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Lupin III - "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine" |OT| HARD & DANGEROUS

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Jex

Member
Review by Ben Attinger.

Not a very well-written review, though I like the details he went over (and respectfully disagree with his notion that this isn't Lupin, and that only the sillyness and kookiness of, say, the Red Jacket and Pink Jacket stuff can ever get his attention).

—Ultimately: I don't like the snooty tone of that review very much, especially with the fallacies and semantic failures littered throughout, making it feel like a bad enthusiast review disguised by decent dictionary skills. Bleh~
Well, you don't appear to be alone on this. Pretty much every comment I've read about Ben's review calls him out for the numerous argumentative mistakes he makes. Then again, it's not very often that I see people bringing up Ben's blog for any purpose, so maybe they're just not familiar with the way he writes. I've never really agreed with his opinions about a show (by which I mean, whether the show is 'good' or 'bad') and instead I turn to his writings because he has the specialist knowledge required to discuss animation in depth.
Watched it, I am a fan.

And yet you don't post about it in the anime thread!
 

JoeFu

Banned
I didn't even notice it until you guys started complaining.

So thanks for that I guess.

I noticed it mostly in that screenshot that was posted, but it didn't really bother me. Looks so awesome and just seems fun. Never watched any Lupin before this except like an episode on Cartoon Network a while back.
 

/XX/

Member
As a good reviewer, Ben only wants us to not fall in complete complacency, don't worry:

Great input all. Yeah, I'll admit I was being particularly picky this time around. I was intentionally playing devil's advocate with this post because everyone else seemed to be praising it to high heaven. You guys are right that it has a lot more clever Lupin-ness than I initially gave it credit for. I'm sure my impression will change as I get used to the new look.
http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php/lupin-iii-fujiko-mine

Those guys are creeps and pervs.
Is it because of this, JKTrix? There was a time when you were an habitual of the seasonal threads, now only occasionally...
 

LiQuid!

I proudly and openly admit to wishing death upon the mothers of people I don't like
So much about this show bums me out but I'm watching it because it's new Lupin.
 
As I said in the Anime thread the effect could be a budget saving effect. So expect to see more of it in the later episodes lololol!
For that matter: there's already a lot of conservative budget cutting going on in the episode anyways, such as the opening being short on digital and big on cut-and-paste, one static scene in the church services part, and other parts are well-constructed to subdue the need to spend more time and money on the animation. Even then, though, it looks just as good, if not better, than any of the current TV specials coming out for the franchise, and it blows the Green Jacket series into dust with how good it looks.

Glad to hear that Ben was just being a crank, though I still don't like how poorly his review was written. Semantic errors and calling Lupin "cartoony" are big crimes in my eyes—it's a comic series, after all.
 

Skidd

Member
Fujiko should just stay naked throughout the whole show, since it seems she has trouble keeping any clothing on.

This was a strong first episode. It pretty much had everything I could hope to see from Lupin. The style is gorgeous as well, loving it so far.
 
What I'm thinking is that, as she becomes more experienced and less dependent on her sexual charms, her clothing will become more and more conservative, less flashy, and more subtle (depending on the scenario, of course). Lupin, on the other hand, will actually get worse at dealing with Fujiko, because she'll know how to assuage him and seduce him with greater skill. And Zenigata? He'll slowly turn mad with frustration as he fails to catch Lupin every time. It'll all come full circle, while showing off the production's unique GJ-like interpretation of Lupin III.

—But what Jigen and Goemon?
 
Fascinating. I never knew such things could be...

inb4 voice actor debates. I'll stick to subs, thank you. Kanichi Kurita is totally boss in this series, even when he channels his usual over-the-top Lupin impression.
 

duckroll

Member
We have information about the upcoming episodes thanks to this month's anime magazines. The guy taking photos of his mag didn't seem to care about this show, so I only have the info for ep2-4 and ep6 for now.

Ep2 - .357 Magnum

After losing to a widow in a high stakes casino game, Fujiko has to take on her reuqest. She wants the gun of the man who killed her husband, so Fujiko finds herself going after the infamous gunman Daisuke Jigen.

