Good day everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am delighted to be returning to The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, as Sayo Yamamoto and Mari Okada continue to tease unexpected and fascinating results out of their twist on the Lupin formula. Last episode saw Fujiko deftly navigate a clear analogue for the Cuban Missile Crisis, spending a little quality time with “Fiadel Kastro” before Goemon cut some missiles in half. In spite of the episode’s loaded political context, Fujiko’s emphatically apolitical perspective actually resulted in a relatively lighthearted episode, more of a vacation than a revolution.
Fujiko’s disinterest in any larger political or moral framework for her actions is one of the most interesting, revealing aspects of her character. As a thief who loves her work, she obviously has no compunction to act in ways that echo larger moral principles. But beyond that, she seems to have embraced a kind of amorality that serves as an essential defense in a hostile world. Fujiko doesn’t have the luxury of principle – the world has been against her from the start, and thus anything she wants, she has been forced to claim by whatever means are available.
Rather than seeking solidarity with fellow victims and pushing back against this unfair world, Fujiko is content to manipulate the rules as she understands them, using intractable, demeaning cultural assumptions like “feminine innocence and fragility” to mislead her opponents. It’s a savvy response to a situation that is entirely outside her control, the natural deduction of someone who knows she can only depend on herself. Fujiko didn’t choose this world, but she’s happy to exploit it, and I’m eager to see where her adventures lead her next.
Episode 8
“Who is the slave? Who is the victim?” The opening speech gestures towards this uncertain genesis of her identity – she is now someone who steals from others, but if she was forced into this shape by the world around her, isn’t she still a slave in a certain way?
“The act of stealing lets her forget everything, and keep her memories at a safe distance.” Stealing feels like it should be a reflection of independence, but if it’s used simply to run away from the past, it’s a cage in its own right
Lupin’s checking out the news while idly peeling potatoes. I appreciate how often the Lupin series show these idle moments of the thieves at home, living oddly domestic lives in between their high-flying capers. You rarely see James Bond peeling potatoes
“Death Day.” This show’s grainy filters make even its title screens look iconic
And god, these backgrounds and this linework! I’d forgotten how distinctive this show’s visual design is – New York’s bridges are conveyed as a frenetic scribble of black ink, regular geometry abandoned in favor of loose, sharp-edged lines that convey a sense of metallic disrepair
Fujiko assassinates her way into a warehouse, where a massive glowing tree-like structure is being stored
Jigen’s design is so good for this show. They’re all good, but I particularly love how they exaggerate his hat into this long, pointed, almost scarecrow-appropriate design
He has been hired to get back a certain man’s “death day”
More gorgeous layouts as we head to the roof. The slightly tilted angle adds a sense of unease to the scene, while also allowing the steel beams on the left and birds on the right to form a subtle arrow, drawing the eye towards the center of the composition. Also, the austere grey palette creates a sense of cool foreboding, like the calm before a storm – an effect amplified by the figure staring into the distance
Fujiko’s nemesis Oscar from the boarding school is here as well
“Shitoto. A fortune teller who can foretell a client’s death day”
An extremely on-the-nose metaphor of the hourglass-like lava lamp separating Jigen and his client, made into a playful joke by the actual blood-like contents of the glass
“If my death day comes to pass, I want you to destroy Shitoto’s lithograph, and end his career as a fortune teller”
This man claims Shitoto “tainted his last years with the fear of death.” Fujiko would not respect this man, who lives as a slave to his assumed fortune like a meek little mouse. If Fujiko accepted fated predictions, she’d never have gotten anywhere
And then he actually dies! I like how the show adds even more layers of shading to convey the distinct aura of a corpse
Oscar has connected eleven murder cases that were both victims of Lupin and clients of Shitoto
Jigen finds his target, but the lithograph has already been set on fire, presumably by Fujiko
“There’s a right time for everything.” “You give up rather easily.” Fortune telling in general seems antithetical to Fujiko’s values, such as they are. Believing in fate means disbelieving in independence
The headlights of these cop cars allow for some neatly lit compositions, essentially creating a kind of stage lighting for Jigen’s escape
Seems like Shitoto actually is Lupin, using the fear of prophecy to manipulate his victims
Or not? Lupin actually rescues Jigen from this trap, stopping by in an absurd “Monkey Transport Service” van. Knowing Lupin, he had this van custom-painted for the sake of this gag
Fujiko appears to have stolen the lithograph to serve as a bedroom accessory. An extremely Fujiko move, but I assume there’s more to it than that. Is she also secretly afraid she is doomed to one day have her past catch up to her?
