I gotta say, this episode contained the right type of funny, and towards the end it became dark.
Example: Fujiko chasing Lupin and despite her skills, she is a bad shot. Also, Lupin messed with her mind BIG TIME. And of course, Goemon at the end? Well, that just sets the stage for all four to meet each other in the next few episodes
Fourth episode was the best episode out of the Osumi set, if you ask me. Truly superlative character work, mainly because it was the perfect way to showcase Zenigata's relationship with Lupin, and how Lupin's inevitable execution was turning him batty. As with the other episodes, of course, the direction was superb, and the characters dramedy going on was just great all-in-all. It's not hard to see how Osumi influenced Shinichiro Watanabe, after all these years.
Yeah, I enjoyed episode four quite a bit still; just not as much as some of the later ones. You're swaying my opinion a little though. The characterisation was very good in those early episodes. I think they have stronger personality traits in the later episodes, but they have greater depth and are far more interesting in the early ones. I suppose Fujiko Mine is comparable to that, as you said. I think I will go back and watch the Osumi stuff and see which I prefer, that or the new series.
I can't sway your opinion, but I would recommend rewatching those episodes when the Discotek sets arrive. I'll probably try to get the set as soon as possible myself, just to support the company in hopes of getting any future Lupin releases.
This show has really lost me. I don't find anything relating to Mine's past engaging, especially since I feel they've misstepped in their attempt at character development. The show would have better off sticking to the normal crime stuff and skipping the traumatic backstory.
At this point, the only thing really traumatic about Fujiko's back story is the trauma it is causing the audience. It's stupid, drawn out, un-engaging, and just weird for the sake of being weird. I doubt anyone started watching this show expecting this sort of shit, and while some genre/tone shifts are effective and exciting, this is just trying too hard at this point. Poor attempts at being artistic, only to fall on its own face. I doubt the show has many fans, and I doubt most people will remember this series fondly in the years to come. It's just going to be a forgettable spin-off which did weird shit and had a shitty shadow filter.
At this point, the only thing really traumatic about Fujiko's back story is the trauma it is causing the audience. It's stupid, drawn out, un-engaging, and just weird for the sake of being weird. I doubt anyone started watching this show expecting this sort of shit, and while some genre/tone shifts are effective and exciting, this is just trying too hard at this point. Poor attempts at being artistic, only to fall on its own face. I doubt the show has many fans, and I doubt most people will remember this series fondly in the years to come. It's just going to be a forgettable spin-off which did weird shit and had a shitty shadow filter.
This has only convinced me to keep watching, on the contrary. I want to see if this episode is as much of a trainwreck as Duckroll is insinuating, because I know how strongly he feels against the series.
I wonder how people would react to the Osumi episodes if we all watched them at the same time, because the latest Fujikoike episodes feel Osumi-like in almost every way.
I think I'm giving up on the series, I wont be watching episode 10 and onwards. The latest episode looks confusing and weird and totally un-Lupin like as you have pointed out.
Dragoon En Regalia said:
I wonder how people would react to the Osumi episodes if we all watched them at the same time, because the latest Fujikoike episodes feel Osumi-like in almost every way.
I've been re-watching the Osumi episodes since we discussed them earlier in the thread and I have been enjoying them. The tone is very different, but I think you were right in saying they were really well done. As you said, each one focusses more on characters than premise and some of the plots are very clever. I've found new appreciation for the early episodes, but the later stuff is still better IMO.
That said, I still dislike this new series. The Osumi episodes may have been very different, but they don't have weird owl people, confusing plots, boring dialogue and a desperate attempt to be symbolic and "meaningful."
I haven't seen the latest Fujikoike ep, but I can tell you that most of the new series is great outside of those three middling episodes. Boring dialogue and confusing plots? Not to me, and I don't mind the symbolism either.
