Lupin (2021)★ 7.6/10

I admit, I love a good heist story. In “Lupin”, we have much more than a single heist, including a succession of daring robberies and masterful escapes that are strung together by a main storyline (I won't give spoilers here as it runs through all three seasons). Each season proceeds at a breakneck pace, which does mean that there are a few plot holes, but it doesn't matter because you just hang on for the ride. It's great fun, and you root for the protagonist throughout. You can watch each season as a stand-alone, but the show is better viewed as a three-season arc. With each season only having a handful of episodes, you don't need to invest a mountain of time to finish them. I just have one minor criticism: the main protagonist is a very big man and thus very recognizable, so I had to work to convince myself that he could disappear so easily and so often. In a way, that just adds to the fun of it all. Overall, I have no hesitation in recommending it.

I absolutely loved it. The series, featuring the talented Omar Sy, was so engaging and thrilling that I found myself binge-watching all of the episodes in just one day. The writing was top-notch, with a captivating storyline and well-developed characters. Omar Sy was fantastic in his role as Assane Diop, bringing the character to life with his charismatic performance. The show also had stunning cinematography, with gorgeous shots that added to the overall aesthetic. Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an entertaining and thrilling series.

Is the story clichéd? Yes. Is the character’s motive cheesy? Yes. Is the hero the chosen one? Definitely. However, the whole drama is smooth, tightly paced, suspenseful, and emotionally engaging. Despite the plot holes, this drama charms me into mindlessly accepting the plot set-up and feeling gratuitously satisfied after watching. All because the narrative is truly efficient! Seamless transitions of time and space using cutaways and condensing the narrative make for a comfortable pace. I can’t wait to watch the second season! And Omar Sy’s acting is so good!

Loved the ingenious tricks that the writers played, this is what a mystery crime drama should have. No struggles of humanity, no suffering heroes, just the protagonist constantly making use of his high intellect to strategize, leaving the audience completely awestruck and to be willingly led by the nose. But the final twist at the end is awful. Without any foreshadowing or explanation, it's totally unnecessary and it ruins the integrity and coherence of the plot.

Ignoring the fact that there are many plot holes, I think the cinematography and narrative approach are okay. It doesn’t rely on just being vague and keeping viewers in suspense, explanations are given rather quickly. Season 3 is better than the previous seasons and the character relations are well built. Looks like it’ll be renewed?

It's starting to go in the direction of being a brainless fun drama in Season 3, and I watched it in one sitting. Although I could already guess what was going to happen, I still wanted to know how the story progressed. The plot is pretty engaging to say the least. Aside from being super intelligent, Robin in the original books won the hearts of many with his elegant demeanour and charm. Thankfully, the performance in this show is pretty solid as well. It's not your overdone, stereotypical gentleman by any means, but it's still rather convincing as a character. Furthermore, Assane is quite good at making friends.

That twist at the end of season 3 was solely there as an excuse to continue the story and it is completely unnecessary. The story could have already ended otherwise. It's obvious that the director wanted to keep the series going. Everyone and his mother in France know how Assane looks like now. It's simply hilarious that someone like Lupin would allow something like this to ever happen.

One of the key aspects for this type of story is the mystery around the protagonist which produces surprises as the story progresses. It's obvious that the quality in this regard has slipped in this one. The plot it still tight and what ought to be explained in the story were being done so appropriately. Overall, it's still a pretty exciting drama, but the excitement has waned a little. Season 4 seems to be coming out, let's see how that one fares.

Second season is nowhere as good as the first. The plot of the duet taking revenge together doesn't give the same feelings the books did. There’s at least a little bit of reasoning sequences and twists in Season 1. In Season 2, the excessive number of cuts showing past memories have completely messed up the flow of the story. The reasoning sequences are even less concise. And I think the male lead needs to lose some weight before his character becomes even remotely convincing. I guess it's watchable if you consider it as a Parisian landscape documentary; at least you get to see the Orsay Museum and the Seine.

I really hope that they could make another 10000 episodes for a series like this! The second season is even better than the first! The scene in the Paris catacombs was so interesting, especially for someone like me who had read many books and comics about adventures in Belgium and France as a kid. I was really over the top with this one. The song tracks complimented the plot flawlessly. It's simplistic and unpretentious. I'm going to check out the original stories because I feel like there're a lot of hidden references in the show.