[7Th]

Just six more days to go for the one episode that will justify this show's existance!

[checkeredknight]

Lupin III: A woman named Fujiko Mine - Blood-Soaked Triangle.

I'm not sure if I enjoyed this one quite as much as everyone else. I appreciate it focussing solely on three of the main cast members and that it developed their relationships with one another; but it all just felt a little flat. The animation, while nice for the most part, seemed a bit off at times (especially with Lupin himself at the start.) The voice acting was fine and the story was decent... it's just the Lupin spark wasn't quite there IMO.

I loved the pyramid setting. It reminds me a lot of Secret of Mamo when Lupin and Jigen are infiltrating the pyramid at the start. I did however enjoy the opening to Mamo much more than this. It was fun, exciting to watch and is a very memorable piece of animation. This I felt wasn't so much. It definitely felt like something more from the manga; which is great still, but just something I cannot seem to get into as much (compared to Lupin moments like in Mamo.)

Lupin and Jigen's relationship with one another in this episode wasn't what I figured it would be either. A lot of their conversation felt needless and boring. I appreciate them being hostile at first and then working together to escape traps, but the conversation they made just came off as very uninteresting to me. I do like how Jigen has Fujiko figured out already, though. Even at their first meeting he's warning Lupin about her and generally showing distaste towards the woman.

So I don't know. I enjoyed the episode and I will continue watching... I just didn't enjoy it as much as I expected too I guess? Maybe I have too high hopes...

[Dresden]

ep5:

Jigen and Lupin are both more interesting than Fujiko and their presence along with the more interesting setting helped a lot. Some bad scenes, though, and when the shadow filter completely coats the screen it's just hideous and ruins everything. Thought the episode took a total dive once Fujiko showed up at the sand whirlpool. The whole thing just feels rather sluggish. When the episode ended it was more of a relief it did, and that doesn't bode well for a twenty-minute or so piece of animation.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Maybe people just expect the art to be too clean, which was never intended. I really like the animation in this episode—Ben looked up the director/animator/storyboarder, Shin Itagaki, and it turns out he was a little Yasuo Otsuka in many ways—and I don't see the problem with witnessing one of Jigen's first big adventures, particularly one where he's unaccompanied, trying to distance himself from being a bodyguard and to have a break searching for treasure in Egypt. If anything, the humorous incidents going on within the pyramid are reflective of this new period of his life, whereas Lupin is both accustomed to the adventure lifestyle and at the top of the ladder. Even if the expressions are rougher overall, as is the animation, the way Jigen's journey is portrayed feels mature and controlled, while Fujiko is blissfully-unaware of what she's doing, and Lupin is just screwing about.

I haven't watched this subbed yet, though, so I wouldn't know all of the specifics. What I do know is that the storyboard compositions felt fluid and intimate despite the scale of the episode; the excellent use of gun-point stand-offs and figurative characterization throughout keeps the early-Green Jacket complexity while injecting animated humor and Red Jacket-style antics into the plot; hell, this is some of the best voice work I've ever heard in a modern Lupin production, with Kurita playing his restrained Lupin brilliantly and Kobayashi still doing a great classic Jigen (and Fujiko's seiyuu isn't bad at all). This week's contribution just felt balanced and well put-together overall.

ep5: Jigen and Lupin are both more interesting than Fujiko and their presence along with the more interesting setting helped a lot. Some bad scenes, though, and when the shadow filter completely coats the screen it's just hideous and ruins everything. Thought the episode took a total dive once Fujiko showed up at the sand whirlpool. The whole thing just feels rather sluggish. When the episode ended it was more of a relief it did, and that doesn't bode well for a twenty-minute or so piece of animation.

Fujiko was an inherently-bad choice for series protagonist and viewpoint frame, and she's not going to really develop until later—now, of course, the series is moving on to establishing classic relationships and double-acts, anyway. The shadows were fine for the most part, but the constant contrast between those fine-line shadow shots and the scratch-texture ones is upsetting to me. And the episode was great all-around, mainly because Fujiko got Jigen and Lupin at the best time possible—she's competent enough to know when they're distracted, at least. The last thing this episode feels like is sluggish, especially after the prodding pace of the previous episode.