That said: I've just rewatched the Killer Pun episode from the Green Jacket series, and that episode alone does a more convincing job of giving Fujiko an interesting, adult backstory. Green Jacket and Red Jacket still beat Fujikoike and Pink Jacket, overall.
Lupin The Third: Mine Fujiko 10
A sputtering attempt at piecing together an out of sorts puzzle. This series seems uncertain at all moments as to what exactly it wants to be, reveling in inscrutability while offering nothing in return.
I haven't seen the latest Fujikoike ep, but I can tell you that most of the new series is great outside of those three middling episodes. Boring dialogue and confusing plots? Not to me, and I don't mind the symbolism either.
You should maybe watch the most recent episode. I think much of the series is forgettable, trivial, and poorly constructed. There really isn't much of a flow to any part of it, and the underlying connectors are remarkably underwhelming.
This episode was pretty tripped-out, I agree. Well-directed, but I too seem to wonder where all of these plot-points are going to connect. The one thing I'm certain of, at this point at least, is that this Fraulein Hoyle stuff is probably what's screwed Fujiko over, not sexual abusewhich is a sigh of relief, as they're clearly trying to avoid any real bullshit. Outside of that, though, I can only hope that Dai Sato's script makes some sense, because watching this without subs is bemusing.
I think you're really underselling the qualities of the series, though. And Duckroll still thinks the shadow filter sucks and episode 5 is confusing, so I don't know what to think other than that this series is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most divisive Lupin production ever made.
This is my first Lupin series and I am quite enjoying it. It's got a lot of style and I can make some guesses but I would like to know more about what has happened to Fujiko. I don't have a history with the series like a lot of you but it I am definitely going to check more out after this is finished.
To clear some things up, related to the most recent episode:
Fujiko was the daughter of Fritz Kaiser, a leading scientist at the research facility, and she was a central guinea pig for the Fraulein Eule drug. Not sexual rape, just good 'ol drugging and, due to the instability of the drug, the death of her father and everyone else around her not lucky enough to survive the outbreak of the drug 13 years before Zenigata's visit. The drug's powerful enough to create both vivid apparitions and, strangely-enough, tangible supernatural phenomena that can manipulate utensils. So, ultimately, Fujiko's one of the last witnesses alive, L.Y.A. wants her dead to erase the whole drug and events-involved from history, and Lupin will have to dig deeper into the mystery in order to truly steal Fujiko Mine, and to let her free from the past that's trying to swallow her up. It's also been insinuated that Oscar's involved with Fujiko as well, perhaps as another contractor for Luis (much like how Lupin was initially paid to go after Fujiko).
Remember how all of you guys thought she was going to be sexually-afflicted? This show has more than a few surprises up its sleeve.
Ehh, it's semantics at this point. She was naked for the
experimentation
, and I'm sure it left the same type of scarring that would have occurred had it been sexual. One could argue that this was worse, and just as predictable
considering the doctor owls that were poking and prodding her
Did I just trip out on acid in anime form? What the heck was real and what wasn't. I feel like they wanted to be all jedi like with their narrative but it was like overload. I still like it because I was like wtf from start to finish. Creepy owls
I think that was the whole point of the episode, yes. It's like we're actually high on Fraulein Eule.
@Canti: Well: I've got no issue with her essentially being a
Frankenstein creation from a failed experimental factory
, because that's what some predicted. Who's to say the results would have been the same? Fraulein Eule seems to bring its victims into brief euphoria and then into a state of passive submission to L.Y.A.'s mental manipulation (plus LSD and owls). Whatever it does, I don't even think L.Y.A. knows what the drug's truly capable of, thus the need to keep testing on humans.
I think that was the whole point of the episode, yes. It's like we're actually high on Fraulein Eule.
@Canti: Well: I've got no issue with her essentially being a
Frankenstein creation from a failed experimental factory
, because that's what some predicted. Who's to say the results would have been the same? Fraulein Eule seems to bring its victims into brief euphoria and then into a state of passive submission to L.Y.A.'s mental manipulation (plus LSD and owls). Whatever it does, I don't even think L.Y.A. knows what the drug's truly capable of, thus the need to keep testing on humans.