Script: Itsuko Sanji (??)
Episode Director: Hideki Tonokatsu
Storyboard: Gorou Hanada (???), Hideki Tonokatsu, Sayo Yamamoto
Animation Director: Takao Takegami, Masahiko Yoda, Satoru Kobayashi



Ep3 - The Lady and the Samurai

The king of Austrian's grandchildren board a train carrying highly valued artworks, to get to her target Fujiko impersonates herself as Maria, their tutor. While on board, she runs into a mysterious samurai from the East - Goemon Ishikawa.

Script: Dai Sato
Episode Director: Yasuro Tsuchiya, Yoshiaki Okumura
Storyboard: Takashi Sano
Animation Director: Akira Monchi, Akane Umezu, Hiroto Kato



Ep4 - Living in Song, Living in Love

Lupin the Third has declared that he will steal the mask of a famous opera singer. Inspector Zenigata takes note of this challenge, and decides to personally attend the singer's next performance.

Script: Mari Okada
Episode Director: Tokio Yamauchi
Storyboard: Atsushi Takahashi
Animation Director: Hiroshi Shimizu


Ep5 - ????????
??????????????


Ep6 - Prison of Love

Fujiko is after the pendant belonging to a student in an all girls school. To get closer to her target, she impersonates herself as one of the teachers in the school.

Script: Mari Okada
Episode Director/Storyboard: Shouko Nakamura
 
I enjoyed the first episode, definite vibes of the eldest of the Lupin series. Besides, I give them credit for perhaps the most impactful/memorable OP intro I've seen for a show in a looong time----that thing took some work and thought.
 

duckroll

Member
wut.

is this going to be a weekly show or not?

There's a running joke that the series is going to turn into stills after ep3, because we've been hearing reports that the production is really behind and they're basically working overtime just to finish stuff before they go on air. :D
 

Cwarrior

Member
There's a running joke that the series is going to turn into stills after ep3, because we've been hearing reports that the production is really behind and they're basically working overtime just to finish stuff before they go on air. :D

Why didn't they you know delay the date when the show starts airing? or they can do what most do and have recap episodes(1 to 3 episode in lol).
 

LordCanti

Member
There's a running joke that the series is going to turn into stills after ep3, because we've been hearing reports that the production is really behind and they're basically working overtime just to finish stuff before they go on air. :D

I'd rather they delayed episodes than hurriedly rushed them out. This is the first genuinely interesting show involving Lupin in ages.
 

Jex

Member
There's a running joke that the series is going to turn into stills after ep3, because we've been hearing reports that the production is really behind and they're basically working overtime just to finish stuff before they go on air. :D

It's going to be a SHAFT level production!
 
I enjoyed the first episode, definite vibes of the eldest of the Lupin series. Besides, I give them credit for perhaps the most impactful/memorable OP intro I've seen for a show in a looong time----that thing took some work and thought.

I thought it was dumb. Everything about the episode itself was pretty great though.
 

Lafiel

と呼ぶがよい
I'd rather they delayed episodes than hurriedly rushed them out. This is the first genuinely interesting show involving Lupin in ages.
After the first three episodes, they can just re-air the first 3 episodes again. That should give them plenty of time, and I don't mind re-watching them again.:D

Also Episode 6 staff = HYPE.
 

Envelope

sealed with a kiss
Ep6 - Prison of Love

Fujiko is after the pendant belonging to a student in an all girls school. To get closer to her target, she impersonates herself as one of the teachers in the school.

Script: Mari Okada
Episode Director/Storyboard: Shouko Nakamura

Too bad we have to wait a month and a half for this episode. :(
 

The Boat

Member
Loved it, shame there wasn't a better quality version of the episode though. Didn't remember/know that Watanabe was the music producer. Hot.
 

Envelope

sealed with a kiss
Episode 2 also looks very nice and there's a new ED, unfortunately the awful shadow filter returned as well.
dUe8c.jpg
 

LordCanti

Member
I'm only a few minutes in, but the shading is getting to me. It's not like the art is incomplete underneath, so it's obviously a stylistic choice (in the parts I've seen thus far). I don't think it's necessary, but if they keep doing it after this episode, I'll stop bitching to avoid becoming a broken record.