I don't know how polarized Anime-GAF normally is towards non-RomCom/moe shows, but this show seems to have brought out a whole bunch of conflicting opinions. One more reason for me to stay.

[Dresden]

I didn't think it was bad, but I wish Itagaki had just made more Ben-to episodes instead of this.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Lupin is great source material for an animator-cum-director, like it or not. After having TMS put out such dull, homogenous animation and art direction for the more recent Lupin specials, a new perspective with old-fashioned roots is a good thing for the franchise.

[pizzaroll]

I don't know how polarized Anime-GAF normally is towards non-RomCom/moe shows, but this show seems to have brought out a whole bunch of conflicting opinions. One more reason for me to stay.

What do romcom/moe shows have to do with AnimeGAF other than being anime

This series is just a slog so far. Sayo Yamamoto is terrible. :(

[Dragoon En Regalia]

What do romcom/moe shows have to do with AnimeGAF other than being anime This series is just a slog so far. Sayo Yamamoto is terrible. :(

Association by being the most common genre of anime these days, leading to more discussion of them in the comm thread? I think that's fairly-accurate to say.

[pizzaroll]

Association by being the most common genre of anime these days, leading to more discussion of them in the comm thread? I think that's fairly-accurate to say.

Not really. At least, I don't see those posts.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

I do, though they usually don't interest me enough to be of any worth reading. Stuff like Hyouka and Pretty Cure isn't that relevant to my interests. Lupin's where it's at.

[duckroll]

Shin Itagaki isn't a very good director imo. I don't really like any of the shows he directed aside from Basquash, and unfortunately he got fired from that gig mid-way (which made it way worse and I stopped watching it). His episodes of shows I enjoyed weren't great either, and I don't care much for the way he tends to tackle material. This episode of Lupin seems to be an exception, since I enjoyed it. I would say it speaks more about the nature of the content rather than the workmanship here, since I don't think the storyboarding was particularly great either. Lots of boring camera use, way too safe. I liked the action animation touches, but those felt restrained by way the scenes were framed too. Like characters moving inside a box, instead of interacting with the entire environment.

[pizzaroll]

I do, though they usually don't interest me enough to be of any worth reading. Stuff like Hyouka and Pretty Cure isn't that relevant to my interests. Lupin's where it's at.

What's wrong with Hyouka (which is neither "moe show" nor romcom...) and [Heartcatch at least] Precure (also not really moe show or romcom)?

Hyouka at least is far better than this series has been.

[7Th]

Episode 6 will make everyone glad they decided to make Fujiko the lead of this show; just wait for it!

[Dresden]

Does she kill herself?

[Dragoon En Regalia]

What's wrong with Hyouka (which is neither "moe show" nor romcom...) and [Heartcatch at least] Precure (also not really moe show or romcom)? Hyouka at least is far better than this series has been.

Never said anything was wrong, just that it doesn't interest me from a content standpoint. That's all.

I can see where you're going with the "characters in a box" feel of the episode, Duckroll, but the framing was definitely great in my eyes and, arguably, the whole environment is pretty dull when you can't see it half of the time. Part of that is simply because a pyramid is meant to house the dead, more dead and imposing than organic and free-flowing (though they sure didn't need a sand-pit). Focusing on the characters and Jigen's being out-of-place in an Indiana Jones setting, which both lead to some cool development of personalities, was a more-than-serviceable direction to take. Camera usage was a bit conservative, that said.

Does she kill herself?

IDK, I just work here.

[7Th]

Does she kill herself?

She gives teenage girls a taste of pure love.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

No spoilers, 7Th. You sound like you know a little too much.

[hosannainexcelsis]

Episode 6 will make everyone glad they decided to make Fujiko the lead of this show; just wait for it!

I'm trusting in Shouko Nakamura.

[Lafiel]

Hyouka at least is far better than this series has been.

Objectively wrong, and I'd admit this series has been kind of dissapointing since episode 2.:P

I do, though they usually don't interest me enough to be of any worth reading. Stuff like Hyouka and Pretty Cure isn't that relevant to my interests. Lupin's where it's at.

