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REVIEW: Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine BD+DVD


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gedata



Joined: 04 May 2013
Posts: 615
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:17 am Reply with quote
Very enticing review, I think I'd best get acquainted with the franchise first, just to get a feel of how it's supposed to look and feel. Then I'll get into this grittier version.
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5421
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:25 am Reply with quote
gedata wrote:
Very enticing review, I think I'd best get acquainted with the franchise first, just to get a feel of how it's supposed to look and feel. Then I'll get into this grittier version.


I am not sure you need to do that. I have tried getting into the older series, but they seem very narratively loose and boring. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine can stand on its own and offers a better narrative experience and the story feels tight and more complete.
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gedata



Joined: 04 May 2013
Posts: 615
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:34 am Reply with quote
angelmcazares wrote:
gedata wrote:
Very enticing review, I think I'd best get acquainted with the franchise first, just to get a feel of how it's supposed to look and feel. Then I'll get into this grittier version.


I am not sure you need to do that. I have tried getting into the older series, but they seem very narratively loose and boring. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine can stand on its own and offers a better narrative experience and the story feels tight and more complete.


I know that of course, but it's something I've been wanting to give a shot either way.
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corinthian



Joined: 20 Feb 2009
Posts: 264
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:43 am Reply with quote
angelmcazares wrote:
gedata wrote:
Very enticing review, I think I'd best get acquainted with the franchise first, just to get a feel of how it's supposed to look and feel. Then I'll get into this grittier version.


I am not sure you need to do that. I have tried getting into the older series, but they seem very narratively loose and boring. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine can stand on its own and offers a better narrative experience and the story feels tight and more complete.


I agree. My only previous exposures to the franchise were the Castle of Cagliostro film and a few random Cartoon Network episodes. I knew enough about the characters to see most of the ways this series spun them.

I only saw the four premiere episodes at Oyakon, but I dug the series, though it took a bit to see the nudity as not being fanservice or stereotypical "beauty is her weapon" stuff. I like Hope's feminist read of the show, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the show ends up.
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danilo07



Joined: 25 Dec 2011
Posts: 1580
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:44 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Aurally, there's less to note: Shinichiro Watanabe's musical direction is less than Watanabe-esque in director Yamamoto's hands, in that it never takes center stage on its own. The jazzy music is easy on the ears but outside of the opening theme, never stands out or is given opportunity to distinguish itself uniquely

Uh wow I really disagree with that.If you ask me music stood out quite a lot.It was insane and wild,it was better to me then Cowboy Bebop soundtrack for sure.
Quote:
Other hiccups in the otherwise admirable endeavor are Goemon's episodes. While Mari Okada's oversight keeps most of the series' content uniform, the vignettes written by Dai Sato, aka the few Goemon stories, simply do not work. Sato can be a talented and insightful writer, but he is wholly out of his element with this story, and it's glaring how far off base his episodes are. They seem at best completely disinterested in Fujiko, and at worst, make her a benign feminine element in other people's stories and write her out of character around some forgettable tale of culture clash or political intrigue.

How can you say that when he basically wrote an episode that gave a metaphorical picture of her supposed past?And if you ask me he gave Fujiko probably best role she ever had in entire series with episode 7,while still pulling of brilliantly written satire. Episode 3 wasnt that good for sure,but it has established Goemons character quite well making me think "what a badass" right after watching it.
Besides these minor disagreements I would say you completely nailed the series.Keep up the good work!
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bravetailor



Joined: 30 May 2009
Posts: 817
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:55 am Reply with quote
corinthian wrote:


I only saw the four premiere episodes at Oyakon, but I dug the series, though it took a bit to see the nudity as not being fanservice or stereotypical "beauty is her weapon" stuff. I like Hope's feminist read of the show, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the show ends up.


There's also such a thing as artful fanservice. Sexuality portrayed for aesthetically pleasing reasons isn't necessarily a bad thing. There doesn't always have to be a thematic reason to show nudity, although it does help "put it over" better for mainstream audiences. I personally wouldn't mind watching a show where everyone is naked all the time if it was artfully done... Smile
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uguu



Joined: 02 Oct 2010
Posts: 220
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 12:14 pm Reply with quote
I hate this show but I don't understand why JesuOtaku had to use the word 'objectification' here. She's always in control of her sexuality so why the 'object' thing? The ultimate message of the show in the end was still that spoiler[there was no childhood trauma making her act the way that she does, no 'darker reasoning' for being a 'slut', she just likes being one and that's fine.] So even if there was thematic relevant to the sexualization, it was not taking some kind of stand against this kind of sexualization in the media in the least. And I have little doubt that the sexualization also doubled as fanservice; Sayo Yamamoto in an interview went on about how she (something along the lines of) "always eagerly awaited the nude Fujiko scenes" in classic Lupin. I mean clearly she must have had some kind of deeper reasoning for that "I wanted to see some tits", right?*

*no
angelmcazares wrote:
gedata wrote:
Very enticing review, I think I'd best get acquainted with the franchise first, just to get a feel of how it's supposed to look and feel. Then I'll get into this grittier version.


