Lupin III: Part V (2018), IV (2015-16) & Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna (2012)


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Ep 7 wasnt that great in my eyes. I didnt like all the timejumps and overall it was a bit boring. Character interactions werent great either.
I hope next ep will be better again.

@Necro: Changing the names of countrys is something thats often done (for example Zettai Karen Children). It could be that the producers are scared of what the real nations do when they picture them in a bad way. Especially China seems to rage a lot about such stuff.
 
yeah I was thinking something like that too but I asked because many fictional series and movies (like Watchmen) use historical references without the need of renaming any country or politician, despite the previous episode good thing this series got better again now that Jigen was teaming up with Lupin for the first time and Fujiko remembered more about her dark past... was priceless the face he did when she told him about her affair with Zenigata (not once but many times) as Lupin never was successful trying to score in all the other adaptations, also telling by her change of attitude while she coldly killed the furtuneteller I guess that count Luis Yew Armeid she hates so much will be the main villain in the last episodes as one of the "owlmen" of her memories (or leader) responsible of experimenting and raping her
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Finally more of Fujikos dark past. Seems like that Lord is a lingering shadow watching over her. The owl really suits that. I guess now its time to hunt the hunter and maybe through that the wellknown Team Lupin-Jigen-Goemon will be created.

The thing with insects killing someone after a yearo r so is really creepy if its true. It would be the perfect killing method since there is almost no way to proove it, or maybe even realize it.
 
I wasn't in a rush to post about the previous episode located in Japan as many of our last comments apply on it and nobody else is discussing besides us (dunno why as this series is turning out better), what stood out in that one is how Fujiko went nuts trying to kill the human painting hottie as she reminded to herself younger while Jigen and Lupin again team up to protect that girl from her... amusing how he was the first to find out not only about her past but the owl people behind it which is explained in this ep.10 and turned way more interesting as they contacted him to steal her 3 months ago, showing flashbacks right before the 1st ep and what happened 13 years earlier but if Fritz Kaiser is really Mine Fujiko's father I wonder why she has that name while he's german ¬¬ maybe her mother is japanese?
 
So now both Lupin and Zenigata are investigating the backstory of Fujiko. To be honest ep 10 was really confusing, but I think I got what was necessary.
From what it sounded like they wanted to create a medicine against death and the researcher used his daughter, Fujiko, as a testsubject. But some incident happened, Fujiko escaped and the labratory together with the whole town were abandoned.
Since the cult from ep 1 were a front for the Pharma company it seems as if all Fujiko did had something to do with her past to some extent.
 
after Oscar's backstory I think he is the most despicable character of the main cast so I'm glad he failed posing as Fujiko not only to frame her but also attract Zenigata while the owlmen watch over, too bad a disappointed Goemon missed his chance when she offers to do it because he cared for her while she acted as Maria but obviously she was confused and depressed after trying to kill herself -.- ...for me the semifinal episode was better finally showing her reencounter with the more despicable antagonist so I suppose that white owlman leader and Dr. Fritz are her same father with double personality, now with all the classic Lupin III cast together for the first time in this reboot hopefully the final battle against Almeida doesn't turn out disappointing or it doesn't end as a cliffhanger for a 2nd season
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I dont really know what to say about this show since it was so strange that I dont really have any straight thoughts about it.

The first part of the show was really great but when it came to Fujikos "backstory" it was too confusing for me and wasnt even nearly as enjoyable as the first few eps.
Somehow the twist at the end with Fujiko not beeing the one going through all those experiments was both good and bad. Bad because it makes all the stuff before seem unnecessary and good because Fujikos still the same as ever what is great.

Characterwise there is not much to say. Fujiko is one of the hottest woman in anime, Lupin is a funny character, Jigen and Goeman are there, Zenigata had more depth than I thought he would have and Oscar is one of the most despicabnle characters in anime. Just thinking about him burning all those women in the last ep makes me want to kill him. But seeing how mentally damaged they were maybe that was a actually a good thing, still I hate him for it.

Animation was really unique and great since it fitted the show.