(Actually, now that I've seen the whole episode, it's definitely covering some shifty art. There are some weird proportions going on, like Fujiko in silhouette where she's eerily thin)

Edit: I liked this episode, though maybe not as much as the first. I may like it more when I can understand everything that is being said instead of 3/4ths, we'll see. I enjoyed the hints of
Cowboy Bebop
during the
Church shootout. Whether that was intentional or not, I don't know.

The
new ED video
is kind of creeping me out. What kind of
screwy, fucked up life did Fujiko lead as a child? Oh wait, the light next to her in one shot is red. Guess that answers that question. Blegh.
 

7Th

Member
I wonder if they're actually somewhere with the ED, as in:
actually going into Fujiko's backstory
. Episode 6 could kinda lead to it, I feel.
How often does Fujiko interact with younger girls?
 
I wonder if they're actually somewhere with the ED, as in:
actually going into Fujiko's backstory
. Episode 6 could kinda lead to it, I feel.
How often does Fujiko interact with younger girls?
Wouldn't be surprised, though the new ED only hints at revealing more of her backstory, at least for now. Interesting ED as it shows how she grew from
a cute-as-a-button little girl into a sultry maiden
, in spite of the Leiji Matsumoto eyes. What I think they're doing with this series, for the time being, is the writers are essentially describing the usual MCs in detail, even though the premise is usually straightforward and meant to center around an MC that isn't Fujiko. By doing this, they're easing in the old-time Lupin fans with familiar material before going all out with new material regarding Fujiko in particular.

Another great episode—quite low-key, and an episode obviously-crafted to conserve budget and time for later eps, but the neo-noir aesthetic and events like
the hotel-room scene, Jigen's side of the Ciccolina story, and the Cowboy Bebop-like church climax
really work well. I'll have to wait for a fan-sub to really review it, but I'm quite happy with this. Perhaps the Goemon episode will be more hectic overall, a more balanced episode that contrasts with the craziness of the first and the morose tone of the second. Sayo-san knows what the hell she's doing here.
 

LordCanti

Member
I really don't want them to go into Fujiko's history, especially if it involves what the ED video alludes to. I guess I like her more as something of a mystery.
 
In case you're wondering, there really isn't any canon for Lupin, not one that's well-defined by an official source anyhow. If the crew does decide to make her backstory more detailed, it's simply a matter of handing over the next Lupin project to someone who will interpret her character differently. And that's assuming they really destroy a lot of the mystery behind her anyhow.
 

Giolon

Member
I've never watched Lupin III anything before, though I've been aware of it. I loved the first episode of this show - so much different than all the moe <strike>crap</strike>shows that fill the air these days.

Show felt very retro, and very badass, even during the goofy moments. The amount of tits in this show almost rivaled Queen's Blade, but it never felt as trashy or pandering to me. It kind of felt like a Connery-era James Bond w/o the censors to hold them back on the sexuality.

This is on the top of my watch list for the season. I'm so glad someone made a thread!
 

LordCanti

Member
In case you're wonderingL there really isn't any canon for Lupin, not one that's well-defined by an official source anyhow. If the crew does decide to make her backstory more detailed, it's simply a matter of handing over the next Lupin project to someone who will interpret her character differently. And that's assuming they really destroy a lot of the mystery behind her anyhow.

Fair enough.
 
Second episode has aired, gents! We're still under the three-episode rule here, so find a way to view it!

—I just want it to be subbed or translated in some shape or form at this point.
 

duckroll

Member
Episode 2

Wow. That was pretty good. I liked the writing a lot more in this episode. It was more interesting, better paced, and less "wild" in general. The more serious and adult take on the Lupinverse is definitely interesting to watch, and the art is really impressive. If the first two episodes are any indication, it at least suggests that every episode in the series will be very different, and there is no specific restrictions or formulas to the self contained stories.

Can't wait for Goemon to show up next week. :D
 

zeroshiki

Member
Episode 2

I liked this episode more because there was more to it than "oh hey let's steal shit". I liked Jigen's backstory, it had the right amount of style so as not to make it super cliche. There's very little action, however, but I'm not really an action guy so whatever to that. To all the worries about Fujiko's mystery though, I don't think that's gonna be an issue until much later based on the way they're going about it. The hideous shadows are more hideous than ever this episode though.
 
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