Review: Part 6 “Episode 8 ~ Last Bullet”
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 8 ~ Last Bullet” of Lupin III: Part 6 is the fifth guest written episode of the show, with story by Akio Higuchi.
Unlike previous guest written episodes, “Last Bullet” features a narrative related to the Lupin III VS Sherlock Holmes storyline.
The plot focusses on Daisuke Jigen, and a feud between him and an ex-rival in an effort to save Lily Watson’s life. The action takes place in a rather drab, grey Scotland, and happens three years prior to the events of Part 6. Under the manipulation — err, I mean, expert guidance of Lupin, the two hatch a plan to hit back at the assassins and, ultimately, protect a precious memory of Lily’s from years gone by.
An episode staring Jigen seems like the perfect chance for his new voice actor Akio Ōtsuka to shine, and it is perhaps the most excited I have been for an episode of Lupin III: Part 6 to date. If you have read any of our previous episode reviews, however, you will know that is not saying much.
The episode kicks off with a fun flashback action sequence between Jigen and his rival, Brad Roark.
Jigen is in a spot of bother, in that his trusty magnum is on its last legs. It is cracking under the strain of all the high-powered ammunition used throughout the years, and as a result, our trusty gunman is reluctantly using weaker bullets. The two exchange gunfire, and Jigen is pinned down. A neat decoy tactic gains our hero the upper hand, and Brad is blasted straight into the ocean.
This is a fun way to start the episode. Although Brad is a very one-dimension cookie cutter rival for Jigen, it is nice to see some action, and the dilemma related to the wearing magnum is a fun situation for the character to be in.
Swiftly moving on… The great detective Sherlock Holmes is out of action due to a broken leg, and Lily is in the care of a boarding school up in bonnie Scotland. While there, she gains some interest from horny classmate Kenny, who clearly has his heart set on the young lass.
The two take a school trip over the “The Mound” in Edinburgh, and visit the National Galleries of Scotland. This is a place I have been to in real life, as I live nearby — and I was happy to see how accurate it looked in the show!
Whilst there, some cunning “raven” assassins attempt to kidnap Lily, and we later discover they are aiming to protect the identity of the executioner she saw back when her father gets murdered. Lupin is relatively careful not to make himself seen, as not to expose Lily to her memories (which, to me, made the story idea seem a bit like an afterthought). Lupin stops the baddies, and recovers Lily from the assassins, with a thirsty but well-meaning Kenny in tow.
A brief switch over to London explains that Sherlock is aware of the incident at the gallery, and Lestrade sends his “best men” to help protect Lily. They are immediately jumped by the assassins after enjoying a hearty pub lunch, have their identities stolen by the assassins, and disappear for the remainder of the episode.
Naturally, our favourite thieves are one step ahead, and are already aware of the switcheroo. They decide to play one of their own, and allow Kenny, disguised as Lily, to be taken into the assassin’s care. While Lupin stays in the shadows, Jigen is ordered to follow them up to the highlands, where they plan to execute young “Lily” (the heartless fiends)!
Thankfully, Jigen plays his part, and always remains closely behind the clueless killers. Using a sniper rifle, he takes two of the assassins out before they get the chance to pull the trigger, leading him into a quick car chase and showdown with the final man and leader of the operation — Brad Roark.
The face-off between the two is tense, if a little stiff.
Jigen pops the last high calibre round into his trusty sidekick, and leaps out of cover. He stands there, completely still, while Brad “should have gone to Specsavers” Roark misses every shot. Bullets whizz by, until eventually, Jigen pulls the trigger. One shot is all it takes — the bullet makes a direct hit, and as Brad slams down to the ground, Jigen’s hand begins to tremble. His gun is in pieces and his hand is bloody. He only had one chance to save both he and Kenny’s life, and he made it count.
The episode ends with normality resuming. Lily is safely back in the care of Holmes, Jigen has fixed his magnum, and our heroes seen driving back home in the Fiat 500.
A rather awkward piece of dialogue at the end explains that Kenny is likely to be traumatized by the incident, but that’s okay because reasons. Kenny is seen back at the boarding school in Scotland, walking towards the camera. He appears to be idolizing the heroic “gunman”, in a likely effort to build upon his character in preparation for a future appearance later in the show.
This felt odd. For an 11-year-old to be exposed to such events, and walk away messed up, only for the cast to simply shrug it all off, did not sit right with me. We will have to wait and see where this goes upon Kenny’s inevitable return, potentially as a 14-year-old hitman, assassin or bodyguard, I guess?!
Story aside, we need to talk about production value.
While the episode contained some lovely background artwork, especially during the trip up to the Scottish Highlands, there was, however, an excessive use of 3D models throughout.
Mostly all scenes involving vehicles featured 3D animation, and there is an instance where both Lily and Kenny are rendered in 3D — a very jarring look.
While vehicular animation felt a step up from previous episodes, likely due to more prominent screen time due to the car chase, it all added a sort of “cheap” feel to an otherwise high quality episode. This felt like Lupin on a budget, which is surprising when considered the series’ original aim was to help celebrate the 1971 animated show’s fiftieth anniversary.
Thankfully, Yuji Ohno is still here to pull out all the stops.
While the action on-screen doesn’t look great, the music features several high-quality throwbacks to pieces from Lupin III: Part 2. My personal favourite track, Magnum Dance, does the heavy lifting during the face-off between Jigen and Brad. The classic Tornado theme tune goes unmissed thanks to its inclusion, and the iconic Love Theme plays the episode out.
This, in conjunction with the storyline, helped “Last Bullet” feel like an episode of Part 2. Not a great one, in my opinion, but a good one.
“Last Bullet” is easily my personal highlight of Part 6 so far.
This episode had a good flow to it, and the pacing felt right. While the story was fun, it doesn't quite reach the same heights as previous Jigen focussed episodes, especially those from Part 2, 4 and 5.
It is still a decent watch, though, and thus far is the only episode from the new series that I would consider viewing a second time.
Akio Ōtsuka shone as Jigen. It is the first time I have felt he really fit the character, and it's clear he gave it his all. It was apparent that he has adopted a few of Kiyoshi Kobayashi’s mannerisms, such as his recognizable “Tch” remarks, while also breathing some new life into the performance.
You can never truly replace Kobayashi, but it is nice to know our favourite gunslinger remains in good hands.