Oh my god, I love this composition as we cut to Shitoto receiving his gifts. The ornate halos around these candelabras, as well as their billowing lines of smoke, make it seem like we’re staring at an old-fashioned illuminated manuscript, some kind of holy text. That impression is further bolstered by the organ music in the background, emphasizing that we have come before a powerful supernatural council
He tasks Shitoto with predicting the death day of “the Third’s victims.” So this organization cares about Lupin specifically
And it’s a man with an owl head! At last, the owl motif that has haunted Fujiko all along will be coming into focus. It seems we’ll finally be learning about her painful history
The eye catch features one of those candles being held over an outstretched wrist, presumably how the deal was sealed
Lupin serves Jigen his potato gnocchi with bolognese ragu. Damnit, now I want Italian food
Lupin’s expression work in this series is very distinctive. He’s always grinning like usual, but there’s a hint of menace in that smile – it’s not the “let’s all go on a wild adventure” smile of traditional Lupin, it’s more smug and conspiratorial. Very fitting for this series, where few of the leads trust or even really like each other
Lupin catches up with Shitoto, and accuses him of engineering it such that his predictions would come true due to his own assassinations
“There are a ridiculous number of ways to kill a man a year from now, even if he lives in a cage of bulletproof glass”
“I don’t have any use for guys who don’t talk. Tell your clients I said ‘hi.’” Another nice thing about Fujiko Mine is that it can dispense with any pretensions of Lupin being a “rascally gentleman thief,” and instead give him the temperament and body count that would naturally come with the territory
“A certain man told me to test you… to see if you were worthy of their interests… if you were worthy of Fujiko Mine or not.” Oh, fascinating. So the force represented by the owls is framed as an overbearing, paternal instinct in Fujiko’s life – like a controlling father, they are attempting to find her a suitable marriage partner. A perfect antagonist for a show so in tune with the violence of patriarchy
Fujiko is planning to sell Shitoto’s lithograph back to him
“I’m tired of what people expect of me. I’m happy as long as I get paid.” As always, independence is her highest ideal
Hah, Lupin actually does disguise himself as Shitoto for the handoff. I was just a little early!
Shitoto claims his power was once real, and that his last task is to tell Fujiko her death day. Fujiko is not impressed
Oscar ambushes them, but Jigen offers the counter-ambush. Like with Goemon last episode, I enjoy the vaguely supernatural, but perhaps more “categorical” strength of Lupin’s accomplices. If something needs to be cut, Goemon can handle it. If something needs to be shot, Jigen can handle it
“Don’t die, Fujiko. I haven’t made love to you yet.” “Until then, you can ask Zenigata what you’re missing out on.” Incredible
“Now is the time to fulfill the final contract with Count Luis Yew Armeid!” A name that instantly provokes flashbacks of Fujiko’s childhood
As lightning strikes the building, Shitoto is visually crucified by the falling debris. And then Fujiko ruthlessly executes him, an unflinching glare on her face
And Done
It seems like we’ve returned just in time for the transition to the endgame! This episode offered a tremendous amount of context for Fujiko’s past, revealing both the name and the intent of her abuser, Count Luis Yew Armeid. The Count seems to represent an almost supernatural menace, with his inhuman features and strange influence evoking the energy of a figure like The King in Yellow. At the same time, his childhood abuse of Fujiko and ongoing claims of paternalistic ownership situate him as the show’s perfect thematic antagonist, a representation of all the chains that bind our heroine. I don’t think this production will end with Fujiko assassinating the patriarchy, but I’m eager to see her rise above the horrors of her past.
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