Overall enjoyable with a great first half and a good second one.
Im giving it a 9/10 since its Fujiko.
 
would have been interesting to see Goemon meet or fight Lupin for first time like he did with Jigen but overall the cast was portrayed better here specially Fujiko, too bad she was only a puppet used with the memories of Dr Fritz's daughter Aisha who was pulling the strings along her mother disguised as an owlman of Almeida... also is a shame the only true backstory was about Oscar -.- for me this series was near 9/10 but the weirdness of its 2nd half wasn't as good as the 1st to conclude it, still definitively the best adaptation I watched from most of the franchise and there is an old live action film too but I'll not count it as I haven't seen it subbed yet then:

Lupin the Third (TV series 23 eps.) fall 1971 to winter 1972 - 4/10
L III Part II (TV series 155 eps.) fall 1977 to fall 1980 - 5/10
L III Part III (TV series 50 eps.) winter 1984 to fall 1985 - 3/10
L III 70's to 80's series average final score - 5/10

Lupin the Third (pilot film) 197? - not subbed/watched yet
L III vs the Clone: Mystery of Mamo (theatrical movie) 1978 - NS/WY
L III: The Castle of Cagliostro (theatrical movie) 1979 - 8/10
L III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon (theatrical movie) 1985 - NS/WY
L III: The Plot of the Fuma Clan (OVA) 1987 - NS/WY
L III: Bye-Bye Liberty Crisis (TV special) 1989 - NS/WY
L III: Mystery of the Hemingway Papers (TV special) 1990 - 7/10
L III: Steal Napoleon's Dictionary! (TV special) 1991 - NS/WY
L III: From Russia With Love (TV special) 1992 - NS/WY
L III: Orders to Assassinate Lupin (TV special) 1993 - NS/WY
L III: Burn, Zantetsuken! (TV special) 1994 - 7/10
L III: Farewell to Nostradamus (theatrical movie) 1995 - 7/10
L III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure (TV special) 1995 - NS/WY
L III: Dead or Alive (theatrical movie) 1996 - NS/WY
L III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini (TV special) 1996 - NS/WY
L III: In Memory of the Walther P-38 (TV special) 1997 - NS/WY
L III Memories of the Flame: Tokyo Crisis (TV special) 1998 - 6/10
L III Da Capo of Love: Fujiko's Unlucky Days (TV special) 1999 - 7/10
L III: $1 Money Wars (TV special) 2000 - NS/WY
L III: Alcatraz Connection (TV special) 2001 - NS/WY
L III Episode 0: First Contact (TV special) 2002 - 7/10
L III: Return of the Magician Pycal (OVA) 2002 - 6/10
L III Operation: Return the Treasures (TV special) 2003 - NS/WY
L III: Stolen Lupin (TV special) 2004 - 7/10
L III Angel Tactics: Fragments of a dream are the scent of murder (TV) 2005 - 6/10
L III: Seven Days Rhapsody (TV special) summer 2006 - 6/10
L III: Elusiveness of the Fog (TV special) summer 2007 - 7/10
L III Sweet lost night: Magic lamp's nightmare premonition (TV special) 2008 - 6/10
L III: Green Vs. Red (OVA) 2008 - 6/10
L III vs Detective Conan (TV special) winter 2009 - 5/10
L III: The Last Job (TV special) winter 2010 - 6/10
L III Blood Seal: Eternal Mermaid (TV special) 2011 - 7/10
L III: Play the Lupin (OVA) 20?? - NS/WY
L III movies/OVAs/TV specials average preliminar score - 7/10

L III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna (TV series 13 eps.) spring 2012 - 8/10
 
Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna is the fourth Lupin TV series since the Lupin the Third anime franchise first started. This is also the second Lupin work to feature the new Lupin cast after three of the four main seiyuus retired. The story focuses primarily on Mine Fujiko and takes place before Lupin and co. crew is formed, meaning, yes, it takes place before the original Lupin Pilot Film in 1969 and thereby making it the "first" series before any other story in the Lupin franchise. Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna aired during the Spring 2012 anime season and was simulcasted by Funimation Entertainment, but has not yet been announced for home video distribution in the US.