I think he's finally figured out its usefulness. That's why he sent Lupin to essentially destroy all the evidence at the cult island/flotilla. Now that he knows, he wants Fujiko back for some yet unknown purpose. My guess is that her blood mixed with the drug will produce some kind of uber-drug or something.
He wants to erase her and anything related to both the drug and his enterprise from history itself. That would explain the cover-up, and why he'd try to hide his testing behind the guise of a cult. Finally: because Fujiko's likely to be one of the final remaining witnesses and guinea pigs from the old days, he'd want to take her into custody for whatever reason.
I've seen this plot before—it's Ayako, it's the typical late-Tezuka plot. And I like that.
He wouldn't need Lupin if her death were the objective. He's got to want her captured for some reason (it seems like he's had multiple attempts at that too though so...mmm). Maybe she needs to procreate, and the baby will finally synthesize the drug into a perfect form in its blood or something. Lupin has to be important, or he wouldn't still be alive.
Yeah, this plot isn't entirely new, but it's not overly done either. It's the execution that is lacking. This show could have had characters that weren't Lupin, Fujiko, etc, and it would have worked just as well. It doesn't have whatever unquantifiable thing that a series needs to be a good Lupin show (yes, I realize it's a Fujiko show technically, but her star power is grossly lacking in comparison).
He wants to erase her and anything related to both the drug and his enterprise from history itself. That would explain the cover-up, and why he'd try to hide his testing behind the guise of a cult. Finally: because Fujiko's likely to be one of the final remaining witnesses and guinea pigs from the old days, he'd want to take her into custody for whatever reason.
I've seen this plot beforeit's Ayako, it's the typical late-Tezuka plot. And I like that.
The only thing that I particularly dislike in this show is Mine Fujiko herself. It feels like they've tried to shoehorn a tragic backstory on her kind of character which ends up feeling pretty forced(and from what I've seen lurking in this thread, this is felt much more by the fans of the Lupin series); furthermore, some shifts in her personality feel really out of place and confusing to the viewers(like in EP9).
Would I like it more if it were another character instead of Fujiko? Probably yes. But in the end, it's still an enjoyable show worth following till the end.
And the sound design is really top notch...it makes the owls 100x creepier(though the guns sounded pretty weak in the latest episode).
good entry point to Lupin? buddy of mine wants to get into Lupin (I myself still havent been able to watch this :/) and wants to know if he should straight up start watching this
I get the feeling that Shinichiro Watanabe's that one guy who wishes he had enough time to become a musician himself (though I could be wrong on that), yet his taste is so profound and his catalog of great underground artists so varied that Naruyoshi Kikuchi got a pretty-cush job working on Fujikoike.
good entry point to Lupin? buddy of mine wants to get into Lupin (I myself still havent been able to watch this :/) and wants to know if he should straight up start watching this
No. This show is definitely the frontier for Lupin-related stuff. Try the new box-set release of the first TV series (old 1971 anime, mind you), the Geneon-dub releases of the second TV series, or perhaps Castle of Cagliostro if you want to watch Miyazaki's interpretation of Lupin.
On one hand, it could have been boring. On the other hand, I didn't leave very satisfied. It was notable, but I didn't feel more than a bit more "enlightened" by it, even if it was on details that I didn't care to know. That being, the episode did not add weight to the plot for me, merely details.
I almost forgot that all paths end to Fujiko until "she" reminded me again that it's "her" story.
I mean, I understood what was happening but...what?
So Zenigata takes on corruption wherever he can find it but....the pharmaceutical owl cult that tries to kill him remains in business? For his part, Oscar devises a plan to
make Zenigata kill Fujiko so that he'd....become a homosexual and have sex with him? What?
I mean, I understood what was happening but...what?
