Anime: Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna 643l5i

ANIME EVOLUTION SERIES
Full list of the review series can be found on this blog:
http://anidb.zoneani.me/perl-bin/animedb.pl?uid=251338&show=page&do=blog&blogid=29009&page=0

Animated by Nippon Animation, which has made many movies and specials over the decades, the most famous being this one. Lupin the Third is historically speaking the first great action/adventure anime, and also one of the oldest still living franchises, over 50 years old and continuously making more entries every year. It stopped having many fans decades ago though, since it was always episodic and repetitive. It didn’t have much variety in its missions and nobody would develop, much less be killed if he is a major character, so this was expected. Furthermore, although you could always appreciate its zany comedy, spicy erotic humor, and lively characters, the whole 70’s feel with adult thieves running around and shooting at thugs while trying to steal treasure and feel some female flesh just didn’t appeal to most after the sci-fi and school comedies became a hit in the 80’s.

An interesting thing to notice is how about half of those who have been exposed to the franchise have only watched The Castle of Cagliostro, just because it was made by Hayao Miyazaki. The rest of them were never hyped much or didn’t have the same production values so they went into obscurity for many. That gave a somewhat misleading image of what the main series was all about, since Miyazaki’s envision made it appear to be just a silly teen adventure when in fact the canon would be quite vulgar, violent, and erotic at times.

So the next addition to the franchise is now actually a prequel, showing how the main characters got to meet in the first place. That was never really shown in the original series, since they were all a team since the pilot episode. And to no surprise, it all happened because of Fujiko’s non-stop backstabbing; for that reason she is now the main character instead of Lupin. This was received in a rather negative way from most, since the fans claimed she was always weak and nothing but eye candy, while all the charisma and gar action belonged to the male team of the thieves. And it’s true, she can’t fight at all and only uses her seduction as means to get her ways, something of which hardly means action or suspense. Women were always useless in such shows and especially half a century ago. I on the other hand believe that this was a good twist to the formula for two reasons.
- It is different. Enough with Lupin stealing the show, let someone else get some screen time.
- It is more appealing. What are the chances of someone watching a show that has an unshaved middle aged non-bishounen dude in the cover? How easy is it if it shows a hot naked babe?

But enough with that, what about the show itself? If Lupin lost its magic decades ago, what hopes would it have to make a comeback now? Well, it all comes down to presentation and DAMN does it look artsy. And I don’t mean that Kyoto Animation tired moe / breathtaking vista copypasta artsy, of which I got bored a decade ago; I meant it in a rather gritty/retro way. The opening video is one of the most bizarre ones you will ever hope to encounter, a weird blend of poems, classical music and art nouveaux. The characters retain their retro style but the lightning effects are to the most part nothing more than vertical lines, giving the whole show a comic book feel. The backgrounds are also rather trippy as they are colored in a stylized or monochromatic way to bring out an emotional response. The whole thing looks so damn special; it stands out from the done to death school grounds and typical-colored shows out there. This alone makes it attracting very easily.

Oh, I must not miss to mention the whole nude thing in this show. There is a heck of a lot as the heroine is not wearing any clothes half the time. Ok, the genitalia are always hidden in darkness or from some object but you get lots of in your face breasts and butt. Nothing over the top sleazy compared to what other shows do with ecchi these days but it definitely is not for the younger audience. I could bring out the rather gorish death scenes too but let’s just stick to how this show is not a typical shounen, and is aimed at older teens and above. There is a lot of nudity, a lot of implied sex, and males who don’t scream and run away crying if they touch a boob. You have been warned.

Don’t go expecting much of a story in the first half, since the missions are still episodic and quite straightforward. Some mystery may appear at times but it is revealed and resolved ten minutes later. But at least we get some backgrounds revealed around the early lives of the heroes and how they came together, so we can say there is a somewhat plot and development in here for a change. Especially the second half focuses a lot on the dramatic past of Fujiko, so the whole show becomes nothing more than her doing stuff and revealing her tragedies. Still, even here the plot is loose.

Although there is a lot of action it is always about the cool factor and has very little realism about it. The same goes for the characters; they are all two-dimensional but extremely charismatic by being too good and cool or sexy in whatever they are doing. You get the super smart thief, the super gunner, the super swordsman, and a slutty enchantress roaming around the world, shooting at criminals, running away from the police, and stealing stuff just for the heck of it. If you are satisfied with that, then you will get a blast out of this show. If not, you can always appreciate the very unique feel of the animation and the music. That is the timeless magic of Lupin the Third.

I wouldn’t call this anime a masterpiece but it sure is amongst the most interesting titles that came out in 2012, which is a wasteland for newer anime.

And now for some excused scorings.