Dunno, most people tend to talk about the classy stuff at AnimeGAF i see more discussion for shit like lupin, tsuritama, space bros, kids on the slope and e7 ao then hyouka (which is mostly filled with people complaining about how boring it is.:P)

[duckroll]

I can see where you're going with the "characters in a box" feel of the episode, Duckroll, but the framing was definitely great in my eyes and, arguably, the whole environment is pretty dull when you can't see it half of the time. Part of that is simply because a pyramid is meant to house the dead, more dead and imposing than organic and free-flowing (though they sure didn't need a sand-pit). Focusing on the characters and Jigen's being out-of-place in an Indiana Jones setting, which both lead to some cool development of personalities, was a more-than-serviceable direction to take. Camera usage was a bit conservative, that said.

I think certain aspects are certainly a matter of taste. Like I said, I'm personally not a fan of this week's director, so I probably just don't like certain preferences he has for executing a given scene.

How do you feel about the shadow filter though? After 5 episodes in the series, I can definitely say that I feel it is the biggest artistic mistake in the series so far. If the style of the shadows are something the animators put in as part of the art, that would work well, since you can see some scenes in episode 1 where it worked really well when applied as part of the key animation (like on Lupin's ears and chin at times). But the automated digital filter is really obnoxious. I really wish they would just drop it because the art is good enough to stand on its own without anything like that making it uglier. I think the worst parts are when they use it on half the screen in facial close-ups. Ick!!! >_<

No spoilers, 7Th. You sound like you know a little too much.

It's probably my fault. I should never have told him who was directing the episode! >_<

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Anime-GAF discussion just seems to pattern itself out based on the Spring season schedule, which makes sense and often means that there's usually a topic of the day. Natsuiro Kiseki, Nyarko, and Sengoku Collection are more likely to fall into the "I don't care" category, and there's been a decent amount of Nyarko in the thread, at least.

I think certain aspects are certainly a matter of taste. Like I said, I'm personally not a fan of this week's director, so I probably just don't like certain preferences he has for executing a given scene. How do you feel about the shadow filter though? After 5 episodes in the series, I can definitely say that I feel it is the biggest artistic mistake in the series so far. If the style of the shadows are something the animators put in as part of the art, that would work well, since you can see some scenes in episode 1 where it worked really well when applied as part of the key animation (like on Lupin's ears and chin at times). But the automated digital filter is really obnoxious. I really wish they would just drop it because the art is good enough to stand on its own without anything like that making it uglier. I think the worst parts are when they use it on half the screen in facial close-ups. Ick!!! >_< It's probably my fault. I should never have told him who was directing the episode! >_<

lol yeah

It's both one of the best parts of the art direction and one of the worst, and that's dependent on the context, application, and style chosen for the shadowing cross-hatching. 1, 2, and parts of 5 have this great usage of the finer shadow filter that makes everything look balanced while giving it that unique manga-like look, but it's that other, grungier filter that's just too visually-distracting in every scene I've seen it used. Those close-ups don't look too pretty, either, but the shadows really work at portraying depth and being useful for storyboarding purposes. And the better key animators have used it well in 1 and 4, anyway. Their usage is just there and it's just fine, if you ask me. Not worth dropping yet, unless it gets real bad and inconsistent.

[pizzaroll]

Anime-GAF discussion just seems to pattern itself out based on the Spring season schedule, which makes sense and often means that there's usually a topic of the day. Natsuiro Kiseki, Nyarko, and Sengoku Collection are more likely to fall into the "I don't care" category, and there's been a decent amount of Nyarko in the thread, at least.

This really isn't true!

[Hot Coldman]

Oh god, Ep 5 is out? I just spent tonight "catching up"! Balls. Well, I guess I've got something to watch tomorrow. Still got to watch Apollon too.

ANYWAY. Much enjoyed Ep 3 and 4. 3 was fun- I'm not as familiar with Goemon as Lupin, Jigen and Fujiko, but I enjoyed his character. His goofy side is appreciated, seeing the vibe I got from him in Castle of Cagliostro (my only other Lupin venture so far) was one of the quiet, serious balance to Lupin's smarm and Jigen's cool. The ending was daft- it was almost a child-friendly episode, too- but enjoyable. It showed Fujiko's skillset is improving, anyway.

