Upon arriving in France, we are swept away by a mysterious man who is out to steal our riches... and our hearts! This week, we're talking about one of the first, classic gentleman thieves: Arsene Lupin! Why was he less popular than Sherlock Holmes? Where is he now (figuratively)?
Next week, we'll be on our way to Italy to listen to an inspirational movement (at the time), both progressive _and_ traditional: Rock Progressivo Italiano (RPI)!
## Episode outline
### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/37-beatlemaniacs-ft-graeme-from-reality-bomb/) Famous Last Words
**G:** Arsene Lupin is an old-timey thing and isn't relevant anymore.
**Z: ** Why... did Japan think there would be enough of a fandom for an anime?
**T:** Why was _Sherlock Holmes_ so popular compared to this guy? A good guy (gentleman thief) on the wrong side of the law? That sounds like it should be more popular!
### Fandom Facts
**Origins:**
Arsene Lupin is a gentleman thief and master of disguise, and is the creation of Maurice Leblanc (author of short stories and often described as a French counterpart to Arthur Conan Doyle). Lupin (originally Lopin, until a local politician of the same name protested) was featured in 17 novels, 39 novellas since his debut in 1905 (18 years after Sherlock Holmes), five authorized sequels in the 1970s (Leblanc passed in 1941) and many other different mediums.
While often portrayed as a force for good, Lupin tends to operate on the wrong side of the law. His stories some time take on a fantastic tone, with some stories having involved the fountain of youth and a radioctive 'god-stone'.
**Fandom Origins:**
**Most Active:**
The fandom was definitely most active towards the inception of Arsene Lupin. [Google trends data](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=arsene%20lupin) indicates that there is not a lot of search traffic for the term, especially compared to some of the related fandoms. Nonetheless, there was a recent spike in interest in the term in October 2004 (2004 French crime-adventure film of the same name), May 2005 (*Tales of the Shadowmen*, an annual anthology of short stories that features _Lupin_ from time to time), and December 2007 (probably the Filipino TV show, *Lupin*, that ran from April to August of 2007).
**Around the world:**
Popular in France, Europe, and Asia (in particular, the Philippines and Japan)
**Related fandoms:**
Possibly an example of a fandom where its descendants are immensely more popular today than the original: Night Hood, Lupin III, Kamen Rider, Fantomas, Detective Conan (to some extent, with Phantom Thief Kid / Kaito Kid)
**Fanfics:**
There are 18 fanworks on Archive of Our Own related to Maurice Leblanc's Lupin, and 161 fanworks related to Lupin III.
### The Verdict
**T is in.**
**Z is in.**
**G is in.**
### This week's spotlight
**[Tiger Mask Donation Phenomenon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Mask_donation_phenomenon)**
...Not related to Lupin, but came up as an interesting search result when looking for different charity causes. To sum up: In Japan, people were donating money to folks randomly under aliases which were popular Anime characters including *Lupin III*).
**[The Race Against Time](http://raceagainsttime.io)**
Now in its third year of running, the Race Against Time is the Nickscast's annual charity livestream where we work our way though Chrono Trigger, obtaining all its endings, and also raising money for the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Last year we raised over $1200 CAD, and have plans to surpass that!
This year, the event will be held August 12 through to August 13, starting at 10am ET. You can also subscribe on [Twitch.tv/theraceagainsttime](https://www.twitch.tv/theraceagainsttime) in anticipation of the event!
### Famous Last Words
This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom as we travel to Italy, Rock Progressivo Italiano (RPI)!
**Z**
Are all of the prog rock bands in Italy fans of each oth...
