Lupin III: A Woman Called Mine Fujiko – 09

“Okay, I got her tongue. Is this how kissing works? Am I doing it right?”

I’ve got video games on the brain thanks to all the E3 conferences going on, so excuse me if my brain hasn’t properly switched back into talking about anime. My mind is off in another place, dreaming of all the possible games I could be playing in the future and thinking of all the weird celebrities we’ll see giving awkward speeches on stage this week. Now, you may or may not be a gamer, so I’ll shut up and start talking about what you came here for. TITS MINE FUJIKO!

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There is a lot more hinting about Fujiko’s dark, depressing past in this episode…but I still feel like the overall tone of the episode was light-hearted. Fujiko went on a rampage and tried to commit suicide, yet I would still call this episode whimsical and even more cartoon-y than usual. It was like watching Wile E. Coyote try his darndest to catch the Roadrunner. Lupin sprung his most lulzy traps on Fujiko, which only made her increasingly angry. Even Jigen had some nice tricks up his sleeve to keep things moving. For a show that’s trying so hard to be mature, it made me feel quite nostalgic for those Saturday Morning cartoons I would wake up especially early for. Well you can check cheapmotorhomes for some of the awesome cartoons.

I think a big part of what made episode 9 so comical and cartoon-like was the fact that the Painted Woman really didn’t matter. Like last week, her story was simply brushed over while the main characters were left to do the talking. We learned more about Lupin, Jigen and Fujiko than we did about this mute girl. She was just dragged along as Lupin taunted Fujiko, like some sort of rag doll. Like last week, she was more of a tool to bring out some deep secrets than an individual character with her own agenda and significance. That made room for more hiding behind wooden cut-outs and suddenly pulling out water guns for fun. I dare say that I prefer this more simplistic approach than the dark “ohhh, Fujiko is such a tormented soul!” thing they’re going for. I like Lupin III more when it’s sassy and outrageous than when they try to hit those serious notes. I’m still interested in why they tortured her so much, but it’s more of a detached interest out of pure fact than an emotional desire to see what happens. I can’t make the switch from seeing Fujiko as this devil-may-care cat burglar into a damsel in distress.

Overall, a fun, silly episode where Lupin pulls out all the stops against Fujiko, who tries to bring srsbsns drama to the episode but fails.

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Analysis

Jigen & Lupin: Holey moley, these two certainly became chummy since the last time we saw them. It’s interesting how they just sort of “fell” into each other’s company. They just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and they grew so comfortable with it that they became too lazy to change it. Like, damn, they’re really comfortable. Usually people steal cigarettes before they’re firmly between someone elses lips, but uhh….If they were less hairy, I’d probably go into fujoshi mode, but it’s impossible me to see these two as a couple. Yes…there actually a “hairyness” variable in my mind when determining shipping couples, go away. ANYWAYS, I’m a sucker for “bro” relationship dynamics, so I love these two as a team. Lupin is always smiling and he’s more silly, but he’s actually the one with a sharper intuition and a smaller capacity for small acts of kindness. He’s a good guy (for a thief), but he’s not one to help people who won’t benefit him somehow. Jigen looks like the more serious one and plays the straight man more often than not, but he’s actually a lot more soft-hearted. He’s quick to grow attached to their blue-skinned living painting, and his desire to protect her is a little more personal than Lupin’s. You would expect their personalities to be reversed based on their demeanor, but that’s not the case.

Poor, poor Fujiko: Crazy woman alert! Fujiko is still feeling the effects of the fortune teller’s chilling words last week, and even the slightest reminder triggers horrible flashbacks of her past. She’s officially lost her cool, and we all know what that means for someone as cool as Fujiko. It’s amazing that Lupin recognized right away that Fujiko was trying to kill the girl for her own, emotional reasons as opposed to for her own material gain. He’s rather well-informed about her past too…He seems more amused by her than sympathetic though. He didn’t seem too fazed by her potentially dying when she fell from the cable car and he regards her as something to spice up his life. Lupin toyed around with Fujiko so much that she’s even worse off than she was when she first saw that Painted Lady.

Without hope and a reason to live, Goemon should be an interesting companion to her. He’s a rather pure soul, and will likely lend a helping hand to Fujiko. Unlike Lupin, he sees her as a person first and foremost instead of an object. I don’t expect him to convert her into a kind civilian, but he should be able to boost her confidence again.

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About Overcooled

A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.