Gallery: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
At its time of release back in 2012, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine was relatively controversial amongst Lupin fans. This was the first Lupin III TV series since the mid-1980's, and it was not what most expected.
Fujiko provided a new take on the gangs origin story - a much darker, gritter take. The shows slogan was "hard and dangerous" and it certainly felt as much. The characters, while younger here, are far more brutal and less likable than their previous selves. Fujiko isn't afraid to undress and sleep with others to get what she wants. Jigen isn't close to Lupin, and they don't become buddies until much later on. Zenigata aims to kill Lupin and open fires at him without concern. These are different takes on the characters we all know and love.
Unfortunately as it had a lot to live up to - many fans were not pleased with it's initial run (myself included). Many enjoyable aspects of the original series' had been lost here - the humour, the antics, the escapades.
This was, simply, a take on Lupin like we had never seen before. While on the surface, it may have come off as trying a little bit too hard to be different and edgy, underneath that what Fujiko provided was a very entertaining female power fantasy.
In contrast to my own experience, there are a lot of new fans that have gotten into the series through Fujiko - may this have been thanks to the unique art style, which featured hard line style partial shading techniques, or the interesting characters and storylines. After so many years only featuring in annual TV specials, a new show, as short as this was (13 episodes), was exactly what the franchise needed.
Years on, I personally look back at the 2012 show a lot more fondly. Now knowing that we were to get the fantastic Part IV show a couple of years later, in 2015, the change of style for Fujiko is a far more welcome one. We ended up with the best of both worlds, which is a fortunate and blessed thing.
As the man himself worked as a character designer on the show, we will close Koike month with a few snapshots of Fujiko and company. If you're an existing fan of the show and are yet to watch The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, go in with an open mind. Expect something darker, interesting and different - it just might end up being one of your favourites!