Oh Lupin the Third... this franchise has always been amazing in many ways. Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna adds to that record by providing a very different and unique chapter to the Lupin franchise. The series is much darker and significantly more adult and seinen oriented than any of the previous Lupin titles. There is not as much Lupin comedy because of this orientation but it certainly does have its perks still in a number of new ways. Let's start with the story. The show starts off as simple one-offs with the first few episodes introducing the four "future" members of the Lupin cast: Lupin, Mine Fujiko, Jigen, and Goemon. Obviously, with the show being centered around Mine Fujiko, it explores the life Fujiko and her individual encounters with these three in the early days. Unlike the other Lupin titles, the show really dives in not only Fujiko's character and past but also presents it in a highly convoluted and bizarre manner. While certainly not a bad thing to do it doesn't really paint a clear and compelling picture. Furthermore, there is a lack of proper plot continuity for a show attempting to fully develop a single character. It does a nice job with bringing elements from various parts of the series to form a conclusion at the end, but needs better more reasonable cliffhangers.

Art wise is very well done. It really captures a retro feel while keeping up with the modern quality standards. The backgrounds are very detailed and the character designs are incredibly sharp and well designed to match the darker atmosphere of the series. Animation is by TMS Entertainment, which for this studio is very impressive. While TMS has worked on Lupin titles in the past, I believe this is their first time taking the lead on the actual project and boy was it fantastic, especially when compared to their previous works like Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~ and Cardfight!! Vanguard.

OP/ED is the typical Lupin jazz feel from the 1970s. I'm not particularly fond of the genre but it certainly fits the show very nicely. The background music is also very well done along with solid sound effects all around. Seiyuu wise, Lupin is still Lupin. While I do miss the old Fujiko, Jigen, and Goemon, the new cast is certainly still very good and have high hopes for them as more Lupin works come out in the future.

Enjoyment? This is a 40+ year old franchise and it's still alive and kicking well. As I've said before, it doesn't have the same amount of Lupin fun as the other Lupin titles due to the darker themes but it's unique in its own way. It definitely gave us quite the insight on who Mine Fujiko and explored a completely new realm of the franchise when you consider its target audience back when Lupin was just starting, including the 1971 TV series, 1977 TV series, and the Cagliostro movie by Hayao Miyazaki. For Lupin fans, I definitely would recommend watching this even though Lupin himself is not always present. As for those who were not fans of the Lupin franchise, this may provide a nice and new perspective on the franchise if you couldn't get into it, especially since no prior knowledge is required due to it being chronologically set before even the first Lupin title.

Overall, it's no masterpiece but certainly a solid title. I wouldn't call it the best of 2012 but it's definitely up there that can give many titles of this year thus far a run for its money.

Preliminary Score: 8/10
Final Score: 8/10
 

Titles: Lupin the 3rd L'avventura italiana / Lupin III: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone
Japanese: ルパン三世 LUPIN THE THIRD / LUPIN THE IIIRD 次元大介の墓標
Airing dates: 1/10/2015 (5th TV series, 24 episodes) and 30/8/2015 (pre-air)
Theatrical release dates: 21/6/2014 (animated movie) and 30/8/2014 (live-action film)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Crime, Ecchi, Seinen
Original creator: Monkey Punch (Kazuhiko Kato) and Maurice Leblanc (concept)
Directors: Kazuhide Tomonaga, Yūichirō Yano (TV), Takeshi Koike (movie) and Ryuhei Kitamura (live action)
Written by: Yūya Takahashi (TV/movie) and Rikiya Mizushima (live action)
Produced by: Yū Kiyozono (TV/movie) and Mataichiro Yamamoto (live action)
Music by: Yūji Ohno (TV), James Shimoji (movie) and Aldo Shllaku (live action)
Director of photography: Jirō Tazawa (movie) and Pedro J. Márquez (live action)
Episode director: Osamu Kobayashi (TV)
Sound director: Yōji Shimizu (movie)
Character designer: Takeshi Koike (movie)
Creative advisor: Katsuhito Ishii (movie)
Art director: Seiki Tamura (movie)
Mechanical designer: Takeshi Koike (movie)
Color setting by: Takahiro Mogi (movie)
Design by: Toshiyuki Yamashita (movie)
Planning by: Ryōta Katō and Shūhei Katō (movie)
Title design by: Nobuo Sekiguchi (movie)
Visual coordinator: Yūko Saitō (movie)
Studio: Telecom Animation Film (TV/movie)
Distributed by: TMS Entertainment (TV/movie) and Toho (live action)
Network: NTV (JP), Italia 1 (IT)
Ending theme: "Chanto Iwanakya Ai Sanai" (ちゃんと言わなきゃ愛さない / I Won't Love You If You Don't Say It Straight) by Sayuri Ishikawa
Anime film theme songs: "Forever And A Day" by Beverly Staunton and "Revolver Fires" by Gary Stockdale
Live action main theme: "TRICK ATTACK -Theme of Lupin the Third-" by Tomoyasu Hotei