So Zenigata takes on corruption wherever he can find it but....the pharmaceutical owl cult that tries to kill him remains in business? For his part, Oscar devises a plan to
make Zenigata kill Fujiko so that he'd....become a homosexual and have sex with him? What?
I was thinking the other day about where I'd like to see the franchise go after Mine Fujiko ends. At first I was very hyped for a new TV series, but part of me is kind of hoping we go back to the specials. That is, as long as they don't become stale again. I found the 2011 special a refreshing change... we need more of that and less of The Last Job (which was okay but still rather mediocre.)
Personally, I would love to see a bigger theatrical Lupin release in Japan. Maybe with visuals similar to that of the recent series, but obviously animated with a higher budget. I think it'd be neat to see Lupin sporting his Red Jacket in the Mine Fujiko style, so that'd have to be a must. I'm happy to keep a bit of a darker tone, but maybe only to the extent of something such as Secret of Mamo
(but yes, the brain in a jar at the end of that film was just a tad OTT for my liking.)
Owl people, she-males and experimenting on children... a big nope. It would also need the return of this theme at some point in the film.
A 3D CG film would be pretty cool, too. Apparently the Lupin III: Master File box set in Japan has a very cool CG Lupin short included on the disc (which I would love to see.) Some of the 3D Lupin animation in the past has been terrible, so it'd be nicer to see something closer to the Master File style (which has received a lot of praise by fans.)
Just throwing random ideas. I'm hoping this new series wont be continued, but at the same time I hope they don't end up putting the franchise to rest for a year or two.
Also, I'd still love to see a lengthy piece of Lupin animation done in the Manketsu style. It's probably the closest Lupin animation can be to the original mangas, sans the Pilot film of course.
I was thinking the other day about where I'd like to see the franchise go after Mine Fujiko ends. At first I was very hyped for a new TV series, but part of me is kind of hoping we go back to the specials. That is, as long as they don't become stale again. I found the 2011 special a refreshing change... we need more of that and less of The Last Job (which was okay but still rather mediocre.)
I think the TV specials have been stale just in general, although I don't count the Dezaki-directed stuff amongst the rest of the catalog personally.
Personally, I would love to see a bigger theatrical Lupin release in Japan. Maybe with visuals similar to that of the recent series, but obviously animated with a higher budget. I think it'd be neat to see Lupin sporting his Red Jacket in the Mine Fujiko style, so that'd have to be a must. I'm happy to keep a bit of a darker tone, but maybe only to the extent of something such as Secret of Mamo
(but yes, the brain in a jar at the end of that film was just a tad OTT for my liking.)
Owl people, she-males and experimenting on children... a big nope. It would also need the return of this theme at some point in the film.
A Black Jacket Lupin would be neat, especially if they could try and replicate the Osumi style either with a new TV special, or another series like Fujikoike. Osumi's stuff was rather adult as well, but I like the idea of interpreting the characters in new ways, putting them into scenarios that are more than just stealing the MacGuffin all the time. Combine that with better staffing and more time in pre-production, and it could be a real return for the franchise, whilst still getting away with doing something more out-of-the-norm.
A 3D CG film would be pretty cool, too. Apparently the Lupin III: Master File box set in Japan has a very cool CG Lupin short included on the disc (which I would love to see.) Some of the 3D Lupin animation in the past has been terrible, so it'd be nicer to see something closer to the Master File style (which has received a lot of praise by fans.)
I could care less for 3D. A well-directed live-action film, with great character acting and neat set-pieces, would be much more interesting. Since that'll never happen within the current state of the Japanese film industry, though, I suggest they just do another TV series/special.
Just throwing random ideas. I'm hoping this new series wont be continued, but at the same time I hope they don't end up putting the franchise to rest for a year or two.
Also, I'd still love to see a lengthy piece of Lupin animation done in the Manketsu style. It's probably the closest Lupin animation can be to the original mangas, sans the Pilot film of course.