Ep 4 was better- now that the 4 main characters are all introduced, it's nice to finally see the show get down to business, and for Lupin to enter the fray again (because let's face it, he's easily the best character). Seeing Zenigata almost totally full-on obsessed with taking down Lupin at the end was surprising to see so quickly, but at least he's not so mad about it at the beginning. And poor Oscar- kinda a bitch though. Nice twist, too.

Still looks great too. Shall report back tomorrow with Ep 5 impressions, probably. Still a rocking show!

[Dragoon En Regalia]

—So what do you think of these crazy Lupin expressions anyway? I love them—they should feature at least once throughout the series, amongst others. More crazy expressions and going off-model please!

[Drkirby]

Episode was far better then 4, but I feel they may have overdone the metaphors in this episode, and the gun fighting seemed a bit unnecessary. The bit with the exploding bullets was a bit to subtle though, and while he comments that he only had 5 and not 6 exploding bullets, all 6 bullets loaded into his gun look the same:





On the note of the shadow filter, I feel it is getting better. I still don't like the effect that much, but it was overdone to hell in the first two episodes.

[Lafiel]

Episode 5 was MUCH better conceptually and writing-wise than the previous two episodes. But the direction was definitely hit and miss, some scenes felt confusing and hard-to-follow at times, and the shadow filter certainly didn't help with that, but overall I thought it was the best episode since 2.

Let's hope episode 6 is something special and blows us away, I think would have been far happier with this episode if it didn't come after two middling episodes, oh well.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Just watched the Funi sub. Everything went better than expected.

1, 2, and this here episode 5 are really-great pieces of directing, script-writing, and pacing overall. But the themes and humorous scripting in this episode, in particular, does the best job of characterizing each character overall. In addition to the expressive Otsuka-school animation (with some Kanada, of course), and music that's great as always, this episode does an amazing job of blending 1 and 2 together to create a well-developed spectacle of crazy scenarios and big personalities—both of which get progressively stronger as the ep continues.

Jigen's the one who developed the most here, hitching a ride to Egypt (possibly still searching for something to do now that he's renounced his past career), and finding himself naked in an alien environment very quickly (because all he's got is his gun, at least after he gets robbed in a game of Osiris' scales™). I guess this allows me to forgive the first sequence of set-pieces following the mid-ep break for their relatively-long running time, simply because it's both captivating and, frankly, amusing to see Jigen in a context he's never had to deal with before: thieving from a brutally-designed pyramid (and one where you can't even escape with the treasure inside!). This struggle to adapt in the face of loss and fatalistic attitude (a hand-me-down from losing Ciccolina, perhaps) even makes the overuse of obfuscating shadow filters in this sequence seem useful. We can barely recognize Jigen at times, if only because he's changing and getting limber to deal with the insanity of Lupin's gizmos and Fujiko's treachery. When Lupin revealed how he swapped Jigen's bullets with explosive bullets, so that Jigen would survive and progress past his encounter with the golems mid-ep, it became clear to me that Lupin already knew what kind of guy Jigen was from the first time they met, being more experienced with this pyramid and with bases-under-siege in general.

I could say more about how much more subtle and unpredictable Lupin was, or how Fujiko's past and her nature became a locus of fascination for Lupin at the end of the ep, but the way the directing and plot progression molds around Jigen's development from sentinel to sentient thief is impressive enough to write about. The only big flaws I can see in this episode are some dodgy shadowing and a dragged-out escape sequence that just takes too long to be as effective as it should have (though revealing the impossibility of escaping with the MacGuffin and how the pyramid is designed to screw you over no matter what was quite fun). Outside of that, it's my favorite episode so far, though the next episode better lead to some development for Fujiko herself.

[Ultimadrago]

Lupin III: A Woman named Fujiko Mine 5

So some pyramid adventures for a younger Lupin and Jigen. A sound idea for an episode. It allowed Jigen and Lupin to be introduced and play off each other a bit.

I was bothered by the sandpit part because of the lack of urgency. Yes, these are dangerous men, but I'm sure they didn't want to die in some pyramid. Meanwhile, Fujiko is running her mouth. I wish there was more Lupin/Jigen action throughout, but it flat lines a bit after the half-way point.

