Review: Part 6 “Episode 9 ~ The Jet-black Diamond”
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 9 ~ The Jet-black Diamond” of Lupin III: Part 6 features another one-shot storyline, and is written by popular author of crime fiction, Kanae Minato.
The gang is on the hunt for the elusive jet-black diamond, a mysterious treasure of the late pirate Zeke. Lupin’s journey begins in London, but ends in a trip across the world, as everyone treks to Brazil in search of the long-lost treasure.
Will Lupin get his hands on the diamond, or will Fujiko beat him at his own game? Does Zenigata finally fulfil his life-long dream of capturing the gang, and just why is Goemon there? Let’s find out!
The story opens with Lupin receiving an invitation to a shady underground auction in London. Wealthy persons from all around the globe can be seen dotted about the room, and all with one shared interest – the treasure of legendary pirate Zeke.
Zeke’s treasures have been uncovered by famous explorer “Cherry” – a name Lupin recognizes from the signature shown on the mysterious event invitation he received. A couple of shining gems go under the hammer, until Lupin – disguised as a rich old man – interjects, and asks if the room plans on bidding for a rather curious doll. Lupin holds up a small hand painted Japanese kokeshi doll afore a disgruntled crowd, who proclaim they have no interest in the item. The auctioneer does, however, have another kokeshi doll in the collection, much to our favourite thief’s delight. The handful of people that remain in the room begin bidding on the second doll.
The winning bid goes to an elderly lady and her great-granddaughter, whom Lupin catches up with shortly after. There’s an exchange of dolls, a brief chase with Inspector Zenigata, and we are quickly lumped into a heavy dosage of story exposition.
The dolls are, in fact, a pair, and contain a secret map to pirate Zeke’s hidden treasure – the elusive jet-black diamond. Fujiko, who also attended the auction in disguise, shows up to swipe them both in the blink of an eye. Before they know it, everyone is out of pocket – and the femme fatale Fujiko Mine is making her merry way to Brazil.
The second half of the caper involves a race to the treasure, in which Lupin, Fujiko, the old lady and her great-granddaughter all play a part.
Jigen tags along, but mostly sits around confused, as he contemplates his role within the episode. Goemon also appears in a rather odd fashion, riding on the back of a giant squid (the nicest animated sequence in the episode by far). It turns out that he is also in Brazil, but is “training” there, by sheer coincidence. Unlike Jigen, our samurai friend seems content being an underused character this season, and mostly just chills out, snacking on a bag of cashew nuts (a Brazilian delicacy).
It’s another excuse to force a tiny scene with Goemon into an episode, something fans of this series may be all too familiar with.
Not before long, it is revealed that the old lady is, in fact, the sister of pirate Zeke’s lover. Much to her great-granddaughters surprise, the peppy 95-year-old treasure hunter goes by the name “Cherry” in some circles, and has fooled both Fujiko and Lupin into leading her to the treasure – one she has no interest in taking. Instead, the old treasure hunter wishes to witness the blossom of the tree above it, which only happens once every seventy-five years.
Once at the location shown on both treasure maps, the crew become attacked by thugs. Granny kicks arse, they run away crying, and viewers are “treated” to another story dump. Lupin shows up in holographic drone form, Zenigata appears, and Fujiko drops the treasure. Of course, there’s no diamond involved at all – and instead, the treasure box contains a much sought after form of ground pepper, which can be found buried under the tree.
Jigen, rather glumly, helps close out the episode by saying…
“That’s what we came for? Christ.”
I think this line sums up my feelings towards the episode, and potentially even Part 6 as a whole (thus far), perfectly.
To be truthful, I found that this episode struggled to retain my interest, and I was close to switching it off during the second half. Maybe my expectations for this series have been too high, in general, but I thought this was borderline boring.
Once again, the tale gets told mostly through drawn out conversations between characters, and short flashback sequences. This does not feel like an enjoyable form of storytelling, to me. The premise and characters are very reminiscent of some from lesser rated Lupin television specials, particularly those from the late naughties.
Animation takes a hit, with plenty of off-model shots of all the cast. A rushed looking chase segment puts a damper on what little action is involved, and all vehicles, yet again, only appear in CG form. I found “Cherry” and her relation both rather forgettable, and again, felt they could have been pulled straight from a mediocre television special.
Fujiko does not seem bothered about missing out on the treasure in the end. Do you remember that time in Plot of the Fuma Clan, where she excitedly runs around, hoovering up any gold she can find? Do you remember those times in the original television series, where she would kick up a fuss out of frustration when her efforts were wasted? None of that emotion or personality is here, as she happily sails away into the night.
“Whatever, that's fine. I got the chance to see some magical flowers.”
I’m aware this review sounds mostly negative, so let’s try and scrape the barrel for a few positives.
The voice cast are still doing a superb job as the characters, with Kanichi Kurita in particular shining throughout this episode. My favourite scene involving him was the cheeky “nerr nerr” taunt to Inspector Zenigata, reminiscent of the one seen in Legend of the Gold of Babylon. This was a fun moment, and it made me wish we saw more interaction between Lupin and Zenigata throughout the season. Could we have more of that, and fewer throwbacks to classic fiction, please? At least, try to incorporate it into things a bit more…
Fujiko finally has some unique costume design, with a cool looking disguise in London, followed up with a gorgeous pink dress while in Brazil.
I also appreciated the ridiculous “Lupin powder” plot device. Lupin now lures Zenigata around the world by sprinkling a powder containing his smell, made possible by using an army of drones. Zenigata, as professional (or more like as obsessed) as he is, falls for the bait, and is able to track down the locations using nothing but his sense of smell. An adorable “Yata” stands by his side, excitedly encouraging his superior at every chance he gets.
Just what does “Lupin powder” smell like, anyway? Hmm…
All in all, then, “Episode 9 ~ The Jet-black Diamond” is a rather mediocre Lupin adventure, and one I will not revisit any time soon.
It unceremoniously sits amongst the pile of other rather mediocre Lupin adventures featuring throughout Part 6.
The action did little to get me excited, and the narrative failed to keep me interested. The animation work left a lot to be desired – and yet again, the bland, boring moments of story exposition had me glancing at the clock. It again felt like a story that might have been better suited for a (likely poor) television special, as this episode clearly did not have the time nor budget to make it stand out.
Disappointing work from such a well-loved author.