Mankatsu's a rather toned-down version of 1990's Alice, which is still the best adaptation of a Monkey Punch work ever produced. It's not the best thing in the world, but it's definitely a good OVA worth the watch, especially because it captures every element of the MP style with finesse, fantastic animation, and the craziest revenge plot ever.
I should really have dropped this show two months ago. It's pointless to stop now, but I don't even feel like I have anything worthwhile to say about this anymore. After watching the episode I just feel like I wasted 20 minutes of my life.
Bendy animation and character designs; a film-grain foray into '60s-style film noir, Miyazaki-like antics, and Osumi-esque character plots and, ideally, a dirty, rough feel; finally: a classic-jazz soundtrack from Yuji Ohno, other artists participating. This could be the perfect way to do something real-different from other TV anime productions, whilst ensuring that "it's still Lupin" in the eyes of the general fanbaseand that there can still be interesting, relevant experimentation within the series. Ultimately, though, I want a return to this turn-of-the-'70s animation and freedom of expression that, unfortunately, has been lost on the modern Japanese and global anime audiences.
And, yes, the music in this Pilot Film is awesomeI love the main theme riff, actually, and there's a lot of great, early-Ohno musical material to exploit.
I should really have dropped this show two months ago. It's pointless to stop now, but I don't even feel like I have anything worthwhile to say about this anymore. After watching the episode I just feel like I wasted 20 minutes of my life.
I certainly don't, and I've posted the most out of all in this thread.
It's really gone places within just 13 episodes, and it's worth a watch based on the interest factor alone. Everyone's going to think of the series differently to some degree, so it's a more intimate watch than usual. One real Marmite affair.
The first three episodes were good IMO, but it went downhill from there. I'm borderline obsessed with the franchise and I stopped watching after episode nine. I'm re-watching the original 1971 series at the moment and it is much better. I wouldn't recommend the new series since there are far better things to watch within the Lupin franchise, but I wouldn't say don't watch it. Give it a go and form your own opinion.
Dragoon En Regalia said:
I want to see a new Lupin III series done in the style of the original 1969 Pilot Film.
Bendy animation and character designs; a film-grain foray into '60s-style film noir, Miyazaki-like antics, and Osumi-esque character plots and, ideally, a dirty, rough feel; finally: a classic-jazz soundtrack from Yuji Ohno, other artists participating. This could be the perfect way to do something real-different from other TV anime productions, whilst ensuring that "it's still Lupin" in the eyes of the general fanbaseand that there can still be interesting, relevant experimentation within the series. Ultimately, though, I want a return to this turn-of-the-'70s animation and freedom of expression that, unfortunately, has been lost on the modern Japanese and global anime audiences.
This would be very interesting, I'd be up for that. I do really like the new style though... it's not the animation that's the problem for me in the new series. I'd love to see another piece of animation in this new style with a less confusing plot, more interesting dialogue and better set pieces.
I really don't want the return of this though. It's not bad animation, but ten years of it was enough.
While I like the new style a lot myself, I think it might be detrimental to the animation itself. There've been moments in the new show when it's obvious that the key animators are having difficulty in moving the characters around, and the difference between episode 9 and the first episode, as far as visual quality goes, is tremendous. If Koike had been an animation director on every episode of the series, as opposed to the first, everything would look noticeably-better. And, to be square: the only other thing this series needed, outside of consistency between episodes, were more set-pieces and animation blow-outs. Feels too static at the moment.
But a new series done in the Pilot Film style (sans seeing Jigen's eyes all the time)? I'd love that. I want to see a return to the bendiness and crazy animation of the old shows, and I want to see such a series oscillate between manga stories (done in the manga style, to an extent), Osumi stories, and classic MiyaTaka heists. Feels good, man!
Has anyone seen the latest episode yet? People on Tumblr seem to be loving it. Some of the .gif's that are being posted make it look like it has really nice animation. I'm still two or so episodes behind... was thinking of just leaving it there, but some of the Lupin moments look good in this latest episode.