I am not sure you need to do that. I have tried getting into the older series, but they seem very narratively loose and boring. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine can stand on its own and offers a better narrative experience and the story feels tight and more complete.

That's because Lupin is episodic, and intended to be loose. The manga even moreso, with the episodic stories being even shorter, more fast-paced and wacky and barely related to each other.

The biggest problem with Fujiko was the very message behind it. spoiler[The creators of the show were the ones who heavily hinted at that horrible "Fujiko is a slut because she was raped as a child!!!!" garbage to begin with. All they did in the end was take away the story element THEY introduced and said "haha, you actually believed that? LOL what a loser'.]
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Penguin_Factory



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 732
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 12:18 pm Reply with quote
Woah Hope is back reviewing Surprised

Looking forward to more!
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ShatteredWorld



Joined: 05 May 2013
Posts: 265
Location: ATL
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 12:35 pm Reply with quote
danilo07 wrote:
Quote:
Aurally, there's less to note: Shinichiro Watanabe's musical direction is less than Watanabe-esque in director Yamamoto's hands, in that it never takes center stage on its own. The jazzy music is easy on the ears but outside of the opening theme, never stands out or is given opportunity to distinguish itself uniquely


Uh wow I really disagree with that.If you ask me music stood out quite a lot.It was insane and wild,it was better to me then Cowboy Bebop soundtrack for sure.


I totally agree. The OST of this show is amazing to me. Especially the ending theme! "Sounds so soulful, don't you agree?"
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roseversailles



Joined: 13 Sep 2012
Posts: 236
Location: Washington, U.S.
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 12:43 pm Reply with quote
Great review. I'm really looking forward to watching the dub of this one, as I just adore Ruff's performance of Fujiko. It's always fun to see the old gang return for new adventures, though some character personalities seemed different than what I was used to (namely bumbling Zenigata). Still not entirely sure what I think about the ending (I'm with the camp that says the idea was better than the execution) but the show is pretty entertaining throughout. Really hoping we get another series in the Lupin franchise, with as much flair and style as this one!
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theoriginalbilis





PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:39 pm Reply with quote
The show was one of the highlights of 2012 for sure. It was definitely one of the more "fun" shows I've watched recently, and there's just enough substance to keep coming back for more.

The dub is definitely serviceable, but not up to par with other Lupin dubs. Almost all of the characters sound fine, but Sonny Strait's Lupin still sounds too "nice" for this version of the character. I think Tony Oliver could've pulled it off better, since he's played some more hard-edged characters.

I hope we'll see more Lupin in this style again someday. It probably won't happen, but a guy can wish, right?
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wonderwomanhero





PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:59 pm Reply with quote
How are the special features?

I have to agree with Hope. There is something just...not right with Sonny's Lupin. Also I noticed Fujiko's opening lines in the intro are also of note. Michelle Ruff's delivery makes it seem like she's trying just a bit too much to sound sexy and seductive, which of course, is the point but Ruff's seems a little...overemphasized, forced in a way.
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varmintx



Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 1200
Location: Covington, KY
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:05 pm Reply with quote
Amazon should be delivering mine soon. I'll give the dub a try as the art style is so nice that I'd rather not have to read subtitles while looking at it, but if it's really not that good, I can always go to the sub.
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8459
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:44 pm Reply with quote
A wonderfully written review (and not just because I agree with it, but that helps) by Hope. Love to see her reviews.

What a lot of people don't notice is that the end of this series perfectly sets up the first TV series. Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko all know each other. Fujiko knows Goemon and has a place as his "girlfriend" (see the first episode he appears in the Green Jacket series). Lupin and Jigen haven't met Goemon (Jigen sort of does but he's hallucinating). Zenigata is aware of Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko. So by the first episode of the original Green Jacket series, everything is set up.

And it works because there isn't a lot of technology used here that wouldn't be possible in the first series. There's sort of a throw back in terms of settings.

Anyway, I love this series. Koike should take part in future Lupin works. The visual style works so well and is reminiscent of Monkey Punch's own art. I also love the sort of unapologetic cruelty of the show, but not without its moments of levity and quirky humor. I wish the Lupin TV specials would take this route, at least from time to time.

And yeah, Sonny Strait's Lupin doesn't have that libidinous scoundrel quality to it. You can tell he's trying, but it's not working that well. It's especially tragic since he clearly enjoys the role, but passion does not always equal quality. Michelle Ruff's Fujiko is near perfection to me, though. Sabat's Jigen is just sort of there. McFarland's Goemon doesn't work that well because it lacks the gravity and sharpness of the serious character that Goemon is. He comes off as too relaxed. Epcar's Zenigata works, though, as does Josh Grelle's Oscar.

The Japanese VAs do a better job overall, though. I'm especially thrilled that Kurita is really showing that he's now every bit the Lupin that Yamada was.

It's too bad the franchise has returned to predictable, safe crap again.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 3:28 pm Reply with quote
I definitely want to check this one out sometime, since I've never seen any of the Lupin the Third franchise and thought this sounded very intriguing.

I'm also very excited to see Hope reviewing again, I always love the insights she brings, both in print and in videos Smile
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