That said, I still like it more than the last two episodes, if for any other reason because it gave Jigen and Lupin more screentime. 5th episode and Fujiko is still flat in her execution as ever (well, tits aside).

[Caj814]

So does anyone else think this holds true at the moment?

[LordCanti]

So does anyone else think this holds true at the moment?

Needs more black line filter.

[Thoraxes]

Episode was far better then 4, but I feel they may have overdone the metaphors in this episode, and the gun fighting seemed a bit unnecessary. The bit with the exploding bullets was a bit to subtle though, and while he comments that he only had 5 and not 6 exploding bullets, all 6 bullets loaded into his gun look the same:

One of them was labeled differently.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

So does anyone else think this holds true at the moment?

Fairly accurate, though the breasts don't simply get all the credit. They do get some!

[Drkirby]

One of them was labeled differently.

I'm pretty sure that is because of how sloppy the words are written. I mean, one of the Gs is your standard redo symbol.

Also, 357 Mag. Speer is a real bullet, it doesn't make since for Lupin's bullets to have a proper engraving while the one Jigen had to be a knock off (And to both of been made by the same company)

http://www.speer-ammo.com/ballistics...x?loadNo=23959

[duckroll]

Episode 6

This episode was pretty solid. Probably on par with ep2 as my favorite episode so far. There was a good sense of pace and flow in the direction, and the setting was actually enjoyable. The script is more creative than usual as well, and it plays well with the character dynamics. I think that with ep5 and ep6, we're seeing the series move away from the setup phase, and now they're actually using the characters to better effect after introducing them in the first few episodes. The shadow filter is still really distracting and ugly in most scenes though. :/

The Fujiko flashbacks are getting pretty creepy at this point. I really don't know what to think about that. Weirds me out. *shudder*

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Rankings so far: 2 > 1 = 5 > 6 > 4 = 3

This week's episode was great. I probably could have caught that thing Oscar quicker if I knew what the script was saying, but for him to get more involved with Fujiko's affairs was both surprising and reasonably-fitting for the kind of character they've developed for him. And Zenigata has real problems with women—Fujiko can't just keep messing with him like that, even if he's got no morals. Judging by the way the ep was directed, though, this story sure wasn't meant to be an animation powerhouse—that was what ep 5 was meant to be, anyway—but the gun chase provided some nice sakuga. And those flashbacks are getting disturbing, very fast and ever-ominous from my perspective. The music just keeps delivering all-throughout, and Naruyoshi Kikuchi and Otomo Yoshihide must be soul brothers, considering how similar Kikuchi's music during the flashback(s) is to Otomo's distorted stuff.

[LordCanti]

Zenigata is the protagonist of this story right? Two sexual encounters with Fujiko in six episodes? I think I want to model my life after his.

I liked this episode a lot, even if the Fuji-flashback was a bit jarring. It didn't cause a sexual revolution like some had predicted (One lesbian kiss and no lesbian sex? What?) but the story flowed much better than in some of the previous episodes. I like that Lupin and Fujiko are in cahoots now, and I hope it stays that way instead of turning Lupin back into a background character.

I hope we get a big heist episode (or two-parter even) where all four of them come together to pull off a big job, and not more....uhh...masked doctors doing something to Fujiko or...whatever that was.

(And yes, I realize that wanting a traditional Lupin heist is boring.)

[hosannainexcelsis]

Anipages' Ben flipped out at this week's episode. Sounds like the girls were too much for him.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

He's just as flip-flop as we are, though this time his argument doesn't make that much sense. Yes: Fujiko is shown here as a clever gal who preys upon men, and the show features a bunch of fucked-up blokes. That's pretty Monkey Punch, if you ask me, and that seems to be what they've gravitated towards. But the episode was well-directed, and Oscar's dedication to pleasing Keibu is so amusing, a healthy reminder that Fujiko herself, amongst others, is suffering from obsession and an instinctual imprisonment to various desires. That's a very common theme in all of Monkey Punch's works: freedom vs. slavery. I think the show does a good job of reinforcing that theme time and time again.