Even I haven't seen it yet, actually. Going to wait until Friday, though the staff listed for the episode is impressive. Masaaki Yuasa, Hiroyuki Imaishi, and many others working on it.
I've seen it. The animation is impressive, however I have only one gripe with it. There is a scene which involves Goemon. Needless to say I did not like it. I am not going into detail or adding spoilers cause, well you'll have to see.
I've seen it. The animation is impressive, however I have only one gripe with it. There is a scene which involves Goemon. Needless to say I did not like it. I am not going into detail or adding spoilers cause, well you'll have to see.
Anime-GAF negativity versus everyone else on the Internet praising to Holy Hell™. Sometimes, when I think about this series a lot, I just can't decide.
Oscar being alive is a huge cop out for me. It's like...did anyone care about him enough that his death was moving anyway? To then erase any question of that and make the entire death sequence pointless was redundant IMO. No death no body sure, but the very next episode?
Even one scene of Zenigata demanding that his superiors investigate that company (and then being rebuked) would have made his part in the story more believable. As it stands now, we've only really had one semi-instance of that, where his superior chided him for entering that town without a warrant. There was no argument or anything though, and Zenigata remains this semi-aloof figure without very much characterization.
The parts of the episode I did like were the Lupin/Jigen scenes on the
roller coaster
and the (brief) scenes with Goemon. Both were very classic-lupin feeling.
Fujiko remains unlikable at this point for me. I don't really care what happens to her, as she's kind of gone out into the world and become a horrible person, and even though you can kind of forgive her somewhat due to how she was raised, there really isn't a whole lot to like there. Zenigata was pretty much right when he said that she deserves the chair (she goes around just killing anyone and everyone. She would have killed Lupin if he wasn't careful). That being the case, it's kind of obvious that Lupin is the one we're supposed to be rooting for, which makes little sense when Fujiko gets top billing.
Has anyone seen the latest episode yet? People on Tumblr seem to be loving it. Some of the .gif's that are being posted make it look like it has really nice animation. I'm still two or so episodes behind... was thinking of just leaving it there, but some of the Lupin moments look good in this latest episode.
I feel as though this Owl Syndicate is far fetched, even though I've seen some of the old episodes, that kind of craziness fits more there than it does in this series. Part of me thinks these
are guys in masks or they've probably drugged all the characters into thinking those Owl heads are real. These guys are capable of some superhuman abilities
Thank you. Although it's better than most anime endings where they just give you vague insights, a few tiny reveals and a cliffhanger ending. But yes, that's a definite pacing failure.
Bad. Really bad. It's kinda hilarious how this series basically completely fell apart and collapsed into a pile of **** from ep8 onwards. Before that it was mostly just boring, but in the second half the series really managed to somehow turn into an actively bad and offensive series by wallowing in self-important imagery and stupid plot developments. Every single aspect of the serious plot and all the revelations are terrible.
The last episode is like watching someone play a crappy JRPG and get to the final boss room where the villain spends 15 minutes of exposition on explaining all the plot twists and tying everything in the entire series together, explaining every reference and every piece of imagery. Not only is it childishly written, worse of all it isn't even entertaining or engaging. It's just dumb, contrived, and nonsensical.
This is terrible series and I will rather watch a 2 hour special on Ancient Aliens than ever think about this piece of trash again. The worst show this season by a country mile.
I bolded a selection because it reminds me of a conversation on the Lupinthe3rd.com Forums. There was some discussion about the OP having an air of pretentiousness. His reaction was "You think that's pretentious? Man, I'm out" and he left the thread like we were a bunch of outlier nutjobs. Say what now? So, THANK YOU, duckroll for being a reasonable human being with a reasonable noodle.
I don't wanna knock anyone who appreciates the show for its unique animation qualities (like Ben Ettinger or Aaron Long or anyone following AniPages in general), but animation quality and story quality are not hand-in-hand, and Lupin has almost always been a series of entertaining writing before visuals.
