Welcome all to a very irregular segment for The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. Because of how small this season was, I wanted to fill in our coverage a bit, and thought it was a good opportunity to watch something that’s been on my list for awhile now. And heads up, this series is going to be irregular just as I watch it, so I hope you stick with me, as we watch some Lupin!
Right out the gate, my goodness was that an unexpected amount of titty. I always thought Lupin III was a more… childish show to be frank. An old classic detective show, something more in the Disney style. I assumed things like Goemon’s Spray of Blood being the black sheep of the series. Turns out that was just par for the course, as Fujiko Mine opens with incredible style. Lots of heavy shading and crosshatching, disguising CGI with said shading while at the same time keeping Lupin’s classic character design. The long story short is that Fujiko Mine looks good, like really good. I think Fujiko’s tits are a bit to large myself and show seems to really revel in that sexuality. However overall it visually looked fantastic. I can only hope it keeps this up moving forward because its a nice breath of fresh air in this current season.
Moving on to the story itself, this opening introduction is all rather straightforward. The beautiful thief and the charismatic rouge, competing with each other in a game of cat and mouse. In a way it’s very similar to Sherlock Holmes, between Sherlock and Irene Adler. However this time instead of one hunting the other for “Justice” they are in the same line of work. In that way, Fujiko fits the classic role of the Femme Fatale perfectly. As both she and Lupin are working directly to undermine each other and get away with the same prize. I think there is a lot of potential here. This sort of story structure is a classic for a reason, and both Lupin and Fujiko fit it perfectly. I am curious just how Fujiko Mine will keep it fresh across the 13 episode run. But for now, its just a good time.
That all said, we can see some… relics of the time Lupin as a character was created. Sure, Fujiko Mine is getting adapted now in the modern times, but there are some definite creepy undertones. Take for instance Lupin’s parting message to Fujiko. I am sure to some writing “I am going to catch you” on her inner thigh is clever, bold, dare I say seductive. But to me it just comes off as really… really rapey. I honestly cannot think of a better way to phrase that, but yeah. It’s not the sort of calling card I would expect or want from a character as suave as Lupin is presented to be. Still, credit where it is due, Fujiko Mine did fit it into the episodes story, considering their clash over the crystal. It being written in her own makeup was just a nice touch.
Moving on lets talk about the characters, starting with the titular Fujiko. Like I said above, I was not prepared for the sheer amount of sexuality in this show, and Fujiko has that in spades. Everything form her design to her attitude is designed to draw attention. She has the over-exaggerated hourglass figure that we see in series like One Piece going on, and I prefer my women a bit less anorexic, but it works. I think my biggest issue with her just has to be the ludicrous size of her… assets. Beyond that though I love Fujiko’s character. She is just as competent as Lupin while making use of a completely different skillset. The best part of it all is that Fujiko Mine doesn’t try to downplay or gloss over what exactly this skillset means either, really letting her strut her stuff, birthday suit and all.
Meanwhile Lupin is basically exactly as I expected, a suave and charismatic rouge committing crimes not for the money but the fun. The best way I can describe him is a troll, in it for the thrills, with no worries about actually escaping with the stuff. He just wants to put on a show and make sure everyone knows he was involved, and I love it. He plays all of his dialogue, such as his discussions with Fujiko, completely serious and this contrasts nicely with the ludicrous and over the top action of the show. I knew the moment he blew open a roof to flood an entire cult just as a distraction that this was not a subtle man. And that makes me very excited for the stunts Fujiko Mine will have him pull in the future, because I expect them to be a lot of fun.
The long and short of it, the easiest way to describe my experience with Fujiko Mine, is this: Style. Fujiko Mine is a show about style, and rule of cool. About hyper competent people competing against each other for the entertainment of the audience. Everything from their gunfight using glow in the dark lipstick to their mutual escapes from execution up to their final showdown for the crystal was done in style. Yes, there is an element of a crime thriller here and yes action as well. However I feel like if you go into this focusing on either of those, you will lose the sheer fun Fujiko Mine is trying to have. In the end we will have to wait and see where it goes. For now at least, as my first real introduction to the series, I had a blast.
So with all that said, if you have never jumped into Lupin III, whether it be because the series to big and you never knew where to start or you just weren’t interested, if this caught your eye than please join me. I plan on running through all of Fujiko Mine, the next few movies, and then seeing where we will go from there. Until then, see you next time!
Lupin is actually a very mature series, at least in the manga and first anime tv series. Part 2 it became more light hearted. Apart from a few films and specials, The Lupin was mostly more comedic and family fun until the Lady called Fujiko Mine arrived. From there, Subsequent shows such as Lupin part 4 and 5 struck a balance between mature and light hearted stories