—Then again: nothing seems raunchy and "sadistic" after you've watched the Alice OVA. That 1991 production, right there, is the only anime that ever adapted a Monkey Punch manga so effectively, to the point that it's just laugh-out funny and stupidly self-aware.

[pizzaroll]

He's just as flip-flop as we are, though this time his argument doesn't make that much sense. Yes: Fujiko is shown here as a clever gal who preys upon men, and the show features a bunch of fucked-up blokes. That's pretty Monkey Punch, if you ask me, and that seems to be what they've gravitated towards. But the episode was well-directed, and Oscar's dedication to pleasing Keibu is so amusing, a healthy reminder that Fujiko herself, amongst others, is suffering from obsession and an instinctual imprisonment to various desires. That's a very common theme in all of Monkey Punch's works: freedom vs. slavery. I think the show does a good job of reinforcing that theme time and time again. —Then again: nothing seems raunchy and "sadistic" after you've watched the Alice OVA. That 1991 production, right there, is the only anime that ever adapted a Monkey Punch manga so effectively, to the point that it's just laugh-out funny and stupidly self-aware.

That doesn't sound very entertaining or pleasant to watch.

Maybe Monkey Punch sucks and the reason why people like Lupin is because of the lighter-hearted, cartoony history of the past anime works.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

It depends, really. Alice worked because the premise was so ridickulous that it almost seemed like it could possibly happen, given how disgusting people can be in real-life too. But the original, original Lupin III manga is stuck between accessible heist stuff and inaccessible rape comedy, making it tough to read unless you're interested in the art like I am. Alice also happens to have equally-fitting presentation, with its rough-and-ready animation and great pacing. Shame about the music, which has always been a big benefit to most Lupin anime productions.

Either way, this current series has enough like-able characters and scenarios to be worth my time at the moment, and I'm in no rush to badmouth Monkey Punch for being as un-Japanese as possible. I'm pretty sure he found his market in producing stories featuring sex and death anyway, yet he still manages to vary up his genre coverage whilst sticking to stylistic continuities established previously.

[duckroll]

Anipages' Ben flipped out at this week's episode. Sounds like the girls were too much for him.

Why is Ben getting so predictable? :(

[checkeredknight]

Lupin III: A woman named Fujiko Mine - Prison of Love.

I feel disappointed to mirror what I said last week, but again, I didn't enjoy this as much as everyone else has seemed too. The story was good and the animation was nice... but once again, this is not why I watch and love the Lupin franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed episodes one to three, but four to six have all left me with complaints / little niggles that just wont allow me to enjoy the episodes.

As for this episode, episode six, there was only one part of it I really enjoyed (and it only lasted for about twenty seconds.) When Zenigata and Oscar are in the office together and Zenigata receives the Lupin calling card. Before he read the card he was happy to send Oscar out on the assignment, but after seeing it he got quite excited and wanted to go himself. This is how Zenigata should and always has acted. I really like that aspect of his character. He has to capture Lupin and he is the only one capable of doing it.

The flashback sequence with Fujiko was unsettling and I just do not like Oscar's character. I can understand why he / she has so many fans and I don't mind that... he / she just isn't a character I can get along with and enjoy.

So yeah... another disappointing episode for me. I still think the major problem this series has is that it's about Fujiko and not a more likeable character. I can appreciate this "hard and dangerous" side of things, but there are other way to convey said message than this.

[LordCanti]

Lupin III: A woman named Fujiko Mine - Prison of Love. I feel disappointed to mirror what I said last week, but again, I didn't enjoy this as much as everyone else has seemed too. The story was good and the animation was nice... but once again, this is not why I watch and love the Lupin franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed episodes one to three, but four to six have all left me with complaints / little niggles that just wont allow me to enjoy the episodes. As for this episode, episode six, there was only one part of it I really enjoyed (and it only lasted for about twenty seconds.) When Zenigata and Oscar are in the office together and Zenigata receives the Lupin calling card. Before he read the card he was happy to send Oscar out on the assignment, but after seeing it he got quite excited and wanted to go himself. This is how Zenigata should and always has acted. I really like that aspect of his character. He has to capture Lupin and he is the only one capable of doing it. The flashback sequence with Fujiko was unsettling and I just do not like Oscar's character. I can understand why he / she has so many fans and I don't mind that... he / she just isn't a character I can get along with and enjoy. So yeah... another disappointing episode for me. I still think the major problem this series has is that it's about Fujiko and not a more likeable character. I can appreciate this "hard and dangerous" side of things, but there are other way to convey said message than this.