Main cast: Arsène Lupin III (ルパン三世) voiced by Kanichi Kurita and played by Shun Oguri
Daisuke Jigen (次元 大介) voiced by Kiyoshi Kobayashi and played by Tetsuji Tamayama
Fujiko Mine (峰 不二子) voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro and played by Meisa Kuroki

Goemon Ishikawa XIII (十三代目 石川 五ェ門) voiced by Daisuke Namikawa and played by Gō Ayano
New cast: Rebecca Rossellini (レベッカ) voiced by Yukiyo Fujii
Nyx (二クス) voiced by Shunsuke Sakuya

Kōichi "Inspector" Zenigata (銭形 "警部" 幸一)http://image3.beetv.jp/custom/img/ft_s0004332/cast_zenigata.jpg voiced by Kōichi Yamadera and played by Tadanobu Asano
Anime film cast: Yael Okuzaki (ヤエル奥崎) voiced by Akio Hirose
Queen Malta (クイーン=マルタ) voiced by Mari Minase and Beverly Staunton (song)

Live-action cast: Narón (ナローン) played by Vithaya Pansringarm
Miss Vee (ミス・ヴィー) played by Rhatha Phongam (Ya Ya Ying)
Royal (ロイヤル) played by Thanayong Wongthakul (Kradum)
Pierre (ピエール) played by Kim Jun
Michael Lee (マイケル・リー) played by Jerry Yan
Momrachiao Pramuk (モムラーチャオ・プラムック) played by Nirut Sirichanya (Ning)
Thomas Dawson (トーマス・ドーソン) played by Nick Tate
Jirō (ジロー) played by Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi
Maria (マリア) played by Yuka Nakayama
Sabre (サーベル) played by Kazutaka Yoshino

Official websites and PVs: http://lupin-new-season.jp/ (TV), http://www.jigen-movie.com/ (movie) & http://lupin-the-movie.jp/ (live action)

Synopsis: A new Lupin III TV series is scheduled to premiere in Spring 2015 according to a MIPCOM event in Cannes, France. Lupin will be starring as the main character in this upcoming series set to take place in Italy and San Marino. Reflecting its setting, the anime will debut in Italy before airing in Japan. Lupin III fans will note that the titular thief now has a blue coat, following his earlier appearances in green (first series and some OVAs), red (the second series as well as most films and television specials) or pink (third series).

The film will be a continuation spinoff of the 2012 "Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine" television anime series. Lupin and Jigen have their sights set on a treasure worth stealing called the Little Comet which is located in the country of East Doroa. The country has fortified its border after a singer named Queen Malta got assassinated in the neighboring country of West Doroa upon visit. Despite the two countries being enemies, Lupin and Jigen still plan to steal the treasure. During the heist, Jigen almost got killed by a skilled sniper named Yael Okuzaki. His specialty is preparing tombstones for his targets before executing his kills. Its said that no one has survived after Yael makes a grave for that target. The live action film focuses on how the series' main characters met for the first time and will reportedly update the franchise to a contemporary setting. Lupin and friends infiltrate a highly secured fortress-like safe named "Ark of Navarone" (ナヴァロンの箱舟) to claim the "Crimson Heart of Cleopatra" (クリムゾンハート・オブ・クレオパトラ).

QUOTE (Kit-Tsukasa @ Jul 14 2012,10:29 PM)Oh Lupin the Third... this franchise has always been amazing in many ways. Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna adds to that record by providing a very different and unique chapter to the Lupin franchise. The series is much darker and significantly more adult and seinen oriented than any of the previous Lupin titles. There is not as much comedy because of this orientation but it certainly does have its perksmore comedy in the newest series, ep.1 just aired while at Italy a month ago
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