Even so, glad to hear the one Lupin series I didn't care for to begin with pretty much fell apart, although not for the sake of future "Lupin." If this series performed poorly (I haven't investigated so much), we may just end up back with the bland annual TV specials forever.
I haven't seen the last episode yet, but based on the previous 12 episodes, duckroll seems spot on. This conclusion is clearly a pretentious, jRPG-like "revelation" that isn't welcome in this type of show.
That said, I don't loathe this show. I just think it was not great. Kind of pointless. Kind of a waste.
It did get me into Lupin. And that's the funny thing, even as a new fan who has gone back to the old shows and movies over the past few months, I already get what Lupin is about, and this show just is not it. Even as a newcomer for whom this new show was a gateway drug, this is clearly worse.
Every moment I liked about the show was when it, for a brief moment, acted like the older shows, with Lupin cracking wise with his buddies in a chase sequence (or whatever).
The thing with Fujiko, classic Fujiko, is that she's a kind of bigger than life badass.. kind of like a Bond girl. I don't need to know her backstory. I don't want to know it - it's gonna ruin things and literalize a kind of fantasy babe. And I definitely don't want it to be some bad anime revelation... ZOMG she was subjected to scientific experiments and a bunch of faceless dolls float there and taunt her or whatever the fuck. Talk about the same boring Evangelion/Xenogears kind of revelation that was done much better, in much more appropriate settings, and was always a bit adolecent anyway.
And an ultra-serious, ultra-capable Zenigata? No. You ruined the character's appeal. Just no.
I don't think the tone being different from the previous series is a bad thing really. Like most things - it's all about the execution. Which is the biggest problem with Fujiko!
Only point of contention I would have with your post. Other than that, I am in (more-or-less) total agreement. Welcome to the fold!
I think Zenigata is at his best when he's a capable cop who can often one-up Lupin, but Lupin is just a hair smarter than he is and gets out of his predicaments in a clever way (i.e., doesn't just have Goemon cut him free). Zenigata tripping over his own feet and ignorantly treating ancient statues like ramen noodle cup lid holders (see: Harimao's Treasure) gets old after a while. The rest of the TV Special didn't hold my interest, but check out the opening sequence to Sweet Lost Night. The battle of wits between Lupin and the Old Man is a treat.
Only point of contention I would have with your post. Other than that, I am in (more-or-less) total agreement. Welcome to the fold!
I think Zenigata is at his best when he's a capable cop who can often one-up Lupin, but Lupin is just a hair smarter than he is and gets out of his predicaments in a clever way (i.e., doesn't just have Goemon cut him free). Zenigata tripping over his own feet and ignorantly treating ancient statues like ramen noodle cup lid holders (see: Harimao's Treasure) gets old after a while. The rest of the TV Special didn't hold my interest, but check out the opening sequence to Sweet Lost Night. The battle of wits between Lupin and the Old Man is a treat.
He went from being unrealistically bungling in the older shows I've watched, to being unrealistically crafty and super-cop like.
There's got to be a medium. I wouldn't mind the capable Zenigata if the joke is on him occasionally, and we see him flustered. He was so serious in "Fujiko", and not in a way that served to knock him down a notch....
I can get behind that. Some sort of middle ground would probably be satisfying. But I am fond of the idea of Zenigata being nearly as good an officer as Lupin is a criminal. Moriarty-Holmes kinda thing going on there. But I guess it needs to be more "Lupin-Ganimard," doesn't it? Did you check out the First TV Series yet? (The first one with the green sport jacket.)
I don't think the tone being different from the previous series is a bad thing really. Like most things - it's all about the execution. Which is the biggest problem with Fujiko!
I would agree. When I got my first impressions of the art style, I saw a lot of potential for a stylish, but Bebop-like experience with some continuity. Shame to hear it was all wasted on that JRPG kinda nonsense.
