This episode revolves around the Phantom of the Opera, with Lupin making a return as people run around a theater while a performance is going on in order to steal the mask of the lead actress who has been hiding her face ever since it got scarred. It was quite a strange episode, but I like how the creators got actual opera singers for this.
This episode also showed how hard it is to animate people singing. And I don’t mean the cheesy J-pop idols that you see everywhere, but actually well sung songs. But especially with Opera in which singers have to hold high notes: that must take a lot of effort, and actually portraying that in animation is something that I have no idea on how to actually do, making the singing in this episode look a bit weird.
I also like how pretty much everyone was trolled in this episode at the end. It was quite an elaborate plan set up by two lovebirds who didn’t seem to care about anything. It was a great anti-climax to a fun chase sequence, made even more interesting with everyone attempting to just make the show go on, even though a horse randomly walked off the stage and a light just fell. Imagine how Sengoku Basara would be when Date Masamune’s horse from out of nowhere dropped its owner and took off with that ninja woman.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
Looked like the singing animation was intentionally done that that…. and gawd how I love how they shade the shadows out. The beginning with Zenigata x Fujiko was a bit… uhm… unexpected. O_O
Can’t wait for the next ep.
Ditto with the Zenigata x Fujiko scene. In general it turns out his character will be quite sleazy, I’m not sure if he was ever like that in the manga.
I’m not so sure i dig the character shadows, although I do like that they are trying to emulate the style of the manga. Its just that when it’s a held layer shadow when the character is in motion, it looks a bit cheap and tacked on. But when the animators sketch out shadows for each individual drawing it looks much better IMO. Then again I’m well aware it’s a just a tv show with a limited budget and a short production time frame. It’s still a gorgeous and fresh looking show and I eagerly look forward to each episode based on its aesthetics alone.
On a unrelated note I’d rather they didn’t have those lolita images of Fujiko for the ending credits. I thought this show would be a complete respite from a lot of lolicon in anime. I’d prefer to just see sexualized adult characters for this particular show.
I agree with you on the pedo-ness of a young Fujiko in the ending credits, though I think they’re trying to let us in on Fujiko’s past, telling us it wasn’t so rosy and all that.
I’d mirror what litho said. The shots of a young fujiko have something to do with her past and probably explains why she is such a seductress now. Probably.
I mean 3/4 of the way through the episode when fujiko comes across the ‘Lethe’, she remembers the guides words about it washing away your past, then we get shown that brief scene where she has visions of a young girl.
Its probably all linked. This primarily is a show about fujiko so we will probably get some background story on her/ as a young fujiko.
that part was really intriguing, but now that you say it’s about her past it makes it even more so.
I wholeheartly agree with your comment about the outro. Especially, as Lupin never ever used such style or elements.
Actually, if they also cut out the immature, goofy humour I’d like the new Lupin series even more. You see the old animation style fitted goofy, childish humour but the new look doesn’t suit this at all, in my opinion. Now, I don’t mean the makers should turn it into an exaggerated super-manly macho show with no humour whatsoever but slapstick and such they could really do without.
Concerning the shadows, I haven’t quite decided whether I like them or not. However, it’s a nice little touch and not so cheaply done that it would irritate or annoy. Nowadays, with HD resolutions and big screens being the norm, the animation would probably look a bit too clean and lifeless, so it’s probably a good trade-off. In fact, I often find classic series more charming because they don’t have this modern, super-clean appearance which – almost a paradoxon – looks less lively but more like a low-detailed high-resolution drawing.
I kinda resent the cheesy J-Pop comment. I understand you don’t like it and I respect that, but I do. Just because they are not as well established doesn’t men they are not well sung, in most cases 😐
Ok.. this might be slightly off topic, but does anybody recognize the narrator from the opening? She totally sounds like Ayato’s mother from Rahxephon – the lisp! – but isn’t credited on either myanimelist or animenewsnetwork.
Yes, you’re right. Actually it’s listed at ANN: Her name is Ichiko HASHIMOTO.
Awesome, thanks! I couldn’t find an entry for “narrator,” haha!