I think I've decided I like this show best when I can binge a few episodes at once. So I accumulated three more and watched them over the weekend.
Episode 6 was more Lupin/Rebecca hijinks, and we got to hear Lupin make reference to "The Walking Dead". I don't know if that was in the original Japanese (or Italian) script, but hearing Tony Oliver say it here brought to mind a lot of the weird topical references from the Part II dub many years ago. Those were odd because you had contemporary references put into the mouths of characters animated in 1977. But here, at least, a reference to a modern TV show within the context of another modern TV show is much more forgivable. I also loved Jigen's and Goemon's amusement at Lupin's feature film debut. They're both so serious much of the time, that it's always nice to see them crack a smile and poke fun at their friend.
Episode 7 was a nice Zenigata-centric show, letting us see that this iteration of the character isn't quite as nutty as some of his past portrayals (though not as serious as others such as in "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine"), and that he's a legitimately good detective. He's dogged and determined in pretty much every incarnation, but as we all know, whether he's a decent investigator seems to vary from show to show. And it was actually kind of shocking to see Jigen pull a gun on Zenigata near the end of the episode! Of course he didn't fire it, but Lupin tried to bluff that he might, which was unusual.
And episode 8 gives us an in-depth look at Nyx. I really like Michael McConnohie in this role (though I generally like him in almost anything). Nice to learn there's more to the guy than just being a one-track killing machine. It also seems as if the overall arc for this series has been established, with Lupin setting his sights on the Dream of Italy (whatever that is). I'm so happy to see this show finally doing something I've thought would work great for several years: a finite number of episodes with one over-arching treasure hunt plotline sprinkled in among several stand-alone episodes. I'm pretty sure some of my earliest posts on this very forum suggested that (not that I'm the only one ever to think of such a thing for Lupin, of course)!
Also, I noted that Rob was concerned about Rebecca losing her makeup bag because it contained their disguises?? I know there were some disguises used back in episode one, but is this comment in specific reference to something we haven't seen yet -- like do they have regular alter egos they use for as-yet unknown purposes -- or is he just speaking in general terms that she keeps stuff in the bag which could incriminate her various, occasionally illegal, activities?
I still think some of Richard Epcar's lines feel awkward, which seems odd since apparently he's the director. Maybe he's "too close" to the performance or something. The rest of the group has really settled in at this point and the dub is overall quite enjoyable. Papik's music has even grown on me too, to the point that -- while I miss Yuji Ohno's familiar Lupin themes -- the incidental stuff works just as well as Ohno, as far as I'm concerned (in fact there are some bits here and there that are very Ohno-esque to my ear).
It occurs to me that we've now had spotlight episodes for Lupin, Jigen, Fujiko, and Zenigata (and Nyx too, plus plenty of Rebecca across a number of epsiodes). Goemon is the only major character who has yet to receive one, so hopefully that's coming soon. He's barely factored into the series at all so far, aside from sitting around the hideout most of the time. Speaking of which -- I like the concept of this series, with Lupin setting up shop in one location for an extended period. We see him in various hideouts all the time, across numerous TV series, specials, and movies. I like the idea that he might find a place to settle down for a while, rather than just a single episode, before moving along to go someplace else.
(I feel weird talking about plot points in a series most of you already watched two years ago as if it's airing for the first time, but for me, having skipped both the Italian and Japanese versions specifically to wait for this dub, it is!)
