Alright folks, let’s check out another episode of The Woman Called Fujiko Mine! This show has been steadily winning me over all throughout its early episodes, with its unquestionable stylistic strengths, clear thematic aims, and general narrative polish giving each of its first four episodes a strong fundamental appeal. Along with Saya Yamamoto’s terrific aesthetic vision and contemplation of female power, the show’s most recent episodes have been further buoyed by a sense of humor and vulnerability that’s given it a clear emotional appeal. That’s been great news for me – while I certainly respected the craft of Fujiko Mine’s first two episodes, its heavy focus on ornamented style and hard-boiled noir storytelling didn’t really give me much to invest in emotionally. For me, character vulnerability is my avenue towards engagement, and both Fujiko and new friends like Goemon have given the most recent episodes a welcome emotional touch. Fujiko herself is a fascinating badass whose fatigued negotiation of an inherently male-oriented world feels more sadly relevant every day. Let’s see whose butts need kicking or jewels need stealing in episode five!
Episode 5
“The act of stealing lets her forget everything and keep her memories at a safe distance.” The more we watch, the more meaningful these opening lines become. That line in particular is directly followed by an owl swooping down, echoing the show’s own vague and ominous imagery
Incidentally, I really like how this show has been weaving that owl imagery into so much of its scenery, even in places that clearly aren’t dramatically tied to whatever organization the owl represents. The actual, literal extent of their influence doesn’t matter – they are inescapable in Fujiko’s mind, and so she’ll see that imagery all around her regardless of where she is. As usual, I’m a big fan of prioritizing character perspective over any illusions of “objective reality,” particularly in a show like this, where Fujiko’s romanticized view of herself and her profession dictates the production’s entire aesthetic
The monologue remains a terrific balance of Fujiko’s genuine desires and her overlaying subterfuge. She is simultaneously trapped by her past, aware that sense of entrapment makes her seem desirable, and perfectly willing to abuse that fact
We open with Fujiko admiring some new jeweled acquisition in bath, along with her own reflection through it. From the opening monologue onwards, it’s clear that Fujiko seems to identify herself personally with the act of stealing, alternately framing herself as either a thief or the jewel itself
And there’s Lupin
She reaches for the gun, then relaxes when she knows who it is, and instead decides to float naked along the pool. Different tools for different fools
“The more I steal, the more special I become.” Echoing the opening’s plea to fill her feeling of emptiness
Lupin offers her some jewels in the shape of roses. Once again, both of them are reflected in the prize, echoing their materialist self-image
I like how Lupin’s expression work occasionally slips into the goofy, simplified exaggeration of mainline Lupin
The soundtrack works really well for this show’s aesthetic. Just a light jazz standard for this idle conversation
Fujiko mentions a recently uncovered pyramid that is said to contain a jeweled peacock with red wings. THE HUNT IS ON
Jigen is arriving by boat. We open with him reading about the Egyptian lore regarding how your soul is weighed when you die, leading into his immediate reflection on how he can’t escape his own sordid past
Ooh, this show’s vision of Egypt is gorgeous. I appreciate us getting big, colorful cityscapes again after last episode’s consistent darkness – this show’s aesthetic is distinctive enough that I want it to explore as many distinct environments as possible, just so I can see how it renders them
Jigen’s design is terrific. They essentially made his whole face an extension of his hat, embracing its sharp angles and curving shape to create a man of shadows and regret
Jigen agrees to “weigh his sins” with a street vendor, and has his luggage stolen for his trouble. That feels like a neat encapsulation of this show’s reflections on morality – a source of infinite regret if you let it be, a useful tool for manipulating others if you don’t
I also like that it’s not just Fujiko, but basically everyone who thinks Jigen is too self-serious. This show loves to deflate the assumed machismo of identities like “jaded gunslinger” or “last samurai”
Great use of this show’s unique, uneven shading for Jigen’s descent
We’re honing in so closely on Jigen for this part that I have to assume the sudden appearance of Fujiko and Lupin is being held as a twist. The closer a certain narrative focuses on the details and lived experience of one particular element of its story, the likelier it is it’s trying to distract your attention from other elements in order to surprise you
“This curse… is nothing more than the looters… trying to trip each other up!” This segment is a good fit for Jigen, the proud non-romantic
And of course, the “curse” is just Lupin having fun with the looters. I appreciate how Fujiko Mine has turned the madcap, disguise-heavy nonsense that is key to the Lupin brand into something specifically characteristic of Lupin himself, in order to basically maintain Lupin’s core identity while still leaving room for very “un-Lupin” characters. It’s also wonderful to see the heroes of Lupin actually fight each other, given they’re all such distinct superheroes in the mainline properties
“This doesn’t look like one of your traps.” “Mine would have had more style to it.” It’s almost strange to me that people got mad about Lupin’s portrayal in this series. He’s depicted as a lovable rogue so often, it’s refreshing to get a portrayal where he’s genuinely an asshole and not great person, but still very charismatic and charming. Messy characters are great!