Oscar has had one redeeming line in the entire show for me (when he basically called Fujiko a cumdumpster) but otherwise I agree that his character is unnecessary.

I've voiced my displeasure for Zenigata and Fujiko's characterizations before. They're leading toward Fujiko having had this horribly messed up childhood, and I'm not sure how that is supposed to enhance my enjoyment of the series. As far as Zenigata goes, a Zenigata that isn't constantly calling his mother (and that actually has sex with Fujiko) isn't the Zenigata I know and love at all.

Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon are all basically unchanged from previous incarnations, but there isn't nearly enough of any of them in this series. They need to figure out a way to work them in, and stop doing these episodes where Fujiko attempts to steal some trinket and nearly gets busted for doing so.

[IC_Champion]

Lupin III: A woman named Fujiko Mine - Prison of Love. I feel disappointed to mirror what I said last week, but again, I didn't enjoy this as much as everyone else has seemed too. The story was good and the animation was nice... but once again, this is not why I watch and love the Lupin franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed episodes one to three, but four to six have all left me with complaints / little niggles that just wont allow me to enjoy the episodes. As for this episode, episode six, there was only one part of it I really enjoyed (and it only lasted for about twenty seconds.) When Zenigata and Oscar are in the office together and Zenigata receives the Lupin calling card. Before he read the card he was happy to send Oscar out on the assignment, but after seeing it he got quite excited and wanted to go himself. This is how Zenigata should and always has acted. I really like that aspect of his character. He has to capture Lupin and he is the only one capable of doing it. The flashback sequence with Fujiko was unsettling and I just do not like Oscar's character. I can understand why he / she has so many fans and I don't mind that... he / she just isn't a character I can get along with and enjoy. So yeah... another disappointing episode for me. I still think the major problem this series has is that it's about Fujiko and not a more likeable character. I can appreciate this "hard and dangerous" side of things, but there are other way to convey said message than this.

I agree, her flashback could have been more realistic (owls?). But I guess it would go into greater detail once the ending episodes come out.

[Ultimadrago]

Lupin III: A Woman named Fujiko Mine 6

Fingersex alert!

I don't need to be a Lupin veteran like checkeredknight and theWolf to know that this ISN'T what Lupin is all about.

That said, I liked it.

It seems that Lupin is to Zenigata what Fujiko is to Oscar . Naruhodo. There is also a romantic thing going on over the gaps of both pairs. I'm not sure if the series will play on this parallel much, but I think it could lead to something entertaining.

Also, Oscar is one sick fuck! To be fair, so are many others in the series, just not in the same flower petal.

Still liking the eyecatches.

The wonderland of Fujiko is as trippy (symbolic?) as ever. If this is how Fujiko is getting "development" it's quite the introduction. Nonetheless, it was a nice visual treat. Though, I never like text on screen for those types of things. It breaks immersion in the worst possible way and adds nothing that couldn't have been just said instead.

More butterflies!

Yo checkeredknight, are butterflies representing Fujiko anything you have seen in other Lupin works? Or is this a new link from this new series all together?

Anyways, obsessed Zenigata partner to match with him. That should do nicely. Also a trip scene that most likely has something to do with the psychology of Fujiko?

Still unsure on whether I want more of that or more Lupin antics instead. Anyhow, I think the episode upheld itself decently.

[duckroll]

Here's my interpretation of the Fujiko "flashbacks" and symbolism so far, putting it in spoiler tags since it has story spoilers for various episodes:

I believe the butterflies symbolize Fujiko's freedom and the thrill of being able to do something dangerous, flirting with danger without a care in the world, just to experience the feeling of being able to do something against norms. It is a psychological freedom. In the flashbacks, I believe that Fujiko as a child unconsciously experienced this feeling once, and ever since then everything that is normal to regular people feel mundane and boring to her. She is unable to live a regular life because she has tasted the thrill of going against societal norms, and hence she continues to break rules and laws to chase that feeling.

