubbles” is the premultimate guest-written episode of Lupin III: Part 6, and is written by Tomoko Shinozuka (who has previously worked on episode sixteen, Samurai Collection).
What would an episode of Lupin III look like if the gang were written by a written by a complete stranger?
It felt to me as if Tomoko Shinozuka has asked themselves this question when writing the script for episode twenty-one—and while their efforts are likely to pay off for many, it certainly is not an episode for everyone.
Welcome to the Island of Bubbles features a delightfully irrelevant adventure with the gang, laden with fan-fiction style storytelling that is cleverly written in to the show’s episodic format. It perhaps plays things a little too safe with the idea, and focusses on a romantic adventure between Fujiko and the boys.
After Fujiko’s beauty catches her eye, Muru, a young girl with a fantastic imagination, begins to observe the Lupin gang. The thieves are just passing through Muru’s coastal town, and have become trapped in doing so, as the only bridge out has been damaged in an accident with a boat.
As repairs are to take some time, and also as Lupin has experienced a neck injury during said accident, it is time for the crew to lie low and enjoy the quiet life.
As a passionate writer with a wild imagination, Muru soon begins creating stories about everyone, imagining the conversations they are having from afar. Her tales are riddled with romance and chivalry, as she suspects the boys may be fighting for Fujiko’s love. In reality, the gang’s escapades are far less interesting. They have simply become bored—and are struggling to find something to do whilst stuck in the town.
As Muru observes and narrates her imaginative tales, the episode seizes the opportunity to portray these moments in animated form. We see some very unusual activities from Jigen and Goemon, with them expressing their love to Fujiko and speaking out of character. There are fans that are bound to enjoy seeing this, and while the animation once again felt like a large step backwards, it made for some fun scenarios.
The usual character and flavour of the Lupin crew is not lost entirely, with the action quickly cutting back to the actual conversations that are taking place. Jigen is annoyed at Fujiko for messing up plans, Goemon is complaining about the lack of Asian food, and Lupin is—well, expressing his love for Fujiko in real life, too.
Fact and fiction have become one and the same! He still earns himself a slap, though.
At its heart, the episode is silly and fun, but I also found it rather obnoxious.
While I appreciate the concept for trying something new, and understand there are some that will find this funny or cute, I struggled through it.
There is a lot of screaming and sparkly eyes from Muru, as she jots down these romantic stories and conversations into her notebook. I am not much into watching other anime or reading fan fiction, despite not being against the idea of either. I just could not enjoy Muru’s character, as I found her loud and irritating, and even felt the same towards Lupin, as the ending drew near.
As the story reaches its climax, Muru lures the boys into a competition for Fujiko’s love. The three have been tricked, thinking they are going to uncover the secrets of the town’s fabled mermaid fish—an object that grants love to all those that come into contact with it. This treasure lost to time has been Lupin’s main focus whilst visiting the town, purely as a means of having something to do. In reality, it is all an elaborate plan hatched by Muru, as she wishes to hear the three read her scripts, and profess their love to Fujiko (who has agreed to dress as a mermaid too, looking the part).
It makes for a fun set piece, but again, I personally did not get much of a kick out of it, and I was happy to see the credits roll.
I have had to question myself a lot during this episode. Am I just a miserable old git, devoid of any joy or humour?
It is very unlike any other episode to date, and that is something that Welcome to the Island of Bubbles should be commended for. There are surely going to be fans of the show that will welcome this slightly different format—that will crease with laugher at the dialogue, and snap pictures of Goemon flying through space, as he expresses his admiration for Fujiko.
I did think that the idea of using fan-fiction to create some out-of-character scenes could hold potential—but I also did not feel it was used in any interesting or unique ways. For it to be utilized as a plot device to show the lads fawning over Fujiko was just rather… uninspired? I feel the story could have benefitted from being a little more risqué, with the writer going the extra mile. In standard episodes, characters obsess over Fujiko all the time. Creating something more daring using this idea is something I would have liked to have seen. I think that the staff could have got away with, too, in the same season where God asks Fujiko to steal Lucifer’s bird skeleton.
What I mean to say, is, please call me when we see an episode showcasing fan-fiction about Inspector Zenigata chasing after his lover, and coming to terms with his feelings for the man. Thanks.
As we are reaching the finale of Part 6, Welcome to the Island of Bubbles feels rather throwaway, in the grand scheme of things. It is a harmless “slice-of-life” style adventure, which are always appreciated and often refreshing. Tomoko Shinozuka successfully continues the silly, tongue-in-cheek style of humour that we saw in Samurai Collection, and there is bound to be a significant portion of the audience that will get a kick out of it.
I think I will have to just settle on the idea of: “this one is not for me”, and I do not wish to rag much more on something that just simply is not to my tastes.
If you feel as if you could benefit from gorging on some fun, out-of-character moments involving the gang, then this is likely to be your jam. On the other hand—if the idea of a shrieking young female character writing fan fiction about the boys expressing their love to a mermaid Fujiko is enough to put you off, then steer clear.
