Oh, the places he'll go...

Of course there have been many real life places Lupin III has been to, but also a number of fictional ones as well.

Here are suggestions for more real-life places he could see.

The Somerset Levels led to a place of spiritual significance for ancient Britons, Saint Jean de Luz contains a few intriguing mysteries, and Chester Castle once had a tower named after Hugh Lupus.

 

Beyond Seichi Junrei: The Blog Post

 These are places Lupin III fans can go to that are not yet locations in the franchise but are loosely connected either by name or by heritage.

Santiago de Compostela

This ancient city was said to have been ruled by Queen Lupa. You can find the statue of her being baptised, as well as a painting of her in the Pilgrimage Museum.

Ourense, Galicia

Near Ourense is Mount Pindo, where Queen Lupa is said to have been buried along with a treasure, although I think the greatest treasure would be visiting the mountain itself.

Musée St. Rémi, Reims

This church museum in northeast France contains many fascinating artefacts, including sculptures of the three-faced god Lugh, who Queen Lupa is said to be a female counterpart of.

A version of the Welsh god Lugus, Lugh's cult originated in Ireland, but was spread through France and Spain as well.

Zebbug, Malta

The Lupin family is distantly related, through Henriette d'Andrésy, to the Rohan family, and one notable Rohan was Emmanuel, Grand Master of the Order of St. John through the final decades of the 18th Century.

Emmanuel had an arch built in Zebbug.

If you can't get there, there is the Museum of the Order of St. John in London, England, which doesn't appear to mention Emmanuel but is all about the Knights Hospitalier.

National Archive, Paris

This was built by a Rohan family member in a Neoclassical style and with a wonderful Rococo interior. It had amazing things on display when I visited, including a letter in code from Marie Antoinette.

8 Rue Crévaux, Paris

This was Arsène Lupin's fictional residence in a couple of works, including Arsène Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes.

Cannon Hall, Hampstead

Not open to visitors, but this is where one of Arsène Lupin's actors, Gerald du Maurier, spent his final years.

Rule 63 of what?

 I have heard of gender swapping, something I've been interested in since the alternate fantasy episode of 'Malcolm in the Middle', being referred to as "Rule 63" of something. What is it a rule of? Who made it up?

An autistic woman's Ahtohallan

 I didn't know what to make of the Clos de Lupin in Étretat. I felt like the works had been commercialized overwhelmingly, and this museum, obviously made for kids, was an example. 

But I still enjoyed it.

Like the stories themselves, the museum is a bit tacky. There are copies of paintings on the walls, props and disguises littered around, and audio conversations between Maurice Leblanc and his creation, the latter played by Georges Descriéres.

There are also strange details in the museum. Copies of works by Honoré de Balzac, sheet music of Chopin's Tristesse and a programme of the operetta The White Horse Inn. What did all of these say about Arsène's cultural tastes?

Why were there photos from Japan? Were they linked to his judo training?

Why was one ring shown in an illustration the shape of a quatrefoil?

Did it matter? Yes, but I was found.

It all felt artificial, but it also felt like some kind of Ahtohallan for autistic women.

There were answers around me when I didn't even know the right questions, but I felt strangely at home in some rooms.

And furthermore, while 'Frozen 2' is just fairytale lore with very loose basis in Norse mythology or symbolism, these stories are connected to real-life people and events. People from Rollo to Marie Antoinette to Napoleon to Kaiser Wilhelm.

Like I said in the post about 'Frozen 2', it made me feel like I was a part of something bigger.

Meet the Lucis Imperatrices

I've mentioned these girls many times before, but here are just some the characters I will reinterpret:

Asuka Tooyama

Kaoru Saionji

Ren Kagami

Irina Vladimirovna Putina

Ai Rohan

Ooka Tsugimoto

Otome Zenigata

Miyako Andou

Touko Shiranui

Nanako Kugayama

Arsène Lupin at 120

 120 years ago, the first Arsène Lupin story was published.

Maurice Leblanc's swashbuckling gentleman thief, and brief resident of Number 8 Rue Crevaux, is a compelling, formidable figure. Although you root for him, you don't necessarily like him. He has the attitude of, "It's my France and you're living in it."

I certainly got the impression when I learned there was an immersive game about him at Opera Garnier.

Leblanc distinguishes himself by incorporating French history into his stories. For instance, the story where he steals the necklance that Louis René de Rohan was tricked into buying for Marie Antoinette. 

And 'The Hollow Needle' references a near literal wealth of history.

The stories were also very atmospheric. If you read them, you will see what I mean.

Stories about the Rohan Family

 You might have heard of Marie, and Louis René. If you went to Malta, you may have heard of Emmanuel.

But other members of the Rohan family have fascinating stories as well.

https://vimeo.com/1056295482

https://vimeo.com/1094960618

This is a film and an animatic about two different members of the family, both named Marguerite.

The first was born in 1330 and died in 1406, and the second was born between 1412 and 1420 and died in 1496.