Ep6 in particular has Oscar seeing a lot of butterflies. Why? Because I think he is one who is grounded and secure in society, but his disgust with Fujiko's wanton disregard for such rules is also a sort of attraction and temptation for him. In chasing Fujiko he sees what he does not have, and that feeling is starting to eat into him. When you live like Fujiko, whether you win or you lose, the thrill is what matters. That is the butterfly.

As for the owl, I've given it more thought and I think that for Fujiko, the owl represents Lupin. In her flashbacks, the owls represent adults who were trying to convince her that there was something wrong with her, and trying to make her normal again. They could be doctors, parents, basically anyone who tried to get her to forget about her taste for the thrill of danger, and to just become a normal girl again.

Owls symbolize wisdom and seniority. In her flashbacks they were adults, in her current life, it is Lupin. Lupin is the one who is better than her, more experience, smarter, and she cannot run away from that. She tries though, because she wants to be in her own world free from having to play second fiddle to someone better. Maybe this dynamic is a play on the fact that even though this is Fujiko's show, the title is still Lupin's and she cannot escape that ever. In the previous episodes, I don't think it's a coincidence that the owl imagery always shows up just as Lupin does. He is always watching, he is always one step ahead or walking right behind you, he is always there at the end.

I do not believe that there is any actual childhood trauma in the sense of violence or rape in this show with regards to Fujiko's past. The sort of imagery presented is very psychological in nature, and considering how deliberate it seems to be, if they wanted to represent rape they would have done it in different ways imo.

So yeah, that's my take on it. It could be completely wrong, but I think it makes more sense so far than most other theories I've seen.

[dimb]

Here's my interpretation of the Fujiko "flashbacks" and symbolism so far, putting it in spoiler tags since it has story spoilers for various episodes:

Maybe the owls are you, the audience. Ever present, constantly judging, evaluating, and holding the show to preconsribed notions of what Lupin should be!

[Jexhius]

Here's my interpretation of the Fujiko "flashbacks" and symbolism so far, putting it in spoiler tags since it has story spoilers for various episodes: As for the owl, I've given it more thought and I think that for Fujiko, the owl represents Lupin. In her flashbacks, the owls represent adults who were trying to convince her that there was something wrong with her, and trying to make her normal again. They could be doctors, parents, basically anyone who tried to get her to forget about her taste for the thrill of danger, and to just become a normal girl again. Owls symbolize wisdom and seniority. In her flashbacks they were adults, in her current life, it is Lupin. Lupin is the one who is better than her, more experience, smarter, and she cannot run away from that. She tries though, because she wants to be in her own world free from having to play second fiddle to someone better. Maybe this dynamic is a play on the fact that even though this is Fujiko's show, the title is still Lupin's and she cannot escape that ever. In the previous episodes, I don't think it's a coincidence that the owl imagery always shows up just as Lupin does. He is always watching, he is always one step ahead or walking right behind you, he is always there at the end.

Well I really think they drove that point home (in a rather unsubtle fashion) by linking the owl screech to Lupin's appearance. Then again, perhaps it's a bit less obvious than that because when Lupin 'appears' by the window you can't be sure it's him.

The owl also appears outside of sequences with Fujiko, such as when Jigen see's it in the pyramid - but then it's immediately followed by the appearance of Lupin himself in that very same shot.

In the OP the Own also holds they 'key' to Fujiko's "prison".

[checkeredknight]

I posted this in the anime thread, but I may as well repeat it here just in case it has any value in our investigation...

In the Japanese culture butterflies are thought to be representative of young maidens and marital bliss. Many Japanese families use the butterfly in the family crest design. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_...#ixzz1uUhprVnu

I remember somebody on the Lupin forums saying the Owl represented fertility (in Japan.) Personally I much prefer duckroll's conclusions.

Also the ending [/spoiler] tag has disappeared in your quote Jexhius. :)

[dimb]

Not to just poke holes in theories, but the owl imagery is something that appears even in episodes in which Lupin himself is absent.