LUPIN THE THIRD: MINE FUJIKO TO IU ONNA

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME AdventureLupin III
MOVIE ActionLUPIN THE IIIRD: Jigen Daisuke no Bohyou

REVIEWS

• 

  aciJ

  88/100
  Lupin is still great after all these years. A romp with a serious message.

  A Romp With A Serious Message

  Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine at first is an uncomfortable watch. From the onset, it's not afraid to shove boobs and ass in your face. You'd gather from this that it might just be a fanservice series for Fujiko (let's face it, she's pretty hot), but as the series progresses you quickly learn your mistake. Every aspect of this show has been superbly crafted, save for perhaps a tighter narrative and audio direction.

  Before I launch into the individual elements that make this show great, I'd just like to say that this is probably not the best place to start with Lupin III. The experience of seeing the cast come together is something lost in translation without previous Lupin experience. I'd probably recommend watching the original 1971-2 series first, or a few of the movies like The Castle of Cagliostro to get a flavour for the characters.

  Story: 9/10

  Like most shows, this series is essentially a set of different adventures (or in this case, heists) which lead towards a thrilling finale. Most of these adventures are pretty interesting, and the show does a good job in showing how Lupin or Fujiko actually did the heist/stole the thing. Some of these episodes are also origin episodes for each character, which are excellent. However this show definitely feels like a show of two halves: the first half being relatively light-hearted and establishing characters, before switching to the second half which is much darker and shows the finale of these characters arcs. This unfortunately means the ending is a little rushed, which is a shame because it's such a trope-breaking ending. All in all, the story here is fantastic but not perfect.

  Characters: 9/10

  If you've seen any of the other Lupin series, then you'll know how good these characters are. Arsène Lupin III, the wisecracking thief; Jigen Daisuke, the master gunslinger; Fujiko Mine, the main focus of the series and master burglar/seductress; Goemon Ishikawa XIII, the measured samurai; Inspector Zenigata, Lupin's archrival. As well as these interesting and loveable characters, there are an array of vibrant and varied supporting characters. I can't say enough about the character development in this too. We see all the characters grow, and some in particular have very interesting character arcs that challenge the traditional portrayal. My only gripe is that we didn't really see an arc for Lupin - I would've like to have seen why he became a thief. But I can't complain because the characters here are near damn perfect.

  Visuals: 9/10

  The animation style here is unique. It uses a lot of line shading like in manga, and the character design is very angular. It took a little getting used to as it's so different from the original Lupin's art style, but I came to love it. The animation here shows flair and originality as well as subtlety when needed. This once again reaches the very high bar that Lupin series set for themselves.

  Audio: 8/10

  Like classic Lupin, the soundtrack has a lot of jazz influences. For someone like me who loves jazz, it's a dream. For the show, it's a perfect fit. It oozes sexiness and suaveness, providing the perfect background for the slick tone of thievery. The OP and ED are pretty unimaginative however. The OP grates after a while, as instead of music it is spoken word. A good idea, but not a very good showcase for the musical ingenuity of the Lupin team. The ED is servicable but nothing more.

  Enjoyment: 9/10

  This is obviously not a perfect show. But it's one of the best Lupin series, if not one of the finest examples of how Lupin is still great after all these years. I literally could not stop watching this show and ended up finishing it in two days. Given previous Lupin experience, you will lap up this show, but without it I think you will lose some of the impact. It's a diverse, raucous romp like the original Lupin; but at the same time offers measured mature content that challenged viewpoints and tropes.

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• 

  skyebadoo

  100/100
  An Audio-Visual Masterpiece, and the perfect prequel to Lupin III Part 1.

  The Woman Called Fujiko Mine is special in many ways. As a fan of Lupin III, it stands out as the perfect prequel to Part 1 and a brilliant example of just how serious Lupin can be. For the wider anime audience however, it is significant for being Sayo Yamamoto's first time with full creative freedom, and she appeared to really let loose along with the excellent Mari Okada creating something that really feels unique among the modern anime landscape.

  On an Audio-Visual level the entire show held up outstandingly. A dark and desaturated colour palette mixed with wonderful smooth jazz created a surprisingly serious noir feeling for the show; and it further emphasised the creepy nature of certain scenes whenever colour was introduced. The cinematography kept to a consistently high standard and helped to exaggerate the sense of endless Sakuga that the animation regularly embodied, there was even a fantastic sequence animated my Imaishi (the director of Kill la Kill) - my point is that the animation was outstanding, and really helped to draw to the realistic tone of the series.

