So, you Che you want a revolution…
What They Say:
The nation of Carib is in political upheaval, and Fujiko is in the thick of the action, naturally. What is she doing posing as a reporter? Will revolutionary Philadel Kest win her heart where Lupin has failed? And what is Goemon doing on that fighter jet?!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
I have a nit to pick with Fujiko; when it introduced Goemon, it set things in the country of “Astria”. I passed this off as a production error; someone just did not know how to spell Austria. With this episode, countries are again given bizarre names; Cuba becomes Carib, and I will not even try to repeat the names they gave to the United States and Soviet Union. Why they insist on these changes puzzles and irritates me. The franchise never had an issue trotting our familiar globe; why the pseudonyms now?
Fujiko has become involved in a revolution happening on Carib, an island that looks a lot like Cuba but is totally not Cuba. Her goal appears to be two fold; assassinate the leader of the revolution, a man that looks remarkably like Che Guevara but is totally not, but only after he reveals the location of a secret oil field. The story jumps back and forth in time and highlights the very real political tensions between the world’s super powers at that time.
Goemon gets to ride a biplane and slice some missiles but is otherwise an afterthought in the story. While the episode provides an interesting take on the Cuban revolution, it ends up disappointing when held against its predecessors.
In Summary:
Fujiko provides its first let down with an episode that plays out as more of a history lesson than a heist or caper. Goemon was a convenient plot device rather than an actual participant in the story. It went too far trying to capture the mellow atmosphere of the Caribbean and ended up more of an episode to put one to sleep rather than keep them captivated.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
24” iMac booted into Windows XP Home, using FF11.
