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

I'm still at a loss as to why this series exists as Episode 1 shows that Lupin hands-down out-plays Fujiko Mine and that he only bothers with her out of boredom. Having now seen more of the series I would say that it would be what Death Note would have been like if Kira had been able to kill L via the Death Note at any time but chose not to just so he had someone to mess with.

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It seems an odd thing to say that one of the darkest, grittiest, most libidinous interpretations of Lupin's world is the most feminine, but like Fujiko, the contradiction begets the intrigue.

So women aren't "dark" or sexual? I think that there are a great many romance novels that would beg to differ, as would Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (and, for that matter, so would Speed Grapher lol).

I don't agree with this "Lupin should have been darker, more serious" sentiment as that isn't his character in the least: Lupin is a goofball who "surfs" a rocket-propelled statue made out of (what amounts to) LSD through the air. He's always been a goofball. While I would honestly prefer it if Lupin were a cross between Kira and Golgo 13, which is what I believe is called for by the review, the only way that I can see that happening is if Funimation took it upon themselves to radically shift his character to that...and again, that wouldn't jibe with the "surfing the LSD rocket statue" imagery (or most of the imagery that I've seen in the show TBH).

When the first few episodes didn't do well due to their violence/sexual content (which was mild, really) and pulpy nature, the series was rebooted by a few members of future Studio Ghibli, namely Takahata and Miyazaki.

Maybe the early episodes didn't do well because they were horrendously awful. Have you seen those early episodes? It's not that they were too dark or violent, they were just ludicrous and poorly written. I mean, the first episode of the series is Lupin in a race car, then foiling the plan of some organization that wants to kill him for no stated reason and blowing up the race track. No establishment of who he is or what he does. There isn't even a real caper until several episodes in. The episode with the fake magic guy is based on one of Monkey Punch's earliest (and worst) manga chapters. Then there's the episode with the "witch", where they don't even explain how that woman is a witch or really anything.

The show only gets on its feet when Goemon comes in.

What Miyazaki later added wasn't more lighteheartedness. It was FOCUS. Episodes actually became about something instead of just random scenes to titillate.

roseversailles wrote:

When the first few episodes didn't do well due to their violence/sexual content (which was mild, really) and pulpy nature, the series was rebooted by a few members of future Studio Ghibli, namely Takahata and Miyazaki.

Maybe the early episodes didn't do well because they were horrendously awful. Have you seen those early episodes? It's not that they were too dark or violent, they were just ludicrous and poorly written. I mean, the first episode of the series is Lupin in a race car, then foiling the plan of some organization that wants to kill him for no stated reason and blowing up the race track. No establishment of who he is or what he does. There isn't even a real caper until several episodes in. The episode with the fake magic guy is based on one of Monkey Punch's earliest (and worst) manga chapters. Then there's the episode with the "witch", where they don't even explain how that woman is a witch or really anything.

The show only gets on its feet when Goemon comes in.

What Miyazaki later added wasn't more lighteheartedness. It was FOCUS. Episodes actually became about something instead of just random scenes to titillate.

And for the people who think Miyazaki's Lupin was too much of a soft touch, the dude directed an episode wherein Fujiko is not wearing any underwear for most of it and the villain is trying to nuke cities and another where robots tear up the city and people are killed. The villain of Castle of Cagliostro is crushed to death by giant clock hands and Lupin is bloodier than he's ever been in the TV shows when he's brutally gunned down by the Count's assistant, which he barely survives. So while yes, he did lean towards a more philanthropic, heroic Lupin, at least he knew the world Lupin lived in and understood its dangers.

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!

So, to sum up, this Lupin is the truest interpretation we've had in a long time, as he is closest to what Monkey Punch originally wrote. I hope my post hasn't been completely dull

I have, and agree with your sentiments! I did like the episode with Pycal to an extent, but generally skip over the early episodes for my favorite segment of the series (namely, Red Jacket). Miyazaki was able to craft the most popular version of Lupin, and with good reason---he had the right balance of buffoon and gentleman thief. Most of what I wrote was what has been considered the "general consensus" about why the early Lupin didn't work as well as Miyazaki's takeover. However, I'm with you---I like my Lupin silly, though I didn't have a problem with his incarnation in ....Fujiko Mine.

One of the ANNCasts also talked about Fujiko Mine, and basically concurred that Lupin didn't start off as a goofball. It just moved that way once the franchise became a cash cow.

Maybe the early episodes didn't do well because they were horrendously awful. Have you seen those early episodes? It's not that they were too dark or violent, they were just ludicrous and poorly written. I mean, the first episode of the series is Lupin in a race car, then foiling the plan of some organization that wants to kill him for no stated reason and blowing up the race track. No establishment of who he is or what he does. There isn't even a real caper until several episodes in. The episode with the fake magic guy is based on one of Monkey Punch's earliest (and worst) manga chapters. Then there's the episode with the "witch", where they don't even explain how that woman is a witch or really anything.

The show only gets on its feet when Goemon comes in.

You're being very selective. I've read the manga and it does indeed have a cynical, cruel nature to it. You're using early material, and yet you're forgetting the very first Lupin story wherein women are raped and murdered and another story from the same volume wherein a man has multiple personalities and meets a grizzly end. There's a pervasive sense that the characters are sneering at a very dark, disturbing world. It's not a candy colored mug fest. Those are moments of levity, similar to the ones in this newer show.

You aren't the ONLY person to actually read the manga, you know.

Also, the prison episode bothers me because why would Lupin be on death row for thievery? Wouldn't there be a trial, as well? It just tries to work on the premise of Lupin's ultimate escape plan without establishing any kind of logic.

Let me put it this way: which is more like Monkey Punch's manga, this show or the past few decades of stale TV specials?

All that was added was a tad more of a pulp-y feel to it.