  I mentioned previously that the show presents itself as a prequel to Lupin III Part 1, the first episode was particularly good in this regard as it treats the viewer to Lupin's first meeting with Fujiko, it acted as brilliant fan service and was executed as very in character for Lupin. The introductory episode treats us to some nice fanservice and successfully sets the feel for the rest of the series. The rest of the episodes are largely episodic, we see everything from Monarchical political plots to Fujiko trying to steal information from "Fiadel Kestro" (huehue) to make a profit. What is interesting however is that all of these, frankly brilliant, stories are geared towards one purpose - revealing the identity of Fujiko. We receive flashbacks of her past, we see her specifically picking jobs that she fundamentally relates to, and all the while Lupin follows her trying to piece everything together. There were plenty of character nuance's that I wasn't expecting from the series too, Lupin openly explains why he drops calling cards around the place, which goes to justify his uncaring attitude towards loss throughout the entire franchise. Furthermore a series original character was introduced with a full character arc in order to enhance Zenigata and lay out what took him to the person he is in the franchise. The last thing I highly appreciated the show doing was avoiding Lupin and Jigen from meeting Goemon properly, simply because he joins the gang in Part 1, this felt like a nice nod to fans that had watched the original series.

  The conclusion of the series was perhaps a tad weaker than the build-up, though that does not mean it disappointed. It was a bit more than just a tad melancholy in how it ended. Lupin calling out "Fujiko-chan" in the last scene really was a treat though, with the classic absolute annihilation of his car while he chased after her, a great nod to the ongoing gag throughout he original series. The best way to describe the Fujiko Mine series would be Serious with a small side of goofy. It does retain the silliness of the franchise in very minor doses when appropriate, though since this is the first series with Fujiko as the lead, it does make sense. New Hero, New Tone…. Or so to speak.

  The Woman Called Fujiko Mine truly is a masterpiece, everything; the cinematography, character designs, animation and narrative; all come together to create something truly special. The series stands out among it's peers for it's style and general charm - and I find myself in a position in which the series is difficult to fault at all.

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• 

  linajthol

  90/100
  A new paint job for an old franchise

  (Discussed further in Episode 1 of the podcast I am in, Digitized Desperadoes. Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfrbf3pJ9dE )

  One of the most mature and violent additions to the Lupin series, taking cues from the early anime and, from what I can tell, the source manga in general. Its style is impeccable, its music fantastic, and its writing as compelling and passionate as the woman thief herself.

  This Lupin story functions as a alternate universe prequel, taking many mature and “adult” concepts and vignettes to explore the different headspaces of the Lupin cast. While it does clearly have a focus on Fujiko, it also delves into all of the other character’s motivations and backstories, twisting how they met and why. Considering that every character has had at least 3 different “how they met” scenarios, this isn’t much of an issue, and it works pretty well I think!

  The character’s designs are pretty much exactly the same as the rest of the franchise, but the personalities differ. Jigen is a lot more stubborn, quick to shoot, and lonesome, Goemon is more sentimental and heroic, and Zenigata is basically a corrupt cop who doesn't care what happens as long as he catches Lupin. They are all, additionally, very infatuated by Fujiko at some point, especially Goemon, who actually asks her to be his girlfriend at one point. (Which is insanely out of character, but whatever, it’s a separate continuity)

  The writing, however, is very compelling and tells very passionate stories of lust, loss, and identity. Most episodes are separate in terms of setting and conflict, but maintain the themes throughout. There is one overarching plot line that takes up, technically, 4 of the episodes, but they are paced very well and make for a stunning and concise ending.

  The visual style and animation is where this series truly flourishes. With direction from people who worked on Michiko to Hatchin, the inspiration is obvious. Delectably grimy and sensual bodies, mixed with vibrant colors that grab your attention immediately. Motions from lanky and awkward bodies move smoothly, with guns and blood galore. It’s beautiful.

  My only problems with this series are probably… the over-inclusion of character-original-to-this-series Lieutenant Oscar, and the over-sexualization of Fujiko herself. Oscar is an interesting character, and honestly gets some of the best episodes, but he himself is not that interesting. His personality is two-note. He’s a decent cop and he’s in love with Zenigata (aren’t we all?). Now, having a homosexual character is actually pretty great! Considering the eroticism and sensuality of the series, it makes perfect sense to explore and show examples of every single kind.

  Fujiko’s status as a complete dude magnet is also slightly infuriating to me. In other branches of the franchise, there are many men that constantly refuse and denounce her. Jigen and Goemon are some of the major ones, even occasionally threatening to leave Lupin if he doesn’t throw away that nasty woman (see Secret of Mamo). But in this show, every single man is instantly charmed. Even old man Zenigata! I suppose some of them are less blatant (Jigen is always his stubborn self) but the twist on well-known characters doesn’t fly too well, even in a grimier world.

  Anyway, Lupin III: The Woman Called Mine Fujiko is an artful ride, with plenty of surreal imagery and metaphorical messages. It’s a delightfully mature and violent tale of finding confidence in who you are, and discovering how far you are willing to go for your passions. Despite all the problems Lupin fans might have with it, it’s artful, beautiful, ambitious, and in my opinion, successful. 9/10.

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