“I don’t know of any magnums with seven bullets” and then Jigen just body slams him. This show is still able to convey classic Lupin humor even with its very different characterization
The second eyecatch for this episode is PERFECT. Both Jigen and Lupin shot from below, with the camera just capturing them petulantly raising their chins at each other. The episode’s fundamental concept filtered through Fujiko’s intensely “oh my god these stupid cock-measuring boys” perspective
They’re really having a lot of fun with this episode. It’s easily the show’s most straightforward in terms of themes and narrative so far – some light echoes of Fujiko’s general preoccupations and a bit of mirror imagery, but mostly just a rollicking tomb raiding expedition with lots of fiendish traps
I like how Jigen’s bout with these moving statues emphasizes how the magnum is more than just a simple weapon to him, it’s a general tool of survival
And there’s that owl again, written in the hieroglyphics on the wall
The final room of the pyramid takes that “weight of your soul” exercise and shifts it from a hand-held scale to a pair of sarcophagi, where you actually have to sit in one to potentially open the prize
“Do you know the safest way to spring a trap? You exercise extreme caution and let a skilled gunman handle it.” Lupin’s ability to manipulate others to achieve his aims is a genuine talent
“Even if there’s reincarnation awaiting us, there’s no guarantee that next life will be any fun. That’s why it’s best just to enjoy it.” Lupin’s philosophy is extremely Lupin
Our dumb boys fall into a trap, and Fujiko arrives with sass to spare
“Take away a women’s secrets and she’d have nothing left.” Once again, Fujiko defines herself as a living embodiment of stealing and subterfuge
Fujiko is greatly enjoying playing the role of the villain. And now structuring this episode from Jigen’s perspective makes sense
Jigen tries to reason with Lupin about his pursuit of Fujiko, but Lupin actually wants Fujiko because she’s crazy and dangerous and a terrible idea. Jigen having to deal with Lupin’s bullshit is making me like Jigen a lot more!
And again, vulnerability. Jigen has demonstrated thoughtfulness and fear and even a sense of humor this episode, making him a much more compelling character
Oh good, all the scorpions fell into the sand whirlpool. That should help the situation
The fact that we’ve got almost the whole team this time is allowing Fujiko herself to act more petty and rashly than usual. Normally it’s “Fujiko’s competence versus an antagonistic world,” but here she’s just one of a gang of thieves, and so she gets to be the idiot as much as anyone
Once again, Jigen uses his gun to carve them an exit. The gun is more a symbol of his competence than a weapon with limitations, and its powers are thus pretty broadly defined
“The red peacock that brings wealth only exists within this temple.” They’re using the color-changing nature of alexandrite to seemingly reflect on the generally fleeting nature of thievery’s joy
“Unless you want to be trapped in here and become the legendary peacock yourself?” And then extending that once again to a comparison between Fujiko and the objects she steals. This certainly applies to Lupin’s impression of her – like the objects both he and Fujiko steal, their attraction is not to the objects’ fundamental nature, but to the thrill of the chase. Once acquired, they are worthless – and Fujiko well knows that this is how many men will see her, and conducts herself accordingly
The boys ultimately call off their dual, entranced again by one more peacock
And Done
Well, that was a fun one. Definitely the least thematically rich of the series so far, but it still offered some clever reflections on desire, and neat parallels between both our heroic rogues and their glimmering quarry. On the whole though, this felt like the most classically Lupin caper of the series so far, from its silly grudges and bombastic traps to its relative lack of Fujiko herself. I guess it’s a testament to this show’s strength that “classic Lupin caper executed with great aesthetic flair” feels like a bit of a lesser episode, but I certainly still had a very good time!
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